Fall in Love with Autumn

I am in love with Fall the way many people are in love with Summer. Now that August is halfway done I am literally counting down the days until everything becomes pumpkin flavored. My Fall wreath is anxiously waiting it's turn to be showcased on the front door and I plan to give her the stage the day after Labor Day.

Bye, Summer.

I feel like Fall doesn't get the love that it deserves. Back to school kind of steals Fall's thunder a bit I suppose. Once kid's go back to school our attention seems to shift toward the holiday season and Fall just gets left in the dust.

Well, not in my house. I see Fall as the perfect opportunity to slow down and focus on family. It is my goal every year to get my family out and about during the Fall season the same way I drag them every where all Summer. 

Why do I love Fall so much? Well, for starters, the weather and the scenery. It doesn't get much prettier than a beautiful Autumn day. I love a good sweater outfit and Fall is the perfect season for daily sweaters and family photos.

Fall Family Photo Idea by thechicsahm featuring mens leather sneakers

Here are some of my favorite Fall activities...

-Pumpkin Patch

-State & County Fairs

-Train rides

-Evening walks as a Family (with hot apple cider or hot chocolate)

-Apple picking

-Baking with the kids (think about using the apples you pick)

-Visit the Farmer's Market regularly 

-Check out the zoo (it's less busy and the temps are much better during the Fall - which means you can actually see the animals)

-Decorate Pumpkins

-Watch the Peanuts Halloween and Thanksgiving specials

- Go on a hay ride

- Make a big deal out of football season

- Host a Thanksgiving dinner

- Make some homemade caramel and use it in everything

For more Fall inspiration check out my Autumn board on Pinterest...

Do you love Fall as much as I do? What are some of your favorite Fall activities?

Pumpkin Shaped Jello

Now that the temps are starting to dip into the 80s it's starting to feel a little bit more like Fall here in Texas. (Could you hear all that sarcasm?) Anyway, it may not get that cool here but it doesn't stop me from fully embracing the Fall season.

I decided to kick things off with a fun cool treat for the kids. When I was in the hospital I became a big fan of jello. It was so cold and yummy. I thought it would be fun to make some orange jello for the kids and use pumpkin cookie cutters to make little pumpkins.

As you might have realized by now - I am not the type of Mom that tries to reinvent the wheel. I am going to share this super easy activity with you. All you need is orange gelatin mix and pumpkin cookie cutters.

Make the jello according to the package directions. You can make the jigglers version of these pumpkin by following the directions on the side of the box. You'll need to two boxes of jello for that. We didn't have jigglers because I didn't read the entire box until we were home. #momshrug

Note to Moms everywhere - Sometimes reading the box while in the store can be extremely helpful. 

The jello has to set in the fridge for what seems like forever. Next time I'll make the jello in the morning so that it will be ready by school pick up.

The pumpkin molds came out perfect! You have to press a bit to get them to pop up into the cutter. 

I plan to do this again in November. In December we'll use red and green jello with our Christmas cookie cutters. I love a cheap, easy and fun activity!

Will you be trying this? Don't forget to use the jigglers recipe. It would really take this activity to the next level.

Catching Up w/ Fall

I am finally getting around to decorating for Fall. Better late than never. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I'm glad that I found time to go grab some things before the end of this month. I still have some decorating to do in the kitchen.

All of my Fall decorations from last year have mysteriously gone missing so I'm having to find all new stuff. I snagged this wreath for nine bucks. It's so pretty.

I really love orange pumpkins but Savannah loves painting them so yesterday we all sat down to paint our pumpkins. She was home from school yesterday so this was a great activity for us. The day before I checked out some pumpkin themed children's books when I picked up the next book in the Junie B. series. If you follow me on instagram then you got to see Little Mike with his pumpkin. Let's just say he wasn't as excited as his sister. He's a funny little guy.
Once we were done with our story and pumpkins we made sugar shaped like pumpkins. Savannah got to decorate them while her brother took a nap. They came out pretty good. Thanks for all the tips you ladies on the Facebook page gave me. I appreciate it!
Backing up to the weekend… On Sunday we went out to dinner. Only in Texas can you still wear a tank top at the end of October without getting strange looks. I love this polka dot sheer blouse tank I picked up at Old Navy for four bucks!  I paired it with some skinny dress pants and strappy embellished shoes. The sun kept giving me a glow and erasing my neck, LOL! 


