Celebrate Fall (empty nester style)
It’s finally time to celebrate fall! When my kids were younger, this was by far my favorite time of year. The temperatures get cooler, leaves change colors, the crockpot comes out with easy chili recipes, sports are back in high gear, and of course the excitement of Halloween is right around the corner!
With both boys away at school, things are a little different, but I’m not shutting down the fun! Fall decorations still go up (just way toned down), chili still gets made, I’m not freezing on the lacrosse sidelines, and I’m pulling together my own Halloween costume! I will admit i do miss stealing the candy from my boys’ trick or treat stash!
Decorating the front door
Starting with the front door, you must have a fall wreath! I found this one at the Frontgate outlet last year and stored it away until now. I don’t normally have that kind of patience, but it was more than ½ off in December of last year! Maybe this year I will try to find Christmas deals in January.
Check out last year’s wreath:
I repurposed the lantern at the front door and filled it with pumpkins. This lantern comes in handy for every season. I just change whatever it’s filled with. In the summer it had lemons and at Christmas it will be filled with ornaments. I kept my doormat from last year and just freshened it up by changing the layering rug underneath. Fall entry way done!
A touch of Halloween
Last year we posed the skeletons climbing into the 2nd floor window. We just weren’t up for that this year so instead I took the easy way out and posed one of the skeletons sitting with his dog by the front door. Better than nothing, right? Downplaying the skeleton made me feel like a scrooge, so instead I made this very easy, very cheap light up ghost that will break down into almost nothing to be stored.
Easy DIY light up ghost
This ghost was so easy and took about 20 minutes to make. All you need is a very inexpensive tomato cage for the body, a Styrofoam half head, a white twin sheet, some light strings, and a piece of black felt to cut out the eyes. Wrap the tomato cage with lights and throw the sheet over it! Look at how great it looks at night and I’m happy to say it makes up for the lack of creativity with my skeleton.
Celebrate fall inside too
In our downsized space there is only room for “splashes” of fall. The coffee station gets a pumpkin and an owl mug. The tray on my kitchen island gets filled with a glass vase of pumpkin potpourri, a stuffed pumpkin, a skeleton mouse, and a jar full of candy corn. It’s crazy how long that candy corn sticks around without the boys home!
The centerpiece on my kitchen table turns into a crate full of pumpkins, gourds, and leaves surrounding a large glass vase with eyeballs and moss. Those eyeballs have to be one of my favorite purchases from years ago! It looks like Grandin Road still carries the skeleton mice which I also love to decorate with!
Celebrate fall with chili!
The best part about this chili is you throw everything into a crockpot in the morning and don’t have to think about it again until dinner time! It’s also not your ordinary chili but made with chicken instead!
Recipe:
- 1 1/4 Boneless skinless chicken
- 2 (15oz) cans of northern beans
- 1 (15oz) can white corn
- 1 taco seasoning envelope
- 1 (4.5oz) can of chopped green chilis
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (14oz) can chicken broth
Directions:
- Place the chicken in a 4 quart slow cooker
- Top with beans and corn
- In a medium bowl combine: taco seasoning, chilis, condensed soup, chicken broth
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours
- Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken
- Stir in the sour cream
- Serve topped with green onions and jack cheese.
Everything Pumpkin!
This year I tried something new in the pumpkin arena. I’m always craving something sweet with my coffee in the morning, so I found this “healthy” recipe for pumpkin bars. They are easy to make and since they contain rolled oats and flaxseed meal, they definitely qualify as healthy! They store well in the refrigerator, and I just stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up.
Recipe:
- 2 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tblsp ground flaxseed meal
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1 Tblsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tblsp creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 11×7 baking dish
- Using a food processor, pulse together the rolled oats until ground
- Mix rolled oats with baking powder, baking soda, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Using a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, add the vanilla, pumpkin, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Mix until somewhat smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients with the wet and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Carefully pour the mixrure into the baking pan and spread so it’s smooth. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool before cutting into squares.
So that’s an empty nester fall y’all! I hope we get some trick or treaters this year. Last year we were in the middle of a new construction zone, so they were sparse. It would be a shame if I had to eat all that candy myself! As far as Halloween goes, you’re never too old to dress up! We were hippies at the Shipwrecked Halloween Ball with Yacht Rock Review. If you’ve never gone, I highly recommend it next year!
