Welcome to September! Even though the fun of summer travel/vacation is behind us, there is a lot to love about this time of year. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite things about the fall.
Fave #1 – The kids go back to school. Don’t get me wrong – I love my kids, but even they were getting a little restless and were ready to go back.
As a “public service” for students who are out of practice from the long summer break, here are my favorite Why-I-didn’t-do-the-homework excuses. Feel free to use as many of them as you like; you don’t even need to give me credit (in fact, I’d rather you didn’t, LOL). Adapted from www.schooljokes.com:
- My pet gerbils had babies, and they had to be kept warm, so I sprung into action and used my essay to make a nest. Yeah, I’m unselfish that way.
- I was walking to school this morning, minding my own business, when aliens swooped down and read my paper on Thomas Jefferson – the one I was going to turn in today. They thought it was so brilliant that they borrowed it so they could study how the human brain worked. They promised to bring it back. But that could be a while.
- I didn’t want the other kids in the class to look bad, so I didn’t do my homework. You could say I took one for the team. But I did do it “in my mind,” so I still got the benefit.
- I was arguing with a kid who said you weren’t the best teacher in school, and he got mad at me and stole it.
- You already have a heavy workload – for which you are seriously underpaid, may I say – and I didn’t want to add to your burden.
Fave #2 – Football (and my first season of…Fantasy Football):
Fave #3 – Autumn leaf-peeping: Mother Nature puts on her best party dress and goes out in grand style.
Fave #4 – Pumpkins! There’s just something about pumpkins – their flavor, the assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors, their craft potential – that embodies the essence of fall fun.
Speaking of pumpkins, I’d like to leave you with a favorite recipe of ours, and we’ll definitely be making it again this fall. The little guy in the above pic especially loves this, except he’s not so little anymore. They grow up so fast. *sigh*
Pumpkin Fudge (makes 3 lbs)
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Stand: 2 hours
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
¾ cup butter
5-oz can evaporated milk
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
10-oz pkg butterscotch flavor pieces
7-oz jar marshmallow crème
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: ½ cup toasted chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Line a 13x9x2 baking pan w/foil, extending over edges of pan. Butter foil; set aside.
2. In a heavy 2-qt saucepan combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip candy thermometer to side of saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; continue to boil at a moderate, steady rate, stirring constantly, until thermometer registers 234 deg. F or mixture reaches soft-ball stage (20-25 min).
3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in butterscotch pieces until melted. Stir in marshmallow crème and vanilla until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Score into 1-inch pieces while warm. When fudge is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan. Cut fudge into pieces. Store in fridge up to 1 week.
Hope you can give the recipe a try sometime!
What are your favorite things about September, or autumn in general? I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Kathy
I love Fall! It’s my fave season. The weather here is supposed to be cool on Sunday with a high of 70. I am so excited! The weather, the leaves, the baking (I do much more of it this time of year) it’s all fun to me. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe Kathy!
You bet, Coleen! Fall is my favorite, too. 🙂
Looking at today’s weather forecast with a high of 98 degrees F, I don’t feel like it’s fall yet here in Southeast Texas. However, I do like the kids returning to school, and they are enjoying it too. (Love those homework excuses!) I like seeing the fall fashions make their fresh appearance in stores. I like that several birthdays and holidays are right around the corner.
Love those fall fashion catalogs, too, Julie! Maybe you could stand in front of the freezer and pretend it’s cold outside, LOL.
Love the pumpkin photo!
Aww, thanks Jane! 🙂
LOL Kathy! What is it with you and squirrels? That is a really funny pic!
Ah, school. My kids are grown now. But I remember when. Although, where we lived during the time they went to school, they attended year round. It was pretty cool. They went for nine weeks and off three. They had the holidays off of course. But the kids didn’t lose what knowledge they gained from the previous year. So we just scheduled our vacations accordingly. Like in September when the other kids went back and the resorts were half empty and we didn’t need a reservation. We loved it and it worked really well.
Now as for that pumpkin fudge. Now that is tempting and I don’t normally eat sweets. I’m swiping this recipe and trying it. I love pumpkin.
I hope all is well with you Kathy! Happy school year to you! Yay! 🙂
Hi, Karen! I am not above using a member of the Evil Squirrel Race to my own ends, LOL. Your school schedule sounds like it was ideal – wish more places would institute that (although then the resorts wouldn’t be empty, would they?). Hope you can give the fudge a try. Do what we do – make a batch, give 2/3 of it to the neighbors, then you keep the rest!
So glad you stopped by!
Super post, Kathy! I love that pumpkin photo you took. And sheesh, that fudge sounds scrumptious. 🙂
Even though I don’t have kids or much schedule shifts during the summer, I love the “pick up” I feel come fall. Maybe it’s because everyone else gets busier, including the publishing industry and, I suspect, blog world. I’m also looking forward to slightly chillier temperatures (Yeah, I’ve become a CA weather woos ;)) and…CHRISTMAS!!! *sigh* Not long at all…
Thanks, August! That’s one of my fave pics of the youngest. He must have been only three when we took that pic! I love the change, too, and I think I’ll feel the same way even when mine are grown and gone. I love the change of seasons, esp. fall. Thanks for stopping by!
Ha! I agree with all your reasons (it’s my second year of fantasy football!), fall is absolutely my favorite. All great advetures begin in the fall.
Hope you have a FAB fall season, with lots of adventures and a successful fantasy football season! Thanks for the visit, Amy. 🙂
Oooooh, that pumpkin fudge is gluten free… That’s what I’m talking about!!
I love your list of faves. I wish we had some good Autumn leaf-peeping but there’s only like two streets that have trees with color. That’s the trade-off we get for great weather. *sigh*
Fall is my favorite season so I’m delighted it’s almost here. 🙂
Cool! Now you HAVE to try the fudge, Jenny! 😀
Although summer is my favorite season, fall comes up with a close second. The colors, the cool air, the freshness…ahhhh…stunning!
Love those homework excuses. I wonder if they’d work at work? LOL!!!
Good camping weather, right Natalie? 😉 And those excuses…well, maybe you’d get points for creativity!
Craft fairs and prime knitting season… here I come!
Love your post! I’m going to try the fudge today. Thanks!
Ooh, yes…knitting! I’m only good at “flat” things (e.g., scarves and blankets), but I still enjoy having a project to work on, and then wearing it!
Let me know how the fudge turns out, and thanks for stopping by, Kelly! 😀