Its Fall!

All of the sudden its fall! We've enjoyed cooler days and even cold nights. We've sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine in light sweaters this past week. We had to get our propane filled and the heater even kicked on a few nights. Each evening as the sun sets, we're getting  all the chickens in the coop as well and shutting them in. Our son commented I guess this will be our evening chore each night...until Spring comes. Yes it will. And then each morning Momma rises with the sun and opens the coop up for them. Those silly tiny bantam birds want to sleep on TOP of the coop and not go into the warmth or at least four of them do....so each night we pick them up and move them indoors and each morning we let them out.

Along with the cold, one overnight turned to low 30's and killed off our garden. We knew the season was coming to an end and really we should have gotten things in the ground much sooner. Super sad as the cantaloupes still had some ripening to do before taking them off the vine to eat and now they are gone. Now we are all looking forward to our next Spring garden and getting things started a bit earlier. Our first trial run garden in our new place went decent and we have a list of things to do different and all the food we want to plant for next year. We decided to skip a fall/winter garden. But our new place is definitely an easier growing climate than our last. We got strawberries, sweet peppers, bell peppers, rosemary, cilantro, basil, zucchini, tomatoes and cantaloupes to grow here.

This week....

We went to our son's model airplane club's flying event at the flying field. We watched a really neat aerobatic demonstration.

We've schooled, learned, and crafted. Our daughter sewed an ocarina pouch. Momma picked up a really neat 1800's arithmetic book. We ventured to the library, walked around the park...found bugs. We played board games.

We took our son to a skate park for the first time to try out his skateboard handed down to him by his Uncle.

We said good bye to one of our bunnies and adopted him out to another 4H family.

We went to the Farmer's Market to buy yummy veggies. We cooked some of our favorite fall recipes.

Photos from our week -

 Skating for the 2nd time ever...getting better!

 First ever sewn pouch.

 Sentence scrabble provided some good laughs during school time!

 Super neat old book. Our library was having a sale on all old books. We also picked up Charles Dickens and a few others! Can't beat it for each being under $1.

 Taco Soup

2 cans kidney beans (drained)

2 cans pinto beans (drained

1 can corn (with liquid)

1 can green chilies (with liquid)

-Sometimes we do one can of black beans-

1 can diced tomatoes (with liquid)

1 package taco seasoning

8 hours- on low in the crock pot...done!

Serve with your choice of toppings; cilantro, sour cream, cheese, avocado. Eat with chips, tortillas or just as a soup.

 Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushroom Couscous

We had a side of green beans and rolls.

Baked squash in the oven for 40 minutes at 350.

Sauteed the mushrooms with some garlic and salt and pepper in coconut oil then cooked the couscous added the mushrooms then stuffed it in the squash and put it all back into the oven for 10 more minutes.

 Roasted Fall Veggie Dish

We love this dish!

Brussel Sprouts, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, leeks with rosemary, salt and pepper and a bit of coconut oil. Into the oven in our cast iron for 350 for 45 minutes. 

We had a garlic noodle dish and salad on the side.

Good by sweet Bandit!

He went to a wonderful little family with two girls and a boy, ages 3, 8 and 9. 

The 8 year old girl will be using him for her first 4H project. 

They showed up to pick him up with a leash and harness and she told us how she had checked out every book from the library about rabbits and he'd live in her room with her. Our hearts are so happy - he will be so spoiled and loved. Exactly the kind of family we wanted for him! 

Life is good. We welcome fall and the change of seasons and look forward to winter approaching.