Autumn Thankfulness

Autumn is natures grand finale of color fireworks.

The harvest colors are so warm and comforting as the temperature starts its decline. They beg you to snuggle in and get compy for a long winters nap.

It my favorite season. I look forward to the beauty nature creates each and every year. If only it lasted just a tad longer.

Happy November!

Leave A Comment

I'm dreaming of ...

A white Halloween!
{not really music to my ears}

The day started out gloomy

Changed over to rain

then

Slushy rain

and finally ...

Snow!

I must admit that I'm not even the slightest bit excited about the white stuff falling from the sky.



We never even had a fall this year. I feel cheated out of my favorite season. 

It has gone from the dog  days of summer to a winter wonderland almost over night!

Due to the hurricane {a mere few weeks ago} our trees are all out of sorts. Most of the trees in our area are still hanging on to all their leaves. Usually most leaves have fallen by now and the branches are bare.

Branches full of leaves + heavy snow = no power

The only one, in my home, that was excited to play in the white stuff falling from the sky was Bentley. He was looking at Bozley trying to convince him to join in the fun.

Bozley, sharing my thoughts, looked at him like he was CRAZY!

This morning I awoke at 5am to the sound of snow plows ~ ugh!
We had a very bright white view from the window ~ double ugh!

I am praying this isn't an indication of what is in store for us this winter!

Leave A Comment

My Week

It's been a crazy busy week but I'm really enjoying the ever so slight hint of autumn in the air. I'm really stressing the word "slight" as it's been very hot and humid here in my little part of the world.




Dressing for school has been a challenge. I don't own many {read any} clothes designed for fall in the south. My fall wardrobe features heavy cottons, down, and wool. Since going naked isn't an option, I've had to get creative instead of cute. Not fun.



Anyway ...



My week in review has managed to bring about one of my favorite ingredients .... PUMPKIN!

Our neighbor recently lost his father. His life was celebrated as he enjoyed 94 amazing years of life full of adventure. It's so cute to hear his grandsons speak of him with such love and admiration.

After all the family had left, and their lives had quieted down a tad, {as much as it can with little boys and all their activities} I dropped off a dinner basket on their porch. I made my families lasagna, my friend Lori's amazing bread, and easy peasy, but oh so yummy, chocolate yam cupcakes. Yes, you read that correctly ~ yam. Pumpkin is at an all time shortage in my stores so I've resorted to using yams. You cannot tell the difference. Seriously! Give it a try {Susan :)} and you'll be delighted.

*Recipe listed at that the bottom*



On Sunday, before church, I warmed up the over and made pumpkin cinnamon rolls. These were good but didn't have as much pumpkin flavor as I had hoped for so I'll keep looking for a tastier recipe.

While strolling through Trader Joe's I spied one of my favorite treats. Figs! They don't make an appearance often here in the north but when they do, I take full advantage.

I'm making a fig and brie appetizer this evening to take to a friend's home for dinner. I'll let you know how it turns out. If it passes our strict panel of judges (ha), I'll share the recipe with you.

*anything with brie passes with flying colors!*

Chocolate Yam Cupcakes with Yam Cream Cheese frosting

Cupcakes
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup mashed yams {from a can}
1 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream cheese frosting
8 oz. cream cheese {I use the low fat}
1/2 cup mashed yams
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1tsp. cinnamon

Cupcakes:
Mix all the ingredients together and beat for about 2 minutes on low.

Spoon into desired cupcake tin of choice {I like the mini}

Bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove to wire rack and let cool.

Frosting:
Beat all the ingredients together until creamy.

Pipe onto cupcakes

Sprinkle with a little autumn sugar

Enjoy!

Happy October!

Leave A Comment

You are Invited

Next week I'm having some girlfriends over for

Friday Night Happy Hour

The weather looks like it will be nice so we'll be able to spend the evening outdoors on our patio.


We will enjoy an outdoor fire, munchies and cocktails.

I LOVE to entertain this time of year!

Keeping with the outdoor theme ....




These are my simple and sweet invites

{yes, they can be redeemed Friday night :) }

I thought it would be fun to "treat" the girls to something fun rather than just a random email inviting them over for the evening.

Hey, kids can't have all the fun of the season.

These brought a smile to their faces.

Last year for Halloween I made up s'more bags using the ghost Peeps.
My students and neighborhood childrened loved them.

{so darn cute!}

Yep, I'll be making those again this year as they were a huge hit!

Since it's not quite Halloween, I tried to go with just a pumpkin theme and use orange and brown {it looks black in the photos} ribbons.
I used what I already had on hand.

