Build It and They Will Come...Fall Festival

Okay...I desperately wanted to post about this two Octobers ago, but I didn't have the pictures the first year, and last year, life had other plans for our family and I couldn't participate in the Halloween Countdown.  But I eventually got it together, and it has finally made it as a post for this year's Countdown!  "Better late than never" is my motto anyway, so be it!  2012 was the 'inauguration' of something that I hope goes on for many more years to come.  As nothing gets me as excited for the Autumn Season as attending those quaint Fall Festivals up in New England, where there seems to be one on every corner.  

So imagine my utter delight at discovering my very own little Fall Festival just down the road from my house.  Yep....it was a tried and true, bonafide Fall Festival complete with Corn Maze, Pumpkin Picking, Bouncehouses and Punkin' Chunkin' into the lake.  Bare in mind here, that I do NOT live in the country by any stretch....in fact it could be called a 'suburb' at best, as grocery stores, banks and fast food restaurants are just a few miles down.  So the likelihood of this happening is about a gazillion to one.  But hey....I'm a devout believer in 'wishful thinking' and 'manifestation'....so I choose to believe that I somehow personally and magically, conjured up this little Fall Festival by sheer will, belief and determination!  And POOF....overnight my magical vision appeared in a big field down the road, that is privately owned by a local family who runs a Landscape business.  

I am assuming they just happen to love the Autumn Season too...so why not supplement their income by making use of their lovely property to bring a little Fall Magic to the residents of my town.  They planted corn and made their maze, they built little outbuildings for the farm stand to sell homemade breads and jams, they corralled off a big section to house all the pumpkins for sale, and they built a whole 'punkin' chunkin' apparatus on the edge of the pond.  They decked the whole area out with fall flowers, scarecrows and animated horror figures, and brought in an assortment of bounce houses for the wee folks.  True enough....the scale was a bit smaller than that of farms up north, but it was a fine effort indeed! Also I should note here that all I had with me last year was my iphone, so I took very few shots and they aren't good at all, but at least you can see proof that this manifestation did actually occur....the palm trees under the Corn Maze sign should be the clue that it's in Florida...ha!  

When I first laid eyes on it, the famous line from that Kevin Costner baseball movie 'Field of Dreams' sprang instantly to mind...."build it and they will come!"  Yes!  That's Right!  That's all we needed....someone, anyone, the FIRST one.... to just build it....and we will all come to pay homage to the glorious Fall!  And come we did....that little patch of land under the grand shady oaks was PACKED with curious townfolk every day it was open!  It filled my 'not so wicked lil' heart' to the brim, that all their hard work to bring a little seasonal magic to my town, was being amply rewarded with throngs of Autumn Revelers.  

They didn't charge an admission fee, but made their money through the sale of home made goodies, pumpkins, and tickets to the different events.  They had photo areas, and live music and even some local crafters' selling their wares.  All of that Autumn Goodness.... and I literally could have walked to it if I weren't so dang lazy.  So anyway, I just wanted to share my magical find, as they have been busy each year, making bigger and better upgrades to the property, putting in permanent play-sets and picnic tables etc.  Each year it gets bigger and better and the consistent crowds are proof.  I believe that this year's 3rd Annual Fall Festival is going to be even more stellar than last two.  October is the perfect month to conjure up your own Autumn Magic!  :o)

Scents of the Season

 “At no other time (than autumn),

does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth." 

~ Ranier Maria Rilke

 What does Autumn smell like to you?  We've actually discussed this on my blog before actually.  Many people connect the smell of Earth and Moss and Decaying Leaves with Fall.  Others lean toward the spicy scents of Cinnamon and Pumpkin.  What about the smell of Halloween?  Is it more 'witchy', with the scents of Patchouli, Cardamon, Licorice, Wood Smoke and Incense?  Or sweet and gooey, like Caramel Popcorn, Candy Apples and Candy Corn?  Honestly, any of the above scents will work to remind me of my most favorite season of Autumn and my favorite holiday Halloween.  I just ADORE scented things....I mean, I am a hoarder of room sprays, scented oils, incense, candles and perfume!  The power of scent is so evocative, and has the ability to transport you right back to a place and time in your past, just by closing your eyes and inhaling the scent deeply.  Not to mention that scent can also be very therapeutic and healing when used in aromatherapy applications.

