Our Fall Bucket List for 2014

September 23, 2014
 |  42 Comments
Fall Bucket List 2014

The Best of Fall Fun

It’s that time of year again. The air is cooler, somehow crisper and the first day of Fall lies just two days away. We like to make a Bucket List for every season. It helps to get the most out of every minute of it. So, here it is!

FALL BUCKET LIST 2014

1. Hike some of the Appalachian Trail. We are blessed to live in East Tennessee.  A life surrounded by mountain peaks. Just a few minutes down the road is Little Wilbur Dam and Watauga Lake. There is a trail there where you can step right onto the Appalachian Trail and in the fall it is at its finest. Leaves in every shade of orange, red and yellow form a canopy above you and rustling walls around you. You stroll along the paths as through the halls of a  deciduous castle.     FendersFarm_sm

2. Visit Fender’s Farm Corn Maze and Haunted Hayride: Every year we take a family trip to visit Fender’s Farm where they have an awesome corn maze! They also have fried twinkies and fried Oreos 🙂  After you make it through, guided by clues, of course, you are taken on a hayride to a great area where the kids can play on a bouncy board or fly on zip lines. Every year before now we have stayed with the daytime trip but this year T thinks he is grown up enough to go through at night. I am not sure I am grown up enough to make it, though. At night things chase you in the corn maze and the sweet-smelling hayride transforms into a haunted hayride. They also have a new feature called, Redneck Zombie Paintball.  I’ll check back and let you know how I do…  I mean, T does.   PumpkinPatch 3. Carve Pumpkins: We have found a great little place where we like to buy our pumpkins every year. Carving Pumpkins has become one of my favorite parts of the season. You never know what T will come up with. Last year we found ourselves quite surprised when we put the pumpkins out and lit them up and realized that he had carved butt cheeks into the back of his.  Geez… Boys!  I had seen him working on one cheek and thought it was an innocent ear.   Not so much! PumpkinsCarved ButtCheekPumpkin 4. Drink lots of hot cocoa! We love hot cocoa and while we travel once a year for the ultimate hot cocoa at a little restaurant in Banner Elk, North Carolina…   We also make our own. We don’t believe in the quick microwave hot cocoa. We like it in warm milk, warmed on the stove, whisked until it is extra creamy, served with whipped cream, hot chocolate sauce, and a few mini chocolate chips and stirred with a candy cane. We also like to take marshmallows, roll them in chocolate and then sprinkle them with crushed peppermint every once in awhile.   FallCocoa FallMarshmallows    5. Spend Evenings Around the Fire Pit: There is something so soothing about sitting around the fire pit with your family watching the flames dance. We like to bring hot dogs, marshmallows and a book of spooky stories out with us.

FirePit

6. Decorate the House:  I love owning our house. We rented for a long time and I am still basking in the freedom of home ownership. I can decorate to my hearts desire. I am taking full advantage.  Here are a few pictures from last year.

FallDecor

FallDecorCat

7.Thick Sweaters: It wouldn’t be fall without the cozy clothes. I love warm sweaters, thick, soft socks, scarves, and hats. T pretty much stays in his pajamas unless we leave the house so this part of the season isn’t appreciated so much by him, but for me…  I have decided I need this cable knit sweater to start the season with. Being from Maine, I am a huge fan of cable knit sweaters.

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8. Build a Scarecrow: We build a scarecrow every year. Not because we are actually trying to frighten the birds but just because it’s fun!

ScareCrow

8. Visit an Apple Orchard: In our part of the world Apple Butter is a common staple. When I lived in Maine I didn’t know it existed. It was such a great find and the creation of apple butter is often an event of sorts. There is a place in Telford where you can go to this big open field and take turns stirring giant kettles of apple butter. It’s a fun way to meet new people and the end result is delicious. We also take a trip every year to Erwin to visit the Apple Festival which is so much fun. This year though we are looking to expand our love of apples by heading to an orchard and plucking them straight from the trees. I have wonderful memories from when I lived in Maine going to the orchards and picking McIntosh apples. To this day, no apple has ever tasted better than those.

9. We also like to make these Rice Krispie Ghosts. They go quick but they are adorable while they last. Get the recipe here!

ghosts

Our list is not finished. We will add to it as we are inspired. You are welcome to inspire us with your favorite Fall traditions. Share in the comments below. Comments make us happy!

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