Things to do in Fall

Remember this post with our list of "Fall Assignments"?

Well I think Dalin and I have been pretty successful so far and we still have over a month to go until fall is over. Did you know that the first day of winter this year is December 21st? What the heck! In my book, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, it's basically winter and I don't leave my house except for food haha. Anyway, here's our success so far (and some photos to prove it!):


1. Bake an apple pie. Bonus: Do it with apples we picked ourselves. Done and done. 

Pre-crust. Loved these apples for this pie. See recipe below!

Finished product to be eaten with vanilla ice cream! Recipe found here!

2. Eat a candy apple. Not done yet...but we did eat an apple pie one from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! It's too hard to find a candy apple place anywhere!

3. Find some fresh apple cider and also some hot apple cider.

No this isn't mine...I wish mine had looked this good. But it sure tasted good.

4. Watch some corny Halloween movies. I watched the Addams' Family and Hocus Pocus which are both corny Halloween classics. 

5. Go to a Halloween party. We went last weekend (not this past weekend, the one before) and even won the costume contest like we'd meant to. The theme was board games and video games. Were we surprised that our Call of Duty costumes won? A little. Especially because we spent very little on putting them together! Thank you, Savers and Dollar Store...

6. Decorate for Halloween and then for Thanksgiving. 

I painted these signs the first fall we were married

Pretty fall leaves my mom sent from New Hampshire

I painted this that same year!

This is actually from Halloween past but I haven't taken pics of this year's yet!

Homemade (double-sided!) "Give Thanks" banner. So glad I made this! (I'll have to take a pic of the "Trick or Treat" side!)

7. Find a place to serve people on Thanksgiving. Still need to see if this is a possibility! It is one of my favorite memories from spending Thanksgiving with my family.

8. Own at Fantasy Football. Check! No but seriously, thank goodness for Drew Brees and Calvin Johnson. My goal is to at least come in second. It is just really important that I beat Dalin's team this week and Layton's when we go against each other again. Then I'll have a chance!!!

9. Go through a corn maze or on a hay ride. I'm not sure why I gave myself two options here, but I did go on a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, so success! It was really fun with all my wonderful in-laws. 

This was after, but I like the picture better. I don't have any of me looking at the camera while on the hay ride which is kind of lame...

I love how serious all of their faces are--including Maddox!

10. See more of our family! We loved visiting Boise to celebrate Halloween (plus all the married couples played Kick the Can and Capture the Flag until late at night, which was tons of fun--and also happened to be my idea ;). Also, my mom is coming to visit for ten days this Friday! I'm so happy! Plus Dalin's family may come down again in a weekend or two and then we'll be heading back to Boise for Thanksgiving! Yes! 

11. Roast pumpkin seeds. Did this while in Boise after Shaina and Dalin carved their pumpkins. I tried a new technique for cooking them and I liked how they came out much better! Briefly, here's what we did: 

We set the oven at 400 degrees. After rinsing the seeds in a strainer, we boiled them, then let them simmer for ten minutes on the stove. (We put a Tbsp of salt in the water to boil but it didn't help much). After, we drained the seeds, then spread them out on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil. Once the seeds were spread in the oil, we sprinkled *well* with salt (we had to salt them four times for it to be enough). Then we stuck it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. We checked them a number of times--you want some of the seeds to be turning a light brown. You can take them out at twenty minutes, test one, then put them back if the texture isn't right. That's what we did. They were soooo dang good after. Everyone wanted some. I don't know if/why boiling makes a difference, but it sure seemed to!

12. Go to the Farmer's Market as much as possible. Got my favorite kettle corn from the Yodeling Moose people almost every week! Well worth it! 

13. Make more blackberry smoothies. I guess we need to hang out with Layton and Shaina more! 

14. Make squash. Real squash. Thanksgiving is a month away!

15. Read and watch Harry Potter. Watched the movies with Tenley and Dalin, and I've been reading book two with Tenley when I get the chance. She loves it of course ;)

16. Drink Butterbeer. ...Not yet :/

17. Visit Provo Canyon. We did go fishing there the last time the family was here but we missed the leaves changing. 

18. Paint pumpkins. Haven't done this year's yet...we just kept our little ones this time around. I hate how the big ones rot and ooze pumpkin slime.

19. Make fried dough or scones. I forgot about this, but it still sounds delicious!

20. Take lots of photos. Obviously, I have done so. I love recording Tenley's life!