One Week Later....

The Tree has slowly decided to delve its punishment.

This pile I'm standing on has migrated from the initial leaf pile I made earlier this week as you'll read below:

While we were waiting outside for Chris to get home from work earlier this week, I decided it would be fun to create a little leaf pile for the kiddies to jump into. These pictures were taken today of a much smaller (but just as exciting) leaf pile.

It was actually quite enjoyable seeing the kids emerge themselves in the leaves (Eliza even tried "swimming" in them, which was HILARIOUS!).

I was getting a good workout sweeping all the leaves off of the driveway and "accidentally" burying the kids. We were having so much fun piling the leaves!

Hmph. Fat lotta good that did me!

The wind blew the majority of the pile BACK into the driveway that night. What you see here was already once in the leaf pile on Monday.

It's getting to the point that we can't really open the side-door unless we shove all the leaves out of the way. They just KEEP COMING BACK! The side of our house is like a perfect wind funnel for leaves to pile into. ARGHH!!!!

Leaves have been steadily falling, but you'd never guess that looking at this picture I took a few hours ago of The Tree.

Just wait until next Wednesday's pictures! I almost cringe at the possibilities...

The Great Pumpkin Patch...and a Red Barn

Though it's been there for years, we discovered an adorable u-pick pumpkin patch that had a hay maze, little train (that wasn't working) and a hay ride through the expansive pumpkin patch. Even better than last year's pumpkin picking excursion. Cute little kodak moments were everywhere!

We still got pics of the kiddies on the train, but at least I didn't have to worry about a motion picture! We may go back because it's that cool of a place.

Inside the barn they had tons of photo opportunities to pose next to symbols of Autumn. It took a few tries to get everyone (cough-Chris-cough) to smile, but that's the joys of digital cameras!

I just loved that this punkin was the size of my punkins!

We had to keep the babies distracted to take the pictures (which is why they aren't looking at me) because it was SO cool in there!
Right outside the back of the barn they had a maze for the kiddies to go on. Seth took off in excitement before Nana realized it.

Eliza kept getting lost so she stayed right on Nana's heels. I don't think she cared much for the maze.
Instead, Eliza decided to make her own trail and took off in the cornstalks at the end of the maze which were nice and straight.

Chris grabbed her before she went too far, but they decided to take the time to make silly faces before coming back, the weirdos.
Seth, however, emerged victorious! That maze had nothing on him.
After the maze we took off in search of the perfect pumpkin while the kiddies rode on the pumpkin cart.

Denise did her auntly duties and pulled the tots while we looked over the field to make sure we got just the right one.

Back in the barn, we rang up the purchases before we took off for sandwiches and apple streusel with Chris's brother and family.

Loved their pumpkin art. Had to capture it while Chris was chasing the kids.

Yay for pumpkins during the Autumn Season! Off to get warmed up!

It has begun...

These are images of our widow neighbor's gargantuan tree and all the leaves that will soon be dropping.

I had to get an image of the lawn before the downpour of leaves causes me to forget it exists.

My little cottage's roof is dwarfed by the tree's limbs (bottom left). I'm just glad we have homeowner's insurance!

Leaves completely cover our whole lot about 4 inches deep (at least, I plan on measuring this year!), some of which are so large they had to have been mutated by some vengeful autumn sprite. It makes keeping the house clean super awesome until the snow covers up any piles we forgot about.

One thing's for sure, the kiddies will have the COOLEST leaf pile to jump into!

Autumnal Smells

I just love the crisp smells of Autumn. The harvested apples, the pumpkin patch fields, the dried leaves, and fall-themed candles that exude golden warmth. The crispness in the air as jackets cover tanned-arms (not necessarily mine!) gives a yellow light to the growing season to pause before winter sets in.

True, Idaho doesn't get much of an autumn as it tends to go straight from summer (which is never long enough) to winter. One day it's a balmy Indian Summer day and the next we wake up to snow, wind, and frost with our predictably unpredictable weather.

However, that doesn't stop me from liking the season, even if it's only a week or so long here. I think it's the memory of the smells from past autumns that always bring back memories of raking leaves, trick-or-treating, or harvesting before the frost.

And of course, the smells wafting from the kitchen are my MOST favorite! I get into cozy-cozy mode when I contemplate my menus as I look out the window at the cold. I love the smell of baking bread and simmering stews which add warmth to the whole house, literally and figuratively.

