The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go

 what is better then october in the mountains? family, friends, football, hiking, beautiful leaves, cooler weather -- there's not much I don't love. The hubby and I headed out Thursday night for our mountain home in North Carolina. We spent 3 wonderful, but busy days in the place we love best.

Friday morning we headed to Enloe Farm for some long overdue pictures by Callie Lynch (you can check out her blog here). I can't wait to see them later this week! It was a cold but gorgeous day so we pretended to be leaf lookers and headed up to Wayah Bald. It's not really a hike, (just a short walking path) but it is a beautiful view of Franklin and 5 surrounding states!

Friday night we traveled with my in-laws to watch our hometown highschool football team. We ate dinner in Asheville at Apollo's Flame, a Greek restaurant I definitely recommend! We bundled up and braved the cold to cheer on the Panthers against East Henderson!

Saturday morning was spent at the Pumpkin Fest with family .. my favorite festival! It seemed to be bigger and better then ever! My hubby had actually never been .. he has missed out on the Pumpkin Roll his whole life. Check out this cutie, my nephew Jaxon. 

Saturday afternoon we traveled over another mountain to our our home away from home, Cullowhee NC! It was homecoming at Western Carolina University, where we both graduated from. We tailgated with The Wesley Foundation and old friends and then watched another football game!

And Sunday we made a brief apperance at this cutie's 4th birthday before making a mad dash back to Atlanta for church!

Now here we are on Monday .. preparing for our Halloween Party on Thursday and a million other things! Hope your weekend was as fulfilling as mine!

A Relaxed Weeked

Well Lifetime has done it again .... I have been sucked into one of my favorite movies- A Walk to Remember! Currently, Jamie and Landon are getting married and  I know the saddest part is coming up!

What have you done this weekend?

This has been a major low key weekend and that's perfectly okay! My hubby had a youth lockin Friday night. My days of staying up all night are gone .. actually they never really existed in the first place! I stayed until about 11 and then I went home and went to bed! Saturday was spent lounging in my PJs and doing a little "Fall cleaning" - windows, baseboards, cleaning out things, etc. Saturday night was our frugal date night at home! We made pumpkin roll together and then watched a movie. Sunday has brought a long nap after church, a little more cleaning, and now lesson planning, which has been interrupted by Lifetime!

Sunday's twlight.

 

Our pumpkin roll!

 

 Friday night sitting around a fire, roasting marshmallows under this beautiful harvest moon.

 Not very exciting .. but sometimes its okay just to stay home. This week is going be really busy and Thursday night we are headed to North Carolina for homecoming at our alma matter! I actually took the day off from work .. first time ever simply just because! We are planning on spending some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, soaking up the Fall color as well!

Have a great week!

Frugal Atlanta Part 2: Weekend Hiking Adventures

Wondering how I have spent the last few weekends? Or looking for some more frugal outings in the Atlanta area? Hiking is the answer to both questions and Fall is the perfect time. We have been hiking several times in the past few weeks. If you missed my first post on frugal outings in the Atlanta area, click here.

Last weekend the hubby, some of my family, and I spent Saturday afternoon hiking at Sawnee Mountain Preserve in Cumming, GA. We hiked up to top of Sawnee Mountain to see the Indian Seats and enjoyed  a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.

2 weekends ago Justin and I took a shorter hike up Arabia Mountain, which is part of the PATH system in Dekalb county. We had been on other parts of the walking/biking trail, but Arabia Mountain was new to us and very close to home. I am dying to go back for a sunset hike!

During September my hubby's youth spent a Saturday afternoon hiking Stone Mountain and then stayed for the Laser Show. We had a great time!

Other ideas in the Atlanta area include Sweetwater Creek and Panola Mountain. Check out this website for more ideas!

Here's to getting outside and enjoying the rest of the weekend!

Spruce Up Under Your Cabinets: DIY Vinyl Tile

Happy Wednesday folks!

The hubby had a day off today because it is his Fall Break from school. I left him a short list of items just in case he needed a break from studying! (Haha!) An easy DIY project from The Family Handyman was first up on the list!