The actual invitation is somewhat hidden in the photo since I didn't want my personal information shown for all to see. I used a pumpkin die cut {orange with white polka dots} and printed the time and date in brown ink.

Fun and festive!

For safety purposes {ha,ha} I tested these out ;)

yummy!

Leave A Comment

Autumn Eve

Let's start the new season off with a hearty {and yummy} breakfast. I'm not sure if this is more breakfast or more dessert. Either way, it's delicious! 

You can thank me later :)

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal


~Hearty


~Yummy


and semi ~ healthy!

1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup syrup {don't use the good stuff}
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried blueberries {or any dried fruit of choice}
3/4 cup diced apple
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 large egg

Combine all ingredients and stir well. Let this rest for at least 20 minutes. This allows them to combine and moisten. Divide into four greased small bowls. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.



* I make a double batch for the work week and just reheat it in the morning. It's a great way to start the day and smells wonderful! :)

Enjoy!

* I don't remember where I found the original recipe. I've adjusted the recipe to please our tastes. This recipe is very forgiving and welcomes new ideas.

Leave A Comment

Is this a sign ...

of our winter ahead?

I had a completely different post planned to share with you this morning. I guess our fun weekend outing with friends will have to wait until tomorrow. Oh the suspense! :)



However, I wasn't aware that I would awake to a fresh coating of ice mixed with sleet. In fact, if it hadn't been for the bright blue ticker tape at the bottom of the TV screen, I'd be in the shower right now. My morning routine is to turn the news on first thing in the morning to get a brief update of what's transpired over night {doesn't that sound impressive? Honestly, I just need the weather report to confirm my wardrobe for the day} It was quite the surprise when I saw that we have a 90 minute delay due to this overnight surprise. Gifts come in all size and varieties!

Bentley had a rude awakening as well when his little paws greeted this white, cold, wet stuff.

I think the look on his face says it all ~ so NOT happy!




We were rather excited by our early winter treat. Bozley tried to play with Bentley. Not happening!


Bentley was on a one way path back to warmth. News flash buddy *** we live in the north, you'd better buck up! ***


By the way ~ why is it that you wake up "tired" but once you find out you have some unexpected free time on your hands, you have tons of energy and can't wait to start the day?

I'm using my gift of time to start a batch of soup for our supper this evening ~ the season of cozy has arrived in our home :)

Hope you're enjoying a fun start to your week!

Leave A Comment

Going Nuts

Our Halloween decor has been safely packed away and replaced with Thanksgiving Pilgrims, cornucopias and turkeys. I've been perusing my recipes, old and new, for our Thanksgiving feast only a few short weeks away.

My sweet friend Kathy shared with me her famous sugar cookie recipe. Not only are they tasty, they pop easily in your mouth as your passing by the island :) In the past few weeks I've made two batches of these delicious delicacies. I made a platter for an event I had to attend, and took some to school to share with my teaching staff.

These little acorns are so sweet packaged in cellophane bags and tied with festive ribbon to share with your friends. I'd love to show you a picture but Bentley was a little hungry and nibbled on the desktop power source. Of course this is the computer that has all my photos and because he is so talented, he managed to do this while my husband is on travel and I don't handle technology issues {as you already know.} So for now, you'll just have to take my word for it :)

Have a fabulous fall weekend ~ anything fun on your docket?

Leave A Comment

Fall break and a special visitor

I am so far behind in postings. Life has been crazy busy in our home. I'm looking forward to popping over and see what you've all been up to the past few weeks.

We recently enjoyed a wonderful visit with my son Nicholas. He came home just in time to enjoy the amazing beauty of a true autumn in New England. We were delighted to meet his girlfriend, Lauren. She is a lovely young lady inside and out.

For a little behind the scenes information, when Nicholas was growing up I felt it was very important to have his friends in our home. This provided me the opportunity to see the types of friends he chose to spend time with as well his behavior around them. There are a couple of sayings that I've heard over the years. They go something like ... your friends are the reflection of who you really are and, show me your friends and I'll know where you're heading in life.

I often hear parents of daughters say that they want to meet the young men their daughters are dating to "check them out" and make sure they will "treat her right." Well, I feel that should apply to both daughters and sons. When Nicholas began dating ~ sorry I have to laugh at this because he really didn't date that much in high school. He was always hanging out with his group {great kids} of friends. Anyway, I felt it was important for Nicholas to bring the young lady to our home for the very same reasons. Secretly, I think he also wanted our approval.

He brought Lauren to Connecticut to meet his family and show her around the area. I assumed that we would share snippets of time between their other outings with friends. I was thrilled that they spent almost all their time with us. It was simply delightful!

