halloween time

Halloween is without a doubt my favorite time of year, as I am sure I have said before. I particularly love vintage Halloween items and drawings. There are some great examples on this vintage Halloween Flickr group.
When I saw this fabric, I was inspired to make my little spook into a modern day meets vintage Halloween girl. I used my own pattern, which I make a sell dresses from on my hyena cart. I think it turned out great, and I even made her vintage drink wet doll a matching dress. They look very festive walking down the sidewalk with fall leaves everywhere.
I have already made Ava's actual Halloween costume, which I will debut very soon. It was my first year making her a costume, and it was so much fun. When I put it on her, she gets a agleam in her eyes and I can tell she feels like a Halloween princess!

autumn apples

If there is one food that I love the most during early autumn, it is apples. Apples are so versatile and delicious. After reading a post on the blog Uncommon Grace last night, I was inspired to make baked apples.
They turned out divine, and we have leftovers to go with old fashioned oats Sunday morning.
Here is my recipe, which I have lowered the butter and sugar in to make them more waist friendly:

set oven to 350 degrees

cut two medium juicy apples in half, and remove cores

put in baking dish and fill hollowed cores with one tablespoon brown sugar, one half tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon

put in the oven and check after 25 minutes

apples should be soft and core goodies should be melty

serve with vanilla ice cream if desired

enjoy!

fall is in the air

October is one of my favorite months of the year. In Oregon, t is apparent by October that fall is here. Nothing makes me feel quite as satisfied as a sunny, crisp fall day.
I have been baking-a lot. Chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, chicken pot pie, snicker doodles, coffee cake, you name it. This must be my body preparing itself for the impending winter. I’m quite sure that I have enough storage to make it through the cold, but my brain doesn’t seem to know that. So I continue to bake, and probably will do so until I see a shocking jump on the scale, at which point I will feel the urge to join one of those weight support groups. Ha!
Every October, we visit the pumpkin patch. I suppose not everyone has pumpkin patches near them, but they must cart pumpkins in on trucks and stack them somewhere for the kiddos to enjoy.
We get our pumpkin joy at a place called E.Z. Orchards, which has a nice small petting zoo, a corn maze, various plywood painted things with cutouts for your face(i.e pigs and cowgirls), and of course lots of pumpkins. Last year, Ava was barely able to hold a pumpkin, but this year she picked out her very own tiny pumpkins. It was so much fun watching her tromp through the corn maze and pumpkin fields with her blue and red cherry rain-boots on.
Soon I will be hit with the realization the the winter holidays are coming, and winter crafting will commence. Until then, I will continue to prepare for Halloween and stay strong on my baking spree.