So imagine my utter delight this season, when I learned that I was the winner of a Give-Away from The Pumpkin Cottage Press!  I rarely enter Give-Aways unless it's something I know I would love to have, because I don't want to deprive someone else of having something they'd love to have, just because I like to enter any and all Give-Aways regardless of whether I am interested in them, or can use the product. So I like to wait until something really peaks my interest and is specific to me for whatever reason.  And even then, the inherent problem is that I am historically not particularly lucky in prize drawing scenarios....so I usually don't hold my breath to win since it happens so infrequently.  But the Pumpkin Cottage Press Blog had posted a most wonderful Give-Away that was right up my Witchy lil', scent loving alley, and I could not resist throwing my name into the Witch's Hat.

I entered, then we took off to New England on Vacation.  And I was so stressed with travel details and whatnot, that the Give-Away had almost slipped my mind.  But by the good graces of the Great Pumpkin, I was fated to win....(thank you Great Pumpkin and The Pumpkin Cottage)!  So yesterday I received a splendidly enchanting package in the mail, and in it were the most amazing scented products!  There was a beautiful Hallow's Eve Potpourri...and I say beautiful, because not only did it smell amazing, but it had lovely dried Sunflower Heads, Indian Corn, Pine Cones and Mini Pumpkin Pods in it!  I can't wait to set this out in a bowl.  Also in the box were Scented Star Soaps in two magical scents of Jack O'Lantern and King of the Harvest!  ( I just adore all the names!)  I am a huge lover of 'details'....so the exquisite craftsmanship of these products, coupled with the delicious seasonal smells and festive names, was just pure bliss for my senses to behold.  But that wasn't all, there was also a cute Bat Gift Tag, a lovely Scented Hanging Ornament and some decadent Vanilla Spiced Pumpkin Body Creme as well.  Each thing smelled just as fabulous as the next.

In fact, the products and packaging were so lovely, that I just had to shoot some product shots straight away....I was inspired! As a photographer, I really enjoy product shots, because 'still life' items can't move or blink...ha!  So I made sure to showcase them in an Autumnal setting befitting the Magic that they brought to me this Halloween!  I want to send a big Thank You and virtual hug to The Pumpkin Cottage!  This package has truly been one of the biggest highlights of my Autumn Season thus far!  I've just learned that The Pumpkin Cottage also has her own shop on Etsy, and I can HIGHLY recommend purchasing!  (Just click on the Pumpkin Cottage links.) And trust me, I am very picky about scented things, so I would not endorse something unless I really truly loved it, not even if I won it!  I feel that The Pumpkin Cottage products were BETTER than anything I could have gotten from Bath and Body Works and prettier too, no kidding!  And as an artist, I encourage folks to purchase more 'hand-crafted' items from talented artisans of all kinds.  I only wish I had 'smell-o-vision' on my blog so that I could delight you all with delicious scent of Autumn in these products. So what scents do you love most for Fall and Halloween?

Halloween Breakfast & Coffee Hoarding

During the month of October, I like to find all sorts of little ways to celebrate my favorite month, season and holiday....Hallowe'en!  One way we do this at our house, is to fill the month with seasonal breakfasts.  The first thing that gets added to the daily menu is Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  Nothing says Fall like a steaming hot cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  Alas, it is a seasonal item that is usually only found from around September to December, before disappearing from store shelves.  

A few years ago, I ran out of it fairly quickly because I would only buy a bag at a time.  I also mix mine with Chocolate and Cinnamon Vanilla Nut coffee for my own little 'Witchy Brew'!  I love my concoction so much, that I'm spoiled, and almost don't even like any other coffee...save for Starbucks Mocha.  So I ran out, and had to wait an entire year for the Pumpkin Spice to arrive again.  I was not a happy ghoul!  Now fast forward to last year when I got my mad-genius idea.  

