Finally, we can welcome Autumn this week. I loved the cooler temperatures this past weekend! It was just the right time to show a few autumn inspired ideas for a bit of fun to lighten our lives seemed appropriate. So often now, we have to make a effort to keep our spirits up and find a way to have fun while staying home. Here are a few of my ideas, some from past projects. This little Pumpkin Leaf Candle Mat was from Autumn Jubilee 2016. Put it on the kitchen counter with a wonderful Autumn Wreath scented candle (if you like scented candles) or a ceramic pumpkin (if you don’t).
Eat your lunch on a pumpkin plate everyday.
Dig out your Autumn Wreath and hang it up.
Retail therapy is fun too, this cute sign was 40% off at Hobby Lobby. I didn’t find the buttons I wanted, but this was calling to me as I strolled around a bit. I haven’t done that in a long time.
Make an Autumn Valence for your kitchen window. I planned to make Christmas and Springtime valences too, but I love this one so much it stays up year round.
Remember my Pine Cone Ring project? Put a glass in the middle and fill with water.
Then add some lovely hydrangea blooms, and flank with autumn color candles. This is now on our guest bathroom counter. The neat thing is that when the flowers dry out, they will look just as nice.
Take an autumn quilt to your next driveway lunch and chat. I took Pumpkin Star from Autumn Jubilee 2018 to a safely social lunch with friends. Show and Tell doesn’t have to be recently made!
Bake some Pumpkin Cake Donuts.
Click on my post Being the Great Pumpkin to see how to lift the spirits of your neighbors or friends this year. Now more than ever we need to keep those connections and have some fun, when we cannot do costume parties. My Sweet Babboo and I had our costumes all planned, but will have to wait until next year. Make up gift bags with some pumpkin donuts, a Halloween goodie and a fun card.
Or make a Pumpkin Toffee Dump Cake. Layers of yum!!!
I know this one won’t be possible for most of you, but it makes me laugh every time we leave the house. Our neighbor has some Briar Goats (also called Bush Goats or Spanish Goats in other parts of the country). The neighbors move their pen from time to time and the goats are eating the underbrush. Recently they moved them next to our one lane road, so we began to stop and chat. My Sweet Babboo will ask them what they think. The brown one is more vocal than the white, and he usually answers “Meh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!!” Don’t ask me to translate.
Last time the white one said “Meh-eh-eh-eh-eh”. I assume all is well.
Only in the country, LOL!!!
What are you doing for fun?
From My Carolina Home 
Great ideas! I love the pine cone wreath with the hydrangeas in it!
Such a fresh and festive look at fall….love the goats too. We have several mini herds in our area….not allowed in HOA’S but fun to view and it is amazing how they do keep the brush down.
I had just noticed some neighbors (down the road a ways) have a couple goats eating along the fence line – maybe this is a new thing I have seen quite a few places in the country that have the little goats grazing now – what do you use goats for? I rarely seen any goat products in the store for so mainly to keep your grass short? 🙂
I love wandering in Hobby Lobby and rarely come out empty handed and usually everyone has their masks on and social distance well.
I could use a goat around here. I wonder if they would eat the bamboo that seems to be running wild in our woods. Maybe the National zoo will loan a panda for a few weeks! I think the neighbors are wise to invest in those little goats. I am thinking goat cheese . Don’t some people use the goat milk in other things?
Fun ideas for sprucing things up. I’ve been lacking a wreath all year since taking the Christmas one down and remembered I have a beautiful fall wreath to put up. Time for an Autumn Jubilee table runner to come out of the closet.
The pumpkin doughnuts look delicious! Thanks for the recipe. What size can of pumpkin do you use? The stores here have 2 sizes….
The goats are saying “this is good forage, you should try it sometime”.
Pine cone wreath very pretty. The dump cake looks delicious! Love the goats and your hubby talks to them, funny.
