Home Is My Happy Spot

Image courtesy of Jiap at FreeDigitalPhotos.net If your kids are grown, chances are your pumpkin carving days are over.  You've passed the ceremonial carving kit to the next generation. Maybe your kids are old enough to start carving their own pumpkins so you can at least be done with scooping goop. If your kids are small, you're still stuck with the job. Choosing the Perfect Pumpkin Where do you go to choose your perfect pumpkin? Some take seasonal hay rides that stop by a pumpkin patch brimming with pumpkins of all sizes, colors, shapes, and textures.  Smoother surfaces are ideal for pumpkin painting, but bumpy pumpkins are loaded with character.     Other families visit a local farmer's market to peruse the pumpkin harvest options. Avid gardeners might grow their own pumpkins. Of course, grocery stores and home improvement places like Home Depot carry an ample stock, and it's very convenient to swing in and snag one to save time. Sel

Enjoy the Great Outdoors There's no better time than fall to gather the family and head outside for a fun adventure.  It's not too hot, the bugs aren't as bothersome, and the scenery is gorgeous.  God has painted a colorful fall masterpiece once again. Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Fall Scavenger Hunt Kids love discovery, and nature provides a captivating classroom. For a family scavenger hunt, pack up your family and head to a nature park or local pond, or you can simply explore your own back yard or neighborhood to find all the items on your list. You can make your own scavenger hunt list, including items like acorns, scarecrows, pumpkins, moss, squirrels, and pine cones, or find one online. Equip your nature hunters with pencils to scratch off items from their list.  For a fun fall craft after the hunt, they will also need a paper or plastic grocery bag to collect materials such as leaves, walnuts, acorns, small sticks, s

Everyone has their own taste when it comes to decorating in October, but styles typically fall into one of four categories.  Read on to discover your type--you will have a chance to vote at the end. 1.  Fall Festival This type of decorator doesn't like creepy Halloween decorations and sticks with harvest imagery like pumpkins, scarecrows, straw bales, mums, and corn shocks. For them, it's a celebration of fall--the harvest, colorful changing leaves, and cooler temperatures.  It's about cozy decorations inside and out, wearing long sleeves again, sipping hot cider, and cooking a plethora of foods containing pumpkin. If you bedeck your front lawn and porch with pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn, you know squirrels and other wildlife can't resist stealing a nibble.   Here's a tip to keep curious and hungry pests from ruining your pricey ornaments.  Spray your pumpkin and gourds with aerosol hairspray.  Next, pour white vinegar to make a perim