Signs of {Autumn}

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. “
~P.D. James

Autumn is one of my FAVORITE seasons … okay, actually,  it IS my favorite time of the year … cozy fires at night, snuggled under a blanket and listening to the fire crackle, crunchy fresh Ontario apple picking and hot apple pies in the afternoon, gingersnaps fresh from the oven, and the beautiful colour of the leaves, slowly making its way across our countryside …. yes, I do love this season …

I noticed a few signs of gorgeous fall day all around me today … just in the little things …  we baked, we home schooled, we cleaned, we played outside in the sunshine … it was wonderful … one of my dear friends gave birth to her second daughter today and I am just over the moon excited for her …! This, too, makes me OH SO VERY excited to meet our little one next month!! What a beautiful season to welcome a baby with!

(Let’s just pray baby doesn’t arrive on Thanksgiving weekend – I don’t want to miss that amazing turkey dinner or my mom’s famous homemade buns! Hee hee!)

… homemade ginger snaps (recipe to be posted below because they are TOO good not to pass on the recipe!) ….

fresh apples from the orchard …

Messy-haired, happy-lovin’-life Lyla …

… lots of leaves to sweep up … in our socks, of course … :S … which of course, makes more laundry for me … but I don’t mind …

if it means I can hang it out on the line on such a beautiful day …

How are you enjoying the change of season so far?

P.S. If you want to bring a little fall into your kitchen, you must try this gingersnap recipe. I’m not sure why gingersnaps seem like cookies for the colder months, but they are certainly up there on the yummy list, according to my kids!

~ Gingersnapalicious Cookies ~

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/3 cup white sugar for decoration

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll each ball in white sugar before placing 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until center is firm. Cool on wire racks.  And ENJOY!!!!

We also baked some delicious apple muffins together. The recipe is from the talented Lori Tinella of Little Chefshead over here to see her apple recipe! The girls LOVE these muffins!! I doubled the batch and am freezing some for later this week because I just KNOW we will run out quickly!


September 28, 2010 - 8:54 pm

Stacey Woods I knew I could count on you to share a recipe! I just came across your cinnamon Christmas ornament recipe yesterday, which reminded me that you’d be doing something beautifully autumnal with your girlies. You don’t disappoint, Gillian! Can’t wait to try these.

And your mama is right… that leaf image is divine!!

September 24, 2010 - 8:06 pm

Tanzyn Awesome pics..I love the clarity of them..you are just TOO good..
and thanks for the recipe those are my FAV cookies;)

September 21, 2010 - 10:25 pm

Mich Gillian,
You are making me love Autumn even more now with that Ginger Snap recipe. I will definitely be taste testing that one 🙂 I just love all the wonderful small moments in life that you are grabbing hold of and making beautiful memories with the L’s.

September 20, 2010 - 10:41 pm

Amy Where did you go apple picking? I want to take the kids this weekend.

September 20, 2010 - 9:13 pm

Tanya That’s it…I’m buying molasses and trying these cookies! Yum! Lovely pics 🙂

September 20, 2010 - 8:57 pm

Brenda (Gillian’s Mom) What beautiful pictures .. you make Autumn seem so special. And your cookies look amazing … you know that gingersnaps are my favourite!! I will have to stop in tomorrow and have one with a cup of tea! I love seeing the girls help their mommy … And that leaf picture is amazing – you should enter that into a contest! It should be a cover picture for something .. maybe a book!! xo