Fall Foto Fun!

Ahhh - I LOVE fall!  The Hubs actually had a weekend off so we made the trek to my parents' house.  We twisted Dad's arm to get out his fancy DSLR camera (Nikon D90 DSLR) and get us some sweet family shots.  Buggy is now 2 and Scrunch is 5 months.  Here are a few of our favorites - before any editing.

Finer Things of Fall

Join us in a fun bloggy Fall Festival!  Visit Amy at FinerThings to see many blogs devoted to the finer things of fall!  You can also enter a giveaway for a great scrapbooking package.

Ah - the finer things of fall.  I couldn't just pick one.  Here's a whirl through the finer things in OUR lives during fall!

Church

• New small groups and ministry opportunities begin.
• MOPS starts again after the summer hiatus  
  
• Fall barn party happens. (we haven't gone yet, but plan to!)

Family

• Fall begins a season of family visits - Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas just around the corner
• Family walks - the Hubs and I love long leisurely walks.  We harness the dog and put Baby in his special backpack and we go on long walks and explore our new hometown.
• Family naps - napping all piled on the couch with the windows cracked open to let in the crisp air is simply delightful.
  

Fun

• It's MARCHING BAND SEASON!!!  Hubby's university just re-started the marching band after a 10 year break.  Nothing says fall like the sound of quads echoing off the grandstands.
• Re-nesting.  It is so much fun to do a good "fall cleaning" and then feather the nest with cozy and inviting decorations.
• Playdates!  Moms are back in town after summer travels.
• Football parties!
• Rail Baron!  This is a board game that has been out of print for many years.  Hubs got it for me (for $75!!!!) from ebay for my birthday a few years ago.  The best way to describe it is a combination of Monopoly and Risk with all historic railroads.  We seem to be able to play this more often in the fall.
  

Rememberences

• September 11th
• Veterans day

Apparel

• Turtlenecks
• Sweaters
• Socks
• Fashion boots
• Cords
• Blazers
• Pea coats

Oh - there are so many wonderful things about fall!

Ultimate Fall Recipe Swap!

Join in this fun bloggy fall festival!  Today we are sharing our favorite fall-themed recipes!  Click on over to Life As Mom to see some great recipes and be entered to win a fantastic giveaway!

One of my all-time favorite fall foods is chili.  Hubby does not like beans in chili, so alas, I eat regular chili alone.  Years ago, though, we were introduced to a wonderful BEAN-FREE chili!  Cincinnati Chili (or Skyline Chili) has a unique flavor - a hint of cinnamon and is served in an unusual way - over spaghetti!

In the past, I have always used a package mix, however, I am embarking on an adventure to make this chili from scratch.  I found a great recipe that was featured in Southern Living magazine, so it HAS to be yummy, right?  I tweaked this recipe just a bit to suit our situation and our tastes.

Original recipe can be found on MyRecipes.  A thank you goes out to BusyMom for pointing out some omissions in her comment!  I have altered the recipe further to reflect these changes!  Remember - I have yet to make this myself without a package mix!

Because the meat in this chili is not browned and drained, use very lean ground beef.

Yield

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2  pounds  ground round
• 2  cups  water 1 Quart water
  
• 2  (6-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 2  large bay leaves
• 3  tablespoons  chili powder (I use a little less)
  
• 1  tablespoon  ground cumin
• 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
  
• 2  teaspoons  ground allspice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  teaspoon  white wine vinegar (cider vinegar works as well)
  
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• Hot cooked spaghetti
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Oyster Crackers
  

Preparation

Combine ground round and water in a 4-quart stock pot; stir with a fork until thoroughly blended. Stir in tomato paste and next 12 ingredients.
Cover with lid.  Heat to boiling.  Either reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours or transfer to crock pot and cook 6 hours.  (If you have more time, you can cook from the start in the crock pot - plan on at least 8 hours to simmer.)  Chili is done when it resembles really meaty marinara sauce.

It is best to cool chili and keep in refrigerator overnight so the fat can be lifted off.

