FALL CRAFT

POPCORN WREATH

Pop two unsalted bags of microwave popcorn and pour them onto a baking sheet. Cover a small section of a straw wreath with hot glue and press the popcorn onto it. Continue gluing and pressing the popcorn onto the wreath until the wreath is covered. Tie a big bow at the top, using raffia or black and orange ribbons. This is a great way to welcome ghosts and goblins to your door!
After Halloween is over, hang the wreath from a nearby tree for birds and squirrels to enjoy.

EASY TO MAKE GIFTS FROM THE GARDEN

When fall rolls around, people usually start thinking about Christmas...how close it is getting, how much money they will need to buy gifts and well, you know the drill! I like to give homemade gifts, mostly because that is what I like to receive. Instead of panicing about how much money you will have to spend or what your going to get for that "hard to buy for person", why not give a beautiful gift basket? Each fall my husband and I do a lot of canning, jam making and pickleing, so we both decided that this is what we will do for Christmas gifts. How about a basket with some homemade jams, apple butter, a loaf of homemade bread, a small cutting board and a tea towel. Didn't make jam this year? Okay. How about some homemade pickles, a stick of salami, some french bread and cheese. You get the idea. These are just some of the things you can do with your fall bounty. I call it sharing the joy! Just one of the many reasons I love fall.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Fall is definitely on its way!! You can feel it in the wind and smell it in the air. I love fall! I think it's my favorite time of year. I love the smells, the colors, the crunching of leaves beneath my feet and all the other changes it brings. It brings back memories of raking leaves in my grandafathers yard with my brothers and sister and then jumping in the piles, only to have to rake them all over again.
Decorating for the different seasons is one of the simple pleasures that I enjoy, too. Our kitchen mantle is one of the first places I like to decorate. Since fall is my favorite season, it didn't take me long to get it done. I posted a picture to the left for you to see.
Fall time is also when you get to enjoy the rewards of all your hard work during summer. Flower gardens are blooming and beautiful, vegetable gardens are filled and ready to be harvested, apple trees are waiting to be picked and the fields of hay are a sight to behold! This is also the time when my husband and I do some of our favorite things together...canning, pickleing, freezing and making jams. Delicious rewards of hard work to be enjoyed all winter long!
My hope for you this fall, is that this beautiful season brings back those wonderful memories of when you were a child. Memories that warm your heart and make you smile. Memories that really are the "simple pleasures" of life!