While it was nearing the end of Pumpkin Season in Nov/Dec, I decided to stock up on the Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  Yes, I do admit this was some twisted form of coffee hoarding....but a spooky gal has to do what she has to do!  I'm not particularly picky about the brand of Pumpkin Spice because it is just 1/4 of my coffee recipe.  So we went around and bought LOTS of bags of Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

Now I know you might be thinking that surely it can't be any good after so long.  It must certainly go stale or lose it's flavor.  BUT...we checked the bags and the expiration dates were as far out as Sept. of the following year.  That is because we did the stockpiling near Christmas.  Had we obtained them in early Sept. then, yes they may have gone out before using them.  Because they only constitute 1/4 of my mix, a bag goes a long way.  So I didn't need 50 bags or anything crazy, but I did probably have about 10-15 of them.  A few I had gotten BEFORE I came up with my bright idea.  They expired sooner or had no date to be found....so I used those first.  And thus, I have been able to savor my Pumpkin Spice Witches Brew ALL YEAR long this past year!  The only thing that I wasn't able to enjoy is the Pumpkin Spice Creamer which is the proverbial icing on the cake in my opinion.  That could not be stockpiled, so I did have to revert to Hazelnut and Irish Cream creamers the rest of the year.  

And you may think that it takes away the excitement of the waiting....but I can tell you that it did not.  Besides, I still had to wait on my creamer.  And speaking of creamer, I like to use sugar-free creamer so as not to take in extra calories and carbs with my coffee.  And this year my husband surprised me with Coffee Mate's new Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Creamer!  They did not have that here last year, and they only make it in small bottles and we've only been able to find it at Target...but it is really tasty and I am really grateful to Nestle for making this just for ME!

So anyway, we do like to have Seasonal Breakfasts during the Autumn months.  So far we've had Pumpkin Donuts from Dunkin' Donuts, Cream Cheese Pumpkin Roll, and our latest one....Pumpkin Spice Bagels with Sweet Pumpkin Spice Spread on them.  Thomas has offered up these limited seasonal bagels this year, and they are really tasty!  Brown bread with the sweet hint of pumpkin and spices.  Toast them and top them with Country Crock Pumpkin Spice Spread all warm and melty on top, and they are delicious!  And of course they go wonderfully with a hot cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  A fabulous little culinary ritual to welcome in the Harvest Season and Halloween!  :o)

Hello October My Old Friend!

Hooray...The 1st Day of October is finally here again! And you know what that means....it means it's time for the Annual Hallowe'en Countdown....woo hoo! As one of the official Autumn People and a Devoted Denizen of Hallowe'en, I am attempting once again to participate in this year's 2012 Hallowe'en Countdown. I promise to try my best to post as often as I can, though I won't make any hard and fast promises that I'll come close to a new post every single day. But I will try hard to fill  these 31 glorious Autumn Days with something Halloween-y or Autumn-ish, in an attempt to spread the 'Hallowe'en Spirit' far and wide!

Today's first post will be an Autumn Mosaic Slideshow featuring glorious images of Autumn that I've collected over the past year.. These are images that epitomize the glorious scenes and vistas of the Autumnal Landscape. As there is no other season so resplendent and awe inspiring as this, The Harvest Season!

None of the photos in this particular slideshow are mine. They all belong to other talented photographers. I have included copyright information for those that I could find. If any of these photos belong to you or if you know the photographer, I'd love to add their copyright information here to credit them for their inspiring work. I hope you enjoy the images and I look forward to sharing this exciting month with you all...'The Autumn People'! :o)


Images (Autumn Creek @ We Heart It, Orange Tree Reflection © Unknown, Bench in Leaf Covered Park @ Juxtapose, Pumpkin Path © Billy Parker, Fall Stags @ Pinterest, Close Up Pumpkins © Tidy Mom, Straight Row of Pumpkins © Authentica Classics, Yellow Tree Close © La Vita Bella, Red Barn © Millicent, Colored Autumn River @ Juxtapose, Autumn In Paris © Unknown, Foggy Path in Park @ We Heart It, Pumpkins By Cabin © Scott Mahon, Yellow Stone Path © Evgini Dinev, Sunspot In Forest @ We Heart It, Pumpkins Under Tree © Unknown, New England House in Fall @ Indulgy, Leaves On Wooden Bridge @ Beautiful Portals/Tumbler, Leaf Carpet to Crooked Tree © Zeb Andrews, Bending Autumn Staircase © Unknown, Fall House w/ Picket Fence @ Falling Into Autumn, Twisted Red Tree © Robert Friel, Yellow Cat on Leaves @ Steel Magnolias & Sweet Tea, Bicycle Autumn Kiss @ Juxtapose, Looking Up at Yellow Tree © Unknown, Curving Autumn Road © Amy V. Miller, Backlit Autumn Bridge © Mike Shaw, Autumn Roadway @ Juxtopose, Dark Orange Tree Close © Mark Leary, Autumn Road Fork @ Indulgy)

Seasonal Sipping

I've been absent a few days while enduring the last minute rush before the start of school. In an extremely odd schedule this year, my chitlins started classes on a Wednesday....and who even knows the logic behind that foolishness??! Not I, but that being said, the days are now quieter....and I'm hoping they'll prove to be more conducive to Hallowe'en Crafting. Only time will tell on that one however, as Fall Semester is a busy season at school with Volleyball in full swing. But my hopes remain high!