For just 38 cents a square foot, (less than $3 total) Justin placed peel and stick vinyl tile in the cabinet underneath the sink in the kitchen. I must say, it certainly more pleasing to the eye, not to mention much cleaner! This area can be prone to moisture from pipes and an assortment of grime from cleaning supplies and trash, so the tile will be much easier to clean and serve as a way to protect the wood!

 Kiwi, the always curious cat.

And.. thats it! As my Pre-Kinders would say, easy-peasy!

Not only did Justin work on a few home projects for me, but he made us a delicious chicken salad for dinner from The Pioneer Woman! As I have said before, he's a keeper for sure. :)

Favorite Fall Recipes

It has been a busy but fun weekend! I'll share about our hiking adventures another day. Tomorrow is a teacher workday and I am looking forward to getting some things done in my classroom. 

As for today, I want to share some of my favorite Fall recipes with you! In the last few years I have fallen in love with pumpkin and have even come to like sweet potatoes! Click on the names of all the dishes for the link to the actual recipe!

1) Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

 This side dish is exactly what Fall tastes like! A little creamy, a little sweet, and just perfect along side a chicken dish. I simplify this recipe by cooking my potatoes in the microwave instead of the oven.

2) Pumpkin Dump Cake

If you have never had a dump cake, they are a summer time, camping essential. We normally make ours in a Dutch Oven and they are good no matter what fruit you choose (although my favorite is strawberry!) For this Fall version we didn't get out the Dutch Oven but just used a regular baking dish. This desert made an appearance at both Thanksgiving and Christmas last year! It is a great alternative (or addition) to pumpkin pie.

 3) Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese

 
I was first introduced to pumpkin rolls by my college roommate and last year my hubby and I decided to try our hand at a homemade one! We had such fun making it together that next weekend I am going to take Jenny @ Southern Savers Frugal Date Friday idea and we are going to make another one! There are many recipes for this desert all over the internet- this just happened to be one we used and can say has our approval! 

4) Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are so easy .. only 2 ingredients! I actually first got this recipe from a friend at church, but I found it online so I could provide you with a link. We like to add chocolate chips to ours! 

That's all of the recipes for now! What do you like to make during the Fall?

A DIY Halloween

Hey ya'll!

I'm so glad Monday is behind us and we are almost to Wednesday! Shew .. my class this year .. they are challenging. And exhausting!

Originally, hubby and I had planned on camping this past weekend, but where we wanted to camp was full so instead we settled for a local hike at Arabia Mountain. I'll share about that adventure another day!

Today I have some DIY projects aimed at Halloween! In our neighborhood, Halloween is a BIG deal and hundreds of trick-or-treaters come from all over. Last year we had a party for my hubby's youth and went trick or treating with them. 

 On the menu was: Mummy Dogs, Pumpkin Ricecrispies, Candy Corn Cupcakes (they were orange, yellow, and white) and Witches Brew.

Also making a debut at our party was my DIY Milkjug Ghosts. One of the oldest crafts in the book, (didn't even need Pinterest) but I received all kind of compliments on them!

Also painted this pumpkin with our monogram last year.

And here are the trick-or-treaters:

 Some of my hubby's youth.

Moving on to new projects this year:

First up, DIY Wooden Ghosts

These super simple ghosts are too cute! I used left over wooden blocks which Justin cut to the correct size for me. I then painted them white and used black paint for the faces. This idea came from: Garden Junk.

Next, and probably my favorite, DIY Pallet Sign

Simply paint your pallets orange and copy the lettering! This idea is from Home Heart Craft.

And last, DIY Halloween Glass Jars

Another easy project! Take a mason jar, empty pasta jar, baby food jar, whatever you have, and simply paint them! Add a tealight and you're done! For the mummy I used crepe paper and homemade modgepodge. These ideas were inspired by: Crafts Redesigned and Pinterest (my other picture didn't link back to a website).

Please notice my egg carton spiders .. yes, yes, I teacher 4-5 year olds. Haha!

That's all for today. As you get ready for Halloween, remember to Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!