Autumn Farmstand & Some Decorating Ideas

Autumn is in full-swing here in New Hampshire! Today, Technohubby had an orthopedic appointment in the charming town of Peterborough, so I tagged along with him…a lunch date promised at the end. And ohhhh…the drive there! SO beautiful! The swamp maples (always the first to turn color) are in full splendor! I wish I could’ve snapped pictures, but alas, raining, raining, raining today. I promise to start snapping pictures like crazy soon!

But earlier this week, when Colette and I were at the farmstand, the weather was beautiful. The farmstands are brimming with autumn’s bounty! This particular one just draws you in off the road with their piles of pumpkins, mums, and cornstalks. Everyone’s eager to take something home to make their home beautiful for the season. Here’s a glimpse of our favorite farmstand. And at the end, some ideas on how to decorate your own home for that classic New England autumn look.

Some decorating ideas for that quintessentially New England look:

- Keep it simple. Simple is good. Simple is often better. A single pumpkin on your doorstep looks sweet. Three ears of Indian corn tied together is a great decoration.

- Find some cornstalks, or a couple of bunches, and tie them together. Secure them to a lamp post, prop them in a corner of your porch, tie them to your mailbox post.

- Cut sprays of bittersweet to hang from your front door.  If you don't live where bittersweet grows, use the artificial kind.  From a distance, you'll never know the difference.

- Buy mums!

- Think color basics. Yellow and orange look great with purple (complementary colors). Set a pot of purple mums next to a pumpkin.

- Ornamental kale is very popular for autumn decorating in New England. It’s difficult to find if you live in a warmer climate in October, but you can usually find it by November.

Have fun! Enjoy autumn!

Autumn Home Atmosphere

This is the fourth in a series of postings on how I think about the atmosphere of our home in a seasonal manner. If you’d like to read the other postings, just type “home atmosphere” in the search box, and they should pop right up.

In my mind, each season has an atmosphere all its own, and that atmosphere spills over to: the kitchen, touches of beauty and comfort, and our activities. Here is how I am thinking about this autumn:

Autumn

Discipline. Routine. Harvest. Warmth.

The Kitchen:

-apples

-squash

-last of the grilling

-pumpkin

-cinnamon

-soups

-casseroles

-comfort foods

Touches of Beauty and Comfort:

-plaid blankets

-scented candles

-bowls of pumpkins and gourds

-mums in pots

-cornstalks

-flannel sheets

-duvets

Activities:

-make to-do lists

-start school

-preserve the harvest

-dip beeswax candles

-walks in the crisp air

-do the Wool Arts Tour

-support the local farmers at the end of the season

-pick apples

Colette's Birthday

Last Friday was Colette’s birthday! We celebrated on Sunday! Dinner was her request: baked potato soup, pesto bread, green salads, chocolate cake and ice cream. Here’s a shot of Colette’s yummy pesto bread.

Colette’s idea of a perfect day definitely includes some of this!

Our gift to Colette was this hope chest/cedar chest!

Nineteen fun candles!

She’s such a delight and blessing!

A New Home Project

It’s begun! Our first major home project since we moved here. Technohubby and Max are going to build a post-and-beam garden shed!!!! I am so thrilled!

Part of what thrills Technohubby about a new project is the new tools he needs to buy to do the project. It’s a guy thing. This project required him to sharpen his chisel set and purchase a huge, new chisel (“so sharp it will cut a hair”), mallet, and a draw knife. I don’t like sharp objects. To be honest, it’s sort of a phobia with me, so I avoid these tools and try not to think about them being used. I do feel a teensy bit proud of finding that draw knife at an antique store for him though.  He was happy, because a new one costs upwards of $100, and this one was a mere $20!  I try not to think about the blade. Just look at the beautiful patina on those wooden handles!

Yesterday, he brought home the first of the beams! Hemlock beams cut just for our project by the local sawmill. They are…well…HEAVY!

Stay tuned…for the next couple of years…for updates on the garden shed project!

First Day of School

Today we began the first day of our 16th year of homeschooling!  What a blessing!  This is what Max's schedule looks like this year:

Bible - continuing to work through the Westminster Confession; scripture memorization
Math - Saxon Geometry
History Year II - Tapestry of Grace
Literature Year II - Tapestry of Grace; including Tapestry's writing
Chemistry - taken at a co-op this year...our first ever experience with a co-op!
New Hampshire History and Constitution
Technical Arts - credit given for building a post-and-beam garden shed with Technohubby
Russian II - Rosetta Stone
P.E.

And of course, there are trusty Ticonderogas for every subject!