Remove and discard bay leaves, stirring well. Serve chili over hot spaghetti, and top with cheese and oyster crackers.  Add diced onion and kidney beans if you wish.

Fall Traditions

I feel like we are a little unusual.  We have no traditions yet.  We have been married nine and a half years and have no fall traditions.  We have lived so many places that our traditions would have to change somewhat with each move.  We also have been child-less until now so traditions haven't seemed that important.  We were both super busy with school and work.

Now that we are settled and have started our family, it is time to start some fall traditions! 

• Color hikes and drives
• Leaf jumping
• Leaf collecting
• Special fall arts and crafts
• College football games - for the marching band of course!
• Pumpkin patch
• Pumpkin carving - not the scary faces - I don't like typical Halloween - but harvest themes

I could list forever what I want to do as a family during fall!  Now to fit all that in during the busy season Hubby has as a music professor!

Join the bloggy fall carnival by linking up at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free to see other great fall tradition ideas and enter in a fantastic giveaway!

Falling for Fun

Join us for a bloggy Fall Festival!  Link up with what you like to do for fun in fall at the Daily Dwelling.

One word sums up fun in fall - OUTSIDE!  Hiking, biking - well, not so much biking since my bike was stolen years ago, walking, playing, working.  Anything that gets me outside during fall is a good thing.

I love walking through the woods bundled up in a sweater with warm socks and hiking boots on my feet.  I love walking past a mountain stream, smelling the leaf mold, seeing the bright colors all around me, and listening to the dog frolicking in the water.  I love doing yard work in the fall - trimming bushes and preparing the grass and soil for planting in the spring.

I love hayrides and campfires.  There is just something about the crisp air contrasted with the blazing fire.  Sitting back and having a family sing-a-long with guitars while munching hobo pies is bliss.

Last fall, I was a brand-new mommy.  I spent most of the season confined to a chair with my sweet little nurseling.  The view was fantastic and I can't wait for the color to return in all its glory.  This fall, Baby, Hubby, and I will be able to enjoy fall together - OUTSIDE!

Feathering My Nest

I am so excited for fall.  I LOVE pretty much everything about this season, especially Thanksgiving and the approach of Christmas.   I am also excited for this blog carnival to celebrate Fall!

How do YOU "feather your nest" for fall?  Link up at Hoosier Homemade and share!  You will also be entered to win some super cute fall decorations!

Since we have been so busy for so many years with me working full time and Hubby getting his doctorate, we haven't created many traditions.  This time of year was always full of business travel for both of us so the only thing that ever happened was the setting of the fake Christmas tree after Thanksgiving.

Now that I am staying at home with Baby, I am enjoying the discovery of special things to do for fall.  I have big dreams.  I have a small budget.  The trick is to try to mesh the two.

What I Can Do Now:
I have a wooden bear on my front door.  He's my Welcome Bear.  He has different clothes that velcro on based on the seasons.  To ring in fall, my bear changed out of his baseball uniform and into his Steelers uniform.

I brought my fall centerpiece out and put my fall neutral tablecloth on. This year, I decided to actually USE my good silver tray.  Why store things we love when we could USE them and ENJOY them?

I got out a little knick-knack:

My fall wreath (that I plan to move to our entry way for a brick background and I plan to replace the current space with a wreath I make).

And I am occasionally burning candles of my FAVORITE fall scent - apples and cinnamon!  We don't use many fragrance items in the home due to allergies, but I will always use a touch of this fragrance during fall and winter.

Our Food:

I love hearty fall food!  Unfortunately, Hubby isn't too fond of produce of any sort.  Here are some favorites:

• Cincinatti Chili
• Regular chili - I want to experiment with a chili soup idea I have in my head that uses no beans so Hubby will eat it
• Crusty bread
• Pumpkin seeds!

My Dreams:

As we have more children and as they grow, I would love to incorporate the following:

• hayrides
• pumpkin patch
• campfires (or a fire pit on our deck)
• walks in the woods
• fall color camera adventures (go on walks/drives to capture West Virginia fall color on our cameras!)

I love fall!