So as with most things Hallowe'en inspired...the Seasonal Ales/Beers are also starting to make their appearance earlier and earlier. I read that we used to not see them on store shelves until late Sept. to early Oct. But now they are starting to show up in August. I say, why not enjoy those first sips of Autumn Spiced Ale early? If you wait to stock up in October, you might find the supply has dwindled away and been replaced by Christmas Ales.
I found a few new ones, at least new to me....(which I'm sure may be old news to any Beer aficionados out there). But I think my favorite thing about the Seasonal Ales would have to be the packaging. I am the biggest sucker on the planet for Hallowe'en design on products. Most of the time I don't even particularly dig the flavor of the spices in these seasonal specialty brews, but I'll buy them just to sit out on the counter so I can look at them....pathetic I know. But just get a gander at the label above on New Holland's Ichabod Pumpkin Ale! I mean that's just a spooky-cool label for a Hallowe'en Beer, don't ya think?!

And even cooler are the posters for their seasonal release parties, check 'em out. I don't know about ya'll, but they totally make me want to attend their event and throw back a few! (All New Holland Images © New Holland Brewing Company) And kudos to the artists' on their work here...as I could not find the names of who actually designed these, but I love their work.)
I also love this Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale! And it's description does make it sound most appealing and tasty..."Down to the hooting details: Night Owl is an easy-drinking pumpkin ale made with Pale, Munich and Crystal malts, green and roasted pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin in the mash, boil and fermenter. It is bittered with Magnum hops and spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. " Yum Yum!Or even the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale below...it just looks so 'Autumn-ish' and it makes me want to sit outside on a crisp Fall day in an adirondack chair, sipping on my Pumpkin Ale....watching colored leaves twirling by on the wind. That's what good packaging can do for a product! Are any of you connoisseurs of Autumn Ales? And if so, what labels would you recommend for seasonal sipping? We always buy some to serve at our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party, so inquiring minds would like to know! :o)
(Pumpkin Ale Trio Photo © Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)

Autumn Rides

Photo from Grubb Gardens.

I'm loving this pic of an old orange truck loaded up with the fruits of the Harvest. Pumpkins and Gourds and Bales of Hay....looks like the makings of an Autumn Farmers Market to me. I would proudly display this beauty in my front yard if only I could! Or better yet....pack on all my friends and family and head out into the woods on a chilly night, as we listen steadfastly for the cloppity clop of the Headless Horseman.....muwahahaha! In fact, I've always wanted a vintage pick-up in orange, yellow or red, just so I could use it as a photo prop!

Fab Photo by Davey Spengler

Or how about this Autumn beauty above? Pristine vintage truck loaded for a harvest festival perhaps, or selling their wares at Saturday Farmer's market. I don't know what it is about these vintage trucks, but they seem to be the perfect match for pumpkins! Then again, is there really anything that doesn't go well with pumpkins? I think not!

Or how about this Groovy Halloween ride for all you Hippie Ghouls and Guys?! I just love this image. I got this one off of a Halloween Wallpaper App for iphone! Thought it was cute and needed to be shared! That would SO be my VW....the one with all the pumpkins on top, ha!

And while on the subject of 'rides', this next one is not pumpkin related, but I would be remiss if I didn't post this image of this fab FINAL ride. This one is for all you Hell's Angels, Bikers and Motorcycle aficionados out there. It would only stand to reason that if you were 'Born To Ride', then you should exit this world in likewise fashion. Yep...now you can take your last ride to your final destination in grand biker style via the 'Harley Hearse'! Of course if you'd have a tendency to get claustrophobic under that dank dark earth....you could always try convincing a friend or family member to just keep your skeleton in there, and let you ride shotgun for an occasional weekend excursion. And I bet you'd be the life, or rather 'death' of the party, at all Biker Bars! :o)