Fall Bucket List - Trying New Seasonal Recipes

One of my goals for this fall was to try a new pumpkin or apple recipe or treat each week. Talk about fun for your taste buds! It has been so great to bake, buy and taste so many new flavored goodies.

Before you keep reading, just know that Trader Joe's is not sponsoring this post haha! I just happened to peruse (don't you just love that word? It makes browsing sound so fancy!) their aisle and turn up with several delicious new fall items. Their large display of seasonal goods makes it easy to check this goal off.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese - Delicious. Not too pumpkiny or too sweet but juuuuust right. I picked up a small tub of this from the back of Trader Joe's and have enjoyed it from the first bite. They suggest it would be great on pumpkin bread, which I haven't tried yet, or on the more obvious option, a bagel. So far, so good - smeared on toast and as a dip for apple slices.

Spiced Cider -I've definitely had apple cider before this fall, just not TJ's version. It tasted like fall in a cup when you warm it up and sip it out of a mug. We are already enjoying our second batch of cider from the store and it's just as yummy. Last weekend, we drove to the drive-in for a double feature and brought along a thermos. Adding a little flavored rum in it gives it an extra oomph, too.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies - One of my favorite new pumpkin recipes! These brownies are easy to make, have simple ingredients and are so moist. I've made these twice and by far, the first batch was better because I didn't bake them quite as long. Follow along with what the recipe suggests and don't go too much further timewise or you rise drying them out. Nothing that some chocolate chips can't help distract from, right??

Sweet Crock Pot Apples - For a I-feel-good-about-eating-it treat, these soft baked apples are the best! My mom and my grandmother both make scrumptious versions of this that make anyone happy to have gotten a taste. I used a recipe from Tone It Up and made these in the crock pot, easy peasey! Although I nixed the raisins. Just not for me.

Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps - The most savory fall item I've tried, these were OK. I think they would have been so much better if we had eaten them alongside goat cheese or another creamy spread. Instead they also joined Dean, Madison and I at the drive-in, straight out of the bag. If you're interested in a less sweet, more savory fall bite, try the crisps.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins - These muffins were a result of, "Hey, it's Breakfast Sunday at church tomorrow. I have both pumpkin puree and bananas in the fridge. What should I make?" Like the brownies, these were relatively quick to make. Just measure, pour and stir. We decided to bake them in our mini muffin pan and he one downside was they came out quite lumpy and looked more like pumpkin bites, as Dean called them, rather than muffins. But getting past its rough exterior, these muffins were yummy. OH, and I added a few handfuls of chocolate chips.

I'd love to know - have you tried any new fall foods or recipes? Which have you liked?

{October Goals}

October Goals

>> Continue studying Aimless by Ange Smith
>> Commit new verses to memory
>> Finalize plans for our 2-year anniversary trip (YAY!)
>> Decorate our home for fall (with the help of my ever-growing inspiration board)
>> Try a new pumpkin or apple recipe each week (already doing this - yum!)
>> Finish reading From Anger to Intimacy
>> Take a daily walk with Madison, weather permitting
>> Reach out to designers for LMP rebrand
>> Review our budget and plan for November

What are your goals for this month? I'd love to know what your aim and focus are set on!

The Best Things About Fall

Oh autumn, where do we even begin?

From the slow, drawn out interruption that announces summer's end to the way tree leaves shake, tremble and finally give in to the crisp breeze, fall comes slowly and then all at once.

It's a season for hand holding, boot wearing, scarf wrapping, s'more making, campfire singing.

It's a time when the days get shorter, conversations around the fireplace carry on longer and pumpkin makes its appearance on the menu.

It's a palette of burnt oranges, marigolds, vibrant reds, bright mustards, with a dash of plaid, tartan or stripes.

It's the scent of a new candle burning in your living room, the taste of your favorite apple recipe, the feel of crunchy leaves under your boot-laden feet, the sound of college football fans cheering from the stands, the sight of couples snuggling together as they walk down the sidewalk.

It's fresh, a new start. A chance to begin again in the midst of the year's calendar. To watch as new life ripens like a tart apple tree. To make lists of to-do's and check them off - pumpkin carving, costume wearing, apple picking, mountain hiking, weekend camping.

It's the opportunity to grab hands of the one you love and order their favorite coffee drink. To linger longer outdoors soaking in the last drops of the sunset and to stay up later indoors when the weather becomes too chilly to venture out.

It's the day to reunite with family and friends for a day of gratitude, turkey and memories.

To hang a new front door wreath and tell old stories on your front porch.

To forgive of any past hurts and remember the most important things in life.

To dress in layers and eat crockpot dinners.

To add pumpkin or apple to your dishes just because.

To read under a cozy throw on the couch.

To add a cinnamon broom to your home and go for drives to watch the leaves change colors.

To have and to hold each other as the weather gets cold.

Something old and something new begins - the farewell of one season and the beginning of another. Fall, I hope you stay awhile.

{September Goals}

"There's 0% chance, 100% God."

A couple weeks ago, we had the privilege to hear one of the members of our church share about his journey with a brain tumor. He so boldly spoke of his trust and full reliance on the Lord in the midst of getting his diagnosis, how he and his wife had come to answer the ever-so-common question, "So what are your chances of surviving?" with 5 small but powerful words: "There's 0% chance, 100% God."

Wow. That hit me like a punch to my stomach.

Here I am, tumor-free, and am I actually trusting God to the full extent of my brother and sister in Christ who are actually experiencing a situation that makes it difficult and challenging to trust Him? Does my faith prove weak and futile in the time of trials, let alone in the good, easy times? Instead of figuring out the chance of this or that happening, what would my life look like if I surrendered it all to God, knowing that He is sovereign over it all?

I'm praying that God would continually remind me of my need for Him, every day. In good times, let us lean on Him and praise His name. In the tough times, let us praise Him still.

"Lord, I need You. O I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense, my righteousness. O God, how I need You."

September Goals

>> Study Aimless by Ange Smith with a girls' small group
>> Commit new verses to memory
>> Plan for our 2-year anniversary trip (YAY!)
>> Spend a week in Florida with my family
>> Finish reading From Anger to Intimacy
>> Take a daily walk with Madison, weather permitting
>> Lovingly serve our LMP clients
>> Reach out to designers for LMP rebrand
>> Review our budget and plan for October

What are your goals for this month? I'd love to know what your aim and focus are set on!

Alany Family Portraits | Sneak peek

So many wonderful people on one photo! Tony & Kate have made such a wonderful, godly influence on myself & the men & women at our church. And can we just talk about baby Georgia for a minute? She. is. adorably. adorable! Also, I want to have shiny gold shoes like hers. More photos of this incredible family to come.