Happy Fall, Y'all!

Happy first day of fall!! I LOVE fall and all of the fun it holds. Football, pumpkin patches, hiking, and bonfires are just a few of my favorite fall things. I always hate to see summer go, but I am thankful that it is followed by the most beautiful season of all. Each year I have my classes make a fall bucket list. Below is a picture of mine! 

Decorating my house is one of my most favorite things to do, though! I love for my house to reflect the current holiday or season. Pumpkins, mums, witches, and ghosts! Fall and Halloween decorations are so much fun! Orange and black, brown and lime green. Fall colors are my favorite!

Before any decorating can take place, we have to take a trip to the pumpkin patch!!

The kids helped me get the pumpkins out of the car. When they asked where to put them I said "Oh just line them up under that window." They surely took that instruction to heart! I wish they minded that perfectly always!!

I made this Trick or Treat burlap door hanger last year! 

I just add fall decorations to the existing decor in my house. On the mantle I added pumpkins, strands of orange berries, and a little ghost!

 My table is decorated for fall in general, not specifically Halloween. That way I can continue to use this tablescape through Thanksgiving. All of my jars are filled with rice from Brett's farm!

We have several fall activities that we enjoy as a family. Pumpkin carving is one of my favorites! My brothers and I bring our families to my parents house and we carve pumpkins together. This is a tradition my parents started when I was a baby! We love to get together, eat Dad's chili, and carve pumpkins with Sheetrock knives (they are by far the best pumpkin carving knife around!) We also enjoy attending Trunk-R-Treat at our church. Other fall favorites include a hiking trip to Petit Jean, visiting the Ozark Folk Center in Mt. View, going to the pumpkin patch, and listening to a Hogs game on the party barge at the lake!

This may seem a little hokey, but we also enjoy singing several little Halloween songs we've learned through the years! We usually sing them in the car! Five little pumpkins is our favorite song. That's why I bought this tea towel!

Fall decorating is not complete without Razorback football!!

Outside decorating is really my favorite of all! I love pumpkins and mums! They make a porch look so comfy and cozy! My kids will get sick of taking pictures next to these props!

Thanksgiving Scripture Countdown

During the month of November, we read a Scripture and do a craft or service project every night. It is so important for us to remember the true meaning of the holiday season. For Thanksgiving, the focus should be on thanking God for all of our blessings. By reading Scripture about thankfulness and doing service projects, we are able to focus on God.

I made a day-by-day list of activities and scripture in order to keep me organized. The more organized I am, the more likely I am to follow through with my plans! I also make a supply list and buy EVERYTHING that I need for crafts and service projects before we ever start. All of the crafts I have chosen are on my Pinterest board, Thanksgiving crafts. I take no credit for thinking up all these cute ideas!!! Each year, I find new ideas to replace old ones. I like to keep some of our favorites to do every year, though!

This is a picture of a paper plate pilgrim and Indian. In the background, you see our Thankful Leaf Banner. Each day the kids wrote down something they were thankful for on a leaf and we clothes pinned them to a ribbon.  It turned out really cute and made them think about all of the blessings God has given us!

Hannah is posing next to an array of crafts!  It's hard to see, but in the background are our leaf turkeys made out of real leaves! Right next to her are her paper plate pilgrims and Indians!

Last year, we added in reading from Rush Limbaugh's book, "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims," because I believe it is so important to teach our children the true story of the pilgrims and all of US History.  I want my kids to know that our country was founded on God and His principles.