Touches of Fall

I know, it's been three weeks since I've posted. No apologies. A) I've been super busy at work, trying to get the park ready for Halloween. B) I really haven't had anything exciting to post about. But. Now fall is in the air. We all know how I feel about fall.

We've been installing Halloween decorations in the park for weeks, so it's seemed like October for awhile. Now that it's getting cool at nights, fairs and festivals are starting, and I have some autumn decorations up, fall is totally here.

Last weekend, I planned on going to the New Kent County Fair and/or the Hampton Bay Days festival, but then I was lazy and had no one to go with, so I didn't. At the end of the month, the VA State Fair starts, and I'm totally going. Since I missed the Harvest Festival back home, and I probably won't make it up for the Bloomsburg Fair, I gotta get my funnel cake and gyro fixes somewhere!

Howl-o-Scream is finally open at Busch. I might go to the park during the day sometime while it's running. The whole nighttime thing with fog and chainsaws and haunted mazes doesn't really enthuse me. You should go check it out if that's your thing, though. We worked hard to get it up and running!

 ^ Ireland. There's a whole "Fiends"/mad scientist thing.

^ Festa Italia. Clowns.

^ England. Crows, and a death shroud on the clock.

^ New France. Spiders. I didn't actually help with the bridge at all. I was in a lift putting them in trees and on buildings. 

^ Scotland. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay bales. There is still hay all over my life.


I actually didn't work in Italy, France, or Germany at all, so I don't have pictures. Italy is the "Lady of the Gardens", France is rats and skeletons, and Germany is vampires. It all looks really good and I have comp tickets left. Just saying.

I haven't started to decorate my apartment for Halloween yet. I have some fall decorations up, though.

Right now, I have 4 different fall-scented candles burning. It smells amazing. Like Yankee Candle threw up in my apartment. That's a good thing. Trust me.

I also have my fall baking list figured out. Now, under the best circumstances, I only get about half of my list made. This year, with my lack of time in the kitchen, I'll be lucky to get a quarter of it done. I have a normal schedule for awhile now, though, so maybe I'll get some stuff made.

- Georgia Pecan Pie
- Caramel Bread Pudding
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Maple Cream Tart
- Maple Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel
- Pumpkin Bread (I've totally never made plain old pumpkin bread!)
- Apple and Berry Crumble Muffins
- Everything Caramel Corn
- Caramel Apple Pudding with Gingersnap Crust
- Spiced Pumpkin Doughnuts (These have been on my list for the past 3 years. :-P)

It's a little ambitious, and unless I take some of it to work, I'll gain about a hundred pounds, but I'll get some new recipes tested and blogged about if it kills me! I've actually been cooking some, but nothing fancy or blog-worthy. Just stuff like sausage and fried potatoes, strawberry shortcake, tacos.... Nothing that takes effort, basically. Now with a normal person's schedule, hopefully I'll make myself get back in the kitchen more!

So to recap... fall is here. It's glorious. Get out and enjoy it!