Free Fall-ing

Leaf-waxing is a fun fall project and doesn't cost a thing. This is the first time we have done it, and the girls loved it. The hardest part is waiting for the wax to melt. First we (Ella) collected a bunch of different kinds of leaves in the yard. I chopped up a white candle I had and melted it in a foil lined pan.

After the wax was melted, we dipped the leaves into the wax (quickly and carefully).

Then laid them on wax paper till they were hardened.

They are so stiff and shiny when they dry.

Then we made them into a garland and hung it across the mirror!

Ta-dah! Fun, Easy, Free, Pretty!

We also hung out at B&N last week and enjoyed this. Mmmmmm!

And IKEA had free kids meals all week :) I love that place!

Abby's Field Trip

Isaac and I got to go a field trip with Abby's class. We went on a nature scavenger hunt at Nisbet Park. My group had 5 girls, including Abby. We searched for coniferous leaves, deciduous leaves, seeds, animal tracks, animal habitats, and even found a snake skin. Then we had a picnic lunch.

On the bank of the Little Miami

Writing words with leaves

Searching

Normal Stuff

I have been enjoying the beautiful weather and the colorful leaves! Lately most of my days consist of just "normal" stuff. Alarm clock. Breakfast. Morning Rush. School Bus. Dishes. Snack. Laundry. Diapers. Errands. School Bus Again(Ella). Diapers. Lunch. Naptime. Clean Up. Diapers. School Bus. Homework. Playtime. Referree. Dinner. Clean Up. Laundry. Diapers. Jammies. G'night!
my kitchen helpers

Off to school

Why do I always have a few dozen of this type of pic on my camera?

Autumn

I'm beginning to realize summer is over. It's not coming back. The nights are getting cooler, and it's time for sweaters, tights, pumpkins, crunchy leaves, hunting, snuggling, and bonfires. Carl has been counting down the days till archery season and had an awesome opening day. Check out this video clip. And this is me and him in a tree stand that evening! Can you see us? We are all camo'd up so you may have to look really hard :)

The kids and I went to the park last weekend and collected cronkers, pine cones, hickory nuts, and acorns (from our neighbors yard).
These are cronker seeds. At least that's what Caleb said they are. Never heard of them and I've never seen them before, but they were everywhere at the park.

Here is our collection. I put the cronker seeds in my apothecary vase. Some leaves and a pine cone in the hurricane vase, and some acorns in the smallest vase (that I scored this morning at St.Vincent De Paul) It was $1.50 , but today everything was half-off. Yeah! We put the green cronkers (what they look like before the skins wear off and they become seeds) on a small leaf platter that I had.

Here's some leaves from our yard that I put in a frame several years ago.

We put the hickory nuts in a basket and set them on the coffee table. I love this giant acorn I picked up at HomeGoods this week for $3.99. Its new home is on top of a stack of books. The kids all got to pick out a free pumpkin at the Fall Festival at Natorps last weekend. I set one of the pumpkins on the bookshelf.

And a few pine cones to top off the armoire.

And a branch from the park in the dining room.

Now I'm feeling more fall-ish. And all I bought for my Autumn decor was the giant acorn and the 1/2 off vase!