Dracula makes a pre-Halloween visit to the Upstate

The hurricane in Florida didn't cause more than a heavy rainstorm here in the Upstate, but it ushered in a brief period of blissfully cool weather.  Just enough to get a few leaves to start changing...

...a few days of heavy dew...

...and a certain fall-loving girl very, very excited!  Thankfully we didn't have any real damage from the wind and rain, mainly minor leaf debris.

Once the storm had passed, I went into action.  I switched out my summer fabrics in the living room, took down the "summer" fireplace mantel and put up the fall-themed one, and gathered tons of acorns to make some fall centerpieces.

I put away my summer clothes, pulled out the flannel sheets and blankets and started washing...and it was back to 88 degrees within 3 days, with no end in sight.  ARGH!

On the positive side, we've still got some late-season flowers blooming here.

Some absolutely gorgeous spider webs, mostly occupied.

Lots of activity.  Our anoles are still out and about.

Look at the back of this leaf hopper.  Do you see a face too?  Perhaps a horned devil?  Maybe I've been reading too many books!  I've had trouble finding much information about this, other than a few vague references to it being a "Dracula" leafhopper, because of the face in the "coffin" of wings and the fact that it's a sucking insect...although it sucks sap, not blood.

Typical for the fall, we see the deer every night.

And our solitary beaver has taken a wife!

They're very active at dusk, nibbling on the green shoots and branches at the pond's edge.

This is, of course, one of the busiest times for squirrels, too.

I'm going to take comfort in these signs of fall and try to be patient for cooler weather.  Have a great week!

Quilts and Plaids and Leaves, Oh My!

Todd and I went away for a long weekend, and while we were gone, there were some major changes outside.  Where there were leaves before, now we had nearly-empty branches.

Our driveway was almost completely obscured.

The pond was choked with fallen leaves.

The remaining leaves were so beautiful.

I pulled out my favorite plaid fleece...

...and decided it was time to "bring the outside in" and start my fall decorating. This is my favorite season, and although I try to swap out my plaid fabrics for blue/green/cream ones in the spring, I had to admit to myself this week that there wasn't much to be done to make the switch.  The house was already in full fall mode. 

The quilts are out.

The bookshelves are laden with dried seed heads, leaves, and other little outdoor mementos.

The little side tables, too.

The mantle  over the gas fireplace is done.

The kitchen has a little fall vignette by the sink:

The dining room has its fall-themed table runner and placemats:

Two weeks ago, I set up a glass cake stand with some old cheese graters on a side table in the dining room.  I used candles inside last year, but this year I used LED lights and it's much easier.  I scattered leaves and acorns around the edges and I really love it.  It's so beautiful at night with the light flickering through the holes.

So, although I meant to do a lot of all decorating this week, I didn't need to.  The house is fall-ready most of the year!

As soon as we got home, I made a cheesecake.  It had a crumble-crust bottom and crumble-sprinkle top, and a generous cup of sweetened cranberries stirred into the cheesecake filling.  The original recipe is here.  I modified it slightly by adding a handful of old-fashioned oatmeal to the crumble mix with a dash of cinnamon and 1/3 cup milk.  I'm not a cranberry fan but I have to say, it was amazing.

It was nice to curl up with a slice and enjoy the beautiful leaves outside my office window.

Have a great fall week!

A Fall Ball

Despite the cool temperatures, my tomatoes are continuing to ripen. Twenty-five tomato plants can produce a lot of tomatoes.

I've been making soup, soup, soup, especially my favorite: homemade chicken noodle soup with wheat garlic breadsticks.

And, happily, I've started putting up my fall decor. I set up a pretty display of branches on my window seat in the living room. Unfortunately, the bright light makes it difficult to photograph!

I put the ends of the branches in a mason jar weighed down with rocks, and put the whole thing in a little wooden candle holder that I may have gotten at IKEA years ago.

Moss is my favorite, and I love to scatter it around. I've got a sheet of it under the candle holder, and have put a few pumpkins and gourds around it.

Out come the plaids!

It will take me weeks until I'm finally satisfied, but until then I'll keep dragging in tree branches, leaves, and seeds!

I recently had a little get-together for my mother's birthday. I set up a fall-themed display on our table, with chrysanthemums...

...pumpkins and gourds...

...these fir tree seeds that look like miniature pine cones...

...and some fall flowers from my garden.

Using some of my scrapbooking supplies, I cut out squirrel shapes and made place cards for each setting.

I tied up some pretty leaves and placed the name tag on top.

I think it made for a very pretty table!

My mother always requests carrot cake. I tried out a unique recipe for her a few months ago and she said it was the best carrot cake she'd ever had. I didn't like it as much, but she sent the recipe to some relatives in California and they raved about it, too. I made some minor modifications when I made it this time and was more satisfied with the result.

Taking the idea from my sister- and brother-in-law's wedding, I peeled some carrot strips for the top. I like the way it turned out!

Zingy Ginger Carrot Cake
Adapted from Sweetapolita
Makes one layer cake

Ingredients
5 cups of grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup milk

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a bowl and set aside. Cream your butter and then beat in sugar. Beat for at least 3 minutes, until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Don't worry about its curdled appearance! Fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat additions, ending with flour. Stir in carrots and crystallized ginger. Do not overmix!

Divide batter evenly between your two cake pans and tap them lightly to ensure that you don't have any air holes. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until centers are set. Cool and then ice with your favorite cream cheese icing.

This cake did not last too long around our house!

I finishes a knitting project for a special friend recently. I wanted to make something light and pretty, so I matched up two complementary purple wools that I had in my yarn stash. The dark purple that makes up the body of the shawl came from Germany, and the lacy edge is Malabrigo Lace in Pearl Ten.

I really like how it turned out. I still don't know how to wear over-the-shoulder shawls, but this is the perfect size to wrap around your neck a few times to keep out the wind.

The pattern is Cladonia by Kirsten Kapur, but I modified it a bit. Instead of the large, loopy picot edge, I made it smaller and daintier. I like it so much that I think I might make another, even though the bind-off of 300+ stitches was pretty painful!

Have a great week!