I love October. 

That's when the leaves really change around here. One year it was so warm they didn't change until November. That wasn't a great year for foliage. But this year should be brilliant. For me, October is like my Spring, a renewal, where I spruce up the house, go through the kids' closets and try to get organized, I said try. 

I think I've always looked at this month that way because my church's semi-annual world General Conference is held in October and listening to the talks tend to give me a push in a direction I need.

Another thing I love is that there are so many festivals! Over the weekend we went to our back to school festival at a ranch not far from my house. The kids and I enjoyed a s'mores fire pit, horseback riding and a hay ride. It was really simple, just the way I think kids' events should be. I realized I didn't take many photos until it was too late but you get the idea.

Perfect size horse

This horse was big. I didn't ask but I'm guessing 17 hands?

I love Longhorns! I always enjoyed seeing them when we lived in The Texas Hill country
 and now I can see them right here in PA. 

A little bouquet

My mind was filled with frustrations on Saturday and I knew I needed a good run to clear it. I'm not a fan of running. at all. But I push myself to do it anyway. If not for the obvious reasons of health and conditioning, I do it because of the effect the endorphins have on the brain, taking me out of my frustrated mental state. It's also a time where I usually have a good idea about work, which includes life at home.

I prefer the quiet country trail not far from my house where I can take in the beautiful scenery. In a few weeks the leaves, some that are as big as my face!, will turn color and put on a show that I look so forward to every year. I can't wait to hear the crunch under my feet as they carpet the trail. After my run, I circled back up a bit and picked wildflowers to make a little bouquet. They were just too good to pass up.

The best trail

Simple wildflowers in a blue vintage Ball jar

Besides, it's a good workout

Raking up 25 bags of leaves to have this brilliance out my window?
Completely worth it.

 

 

Fall on display

So I got through my first month at my new job. It's been a little overwhelming but things are getting better. It's just been a lot more difficult coordinating schedules for the kids and us than I thought. But it's just something we all have to get used to so there's no need to complain.

Because I haven't made the seasonal door display change a priority, September kind of got away from me and before I knew it, there were pumpkins and fall flowers on every door and porch. It's one of my favorite times of year and I haven't done anything to bring it to life in the house or at the front door except for buying some mums. We're already half way through October so it's time to get in gear. I looked online for some inspiration and here's what I found: Enjoy!

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 Using pumpkins as planters - I may just do this.

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 I love all of this. I'll even take the dog. (Don't tell my pup.)
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 Now I regret not getting the lanterns at Ikea when I was there a few weeks ago...must go back.
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Bored with the gourds

After a month of gourds sitting around the house in vases and wooden boxes, not to mention used as bowling balls for Trae, I grew a little tired of them.

 

Although there are only a couple more days for Fall decorations, I thought I would liven them up for Thanksgiving. I took to them with gold spray paint which gave them some instant bling. I should've done this a long time ago. Note to self for next year.

(I also should've edited the photos but you get the idea.)

 

Have a happy day!

Mini cakes = fewer calories

 

It's that time of year when I do a little baking.

First up, miniature pumpkin shaped cakes.

I saw these on a magazine cover and thought they would be cute to give away

so that is what we did.

Who wouldn't want a mini cake?

 

 

 

Gathering for autumn displays - Union Mill Acres

When I was young we were forever going somewhere, anywhere, to just get out and explore. Even if my mom was just going to the corner store, we all darted out to the car as if we'd been cooped up for months and this was our only escape. Even now I tell my kids, 'Please, act like you've been in public before" because they are loud and crazy and act like they're limited in outings of any kind. When they hear the sound of me taking the keys off the hook, they come running to see where I am going, every one of them. I guess it's in their nature.

I still like to go and see what's around and this time of year I can always find something that will make us happy. For us it's festivals, craft fairs, walking trails, farms, football games, pumpkin patches, hay rides; anything Autumn.

We went to a little place in the country (which is pretty much any direction you go here) and stocked up on gourds, pumpkins and mums. Union Mill Acres was adorable and the people were friendly and helpful. There was a great assortment of everything you need for fall displays and the prices were the best around unless you go to the auction directly.

What a great place. Just see for yourself...



A barn with more things for sale. This would be my dream, having a barn on property to have a little shop!

