I Pumpkin Halloween

I have nothing profound to say today so here instead are some adorable baby pumpkins. I have just one more Halloween recap to share with you…it should be up this afternoon.

In other news, Kyle is flying back from Colorado this morning! He’s been out west visiting his family and celebrating his sister’s engagement (yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!). I am feeling fairly giddy about picking him up from the airport. I know it’s only been 4 days but it feels like 4 weeks. I am but a shell of a woman without him. I swear, for most of the weekend, I couldn’t remember what day it was. Not good.

Anyway, Happy Halloween! I like this holiday, mostly the pumpkin part and the scary movie part. And now that it’s almost over…I guess we need to start thinking about Thanksgiving? I want to listen to Christmas music but I am forcing myself to wait until after my last day of candidacy exams (November 19th). Then it’s ON. Normally I try to hold out until Black Friday but after 18 hours of comps, I feel I will have earned a little Frosty the Snowman.

So how are you celebrating Halloween? Are you dressing up this year?

love, elizabeth

oh, look. a blogger talking about picking apples…your mind is blown, I’m sure.

Saturday was one of those perfect days. We got to sleep in and when we woke up, without the aid of an alarm clock, there was an adorable ball of fuzz peeking out from under the covers. At Caribou, the barista put exactly the right amount of syrup in my pumpkin latte. The car radio played three good songs in a row and it was a perfect 68-70 degrees all day. The whole drive to Pataskala, we held hands and told jokes and ranted about the election and smiled at each other and it was a perfect day.

This is our fourth autumn in Ohio and, hands down, our favorite thing about Midwest autumns is apple-picking at Lynd’s Fruit Farm. You may remember the apple juggling from last year?

Awww, that smile…oh-em-gee, you guys…so in love with him.

Are those not the most beautiful vegetables you have ever SEEN? We even found cheese cauliflower, which is deceptively NOT cheesy but just cheese-colored.

So now that I have gloated in my perfect autumn bliss, tell me what you’re doing to celebrate October where you live!

love, elizabeth

Haunted Pinecones, etc.

This weekend was definitely a fall-ish one for us here in Columbus. We’ve received some sad news from home and Kyle will be flying back to Colorado next week so we thought we’d soak up as much of the autumn as we could.

We carved pumpkins with some neighbors. They’re two-faced. Uh, the pumpkins. Not the neighbors.

Some of our centerpieces.

I decided to hang twinkle lights in the living room to bring a touch of light and warmth into the room at night. They make me happy. I have seasonal affective disorder and I deal with some mood swings in the fall and winter months. Warm lighting helps!

Cupcakes from scratch.

And last but not least…a story. I spotted these scented holiday pinecones in the Giant Eagle this afternoon and was just putting them in my basket when I heard an ominous voice from behind me…

“You’re going to regret that.”

I turn around to see a little old man staring at me.

“Ex-excuse me?” I asked.

“My wife bought those. I made her throw them away.”

“Because…?”

I waited for him to ominously explain how the pinecones were poisonous or caused rashes or were haunted by forest ghosts or something. But apparently, the gentleman found their scent completely overpowering and determined that they were “stinking up the whole house.”

I smiled politely and left as quickly as I could WITH my pinecones. Drat. I was really hoping for some forest ghosts.

 

How was YOUR weekend?

love, elizabeth

Afternoon in the Apple Orchard

We spent the afternoon hours at another one of my favorite places…Lynd’s Fruit Farm. Just north of Columbus in Pataskala, the Lynd Farm is famous for its pick-your-own orchard and its amazing vegetables, jams, jellies, baked goods, and corn maze. We took nearly a hundred pictures but thought I’d share a few of my favorites here…

That’s right. I went there. Don’t judge me.

Kyle carting around our spoils. Among them: a gigant-o bag of fresh kettle corn, three pumpkins, a jug of cider, and two jars of jam. Cause when we go Lynd’s, we go crazy.

It was an awesome Saturday and I now I have a big bag of fresh-picked apples to turn into applesauce. I’ll post the recipe if anyone would like it.

What about you? What are you doing to dive into fall? And, more importantly, do you want to win this hand-knit scarf to help you celebrate? Giveaway is open until Thursday night…

love, elizabeth