Hey Pumpkin!

I just LOVE fall.... the crisp, cool air, the smells of cinnamon and apples and pumpkins, and the fun fall produce. The pumpkin signifies fall and harvest. Their pretty orange color brightens front porches and tables along with gourds, squash, and mums. Oh Happiness!
The little pumpkins have so many wonderful uses. Some of them are pie pumpkins and they are best for yes, making pies! Others can be hollowed out to serve delicious dips in at a fall gathering. My friend, Frances, once served the BEST artichoke dip in a pumpkin. She cut off the top and it adorned the plate along with delicious crackers. Those who are super gourmet can make their own leaf-shaped crackers like my sister-in-law does. Fantastic! You hollow out the pumpkin and put the dip in its place.

Small pumpkins can also be used for decorative pieces or as hollowed out candle holders.
Larger pumpkins can be hollowed out and filled with a large glass bowl and then they become an ice bucket that chills bottled beverages!
Have fun this fall with some pumpkins! Happy Fall, y'all!

Where I love to be in the Fall...

It is fall! It may not feel like Fall here in Florida, but the official start of fall is just days away. Students have been back at school for weeks. College football is in full swing. Some places in the country are actually enjoying the cool fall air and the leaves may even be beginning to change. Being a fall baby, I've always had a special affinity to fall.

In the fall, I love to enjoy the crisp cool air. Places like this invite me to come and visit:


The Homestead is one of America's treasures. It is a great old hotel that has welcomed presidents and peons like Mama Henley!:) The Hot Springs beckon you for a dip and the grounds of this grande dame beckon you to walk and sit and visit. DH and I went one year in early spring and it snowed during our visit! We loved walks on the grounds in the crisp mountain air. The spa was lovely. Our room was beautifully relaxing. The food was incredible!
At night we enjoyed dancing at dinner in the Main Dining Room. We often retired for after dinner drinks in the President's Lounge where 22 US Presidents have also indulged. The Player's Pub is the perfect place for younger guests or to check the score on the big game.
If you love golf or bowling or cinema, the Homestead offers all of it. There are nightly movies to be enjoyed. You can visit the Gun Club, go on a hike, ride bikes, or ride horses. During your visit, you will not be bored unless you choose to do absolutely nothing!
I also love that children can learn to ski on their ski slope or just enjoy a day of snow tubing!

The Homestead is truly a place for everyone. It is calling my name!!!

My Calling

As parents, our pride makes us want our children to be the BEST... the BEST soccer player, the quickest learner, the most accomplished pianist, the most graceful ballerina, the one who reads the most books in his or her class, the best artist, et cetera. If you search deeply, I believe we can all admit to wanting "the BEST". As a Christian, I am continually reminded that scores on tests or goals on the field are not as important as the condition of my child's heart. The world tells us that success equals being the BEST and having the highest IQ and best skill set. Thankfully the Lord reminds us in His word, that a relationship with Him, and living our life for Him alone, is most important. As a mama, I often battle with my sinful desires for the BEST.

Since school has started, our dear teachers have called about two of our little ducklings. One is a little frustrated in reading and needs extra reinforcement at home. The other does not learn as quickly as her siblings. New concepts take her a little bit longer to sink in, and we need to reinforce those skills at home too, especially in Math. Being an education major is not the most exciting or thrilling of majors. It definitely does not promote worldly financial success. How thankful I am that I AM a teacher, and that I CAN encourage our little ones at home! God has given me the skills. I just need to use them. I often beat myself up because I have always possessed these skills, and yet with 5 children in 5 years, I tend to spend more time folding their clothes and cooking their meals than I do calling out phonograms and math facts. Yes, these phone calls are difficult, but I am thankful for them. What a gentle reminder that our children are ours for a short time. Their education rests on DH and my shoulders, not the teacher's shoulders. At the end of the day, we are their primary educators. Our teachers are there to assist us. What a blessing that our children go to a school where the largest class size is 13. One of their classes has just six students! How amazing! They are being taught a Classical Christian education where their minds are engaged at the learning stage they are in right now. Their teachers care enough to make that phone call and ask for our help at home.

