Pumpkin Pondering

While we are still enjoying fall color, the ever growing blanket of leaves on the ground tells me it won't be long until the trees are totally bare. 

 Since I wasn't blogging in October, I never shared my front steps all decorated for fall.  Shortly before Halloween I hit the farmer's market and had fun making the front entrance ready for the season.

The jack o' lanterns have now been removed, but the pumpkins, gourds and mums are still hanging in there.

I plan to leave them in place until Thanksgiving.

After that I have plans for a few of those pumpkins.

The farmer told me that the greyish green one on the bottom left step is an heirloom variety that is especially delicious when roasted.

I'm looking forward to trying it.

I'm planning to add some to the freezer for future use.

 

Today I used a can of pumpkin that was in the pantry to make pumpkin soup for lunch.  There was enough in the can for a loaf of pumpkin bread.  It tasted so good as an afternoon snack.
I love the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg.  There is something so appealing about those spices at this time of year.
The recipe I used can be found here.  It's a lightened up version.  However, it's so moist and flavorful you'd never suspect it.
With our US Thanksgiving just around the corner, I'm thinking lightening up now is the way to go.

 

Little Things in November

I've come to the conclusion that when trying to get back in the swing of blogging again, smaller might be the better way to go.

So, with that in mind, I present a few of the small things I noticed today.

Things like:

Turning the page on the calendar to a new month.

When I bought my calendar this year I decided there would be no peeking ahead.

It's very small and rather silly, but now I can hardly wait for the first of the month to see what beauty awaits me.  This Gooseberry Patch calendar has yet to disappoint.

Things like:  a bit of whimsy at the coffee station.

As I continue to edit my holiday collections around here, this little witch is staying put.  From the wart on her nose to the wee little jack o' lantern in her hands, she has endeared herself to me.  I would miss her if she was gone :).  

Things like:  Charming packaging.

This too sits on the coffee station tray.

Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate sounded like the perfect treat for sipping on Halloween night.  Although, I will admit that the adorable milk bottle and the "Sillycow Farms" name had some influence on the purchasing decision.

Well, I told you... small (very small) things today.

Although it's only been a little over a month since my last blog post, I was a bit surprised by how foreign it seemed to me to sit down and compose a post.

Hoping to get back in the swing of things now.