They arrived Saturday just time for the Fall Festival. They literally walked through that door and I put them both to work. Without missing a beat Lauren jumped right in as though she had visited before and knew the drill.




The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was bright with just a little nip in the air. We met a few of our friends there and spent the entire day grazing on our gourmet picnic and laughing.



Later that night we built a fire on the patio and enjoyed hearing stories about college life. I am going back to school ~ they've got the life!

Check out Nicholas' sunburn. Who would have thought of bringing sunscreen in October?



To help Lauren feel welcome, I made here a little tray and placed it in her bedroom. I took this before I had a chance to place all the goodies. In it's original state it was black with spaces for photos. It really wasn't my taste so I painted it white and put scrap book paper in the photo slots. There was a letter of welcoming and few items to make her comfortable during her stay.



In the course of conversation, I learned that she had never been to an apple orchard, never tasted cider, nor had a carmel apple. Hmmm, we needed to do something about this and quick. After all, you can't visit New England and not check these off your list. Mission accomplished when we sent them back to North Carolina.



One of the last apple presses. The cider is amazing! The doughnuts, fritters, and pies aren't bad either ;)






 A sweet little shop and sitting area to enjoy your apple and pumpkin goodies.





I love this old iron fence.



Freshly picked pumpkins from the patch.



While the turkey was on the grill {dinner request from Nicholas} we busied ourselves with making carmel apples.



We had several different toppings. I went with the mini chocolate chips and crushed pretzels. Yummy ~ sweet and salty! I caught my husband licking his fingers after "taste testing" a few of the leftovers. I think we'll need to make a few more before the season is over.
Helpful tip for sticky carmel ~ use the non stick aluminum foil



Nicholas wanted a couple of photos with the dogs. Let me just tell you that this is no easy feat. I thought it was hard to photograph small children but I think I may have found more challenging subjects. Thank Bentley and Bozley for offering a little comic relief ~ ugh!




This is the best we could do before they had to be on their way.

It was GREAT having my little guy home and I had tears running down my face as I said good~bye. I am so proud of the young man he has become and I was very impressed with the gentlemanly manner he exhibits towards Lauren. I think it's a goal of all mothers with sons that they become true gentleman.

Leave A Comment

My current hang out ...

The days just seem to be going by faster and faster. I'm incredibly busy and yet I feel like I'm accomplishing very little. My alarm goes off a few minutes earlier each morning and I slip between the sheets later each evening.

One of the culprits is our new puppy. He can't be left alone for,well, any amount of time unless of course we'd like a room rearranged or new creative carvings in our furniture. I've been spending a lot of my time on our front porch or the back patio. It's amazing what can be done to pass the time while the "boys" are playing in the yard. I've caught up on all my magazines, read a book and even wrote a few notes to friends and family. Please note that none of this was on my to-do list and nothing of real importance was checked off during this time.

In my so called spare time I'm finishing up the decor, projects and recipes for our upcoming Oktoberfest. This is truly a labor of love. All our hard work will be worth it as we are enjoying a wonderful evening together.

As if I don't have enough to keep me busy, I'm having a tag sale this Saturday. Insane you say? Yes, I know.We've been putting items in our basement for over a year now that we don't need/want/use. The small area we allotted has taken over half of our living space and is threatening to grow even larger. Enough! It's going to be a beautiful weekend so out it goes and it WILL NOT see the insides of our home again. What is left will be whisked off to charity.

What are you all up to these days?

Leave A Comment

Secret Scarecrow

Have you heard of Secret Santa?

This is his laid back cousin, Secret Scarecrow.

Years {and years} ago I taught in a school that had a fabulous staff who enjoyed not only their students, but their colleagues as wells.

We had such a blast together. We would often do things together on the weekends that included our spouses and sometimes even our own children.

Each year we would sign up for Secret Santa partners just before Thanksgiving.

This would insure enough shopping time during our so called time off during the weekend holiday.

We all enjoyed this time but, to be honest it was "one more thing" added to an already hectic and chaotic short few weeks.

The idea of Secret Scarecrow popped into my head one day and I proposed it at one of our meetings. It was accepted and implemented the following fall.

As I've moved through the years, so has my scarecrow idea.

Today was the first day of Secret Scarecrow.

I'm treating my gal to homemade Oatmeal, cranberry and white chocolate chunk cookies. Inside the pumpkin tag is a gift certificate to Starbucks.

Our gift giving began today and will end on Thursday. We try to spend only 10 dollars a day. Friday we will reveal our Secret Scarecrows and enjoy a soup and salad luncheon together in the Teacher's Room.