Yes, I feel like I have failed our 2 little ones in some ways. But how great that God can redeem that. He has equipped me. He is gently reminding me that our children are more important than anything. Their self-worth is in the Lord, and I can encourage that by helping them sharpen their skills and by reminding them of their true worth. I am thankful to know that this is a time to circle our little ducklings and spend even more time ENGAGING them, not just co-existing with them. Often as mothers we co-exist as we work on our committee work or laundry or whatever. There is a balance. One must do our daily tasks, but I even more committed to spending more planned one-on-one time with them.

I have also made a goal to have very few weekday playdates. Their homework is more difficult this year, and we need time to relax at home, have a snack, have a little exercise and then to work on our school work. With 5 children, reading with each one 20 minutes equals one hour and 40 minutes! I am called to be home, engaged with our little ones. I am just thankful that I am aware of my calling! How is the Lord calling you this fall?

FALL!!!!! We can't believe it!!

It's amazing that a 10* difference in degrees makes it feel like FALL here in Florida, even though the temp still hovered around 80*. AHHHH the cooler air, breezes, and lower humidity were a welcome change. Everyone in town was outside enjoying the goodness called fall and breaking out the fleeces, lightweight sweaters, and jeans. It was a GREAT day!

This morning we enjoyed a Fall Festival at Hyde Park. All of the shops offered Trick or Treating, and the children loved trick or treating from store to store. Pottery Barn Kids had the CUTEST melamine pumpkin plates and plastic turkey tumblers. Adorable. We visited the small pumpkin patch and took some pictures. I love that our children enjoy dressing alike. When I told them we were going to a festival, they all chose to dress in orange to match. I have to say it was quite adorable and made great pictures. I hope they never decide to quit dressing in the same color for pictures! It also made it much easier to keep up with them in the massive crowd.

When we returned home, the children played outside until DH came home from watching the game with a friend. He took our K outside to help her to learn to ride her bike without training wheels. She did it!! We all watched and celebrated. I love our FLIP ULTRA because I was able to quickly record her historical moment!







The children did not want to buy our pumpkins without their Daddy, so we will do that another day. It was a glorious FALL day with the family. It really lifted my spirits!! Happy Fall, y'all!

I miss the FALL!!!!!

So, all around the country, it's FALL. Fall is lovely. Fall is cool, a breath of fresh air. There is no fall in Florida. Sure, sure, we had a "cold front" pass through this morning and it was 69*F at 7:30am instead of the 79*F it was yesterday at the same time. However, at the end of the day, it was still summer. I believe our cool front brought us down to the mid 80s. It is beautiful here, but I want to feel FALL. I want to be cold and to wish I had a sweater. I want to see leaves (notice I didn't say palm fronds) that fall off of the trees. I want to see the children pick up different leaves and acorns and ask me to hold them. Fall, I heart you!!! Fall makes me miss my friends and family from home. I am going to miss seeing mums and pumpkins and pansies and goodness gracious, the State Fair and its turkey legs!!!!!!!! So, if you're experiencing fall, and longing for the long days of summer, take a deep breath of that cool air, and know what a blessing it is!!!!

One Little Pumpkin

Click here to see all of the things Homespun  Heart taught me about what you can do with one little pumpkin! So inspiring and clever!  

Ideas with Pumpkins!

I saw the cutest blog, Homespun Heart, with fantastic ideas of what to do with pumpkins. I loved it!

I have a few ideas of my own:

-We buy one mini pumpkin per child and line them on the rail at our front door.  It makes me smile every time I see 5 little pumpkins!

-Pumpkins make great place cards.  Simply use a Sharpie marker to write your guests names on them.

-My brilliant friend, F, scooped out a pumpkin one time and served hot artichoke dip in it. It was fantastic!

-Soon I will share a recipe for pumpkin bisque.  It is delicious!

Cute Fall Idea

Every Christmas I pull out frames filled with a Christmas picture from each year.  They are so fun to look at because the children change so much from one Christmas to the next!  So... I decided to do the same thing with our Halloween pictures!! Before we go to our neighborhood Halloween party, we always take a picture of the children on our front steps.  I found cute frames at Target that were just $1!! They are little pumpkins.  I am cutting our pictures to put in the frames so that I can pull these out each fall.

Now I am not wild about Halloween, as I have said before.  I don't like witches, goblins, or anything scary! However, the children enjoy dressing up & I love that I can look at all of the pictures in one place each fall!