Ten "must do's" for Fall

How can you not love the sounds and smells of the Fall, especially if you live in the North East!  Here is our "must do" list for this Autumn:

Pumpkin Picking
So many choices, so little time.  How much fun is it to pick a huge one to carve and not to mention all the little ones to decorate your house with?  By far one of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon!

Hay Rides
Why not round off the pumpkin picking with a hay ride and maybe some tasty donuts!

Leaf piles
Kill two birds with one stone...entertain the kids for a few hours as well as tidy up your yard...it's a win win!

Hot Apple Cider
After working in the yard, bring the gang in for some delicious hot apple cider.

Here is a great recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice berries
• 1 orange peel, cut into strips
• 1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Directions

1. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.
2. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.
3. Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.
4. Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

Fall Crafts
Projects like leaf rubbing or pumpkin painting are a great way to bring the beautiful autumnal outdoors in!

Apple Picking
Weather you have an Indian Summer and manage to wear shorts one more time or the chill is in the air...there's no better place to enjoy the blue skies of the fall than at the Apple Farm!

Football Sunday
Nothing says welcome back to the Autumn like a big pot of Chilli and all your friends and family around to watch a game.  Get yourself some flags and have a game out in the backyard at half time.


Pumpkin Carving
You've picked them, you have decorated the house and yard with them, now it's time to get carving!  Not so handy with a knife?  Get creative with cookie cutters and a mallet!

Bake Bake Bake
With all that apple and pumpkin picking, surely you can create some culinary masterpiece.  And if not, try the Betty Crocker App for the iPhone:)

Go Trick or Treating
One of the best parts of being a kid and one of the privileges of parenting is the Halloween tradition.  Yes, there are the pitfalls like walking around in the cold and dark while you knock on strangers houses.  Then the daily candy negotiations everyday following Halloween for about a month, but when else can you completely embarrass your children and they won't hate you for it?