I sometimes get a little too creative with my menu items though (just ask the menfolk in the family). However, my Harvest Stew/Back-to-School Soup/Autumn Soup (couldn't decide on a name as I kept adding stuff to it) turned out great (I mentioned it in my Fall Decor post). I can't really remember all that I put into it, but feel free to go to my shared food blog, The Recipe Retreat to get the "recipe" of what I could remember. :)

Not a picture of my soup, but you get the idea (we ate it all before I took a picture of it, but it was very colorful!)

What's a meal without a little cider and doughnuts afterwards?

I just want to curl up in a blanket, sip my cider and nibble my doughnut while reading a good book...which won't happen until the kiddies are asleep or visiting grandparents. Hmmm...

What are some of your favorite smells from Autumn? I'd love to hear about them...

Fall's Decor

Decorating for fall took all of five minutes for me, and most of that time was spent chasing the decorations back from Eliza and answering Seth's repeated questions of "What's that? Why are you putting that there? What's it for?"

Finally, I gave them some Trick-or-Treating bags I got on clearance last year which distracted them enough to let me put my little signs up. They were still fascinated with the motion sensor lights on the bags by the time I was finished, which led me to the conclusion that I need to get more decorations for fall.

Putting the fall garland on the (still not finished but I'm not complaining because it looks SO much better than what was there) arbor took a few minutes though. That's good, right?!

Yes, the honeysuckle is STILL waiting for a trellis to climb on...sigh. Let's go back inside where home improvements in the front room are pretty much finished!

Wow, I should have dusted before taking the picture. Uh, it adds to the Halloween ambience! :) I was a bit worried that Eliza's acrobatics would lead to sadness and destruction, but she remains focused on taking out all of the DVDs and VHS in the coffee table drawer for a little while longer.

I think the "Pumpkin Patch" sign has deterred her from taking out the books (which is why they're slightly disheveled, but again, ambience!)

My little gargoyle I got in Paris near the Sacre-Coeur is a year-round cool dude in the room, but especially fitting for the season and thus deserving of a picture.

And, that's it! I know, kinda lame, but I make up for it in the next season.


And I also have yummy smelling fall scents I use on a regular basis. Ooh! I've also been doing autumnal-themed cooking like my made up Harvest Stew/Back-to-School Soup/Autumn Soup (I couldn't decide on a set name but it was yummy!) as well as become a fan of mulled cider and doughnuts on a pretty regular basis. Maybe that'll have to be its own post...

I listen to my Fall playlist a lot--calm one on the blog when I need a little peace and a more rockin' one when I need to kick up the energy a few notches (listening to Thriller totally helped me empty my dishwasher the other day!)

Happy Autumn!

A little bit of Halloween: Hansel and Gretel

Here's a great Disney version of the opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (I thought of Princess Bride when I saw the composer's last name) which was first performed in 1893 (opera, not Disney cartoon).

We rented Mickey's House of Villians from the local library as I've been getting the kiddies excited for the Halloween holiday. I love the music and the children loved the cartoon, so it was a win-win situation for everyone!

I tell you what, I am having more fun with this holiday now that I'm a parent than I ever remember having as a child. Of course, we didn't get way into it (at least as much as Chris's family did and still does). It's so fun planning outfits and activities. Since we live in a very family-oriented community, there's a little something for every age group.

So, stay tuned for more ghoulish fun! Whooo-hoooo-ooo!

(Was that last little bit over the top? I can never tell!)

Pun'kin Patch Time

Talk about a perfect photo opportunity! Chris, Seth, Eliza and I all went to the U-Pick Pumpkin Patch today to find some pumpkins with Chris's family. It was SO fun, as you can tell from the pictures! It's VERY family oriented and kid-friendly. I highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a little family time during the Harvest Season, though it's a bit out of the way to get to it (if you're familiar with Taylor Mountain, it's like, right in its shadows).

Seth did NOT want to sit on the haybales for the picture and was saying, "Down" as he pointed with his finger where he preferred to be.


Chris's little sister Denise took Seth through the hay maze that's just perfect for toddlers.


Denise was helping me "distract" Seth into looking at the camera by wiggling her fingers around behind me, which Seth got a big kick out of while he was sitting on the porch of the little barn they have set up to pay in.


I just loved this picture of Seth following behind Chris with another cart to load the pumpkins in. Like father like son!


Finding our pumpkins! (l-r: Chris, Michael, Stephanie, Denise holding Eliza, Natalie holding Seth *who did not want to take another stinkin' picture* and Kathy)

If you want to take the family, just travel down Ammon Road, past the little Speedi Mart there and keep going until you get to 97th South. Take a right and you'll see the big field on your left. Let me know how it went!