What Does Autumn Taste Like?

Candy Corn and Peanuts

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Homemade Applesauce

 I've had this recipe hanging on the inside of my cupboard door since Carrie and William were teeny tinies.

The inside of my cupboard doors tell a story.

The recipe at the bottom is Aunt Norma's
apple butter recipe.

The recipe right above that is for "Mom's Biscuits."
It was hanging right there when we moved in...
something left from Mrs. Franklin.
The tape around it is yellowed now.

Beside it, to the right, is my good friend Debbie's recipe for dressing, dated July 12, 2006...in her handwriting.

I remember sitting at her kitchen table when she wrote it out for me.

Right above Debbie's recipe is the apple list from our local orchard.

It tells when each variety of apple is ripe.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Matthew is eye-balling
the muffin that has his name on it.

My gourd candles before they rotted.

Chocolate Chip-Banana-Pecan Bread

Autumn tastes even better when there are little snowflakes flying around in the sky...

Why is it that when the cold weather blows in
and the leaves begin turning color,
I go into hibernation mode?

Just watch out for spring.

Until then...
Enjoying warm, tasty treat,

Punkin' Faces

(Photo credit goes to Brandy.  Thank you so much for capturing this in pictures!)

After our gorgeous trip to the pumpkin patch, we brought our pumpkins back home and dug in.

Josh is all smiles, because this is his really truly first pumpkin carving.

The kids promise me that we haven't carved pumpkins for two or three years.  

If that's true, then Josh wouldn't remember carving...mainly because he wouldn't have been carving.

He would have just been watching.

Not this year!

He was involved with him pumpkin turned Jack O' Lantern up to his elbow!

Carrie is an old pro at carving pumpkins.

It has been a long time since she has needed any help.

First-Timer and Old-Timer

No Guts...No Glory

This Jack O' Lantern should be very glorious!

Because he wasn't too fond of cleaning out the pumpkin, his decision was to sit back and relax awhile until the dirty work was done.

Another carving pro in action...

Josh was fully involved in creating his Jack O' Lantern.

This girl knows how to clean out a pumpkin!

 This is one of the most patient teachers
you will ever meet.

He talked Josh through the carving of his pumpkin,
step-by-step.

Checking it out from the inside...

A little guidance...

Oh, the concentration!

And oh, the guts!

Time out for Matthew.

Tired from all of the pumpkin carving,
he decided to play burrito.

A smiley kind of goofy face
emerges from Carrie's pumpkin...

William's pumpkin and tribute to Steve Jobs.

He also ended up carving a power cord at the bottom of the pumpkin...

My guy...

Josh's finished pumpkin...complete with fangs...

Paul's Pumpkin Pie-rate...

I've never carved a gourd before.

Aren't they cute?!

Now, several weeks later, I can tell you that if you want cute little gourd candle-holders for Thanksgiving, carve them the week before Thanksgiving.  

After a couple weeks, they start rotting.

 

The line-up:

Josh, William, Paul, Matthew, Jodi, and Carrie.

What a beautiful, sunny day!

Ride bikes and swing while you have the chance!

Some serious deliberating going on here.

My friend, Peggy, gave me a little oak tree that she found growing at the back of her property.

We're trying to decide where to plant it...

Paul has an idea.

And William wields his shovel!

Charlie is right in the middle of everything.

It's surprising that the little tree got planted.

And some nighttime viewing...

Enjoying all things autumn,