Autumn...it's coming, and not to wish my life away but... I can't wait. The heat of this summer has been horrible and we're all ready for a little relief. I want to open all of my windows and bring the nippy, fresh air in the house. I'm looking forward to wearing my boots, blue jeans, flannel shirts and riding our three wheelers in the neighbors' pasture. I'm looking forward to trimming the trees, staining the deck, burning brush and resetting brick paths until the sun goes down.
It's a time of soup in the crock pot, bread rising on the counter, pumpkin pie and when Bobby and I are outside all day, I can get dinner ready pretty fast. I want to light the kerosene lamps at night, watch our trees turn colors and pick apples off the tree. I'm hoping all of our last years mums bloom and the black eyed susan's last a while longer. We planted birdhouse gourds this year and the blooms are plentiful.
I plant sunflowers in patches, not rows. In the fall, I add a scarecrow, a few pots of mums and a few pumpkins.
Inside I decorate for Harvest. I add garlands of orange silk leaves entwined with orange twinkle lights to the tops of my china cabinet, mantle and entertainment center. I lay small resin pumpkins in the garland and the heads of silk sunflowers.
Find a large crock or vase and fill it with silk stems of orange leaves, sunflowers and mums. Start by buying a few at the dollar store and add to it every year.
Fill a basket with pine cones, orange twinkle lights or battery operated tea lights, pumpkins and gourds. Tie on a raffia bow, add a few drops of apple or pumpkin essential oil. You can add the oil around the house...a few drops by your candle wicks, before lighting.
Put electric candle lights in your windows and use orange light bulbs.
If you sew, make a harvest, quilted tablecloth. Ebay sells 4" or 5" cut squares for sewing. All you have to do is sew them together. I promise that once you start using quilts as your tablecloths, you'll have a hard time using regular ones. Don't use your expensive, heirloom quilts.
While you are sewing, make a harvest quilt for the family room. You'll use it year after year. If you don't sew, you can buy quilts at Walmart for $20.00.
Make a grapevine tree, or decorate a small artificial Christmas Tree. Insert sprigs of baby's breath , dried apples or orange slices, rusty stars, hearts, moons or bells and orange lights. Tie strips of homespun or raffia on the tips of the branches.
Set a large orange pillar candle on a plate. Lay silk fall leaves or real dried fall leaves that you have pressed in a phone book for a week, or so, all around the base of the candle. Add orange twinkle lights if the plate will be in a safe place for the light cord, resin or real apples, resin or small pumpkins, pine cones, small pieces of pine, nuts, berries or whatever you can find. Add a few drops of essential oil or sprinkle cinnamon on your centerpiece.
Bean Soup in the Crockpot
Wash and soak 1 lb. of navy, great northern or pinto beans in water overnight. In the morning, drain and refill with fresh water. Add salt and pepper and a ham bone or ham hocks. Add chopped onions, chopped celery and a small bag of baby carrots. If you don't like onions or celery, add a whole onion and large pieces of celery for flavor. Remove them when the soup is done
Add just enough water to scantily cover the ingredients. If the beans were soaked all night, the beans will cook in a day. Cover..start on high. When the soup starts boiling, turn it on low and cook all day.
Bread
I think Jiffy Cornbread Mix is the best on the market.
Or you can make a loaf of baked bread. Buy a package of Rhodes Bread Dough. It comes in 3 or 5 loaves. Pour a little vegetable oil in a bread pan and spread it with a pastry brush. Lay the loaf in the pan and spread oil over it, also. Let rise until it is double the size. Bake at 350 degrees until brown. When it comes out of the oven, use your pastry brush and oil the top of the loaf. Cover with a clean dishtowel for several minutes. The steam and oil keep the bread soft.
You can let the dough rise, slice
It's a time of soup in the crock pot, bread rising on the counter, pumpkin pie and when Bobby and I are outside all day, I can get dinner ready pretty fast. I want to light the kerosene lamps at night, watch our trees turn colors and pick apples off the tree. I'm hoping all of our last years mums bloom and the black eyed susan's last a while longer. We planted birdhouse gourds this year and the blooms are plentiful.
I plant sunflowers in patches, not rows. In the fall, I add a scarecrow, a few pots of mums and a few pumpkins.
Inside I decorate for Harvest. I add garlands of orange silk leaves entwined with orange twinkle lights to the tops of my china cabinet, mantle and entertainment center. I lay small resin pumpkins in the garland and the heads of silk sunflowers.
Find a large crock or vase and fill it with silk stems of orange leaves, sunflowers and mums. Start by buying a few at the dollar store and add to it every year.
Fill a basket with pine cones, orange twinkle lights or battery operated tea lights, pumpkins and gourds. Tie on a raffia bow, add a few drops of apple or pumpkin essential oil. You can add the oil around the house...a few drops by your candle wicks, before lighting.
Put electric candle lights in your windows and use orange light bulbs.
If you sew, make a harvest, quilted tablecloth. Ebay sells 4" or 5" cut squares for sewing. All you have to do is sew them together. I promise that once you start using quilts as your tablecloths, you'll have a hard time using regular ones. Don't use your expensive, heirloom quilts.
While you are sewing, make a harvest quilt for the family room. You'll use it year after year. If you don't sew, you can buy quilts at Walmart for $20.00.
Make a grapevine tree, or decorate a small artificial Christmas Tree. Insert sprigs of baby's breath , dried apples or orange slices, rusty stars, hearts, moons or bells and orange lights. Tie strips of homespun or raffia on the tips of the branches.
Set a large orange pillar candle on a plate. Lay silk fall leaves or real dried fall leaves that you have pressed in a phone book for a week, or so, all around the base of the candle. Add orange twinkle lights if the plate will be in a safe place for the light cord, resin or real apples, resin or small pumpkins, pine cones, small pieces of pine, nuts, berries or whatever you can find. Add a few drops of essential oil or sprinkle cinnamon on your centerpiece.
Bean Soup in the Crockpot
Wash and soak 1 lb. of navy, great northern or pinto beans in water overnight. In the morning, drain and refill with fresh water. Add salt and pepper and a ham bone or ham hocks. Add chopped onions, chopped celery and a small bag of baby carrots. If you don't like onions or celery, add a whole onion and large pieces of celery for flavor. Remove them when the soup is done
Add just enough water to scantily cover the ingredients. If the beans were soaked all night, the beans will cook in a day. Cover..start on high. When the soup starts boiling, turn it on low and cook all day.
Bread
I think Jiffy Cornbread Mix is the best on the market.
Or you can make a loaf of baked bread. Buy a package of Rhodes Bread Dough. It comes in 3 or 5 loaves. Pour a little vegetable oil in a bread pan and spread it with a pastry brush. Lay the loaf in the pan and spread oil over it, also. Let rise until it is double the size. Bake at 350 degrees until brown. When it comes out of the oven, use your pastry brush and oil the top of the loaf. Cover with a clean dishtowel for several minutes. The steam and oil keep the bread soft.
You can let the dough rise, slice
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