Between now and next week I need to find a good cat makeup tutorial. Savannah will be dressing up as a cat this year. Little Mike will be wearing a Lion costume that Sav wore when she was his age. I love being able to use the things I'm too emotionally attached to to give away.
We'll most likely be hitting up a party at our local library.

Anything new going on with you?

Hello Autumn...

Do you guys remember when I posted this video on the first day of Fall last year?

My calendar says that the first official day of Fall is tomorrow but since everyone is giving Fall a shout out today I will too. Autumn is my favorite season.

I love how crisp the air is and the way Fall smells. Something about Fall makes me want to just kick back and spend time with my family. It's so peaceful.

Right when the season starts I like to make some Chow Chow to enjoy for the next couple months. I also love to make boiled peanuts. Savannah loves them. That's the Carolina in me - loves me some salty boiled homemade peanuts. Have you had them? Thank me later.

Everything about Fall makes me happy. The overuse of my crockpot, planning and cooking Thanksgiving dinner and making Fall favorites like Pinto Beans, yum! Fall food is so comforting.

Of course, I also love Fall fashion. Leopards, greys, layers and being able to wear black almost everyday.

 

Now that my favorite season is here I'm ready to take the kids to a pumpkin patch, make some warm tea and take naps on Sunday afternoons while football plays in the background.

Are you as excited about Fall as I am? Any special Fall traditions you want to share?

Oh. And just in case you aren't quite ready to leave Summer behind visit my Autumn Pinterest board for all things Fall.

Chow Chow: A Family Tradition

My great Grandmother, Big Momma, preserved and canned all sorts of things. If it wasn't for her I probably wouldn't even know what Chow Chow is.

In the South we put Chow Chow on just about anything. Veggies, hot dogs, bratwurst and you can not have a Thanksgiving dinner without Chow Chow. It can be spicy (that's the way I like it) or sweet. What I have to say I love the most about this family tradition is making it with my mother. Spending time with my Mom in the kitchen is like having a cooking class with my very own Paula Deen. Minus the gray hair and the over use of a Southern girl's favorite word, "y'all". I learn something new every time. Every. Time. The lessons that she learned from my great Grandmother are now being passed down to me, and I am forever grateful. Grateful and proud.

Here's how you make it. Once you get your jars make sure you have cleaned them along with the lids. Chop up one large head of cabbage and an onion and place it in a freezer safe container. Sprinkle a generous amount of pickling salt into the container. Stir well. Put it in the freezer overnight.

The next day place your mixture in a bowl and rinse it well with water. Drain your cabbage mixture in a colander. Place mixture into a huge pot. Finely chop your favorite pepper and add it to the mix. Next you'll need to add four cups of vinegar, one-two cups of sugar and a tablespoon of pickling salt. At this point, you'll want to add your seasoning of choice. We try something different each time we make it and it has always turned out VERY good. Place your mix on the stove and bring it to a soft boil. Let it boil for about five minutes. Taste as you go. Add more of your spices if you need to.

You'll want to give your jars a hot bath. The jars should sit in the hot bath for five minutes. Make sure you are wearing a glove/oven mitten while handling the jars. They will be extremely hot. I recommend using tongs for easy retrieval. Place the Chow Chow in the jars while they are still hot. A funnel will make this task a breeze.

Place jars with lids back into hot bath for five minutes. The next day you can add a thin layer of wax under the jar lid if you'd like. After about six weeks your Chow Chow will be ready to eat. You can eat it before if you want to but the flavor gets so much better if you wait. Trust me it's worth it!

Southern Snack: Boiled Peanuts

I will be trying this on Sunday. I LOVE boiled peanuts. I'm a Southern girl and can not resist a salty snack. If you haven't tried boiled peanuts this is a great recipe to follow. Her directions are easy and the pictures are great! You can not mess this up! I'll be posting a Southern tradition of my own this weekend as well. Yum!!

Source: ourlifeinthekitchen.com via Regan on Pinterest