~Fall~

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Fall, has to be my most favourite time of the year. I love watching as the leaves change colour, the days get cooler, and the apples and pumpkins become ready for harvest. Fall, is when I come alive!

Visit the local orchard and go apple picking, or pick out your pumpkins for Hallowe'en. Our local orchard offers many wonderful things to see and do, such as hay rides, apple/pumpkin picking, visiting the animals, watching the corn be put in the silos, and a bonfire, where warm apple cider and hot chocolate are served. This can be a great family outing.

Take the family out for a walk in the country, to enjoy the beautiful fall colours. Mother Nature, is a talented artist, no one but she could create such vivid hues. Before you go, talk to your children about the different leaves (maple,oak,etc) and see if they can spot them on your walk. Look for acorns. Pick up fallen leaves and pinecones. The pinecones make wonderful decorations and look great in a bowl on the table, or in a wreath. Press the leaves in a book for a few days and then use in art work. Place a few leaves between 2 sheets of waxed paper, add some crayon shavings and press gently with an iron, at a low setting. These look especially nice, when trimmed in fall coloured construction paper, and then cut into the shape of a leaf for hanging.

Round up the family to help out with yard work. The more, the merrier, when it comes to raking leaves. Come on, be a kid again, you know you want to jump in that big pile of leaves you just finished raking! =0)

Each year, I eagerly anticipate going to pick out our pumpkins, for decorating and carving. I love strolling through the field, in search of the perfect pumpkins.

When selecting a pumpkin for carving, look for large ,bright orange field pumpkins. The stem should be upright and a greeny-brown, in colour. These pumpkins, have a soft rind, which makes for easier carving.

Cut a six sided hole in the pumpkin top, to make it easier to clean the pumpkin out. Flat edged ice cream scoops are great for scooping out the seeds. Remove all seeds and strings from the area you plan to carve. Don't forget to put 2-3 holes in "Jacks" lid, to prevent scorching. It gets very warm in there with all those candles, so extra ventilation is needed. For best illumination, place 3 candles inside your Jack-O-Lantern. Or, you may use a flashlight to illuminate "Jack".

A neat and simple way to carve your pumpkin, is to use cookie cutters. Press the cookie cutter into the flesh of the pumpkin. Once you are able to see the outline, trace around the shape with a magic marker (permanent magic marker works best). Use a sharp knife to cut out the resulting shapes. This is a really different way to carve a pumpkin and it allows you to carve all sides. I like to angle my cutters in all different directions, to give an asymetrical look to my Jack-O-Lantern.

Another neat way to carve your desired design, is to photocopy a page from a colouring book and poke holes in and around the outline. Place the colouring book template on your pumpkin (holding it in place with a little tape is a good idea), and use a magic marker to mark each of the holes you poked out. Once you have completed this, use a shapr knife to trace around and connect the dots. You are now ready to cut your design out.

For a wonderful smelling Jack-O-Lantern, sprinkle your favourite spice on Jack's lid, before lighting the candles. I like to use cinnamon or nutmeg. As "Jack" heats up inside, the spice will create a wonderful aroma, which will escape through the holes you put in the lid during carving. One more reason not to neglect putting those holes in!

Jack-Be-Little or Munchkin pumpkins, make great votive holders. Hollow them out and pop a tealight inside. You may carve them if you wish, but due to their small size, this can be a little difficult.

For pumpkin advice from the experts, visit Pumpkin Masters. They have great carving kits for purchase too, if you want to be really creative. I have one and I love it!

Fall is a wonderful time to be in the garden! While you are preparing most of the garden for its long winters' rest, you are also getting a part of it ready for spring, by planting bulbs. I love to plant plenty of daffodils and tulips. The pink and white daffodils are my favourties, while I just love the purple varities of tulips.


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Happy Fall Y'all