Fall Things

I really can't begin to describe how much I love fall. The changing colors of the leaves, the smell of fireplaces, pumpkins, spiced candles and the endless amounts of baking just make me happy. Unfortunately we only had about two weeks of great fall weather, Ohio seems ready to jump right into winter with 40 degree temps. We also haven't seen the sun in a week, which makes me want to crawl under the covers and sleep the day away sometimes.

Canadian Thanksgiving was very much appreciated by my Nanook of the North husband and I was fortunate enough to not have to cook for a couple of nights. Once the side dishes were depleted I used up the remaining turkey and made some wild rice cream stew which is great for chilly nights. The freezer is full of it and once again, I am off the hook a couple of nights for dinner!

Once the air gets a chill it really sends my crafty side into overdrive. I have so many projects on the go; scrapbooking, sewing, baking, jewelry making, crocheting and quilting.
Sometimes I feel like I sound like a grandma, but I make it up by using fun prints and patterns. I took a quilting class in early September and immediately feel in love with it. The cutting and measuring can get a bit tedious, but the results come together quickly and give me quite a bit of satisfaction. I have been using some fun Amy Butler prints and plan to turn the blocks into a great picnic blanket for the spring. Not that we have ever gone on a picnic, but maybe having a fun blanket will inspire such an event. The added bonus is shopping for a cute basket and all the necessary accessories! All I have left to do is put the blocks together and take another class to learn how to actually finish off a quilt. Once done I have 2 more quilts to make and will be attempting t-shirt quilting since I still have a lot of my t-shirts from college. I also plan to try and make one for Ainsley's eventual "big girl" room, but since she is yet to graduate from her crib I have some time for that, which is lucky since I have no idea what colors I want to use yet!
As much as I hate to admit it, I am already preparing for the Christmas holidays. Discussions have begun on what to get for various family members and my sewing machine is taking a beating making cute dresses, skirts and other outfits for all the little ones I know. But first I need to get to work on a fun little outfit with this fabric for Ainsley. I hope it turns out!

Very excited to see how Ainsley reacts to pumpkin carving tonight. She says she wants to put a face on her baby pump-pin but I don't know how she will take the butchering of the inside. Should be very fun and very messy. I just hope I am not still finding pumpkin seeds at Christmas.