When the weather starts to get cool, like this week, I start thinking about the cool, crispness of Autumn, of apples and pumpkins, of leaves turning all sorts of glorious colors and of Halloween. Today is the first morning that I actually popped the fireplace on and damn it, I am ready to light a pumpkin scented candle! I am also chomping at the bit to go to storage and break out all of our autumn flora and decorations but I will hold out till October 1st for the spooky stuff. All of the summer decor looks so tired and too pastel – its time for the rich burgundies, oranges, golds and greens of fall.

And the autumn food! Time to break out the slow cooker and make gumbos and stews. Oktoberfest is coming and we always join in with goulash and spaetzle (not those cheap thin, little welfare noodles, but the gargantuan ones you push off a tablespoon into the water the way my grandmother made them) and German weiss beer of course! Fresh ham, kase spaetzle, pot roast…the list goes on and on (and my mouth is watering!).

We have a Halloween Scrapbook that chronicles the Halloween celebrations of years past with the boys. I thought I would share the contents so far to get everyone in the mood for one of my favorite Holidays!