Blair picking out a pumpkin

A topiary of gourds and pumpkins, good price too.

Cinderella pumpkins - my favorite

Gourd crazy

Trae pulling the mums for me until he discovered the sand box (upper right corner)



Handsome hubby carrying Blair's pick

So clever. I have never seen this before.






I hope you are enjoying this season as much as I am - hopefully even more!

xo

Laura




Are you tired of my love for acorns?

Don't answer that. Look at how cute these are first.

On my walks around the neighborhood I gathered up some acorn caps and sewed up some fabric acorns. I didn't pay attention to the shape; just gathered and pinched the fabric as I sewed along. Then I stuffed them and hot glued the caps on top. They are not the traditional acorn shape but they work for what I need. Soon I'll have a whole bowl full.

Have a happy weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linked to Sugar Bee Crafts

In a nutshell - crafty acorns

The weather has a crispness to it in the mornings. You know what that means - Autumn is near.

Trae and I took a walk to a church in our neighborhood so he could play on their playground. I heard the crunch underneath our feet as we walked along. The acorns are beginning to fall - one of my favorite times of the year. We picked up a few little specimens. They were still green and some were too small but soon there will be more to look for. There is one house that we like to walk by because they have a huge tree that drops the larger acorns.

Every year we gather them, put them in the freezer to kill any worms (which still elicits the question from whomever opens the freezer, "Why is there a bag of acorns in the freezer??") Do they not know me at all??

I always end up putting them in a glass vase for a little decoration. I also get a branch and hot glue the leaves and acorns back on it and put it in the vase full of acorns that act as a filler.
It's exactly what my mom would do except she'd send us out to gather filberts and walnuts that fell from the trees lining our driveway.

Maybe this year I should switch it up and make some felted wool acorns?

These are little sachets of lavender. So cute.

Or how about these cool fabric ones?

Some are just so cute you could eat them.

How about painting them?

Or maybe I should send acorns to heads of state like John and Yoko to plant as a symbol of peace?

Whatever their use, they sure are cute little suckers.

Which acorn project would you try?

(The heads of state thing might not work but the others are promising!)

Rollercoaster Roads

***Disclaimer: All children were buckled in their seats. There was no oncoming traffic. We did not exceed the speed limit on a stretch of road, only accelerated over a hill for the rollercoaster effect.***

A few weekends ago we were in the Maryland countryside. It was a lovely fall day as trees were bursting with color, perfect for sidestepping the highways and venturing into the country. We used to live in Maryland so it's always a little exciting to go back and play "Remember when" with the kids. I would often take the kids into DC on the train and hang out at the Smithsonian while Jon was at work. That's when we had 3 kids which seems like a lifetime ago.

As we made our way through the back roads, we drove on hilly country lanes which we have always dubbed "rollercoaster" roads. We drove the normal 45 MPH on the flat stretch but accelerated over the hills like we were on a rollercoaster (clear of traffic of course) and raised our arms in the air (except for the driver) and screamed, squealed and laughed. All of us.

It was fun as usual.

And then we went back to being normal.

Autumn inspiration

Here we are the 2nd week of October and I haven't done one "fall" thing anywhere, not even the pumpkin stand for the kids like last year. Chalk it up to a busier than normal season for us.

We're still in the process of putting the basement back together. And while we're at it I decided to move the family room furniture up to the living room and vice versa. Let's just say it was an experience.

We moved all of the living room furniture into the kitchen and then Jon and I had to lift the huge couch from the basement up the stairwell, which didn't fit. So we had to go out the back door of the basement and bring it in through the front entrance. Charley used a rope to pull the light out of the way and Belén watched in horror, yelling, "Stop!! If you drop the couch it will kill mom!!" when we got stuck trying to heave it over the wall.

We were laughing so hard, and telling her to stop since we (sorta) knew what we were doing. It turned out ok. I'm alive and the couch is in place and we are enjoying it so much more. We learned from that and ended up taking the living room furniture out through the kitchen deck and around outside to the basement entrance. Whew! Now we just have to switch out a few more things and we're good.

But as for welcoming fall at our house, it's still either boxed up or hasn't been planted so I needed some inspiration from good old BHG. And just maybe I'll get to it next week. You can also find some other inspiration here from a while back. Enjoy!