Abundant Autumn Living

Autumn in New England can be a whirlwind of places to go and things to do before the last, gloriously colored leaf falls to the earth. Taking the time to savor all the simple autumn joys and make those lasting fall memories is a passion near and dear to my heart. Even though hosting a large, autumn gathering...a harvest party...is on our family's fall bucket list, we don't want to forget to embrace the simple things. We want to arrive at the end of fall feeling that we enjoyed an abundant autumn because in and amongst the big dates on the calendar were entwined all its simple joys. 

Here is a short list of simple fall joys. Which ones will you be embracing this autumn?

- gather acorns

- all the fall baking (Here are links to three of our favorites: Ina Garten's Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Half Baked Harvest's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Butter, and Iowa Girl Eats' Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice.

- eat cider donuts

- visit a pumpkin patch

- take the scenic routes

- gather leaves

- drink hot cider, hot tea, and hot chocolate

- go apple picking

-warm by a bonfire

-carve jack-o-lanterns with family and friends

Which other simple joys are on your list? Pull up a chair and join the conversation by leaving a comment! I love to be inspired by your thoughts!

Summer Lake Fun with the Family

Some of summer's best memories are made on a lake. Canoeing, swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, and rope swinging into the waters of a lake are the sort of fun-filled summer days remembered for a lifetime with a smile on one's face! Recently, while my California family was vacationing with us, we visited Pawtuckaway Lake, NH located in Pawtuckaway State Park. Nestled in acres of pine trees, the lake provides a day's worth of summer fun and adventure opportunities for the young and the young at heart. We packed along lunches and planned to make a day of it.

There's a rental office lakeside where we rented one canoe and two paddleboards for a half day. (Julia also brought her own paddleboard.) Dave and I paddled the canoe, loaded with camera gear, towels, and our lunch, hoping we didn't tip over and spill our precious cargo. Everyone else divided themselves among the paddleboards. We pushed off from the docks and headed for one of our favorite small islands.

It's a favorite, because it has that large rock protruding from the right side. Easily climbed from the island side, it provides a great place from which to jump into the lake. We slipped our canoes and paddleboards up to the shore and tied them to the tree roots that lace themselves around the earthen edges of the island. Scrambling up the rock, everyone took turns jumping into the "sweet spot" below -- just beyond the rocks. I thought the water would be chilly, but we were all surprised to find it amazingly warm -- cold enough to be refreshing, but warm enough that you wanted to spend the day in it.

The cousins all swam to some nearby rocks and took turns jumping, diving, and (cover my eyes) flipping into the lake. From our little island, I watched as each one went individually. But it was the trio of them jumping together that really made me smile. They're going to cherish these moments forever! Eventually, they swam back to the island and we all nibbled on some wild blueberries before paddling away for more lake fun on another island.

This island is the best for summer lake fun, because it has rope swings! Ahh...this was truly the day all my childhood summer dreams came true!

Dave and I stayed in the canoe, with him intermittently paddling to keep the canoe in position, and me taking photos. Everyone took their turns climbing the rungs nailed to the tree, swinging wildly out, and splashing into the cool lake water. Every swing was unique -- some high, some low, some twisting, some shrieking -- but all equally delightful to watch!

All of us having worked up an appetite, we tied up the canoe near the paddleboards, and pulled out our picnic lunch. Some people ate perched on rocks on the island. But the water felt so refreshing, I just stood in it, next to the canoe, and passed out sandwiches and handfuls of blueberries, and ate my own lunch.

Before we left, we all had to swing on the rope swing. This time, Dave and I went too! Being, quite naturally, a big chicken, I opted to swing out from a rock protruding out of the water. All the fun and none of the terror of jumping from that height was just perfect! So much fun! But Dave braved the rungs up the tree and made a big splash! Then I had to swing again. And everyone else went a couple times before we headed back to the docks to turn in our rentals. Another great day of family lake fun for the books. Can't wait to do it again!

Links and ideas:

location: Pawtuckaway State Park

pack: sunscreen, hats, towels, waterproof phone cases that float, water bottles

our lunch: ham and Fontina sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, Cape Cod chips, blueberries and brownies

see more: check out the mini-film I made of this trip (and our swim in the Quechee Gorge) on my Instagram feed (click here).

