Friday, October 08, 2010

WELCOME OCTOBER!!!

I couldn't love a season more than I LOVE FALL!!!  Driving around makes me so happy.  Love the trees changing colors and the beauty of God's creation all around us. 

I have been doing crazy stuff too.  I had this fabulous Idea to start to make the things that I see in stores that look cool for fall decorations out of our scraps.  THis has meant in the past three days I have used power tools I said I would never touch and tried out things like hand writing painting.  I have had my fingers in dirt, wax, hot glue and many other mediums and I still don't have a picture to show you the final product.  Some things I will admit....I gave in and bought them...not because I didn't think by next march I would figure out how to make them...but because at 50% off it was cheaper to buy them and it is time to move on to Christmas if I am going to have a handmade Christmas!!!  WHich is totally the plan.  From Gifts to decorations I want them to be handmade.  We will see what happens.  This might be a year to year addition kind of thing. 
 love this garland and I want to see if I can remember how to knit and make this hat pattern into a stocking pattern...we will see...I am not very good with knitting needles.  but I love the colors...


We have been so homemade this year.  I sense a tide turning.  We decided last spring to plant a Garden and it did well...not as well as we wanted in all aspects but well. 

We have plans for doubling it next year.  Heck after next week when our whole yard gets torn up...we could plant our whole back yard...but i am sure I am not up for weeding that.  :)  But I have become a canner and a freezer of all sorts of things and let me tell you making your own tastes so good.  The vegetables have so much more flavor out of the garden and something about doing it yourself gives it all so much more satisfaction when you get ready to make a meal.  WE canned all sorts of tomatoes too....we have sauce, salsa and a bunch of diced and a few whole tomatoes. 

I Even began making my own bread again....I still can't master how those baker out there make their stuff so soft.  Mine dries out so fast.  I will keep researching and trying though.  I have made some uber delicious rolls and I am working on trying out some bagels and english muffins in the next couple of weeks.  I will let you know how it goes.  I have found that the budget is so much easier to keep...when all I am buying at the store is meat and fruit.  We might need to look into fruit trees in the backyard.  if any of you have good recipes for breads, bagels, and muffins....please, please share.  I would love to try. 

This fall we have also been making apple stuff like it is going out of style.  We froze some chunky applesauce and we made some apple pie filling.  of course there were set backs like over flowing pie filling in the canner and air pockets...but we made it work.  We still have superbly delicious pie filling that for me makes warm amazing apple crisp.  Thank you Anne and her mom for picking them with me and letting me bring them all home for free!!!  Apple's coming out of our ears but oh so much yumminess!!!  We even used them in some stuffing recipes. 

LOVE Squash another thing that makes me think of fall.  My friend colleen has this delicious stuffed acorn squash recipe too...sausage, apple and mushroom absotutely delicious!!!  but this year we tried out some new varieties too.  I have made a speghetti squash and how cool how it comes out.  I still have butternut squash upstairs to try yet.  We will see, still haven't found a great recipe.  If you have one, please share...love it when it comes highly reccomended. 

All in all this fall is starting out fabulously.....Jackson is loving school and Avie and I are enjoying our time with just the two of us.  We are finding time to play together and get some things done. 

WISHING YOU ALL A FABULOUS FALL SEASON!!!

3 comments:

Amber Stoneburner said...

Oh I would love to try the acorn squash recipe...can you send it my way? For my butternut I cut it in half, lengthwise, face down in a pan with a little water and bake it till soft, then scoop it out and mash it with some butter and brown sugar....just an idea.
This is my fav. bagel recipe, so yummy! http://hubpages.com/hub/Homemade_bagel_recipe_Make_great_nadrolled_water_bagels__its_as_easy_as_baking_a_loaf_of_bread

Jewel said...

I love those colors on that hat too! Way to go on your garden! Every yr. I want to start one but just never end up doing it. Maybe some day! And when I finally do I bet I'll be saying "why didn't I do this earlier?" :)

ThisIsMyLife said...

hey nicole! it was great seeing you at hobby lobby last week...still can't believe you were buying christmas stuff already! :)
we love butternut squash the same as amber, just bake and add some butta! yummo!...haven't tried brown sugar but i'm sure my fam would love it!
byw, love your kids' kitchen! my dad made one for my oldest when she was little. i picked my design from pottery barn too :) so glad they have it now that he has passed!!! makes it so much more special when it's made just for them!