fall wander on the bird boardwalk

Up with the sun.

Walking feet.

The usual suspects.

Shadow play.

Trail pretty.

Man, I love this trail.

Back at the beginning.

scrumdilly diy: ten pretty pumpkin projects

*homemade pumpkin butter

*pumpkin spice oatmeal

*pumpkin french toast bites

*chocolate chip pumpkin butter roll-ups

*tiny pumpkin place settings

*chocolate chip pumpkin cakes

*chocolate chip pumpkin bread

*pumpkin spice magic pie

*thread wrapped decorative pumpkins

*diy pumpkin pie spice

happy fall!

It's officially fall and yet our summer temps keep popping up here on the coast. Today however, was beautiful. An overcast morning with a cool breeze, just about perfect if not for all the pollen that blows in along with the wind. My head is so congested I am a cranky mess. Darn pollen. Just like the old days my ears are packedy packed with mawd knows what and my poor bronchial tubes have an errant group of ravers mucking up the place.

So rather than wrap myself up in a soft blanket to sit on the sofa with, I have been moping about the homestead in an old t-shirt and patchy jeans. Instead of cozying up with a cup of pumpkin spiced something I have been guzzling water and leaving a trail of tissue all over the place...you know...in case I can't find my way to the bedroom. Instead of going outside and taking deep gulps of that crispish (at least in the morning) fall air I have been lollying about on the not-made-up bed alternating between a cheesy romance reed and a marathon run of candy crush, papa-whats-it-callit, and farm heroes crappity crap.

It's the first day of fall and all I have managed to do in honor of the day is to bust open a bag of pumpkin spice m&ms...a flavor wrapped up in scent that I and my anosmic-self cannot appreciate.

I try...though...I really do. Happy Fall (or Spring if yer down-under)!

squash happy

 Last weekend we hit up our favorite pumpkin farm and loaded up our wagons full of squash and such. I have vague plans for what I wish to do with my bounty but we'll see if I can actually get to it. Things are a smidge kooky here in the tiny casa. I'm working on blog posts and projects, two special November projects, house cleaning and vintage yard sale prep. Toss in actual work-work and my tendency to lose track and you can imagine the fun that is going on. Picture a multitude of half-done projects decorating the tiny floor-space of the tiny casa. Fun times.

So yes, we drove up to Chesebrough Farm to take a gander at this years' crop of pretty. mister and I picked up a wagon full of happy for under $25 and the sister a-go-go went a little grander.

I love visiting this farm. Each year the crop is surprising and each year the crop is just as delightful as can be. The folk who run the farm are super nifty and patiently answer our questions and we a-go-gos tend to ask a lot of questions.

We packed our pretty in the back of Eleanor and now I have a pretty collection. There are two luminas, a blue ballet, a warty thing and a handful of gourds. They look mighty pretty all piled together. Maybe I won't carve into them after all....

bake: welcome to fall cake

Hop on over to scrumdilly-do! for the ridiculously easy three ingredient masterpiece.

sweet, sweet november: day 5

Pumpkins aren't just for Halloween. They and all their happy squashy cousins make for excellent autumn eats. From cakes and breads to side dishes and soups, pumpkins pack a healthy punch! Here is a simple recipe for pumpkin butter that is so full of fall flavor and scent you'll want to park yourself on the sofa and sniff, sniff, sniff away. I hope you enjoy it!

*15oz of pureed pumpkin. I used this kind but you can make your own puree as well.
*1/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
*3oz apple cider
*1/4 t each: cloves, nutmeg, black pepper
*1/2 t each: cinnamon & ginger
*dash of salt and cayenne pepper
Pop the pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a suitable saucepan; stir well. Bring the whole happy party to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. As it bubbles and spurts a lot, make sure to stir frequently. The mixture will darken slightly from all those good spices.Let cool a tad and transfer to a happy glass container, do NOT process this for canning. It will keep well in the fridge for a few weeks (if it lasts that long, it's pretty tasty stuff). Divide pumpkin butter into small sterile jars and give as gifts. Don't fergit some happy tags! Pumpkin butter is tasty on toast, in smoothies, on oatmeal, in cookies...seriously, there are oodles of uses for it, have fun!
*check out scrumdilly-do for a delicious kid-friendly recipe!

at least i got something done today....