Hi friend!!
Happy October.... and I was wondering...
Do you remember this nursery rhyme:
Happy October.... and I was wondering...
Do you remember this nursery rhyme:
Karri Perry, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow??
(Perhaps the name was slightly different...)
Well, I was as surprised as I could be
to have to finish my version of this rhyme...
"With vines and leaves, as big as trees
and pumpkins all in a row!!"
Really!!
I could not believe my eyes ...
The other morning with
the sun catching one of the
orange-yellow blossoms
waving in the wind...
orange-yellow blossoms
waving in the wind...
literally, waving to me...
and as if it could talk:
"Hey, here I am...
Come see this!!"
I spied it...
A realllly big pumpkin vine.
See for yourself...
There was not just one vine...
but six of them, and some of them were enormous.
I didn't spy any pumpkins at first glance...
I didn't spend too much time investigating,
due to a few too many mosquitoes buzzing around.
due to a few too many mosquitoes buzzing around.
So--my discovery turned into a pretty great
show and tell...
Once everyone got home in the afternoon...
(I was counting down the minutes until they were all home)
(I was counting down the minutes until they were all home)
we marched ourselves to the edge of the woods...
and we looked...
and we looked...
To everyone's surprise...
(except me...I already had my great big surprise in the early morning...)
They gasped... and giggled...
And to what do we owe this
great pumpkin mystery??
As it turns out,
last year, a few of our pumpkins were
lovingly tossed into the compost...
...with the help of our woodland friends...
TaDaa...
We have our very own pumpkin patch!
We have our very own pumpkin patch!
Keeping with the spirit of things
and because it is the busiest month of the year...(for some)
and because it is the busiest month of the year...(for some)
and it might arguably be the prettiest month of the year
...OCTOBER...
I brought a little of the beautiful outside in...
you know,...to spruce up our
dining room.
A pumpkin here...a pumpkin there...
A little splash of orange is just the thing to put me in the mood for a
second cup of pumpkin spiced coffee and a slice of something...
basically, anything decidedly warm and fall-like.
Just for a little extra pumpkin fun...
I'm including a few of my favorite past
pumpkin-inspired foods and crafts for this post.
I hope you enjoy them and that
it puts you into the autumn mood.
Even if you are not a crazed pumpkin-spice fan,
these recipes are perfectly balanced and very delicious.
The crafts are pretty cute too...
it puts you into the autumn mood.
Even if you are not a crazed pumpkin-spice fan,
these recipes are perfectly balanced and very delicious.
The crafts are pretty cute too...
Aren't the Zinnias so gorgeous??
They are my favorite cutting flower
and the colors...
they are so vibrant...so bright... just stunning.
**
I am very patiently waiting on a frost to end the
mosquito season...
but, I think I could stand a few more weeks
of warm weather
of warm weather
if it means I get to collect a few
more breathtaking bouquets
more breathtaking bouquets
from my garden like this one!!
Thankfully,
weather decisions are not up to me...
...the contrary one.
...the contrary one.
Back to the pumpkin fun:
Here is an award-winning pumpkin cake!!
(I'm sort of under-selling it... this cake has won more awards than
almost anything I have ever baked...really...
and it won best-of-show, two years in a row...a really great cake)
(I'm sort of under-selling it... this cake has won more awards than
almost anything I have ever baked...really...
and it won best-of-show, two years in a row...a really great cake)
And while this isn't all pumpkins...there are a few
pumpkins sprinkled throughout the tree...
Besides, it's
one of my very favorite
things this time of year.
Simply an adorable table
decoration for Halloween!
Visit:Halloween Photo Tree
things this time of year.
Simply an adorable table
decoration for Halloween!
Visit:Halloween Photo Tree
See, there's a little pumpkin guy...
And this fun craft is new
and perfect for October...
A great way to share hope and support!!
Made with a faux pumpkin...this
super-cute craft will last and last.
And finally this post was from last October...
it's a great reminder to enjoy
all the beautiful fun and plentiful activities
October has to offer...
Even if you don't make it to every hay-wagon ride
in your county ...
Well...you'll still be doing just fine!!
It's October and there is simply too much
amazing October-ness to squeeze into 31 days.
The Over-Achieving Month of October Post
it's a great reminder to enjoy
all the beautiful fun and plentiful activities
October has to offer...
Even if you don't make it to every hay-wagon ride
in your county ...
Well...you'll still be doing just fine!!
It's October and there is simply too much
amazing October-ness to squeeze into 31 days.
The Over-Achieving Month of October Post
I was super-crazy busy the last two weeks,
teaching at the beautiful Dorothy
Lane Market in Dayton.
I had the pleasure of teaching a continuing education
course for the University of Dayton...apple pie...
and a class for DLM patrons on prize-winning
apple dumplings...
Mmmm...the apple-y-deliciousness was just too much...
Rest assured...we managed to sample everything.
Mmmm...the apple-y-deliciousness was just too much...
Rest assured...we managed to sample everything.
Both classes were wonderful,
filled with inquisitive students,
full of great baking questions.
The apple recipes were
right on time for
cooler weather and the start of autumn.
I do teach a few more classes this
fall and there are still a few seats available.
If you think you might be interested,
feel free to look at the
I might still need to make a few
more trips to our local farm...
more trips to our local farm...
and maybe pick out a few more pumpkins...
just a few...
just a few...
Maybe even a pumpkin from our very own patch!!
Love your Fall touches.Janice
ReplyDeleteThank you Janice!! Our leaves are just turning here...and the weather so far has been a little on the warm side...which is making it not seem very fall-like... I hope I don't blink and miss the bright oranges and reds that October usually likes to show us... however brief if might be... ;)
DeleteWould love the recipe for the pumpkin cake or did I miss the link. Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi Sue!! I just put the link in... I cannot believe I didn't put one in the post... I must be busy doing too many things... Thank you for letting me know. The new link is right above the photo of the cake, or you can get it here: http://blueribbonkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/09/pumpkin-cake-only-cake-to-make-this-fall.html I hope you make it sometime...it's quite good!! Best, Karri
DeleteThanks Karri, I am grateful for all of the yummy recipes. Congratulations for all the good things coming your way.
Delete