4th of July Party Essentials

Having a solid collection of summer party essentials makes backyard entertaining easy, whether it's a 4th of July party or any summer gathering. Through the years, I've intentionally worked to build a stockpile of really useful items for entertaining. It would've been helpful, early on in our marriage, if I'd seen a trustworthy list, compiled by experienced party planners, to use as a sort of "wish list-shopping list" from which to build a good collection. We'll be pulling out some versatile pieces from our collection for a 4th of July party this week. We frequently host summer parties and backyard cookouts, so here's a list of our favorite summer party essentials:

Serving Pieces - ironstone platters and bowls, pitchers, galvanized tub for icing drinks, beverage dispensers, a variety of serving spoons

Cooking Tools - grill, smoker, hot dog/s'more roasting sticks, cast iron skillets

Decor Items - bunting, collection of American flags (old, new, all different sizes), nautical flags, strings of Edison lights, candle holders and votives

Backyard Games - croquet, giant Jenga, jumbo Yahtzee, horseshoes, badminton, balls, frisbees, bocce

Misc. - Adirondack and other chairs, wooden barrels for trash, serving tables, folding tables, tablecloths, citronella candles, tiki torches

And don't forget the sparklers!

Spring Birthday Celebration

Bethany's birthday celebration day was one of the first really lovely spring days that we've had. The skies were brilliantly blue with puffy, white clouds whooshing past, a lovely breeze, and the faint promise of warming temperatures ahead. Since she loves spring so much, I was very grateful the day was such a beautiful one!

A birthday party in the midst of illness is challenging, but we all pitched in together to make it happen. I did the easy tasks: marinating the chicken, arranging the flowers (click here for that post), and setting the table. This was a one-dish meal served in our wobbly-edged pasta bowls we love so much (click here), so we used dinner plates as chargers.

Tall goblets were for the adults and short glasses for the little ones. I kept the color palette very neutral, so the spring flowers would stand out as a bright pop of color. I assembled a vase full of the same blooms for the birthday girl to take home with her.

It felt wonderful to all be together again! Even though they don't live far away, their family went through one bout of illness after another all winter, people have traveled, and I've been sick, so it had been nearly three months since we've all been gathered at our home.

Carson and the kids were overjoyed to see each other again! I love it when kids and dogs are happily running and playing and everyone's chattering in the kitchen!

Julia and Dave did all the cooking. Bethany requested one of our family favorites, Half Baked Harvest's 20 Minute Grilled Jerk Chicken with Mango-Nectarine Salsa over Coconut Rice. It's a flavor explosion of sweet, savory, and spicy -- SO fresh! Click here for the chicken recipe. And click here for the rice recipe contained within a different chicken recipe. The rice recipe may, quite possibly, change your life!

We all feel like this is the "start of the season" for this meal. We'll enjoy it from now through the summer, and undoubtedly conclude its fresh, spring-summery goodness with it being requested for Julia's birthday celebration in September.

After dinner, it was present opening time. Bethany was thrilled with more white pieces for her kitchen from her sister.

And Dave, as a labor of love, made a "Little Free Library" for our author daughter. It was made to match their own home, and he spent many nights and weekends constructing it and cutting all the clapboards and shingles down to scale. Someday soon he will mount it in their yard, she'll register it with the "Little Free Library" (click here for more information), and she'll fill it with worthwhile books for other to enjoy.

Birthday cake time! Twenty-eight candles for our kindhearted, endlessly creative, nurturing daughter who blesses our family daily with her love and care!

If you missed the cake recipe, for our favorite, decadently rich, chocolate cake, click here.

Spring Flowers for a Spring Party

First off, I'd like to say a very sincere thank you for all your enthusiasm and encouraging words on my last posting! Secondly, I am immeasurably grateful to all of you who follow me on Instagram and have expressed your love and have prayed for my health. And for those of you who aren't aware of it, I have been ill since March 27th with bronchitis which turned into pneumonia. Each day I feel ever so slightly improved. We have long-standing plans to travel next week, so here's hoping I'm well enough to go.

In the midst of this illness, Bethany, our first-born and only spring baby, turned 28 years old! Spring is her favorite season -- when all the world is fresh and new, returning to life, and full of beauty.

As all the colorful spring flowers make her heart happy, I knew a vibrant and fragrant arrangement down the center of the table would put a smile on her face for her birthday celebration.

Julia did the shopping, (since I was too ill), and chose bouquets of: daffodils, grape hyacinth (purple being Bethany's favorite color), and white tulips.

I utilized a long, skinny, willow basket, some packaged moss, and a bunch of canning jars to pull the whole look together. A half-dozen, pint-size, wide-mouth jars were placed in a zigzag arrangement down the length of the basket and filled with water. (Not shown: I filled the gaps between the jars by placing half-pint canning jars upside down into the spaces to help support the moss.)

Then I cut the flower stems to length and divided them up evenly between each of the jars.

Small handfuls of moss were tucked gently around the edges and between all the flowers.

The pop of green and airy tendrils of the moss helped to provide just that organic, fresh, springtime look I was hoping for.

To recreate this look for your spring table, you will need:

- long, skinny basket

- half-pint and pint-size canning jars

- 5 to 6 bunches of springtime flowers

- pre-packaged, color-enhanced moss

- scissors

- water

Next time I write, I'll tell you all about the dinner we served and share our favorite chocolate cake recipe from the celebration!