Autumn Musings

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Last year, I found a cookie recipe on Pinterest that I had to try - Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. I love snickerdoodles and adding pumpkin seemed like it would only make one of my favorite cookies that much better.

These are fantastic cookies. They are really easy to make. They stay soft when many snickerdoodles get hard after a few days. Last year, I brought these to my brother and sister-in-law's for Christmas. They were a hit. We would eat them for breakfast because the go extremely well with coffee. I am not saying this is the best time to eat cookies, but it was the holidays.

I made 2 minor adaptations. The first was that I used butter in place of the margarine. The second was not adding ginger to the cinnamon sugar coating. But that was only because I didn't think I had any on hand. I did find a rather large completely full jar a few days later. Either way, these cookies are a great way to introduce the fall season.

Click here for the recipe. It is a must try!

Weekend Links

Here are some great posts I found this week while roaming among the 31 Days blogs.

This is a great post about decorating with acorns from The Frugal Homemaker. So many good ideas to try out! The hard part will be deciding which ones to make.
31 Days of Fall Inspiration: Decorating for Fall with Acorns

To be a little more fiscally responsible this Christmas season, I am hoping to make some of my gifts this year. This 31 Day blogger is focusing on handmade gifts for October. I am really excited to see the great ideas she has planned for the month.
More Like Home - Homemade Gifts (for everyone on your list)

Like many other other women, I struggle with my weight. I am currently on Weight Watchers so I understand the frustration of not eating what you really want to eat. I also understand that my decision to change the way I eat and how I think about food will change my health for the better. The Young Retiree is documenting her journey and it is really motivating!

The Young Retiree: Fatty Gettin' Fit 

There are so many great blogs out there that it is hard to get through them all! Topics that I would have never thought of. Some are covering the same topic as me - fall - but have a completely different spin on it. I can't wait to see what I stumble across next!

Autumn Beauty

The most beautiful thing about fall is the changing colors of the trees. Reds, oranges, yellows...they are spectacular. This year I started to notice the changing colors as early as Labor Day weekend. Even though it was still hot out, seeing a glimpse of change on the trees just reminded me even more of how much I love this season. The colors of the trees bring a beauty to this last glimpse of life before the cold and barren winter.

The vibrancy of the colors is really amazing. Seeing them side by side with the dark still-green leaves brings out their brightness. And of course, against a brilliant blue sky they are absolutely stunning.

The pictures included were taken last October in Door County, Wisconsin. The colors were incredible! If you ever have the opportunity to go to Door County, I highly recommend it. This was my first visit there and I have wanted to go back ever since I left.

Thanksgiving Traditions - Old and New

Is anyone else as shocked as I am that Thanksgiving is next month?!? Where has the year gone?

This year will be my first year hosting Thanksgiving. I am actually really excited about it. This is also my niece's first Thanksgiving. Even though she won't remember it, I want it to be extra special for everyone. For me, Thanksgiving is about togetherness. There happens to be delicious food, too!

Because my extended family is large and very extended, it was usually just my immediate family - dad, mom, brother - for Thanksgiving dinner when we were young. As a family of four, we didn't have too many solid traditions. We did the whole turkey and stuffing thing, but it wasn't formal. We varied our routine a couple of times and celebrated the holiday with other families, but it was never the same. My brother and I still complain about some bad stuffing we had close to 20 years ago. Apparently, we do not like change and are very picky about our stuffing.

As my brother and I got into high school, my parents started inviting other families over for dessert and munchies later in the evening on Thanksgiving Day. It became a tradition. We looked forward to spending time with our friends. Unfortunately, we haven't continued it as my brother and I moved out on our own.

Since the festivities will be at my house this year, I am planning on incorporating some of the same things that we always do, like the stuffing, but also put my own spin on things - make my own traditions. I want everyone to know why I am thankful for them. I will be sharing how I am going to do that in the coming weeks.

What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

Becoming a Couch Potato

With the temperatures dropping, the time for staying curled up inside is fast approaching. So with that comes the start of the fall TV premieres. One of my shows has already started - Castle. I am anxiously awaiting for the other one to start - Scandal. Tomorrow night cannot come soon enough!

These shows rope us in and then leave us hanging for 3 months as we wait to see what is about to happen next. For Castle, it was will Beckett say yes to Castle's marriage proposal or will she take the job in Washington, D.C. For Scandal, it is what is going to happen since Olivia's affair with the president was leaked to the media. Oh, the excitement!!

I don't watch a lot of network TV, so there haven't really been any new shows that have caught my attention as ones that I want to check out. I usually end up watching a few episodes and then forgetting about them.

Have you been eagerly waiting for specific shows to start back up? Have you found any great new shows?

Autumn Welcome

A change in the seasons opens up the opportunity to update seasonal decor whether it is inside or outside of the house or, in my case, apartment. It is fun to do a little bit of both. It helps set the mood of the new season.

This past year, through the help of Pinterest, I have started making my wreaths for my front door. I can be as creative as I want when I make them. They don't take a ton of time and they are fun to do. And no matter what the final outcome looks like, it is never wrong. Changing the stuff on my front door is one of the first things I do when a new season arrives.

I saw ribbon at Hobby Lobby over Memorial Day weekend that I knew I wanted to use for a fall wreath. I worked at The Container Store for almost 6 years and in that time one of the greatest things I learned was how to make a bow. It was become an invaluable tool. I use that skill all the time!

The pumpkin burlap ribbon, along with some fall leaves and sunflowers, made a really pretty wreath. It is a welcoming sight when I come home.