JFF What Fall Traditions Do You Have?

I would totally love your question if I lived more north, but fall in the Houston area is pretty much like summer - muggy, hot and humid. So any cold weather or outdoor activity isn't even considered until about Dec or even January, when it finally cools off enough to be human again outside.

Sure we all celebrate the holidays...it just doesn't include hot chocolate and apple picking. Its mostly football indoors and air conditioning.

So our fall traditions are sweating, wearing shorts and doing something that involves ice water!

September to Dec.....This is my Favorite time of year.

I love Septembers Autumn days....Where they are warm enough to not need to zip your coat..but cold enough you still need one.

I love Decorated for Halloween...Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I am not a giant fan of food...but I stuff my self crazy on Mash Potatoes...Stuffing..gravy...and yams.

Then there is the pies..oh the pies.

I also LOVE how Fall smells.

The best smell on earth is the smell of a wood stove burning far way on a freezing cold day:)

As I type my house smells Of Warm milk, Pumpkin Pie, Cinnamon and apples. It is amazing.

I love having the house 85 degrees(I only do this right when I get up and again right before we go to sleep..and only on cold cold nights)...curling up in a blanket and reading to my kids.

Ahh...Now I want some cider and a long walk:)

Well, we live in AZ so I can't wait to actually COOK again (its too hot in the summer) and can't wait for warm clothes.

We LOVE to get out of the desert and drive an hour and a half to the snow.

We also decorate the outside of our house like crazy, not really the inside, but way more than necessary outside the house, especially for Halloween and Christmas but have a lot for Tgiving as well.

And back to cooking, I LOVE quick and easy recipes and always try new ones with the kids, so they learn how to cook as well as keep "family recipes" that we can print and they can have when they move out. So everyone is excited to start "eating" again! LOL!!!

I'm also trying to move all the family gatherings to my house instead of my moms. Last year she was in the hosp so I did Tgiving by myself and it turned out GREAT!!! Besides the turkey I did ALL the sides in crock pots and it was a huge hit. So looking forward to the family gatherings again.

best time of the year....from September to January!

We do most of what's already been mentioned, but this year is a little bit different. My 15yo is in the H.S. Band.....& man, oh, man....are our wkends full! Friday night football, all-day Saturday marching competitions...practice & rehearsal before school/sectionals after school, & Thurs night field practice....OMG, his Thursdays at school are from 7am-9pm with a 90 minute break for dinner. Insane!

We live in a small town....so we have the Fall Festival & Parade.
We also attend the Church Supper for the town where my MIL grew up.
My son is a Scout & this is their active time of the year...popcorn sales (I'm the Kernel for the troop - & yes, that's how they spell it!), camping, & volunteering.
We have about 15 birthdays in 3 months....lots of family parties, including our annual reunion.
We throw a huge Halloween party for our son & his classmates. Nothing expensive....just lots of games & activities!
We cut our own firewood.
We cook a TON of food! & share with lots of friends & family.
We attend as many outdoor activities as possible: mt man rendevous, civil war re-enactments, fall festivals, antique fairs, etc.
The 2 1/2 men in the house always go fishing for full wkends. I disappear with my mom.
We always hit Silver Dollar City & Branson....during the fall festival & at Thanksgiving for the Christmas program.
We have 3 or 4 family Christmas parties, our town's Christmas Parade, & enjoy the beauty of Mass during the Christmas season.

Right now, I'm working on our reunion, a marching competition this wkend & homecoming (my son's 1st!), planning our next trip to Branson, our 30th anniv plans, & my younger son's Halloween party. Just a small part of the next 5 weeks!

On a sad note, I'm also seriously considering taking off a day- right in the middle of the 5 weeks....to spend the day immersed in memories of both my daughter & my dad ....both of whom died on the same day - 16 years apart. I'm thinking I need to spend some solo spiritual time, sitting on the riverbank. There is a 3 week time period...btwn the date of my daughter's birth & her death....when I just tend to shut down. This tends to create a split personality in me....I rejoice in the "happy" & mourn my losses. .....& each year, somehow Autumn just brings me around again.

Good question....thanks!

I look forward to the Ren Fair all year. It's so much fun.
Pumpkin carving is hilarious at my house. We make a big tadoo, BYOP Bring your own punkin - party out of it.
Live College Football games and televised pro games.
I look forward to more crock pot meals and soups, stews, chili. I start to bake again in the fall.
I'm really looking forward to my fall clothes.

We always go pumpkin picking! It is a must at our house.

My Sister and her boys always come to town one weekend during October so we can take all the kids and go to the Greenbluff festival. We pick out our pumpkins, eat caramel apples and pumpkin doughnuts, go through the corn maze and buy fresh produce from the local farms. It is one of my favoritre weekends of the entire year :):):)
And FOOTBALL!!!!

I LOVE FALL!

Well we paint our pumpkins, pick out our pumpkins, collect acorns for a crafts, find cool leaves for crafts. We cook A LOT.

This year i was thinking of finding a hay ride