I actually enjoy this so much more for the simple reason that I have time and I don't feel rushed as I do during the Christmas season.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Leave A Comment

Wild, I tell ya!

Since the beginning of October we have experienced all four seasons in a matter of three weeks.

I never know what to expect from day to day.

We have had 80 degree weather which then turned to snow. A few days later it warms up and we have thunder storms.

Last night I was certain we were going to lose our roof. It was SO windy. At one point I looked out the front window to see the leaves flying off the trees sideways ~ I kid you not! This was followed by several loud claps of thunder. I actually jumped and let out a little scream, Bozely ran for his crate, and my husband continued to snore while "watching" the game.

Today we awoke to fall in all its glory!

I love how rich this red is against the green ~ it just pops. We have the most amazing stone walls in our area. They were built many years ago and are still standing. On the back of our property we have one that was build many years ago to mark a farm line that no longer exists. We could remove it since it is ours, but I would never want to dismantle our little piece of history.

I walk past this brook almost everyday. It's tucked away along a road that is rarely traveled. I love the soft murmuring sound it makes.

Had you stopped by this afternoon, you would have found me wrapped up in one of our adirondack chair reading one of my new books. This sweet spot is in our backyard.

Beyond this spot is what I refer to as the Wild Kingdom.

Seriously, some days I feel like Laura on Little House on the Prairie!

How would you feel if you look out your kitchen window and saw a Coyote?

I thought so.

Leave A Comment

It's here!

Welcome October!

{photos of our home last year}

This is my favorite month of the year. It's a season with many celebrations but there is very little commercialism involved. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and all that it {really} celebrates, but there is a rather large amount of stress and expectations that come just before and after the special day.

For the past many years my husband and I have hosted an Oktoberfest at our home. It's become an annual event and our friends begin asking in August for the date. I've been working on the menu as well as the the decorations for both indoors and out. I really enjoy this "holiday". I love the eclectic group of friends we have and how we all meld together so well.

We will also be attending a few of the fall festivals in our area. They feature local artisans and chefs. I love supporting our local community and the unique talent it offers. One of my new favorites is the Food Stroll a few towns over. It never fails to be an incredible evening.

I celebrated the first day of October with a yummy pumpkin spice Green Mountain Coffee from a sweet local restaurant this morning. I left a few minutes early so that I could run in for my treat ~ it was so worth it!

We awoke to a very chilly start this morning. It was hard slipping out from the warmth of my down comforter. I always forget how cold hardwood floors are in the fall and winter months.

I am actually wearing a light wool sweater today ~ yes, it's that cold! Due to the special event {October} I donned my J Crew cable knit in chocolate brown. I love the colors of fall.

As I'm typing this, my husband is building our first fire of the season and I have a pot of Spicy Chicken Chili on the stove simmering away.

Hope you all had a great day as well!

Leave A Comment

Autumn's arrival

The arrival of autumn

There is a chill in the air.

The days are getting shorter.

Beautiful shades of red, orange and

golds are decorating the trees.

The firewood is stacked.

Comfort foods are on the menu.

Sweaters are calling my name.

Autumn in New England is a privilege that I look forward to and enjoy each year.

This weekend I'm stealing an afternoon away with my husband.

I'm surprising him with a date to celebrate autumn and all the beauty it has to offer.

Leave A Comment

Autumn Food Stroll

I have wanted to do this for the past couple of years but something always comes up. This year a girlfriend and I went together.

It was incredible.

You walk along a reviving old New England town sampling food

from various venues and gander into the local shops.

Each and every display was well thought out and the presentation was amazing.

I loved the soup "cauldron" filled with potato leek soup.

The pumpkins cheese cake was delicious and the stacked pumpkin sign

was just too cute and creative.

The gargoyle with his watchful eye is from one of my favorite wine shops

that is next door to an incredible cheese shop.

It was the perfect autumn evening ~ not too cold but a nice chill in the air.

The food was yummy, the shops were quaint

and the time spent with my girlfriend was lovely!

We sampled from amazing restaurants. I can't wait for my husband to

return so I can treat him to my new findings.

Leave A Comment

October showcase!

Pumpkins

Come, autumn, come.

Bring leaves of crimson on golden bough; misty morns and amber dusk; a harvest of plenty and pumpkins on the vine. And so the gathering season begins, swathed in exquisite abundance and earthen beauty.

unknown

I adore pumpkins and gourds in any size, color or shape this time of year. I found this little guy at a local farmer's stand. He was adorable all clad in white. I brought him home and decided to dress him up a bit. I added a brown polka dot bow, and a showcase.

Now he is a center piece!

Leave A Comment