The Tradition Continues....

Last October we began a Mitchell family tradition of carving pumpkins and eating caramel apples. Our fellow Georgians, The Huxfords, were kind enough to include us in their tradition last year and helped us make it our own. We had so much fun, we invited others to join us this Fall. We started the night with dinner. It was my first time making home-made crockpot chili, and I must say....it was a hit. Patrick added this morning, "....it wasn't like I thought 'Lindsey made this...I have to like it'...I honestly think it was the best I've ever had." Of course this posed the question of how often he thinks for the former to himself.

After the chili, cornbread and sweet tea, we all moved to the porch to begin our carving creations. The Beckfords and Huxfords set out on meticulously detailed designs, while Patrick and I remembered how long those took us last year. We opted to keep it simple and quick....we went for an "M" for Mitchell. Needless to say, we were the first to finish. Lindsay and I then started on the apples and caramel while we all took frequent pauses to follow the Angels/Yankees game into extra innings (what a let down! I can't believe we lost on an error).

The rest of the night was full of more eating, laughter, story telling and many pictures. Even Bailey had a friend over...Hailey. She is our new neighbor and dogter (daughter....but a dog) of some friends from church. The Angels brought the only loss to the evening.




Busy at work.


We've got our teamwork down. I do the cleaning out and Patrick does the carving.


Bailey and his new friend Hailey


Didn't the Beckfords do a crazy good job on Shrek? And the Huxfords have the intricate spider web. Nice job! We'll stick with the "M" for now.


Our attempt to take a self-portrait. Thank goodness for Ashley's long arms.

That Time of Year....

Lately I have been wrestling with the reality that there is not going to be a season change here. Most people would love the fact that Southern California stays warm year-round, but every September I always find myself longing for the changes a new season brings....specifically Fall. Even when we lived in Georgia, I always wondered what Fall was like the Northeast. So, as a coping mechanism, I thought I might post some of my favorite things about Fall...or at least what it should be.


Obviously, the colors. They are beautiful! This is a picture of Seeger Chapel at Milligan College, my alma mater in November 2008. Milligan is one of my favorite places. Isn't it gorgeous? Go Buffs!



I love decorating. We rarely splurge, but we got this Pottery Barn wreath 3 years ago and it brings so much joy to pull it out of storage every year. We just bought the Happy Fall sign this season from HomeGoods. I still haven't figured out where it is going to go, but I had to get it anyway.


Pumpkin anything. Candles, pie, butter, lattes, scones, and carving them too. Last year we started a tradition to have night of pumpkin carving and caramel apples.


The smell. I don't know what it is. Maybe it is because people have to rake leaves and then burn the pile, but it sure smells good. When all else fails, there is always scented candles.