I understand all grass is eatable so yea for goats. I could sure use a couple . The lunch looks really good and aren’t we supper glad for cooler temps.?
I’m sitting here, munching my toast, using my bright poppy/orange plate – so I think I have the “pumpkin plate” covered. My plate is just a brighter version LOL. Good ideas for some fall fun, Carole!
enjoyed your post-happy fall weather loving it
Well, since the Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow, I guess I can get the pumpkins and fall table runners and table toppers out. I don’t do much that’s strictly Halloween preferring to use a broader fall theme. I do have a few small witches though. We’ve been cool all week and near frosty the last 3 nights, but a warm up is coming starting tomorrow. So I’d better get those houseplants that need repotting and dividing done while I can still do it outside.
I am so excited about Autumn, definitely my favorite season! This post made me smile and I need to go find a pumpkin colored plate to each my lunch on 🙂
May I please borrow your neighbors goats? They are so cute!!!!! I want llamas but even though we are at the edge of town, we still have many restrictions – chickens or apiarys are okay with the permission of the adjoining houses, but goats might be pushing it. Half mile up are the horse barns.
Thanks for the reminder about decorating for fall – I have several boxes of stuff, but it’s summer then POOF it’s Halloween. Even with a huge snow storm the morning of Halloween last year, we still had over 100 trick or treaters. (14 bags of candy)
Love dump cake, made one on Sat. Can of crushed pineapple, cherry pie filling, choc chips, walnuts, choc cake mix, 3/4 cup melted butter layered in a pan in that order. Bake 45 mins at 350°. Yum. Thanks always love your great ideas.
The pine cone ring is a super idea, and with a vase of flowers, beautiful. Down here in our small rural town, I walked across the road to sit with a friend’s younger daughter when she had to make a hurried trip to collect a little older girl from kindy. In gumboots, finishing my toasted sandwich, only in the country could you do this.Love your goats, they are so friendly to talk with you.
Hello Carole, I enjoyed each one of your ideas today! You have given me quite a few ideas to try, like the pinecone ring. It is beautiful in every aspect and one of those ideas that would never have entered my craft idea zone. LOL. Your wreaths have always inspired me and yet I have only made a few. A Fall wreath for myself and my Mom would be a fantastic project. However, I have been working on several Fall themed quilt projects for several weeks now and found each one of my inspirations on your blog posts! So, I owe you a great big Hug and Thank You for all of your prior projects that you have shared. I will share them with you when they are all finished.
We have once again reached a beautiful view of the mountains we live in here in Southern Oregon. Although not everyone has received the same fortune so we continue to pray for everyone still facing the fires in every area, in every state and in every country.
I had best close before my jabbering goes on for pages. LOL. Thank you for sharing your fun and inspirational post today! Have a funtastic Autumn Day!!
Thank you so much for posting the links to the Pumpkin Star blocks and ideas for the layout. I saw a finished Pumpkin Star quilt linked on Quilting is More Fun than Housework yesterday and just loved it! It won’t be ready for this fall, but hopefully next year!
You are so right! We have to do the little things that help us chase away the Covid blahs. I somewhat dread the work of unpacking all the fall decor but it is always worth the hard work. I used your Pumpkin Toffee Dump Cake recipe. It is very good. Thanks for sharing.
Connie
All of your suggestions were great. I particularly liked the autumn valance.
Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year — great ideas as usual!
So many happy, warm fuzzies here! Love the goats, may they enjoy the weeds!
Ha! Your DH talks to goats; I talk to turkeys. 🙂 A flock of 10 come to our back porch sliding glass door. Why? I have never fed them. I chase them off and away from the garden. I’m sure the neighbors must think I’m a nutty old woman. 🙂 So happy for autumn, altho the weatherman says we will have another spell of triple digits. Full blast autumn can’t come too soon for me. Your autumn suggestions are lovely and inspiring. And the recipes, yum!
That pumpkin toffee cake looks delicious! Love that you can take a walk and see goats!