I love love love looooooove fall! I just bought some mums today and put the pots inside of hollowed out pumpkins. DS gathered leaves and pinecones while we were outside....I have to find something to do with them.

Originally Posted by Operator265:
This one should be interesting for me. I'm going to try to do holidays this year without credit cards.:^: Halloween my butt, that's scarier to me. Even more so for my kids.

Oh well! With everything going on around us, I'm remembering the old days and the old ways of "If you don't have the money now, then you can't afford it."

It sounds difficult....but with proper planning is actually easier than it seems.

DH and I do this every year. This year we're in a better place financially, but we're also having a baby on NYE.

Homemade gifts are great for the holidays. My family loves our baskets and are always asking what is going to be in this year's basket (it changes every year and is a surprise). I've already been canning homemade apple butter and as soon as I find some pie pumpkins, I'll be making pumpkin butter. DH is making his "famous" bbq sauce and 12 spice rub. DS is old enough to make something this year and wants to make a tree ornament to decorate the outside of the package. We use baskets from either the dollar store or places like Big Lots. It averages about $20 per family, which is much cheaper than what we would spend if we bought gifts for everyone. It also means a lot more than a random something from a store.

Also...my pregnant @ss is not going to be in the stores come December.

;)

Zeffryn - I'm also big on the baskets...I make baked goods, caramel corn, and this year, I think I am going to make some limoncello. One year I did whole baskets of mixes - just flour, baking powder/soda, sugars, salt, flavorings, etc...all basic CHEAP stuff...plus some extras like dried fruit or chocolate chips bought in bulk. Print out the recipe on a little card, package it up, and your loved ones will be thinking of you when cooking up the goodies. That year I made a cookie mix, a scone mix, hot cocoa mix, several soups, a pancake mix, and a bread machine baking mix. Definitely a hit!

Share your pumpkin butter recipe? Sounds awesome and our pie pumpkins are out here.

I love the fall- Fall flavors, colors, cooler days - it just feels nicer. My only complaint is that the local stores here have had Halloween candy out since August. :O

Originally Posted by mandalinn82:
Zeffryn - I'm also big on the baskets...I make baked goods, caramel corn, and this year, I think I am going to make some limoncello. One year I did whole baskets of mixes - just flour, baking powder/soda, sugars, salt, flavorings, etc...all basic CHEAP stuff...plus some extras like dried fruit or chocolate chips bought in bulk. Print out the recipe on a little card, package it up, and your loved ones will be thinking of you when cooking up the goodies. That year I made a cookie mix, a scone mix, hot cocoa mix, several soups, a pancake mix, and a bread machine baking mix. Definitely a hit!

Share your pumpkin butter recipe? Sounds awesome and our pie pumpkins are out here.

I made limoncello a few years ago....AWESOME. I was thinking about making a cranberry orange cordial this year. I also include quite a few mixes in our baskets...they really fill them up at almost no cost.

This is what I use for pumpkin butter. I do use unprocessed cane sugar instead of regular white sugar and cider instead of apple juice. I've also used pumpkin pie spice instead of all the different spices with great results. Also, it says to use canned pumpkin - which I've done and it turns out great...but there is something even better about fresh roasted pie pumpkin.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Butter/Detail.aspx

October 1 is WHEN I pick my son up from his summer in WA!!! He's home for the winter to work at a ski resort and back out to the golf course in the spring!!!

Fall is my absolute favorite season....the temps, the craft fairs, the mums, the comfy sweaters, the spice scents, the beauty of a long drive in the country, the excitement of seeing another color burst through the woods....ah.....

Fall? Autumn? Cool weather? What's that? ;) JK

Originally Posted by mandalinn82:
. . .and this year, I think I am going to make some limoncello.

MMmmmm limoncello. I didn't know you could make it. :eek:
Can you make it for less than it costs to buy?

Zeffryn -- congrats on the pregnancy! You have probably posted about it elsewhere, but I hadn't seen it. That is sooo fun!

Limoncello is easy easy! It's just lemon peel, sugar, and cheap vodka (cheap works better. Really).

http://patty.vox.com/library/post/ho...ou-lemons.html

Yay! October is now!

Happy October! *squeee*

I love the fall! My husband and I always take a motorcycle ride through the country to see all the leaves turning color. So beautiful. Not sure I'm too happy about this October though since I will be turning the big 4-0. But hey, I made it this far. lol

Originally Posted by :
Yay! October is now!
Happy October! *squeee*

Oh me too!!!!

It's such a gorgeous day today. The sky is deep blue and the air is cool and crisp ... it *feels* like fall. I looooove this time of year.

.

I love fall too!!! It won't actually cool off here until right around Halloween - usually stays like 90s until the very day the cute little girls are trying to trick-or-treat in their little, light weight fairy princess costumes. That evening the temp will drop to 30 :lol: I'm just itching to swap out my summer tops for all the cute little sweaters and jackets I've been collecting though.

I just posted on another thread that I'm sooooo excited for Halloween this year because we've been invited to a big costume party and I can actually fit into something exciting and creative :carrot: I'm thinking saloon girl ('cept I'm going to have to buy a Wonder Bra since the boobs have gone bye-bye :lol: )

I hear ya....it will be Thanksgiving before long!

Originally Posted by yoyodieterinvegas:
I love fall too!!! It won't actually cool off here until right around Halloween - usually stays like 90s until the very day the cute little girls are trying to trick-or-treat in their little, light weight fairy princess costumes. That evening the temp will drop to 30 :lol:

Yep, in WY that night brings a guaranteed snowfall.:D