It’s Here!

In this guest post, my cousin Janna shares how she gets her fall decor to do double-duty. 

“Halloween, Halloween, oh what awful sights are seen. Witches hats, coal black cats, broom stick riders, mice and rats!”

This little ditty, taught to me when I was a kid by our Crazy Uncle Ed, (as we all refer to him) is a favorite. I’m not sure Elizabeth knows this song, she wasn’t born when I learned it. I taught it to Kate when she was little. Come October, it continually runs through my head.  Thanks Crazy Uncle Ed!

I love fall, especially October, because it’s Halloween! Anybody who knows me, knows it’s my favorite day of the year.

I simply can’t wait to decorate. My selections are simple. Pumpkins for sure (I’m partial to the white ones but I always have a few orange too), and of course my collection of crows. I even have a really big nest. My aunt sent it to me years ago from the farm in Idaho. I keep it in the house year round. Come October, the nest takes center stage. I perch it on an old wooden stand, right in the middle of my dining room table. Cute Jack-Be–Little pumpkins, stacked in the nest and my big plastic crow make for some great conversation. Who needs anything more?

Well, I do, just a little.

While perusing the pumpkin patch, farm stand and grocery store, I keep in mind the next holiday that comes upon us quickly: Thanksgiving.

I’ll pick up a few extra pumpkins, gourds and a variety of squashes and add them to my Halloween display. I often add leaves and acorns from our yard as well. Once Halloween is over, I pack away my crows but for the most part, the rest can stay. The house looks nice for November and I have what I need to set a pretty Thanksgiving table.

During the fall season, right into winter, we eat most of the squash. If you keep them in a cool and dry place, they will last long after the holidays are over.

Now where did I hide those little candy bars….

-Janna