Wednesday, September 17, 2008

TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fall)

Fall is the best season ever. It's long-sleeves-only in the day, an extra blanket at night, crunchy leaves in the yard, and most importantly, it's candy corn season. I bought my first bag today. My teeth feel like wool sweaters, but let's just say it's not by chance that my dentist appointments are scheduled every November and May (after Halloween and Easter). Here are a few other reasons I love fall.

1. Jonathan apples. They're small and sweet and don't need caramel dipping sauce to enhance the flavor like most apples do.

2. Apple attire suits me just fine too.

As you can imagine, Marissa looks super cute in this outfit despite not allowing me do a thing with her hair. It was well worth the bundle I spent on it.
Private note to Ryan: By "bundle" I mean something very tiny, small, and minuscule.

3. Pumpkin bread, cookies, cake, seeds, and the newly discovered waffles out of Simple and Delicious magazine. I just made a double batch of these last night and YUM! They were better than I thought they'd be.

Pumpkin Waffles
1 cup plus 2 T. flour
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 T. butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients; stir into dry mixture just until combined. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown.

4.It will soon to be too cold to play in the sandbox.
The Great Offender
I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong and boy was I wrong about this. I thought the sandbox would be a great opportunity for the kids to play by themselves while I took care of things in the house. But as it turned out, for every minute they played out there I spent a minimum of 10 minutes on damage control. So much for a break.

Initially the sandbox was filled with 15 bags of sand.


Four of those bags were washed down the bathtub drain.
Three were dumped into the kiddie pool or on the grass.
Two went through the washing machine.
Three were thrown at playmates/siblings, and usually at their faces.
Two were vacuumed or swept up and thrown away.


That leaves one bag of sand remaining in the sandbox, and it's filled with spiders, ants, dead leaves, and more than likely, cat poop.


What do you love about fall?

13 comments:

Mary Ann Carlile said...

I am sooo making that pumpkin waffle recipe! I wonder what would happen if I threw in some choc. chips for good measure. And I think that I need to reschedule my dental appts...

Janie said...

I can't wait to try the waffles! And I second the fixation with candy corn. I've restrained myself from buying as of yet, but with bags of it in plain sight every time I'm in the store, that won't last long. I wish I could find Jonathan apples here.

Laughed HARD about your sandbox stories too! :) :)

Melissa said...

Our dentist apts. are in April and November! Nice timing! Ha, ha, your comments about the sandbox are great! We thought as much! We are having our own set of troubles with just our dirt out back. Much has been swept up, vacuumed, washed, and sucked down the drain. Sometimes, you realize having a nice backyard is not so nice.

Anonymous said...

I love FALL! I love the cool crisp air and the fact that I can go outside without melting as soon as the air touches my face! I love that my dog can be outside and away from me during the day and I can start doing things for the holidays!!!


I am totally trying those waffles! Loved the sandbox stories!

kellibattraw said...

I love the weather, the holidays, the feeling in the air, and all the fun apple and pumpkin recipes. I can't wait to try the pumpkin waffles. I have one slight problem, not waffle iron! I'll bet they can be made into pancakes though, hopefully. : )
Thanks for the warning on the sand box! : )

kmmclain said...

I love looking at the mountains out our back windows and seeing the color start to change. I also love the drive up the Alpine Loop and seeing the colors.

I have already decorated my mantle with fall colors and the crispness in the air in the morning. Of course it is still 85 in the afternoon, but at least it isn't 95!

Kristi said...

I just laughed out loud about the wool sweater teeth comment. I told you you were funny..... Love to read your blog it brings a huge smile to my face.... I am praying that your sister-in-law gets married so you can come visit YEAH

Balboa Here we come - Look Out:)

Lindsey said...

I love fall because of the smell in the air, the crunch of the leaves, and the peacefulness that settles in as winter comes. It has always been my favorite season.

The wool sweater teeth comment was hilarious. Your blog is always so entertaining...you should write a post everyday to keep me entertained!

P.S. Just the sight of candy corn make me want to puke!

Erica said...

you make me laugh out loud. i love to read your posts. they are hilarious! my favorite fall things are leaves; all the colors and jumping in the huge pile we get to rake up. and getting to wear sweaters,jackets, long sleeved shirts and such but not having to wear a parka. or have my teeth chatter. or my toes freeze. or shovel the walks. you get the picture!

Lindsay said...

This was a super funny post. I do love fall but unfortunately, here in South Texas is only makes a brief appearance and I'm afraid that was last week. I am looking forward to a trip to Utah where I will see the mountains change color. That's what I love about fall!

Wallinskees said...

Every time I go to the store I have to fight my urge to buy candy corns. The battle is at the store for me, because if I bring a bag home, it's all downhill. Trent doesn't like them, and so I don't have anyone to help me eat them. Somehow they disappear rather quickly. :) I'm definitely going to make those pumpkin waffles!

Lindsay said...

I LOVED the Book Thief. I'm excited to hear your take on it!

snbjork said...

You should write a book! Seriously.

I love everything pumpkin (I eat it by myself because Barry thinks it's repulsive), "indian" candy corn (although I just need a little handful to get my fix for the year), JEANS, long pants and shirts for the kids...their bellies look especially cute in them for some reason (that reminds me that my baby has NO clothes for the fall/winter so I better get shopping!), no more Saturdays being taken up by Barry having to mow the yard for 1-2 hours, no more trimming the bushes, almost time for a fire in the fireplace (which means fireside dinners consisting of crackers, cheese, summer sausage, nuts, fruit, hot dogs, and smores.

I will definitely be trying that waffle recipe. It sounds great!