Life As Nutz: Fall Favorites

Ahhh, fall has arrived. The air is crisp, leaves are slowly changing colors and home is full of my fall favorites. As the weather changes, I start to miss my home state of Maine and especially my family. This is the time of year that we went apple picking and took the hayride over the hills at McDougal Orchards. Each of us girls wanted to pick our own bag of apples and with so many of us we would be eating apple everything for weeks. It's funny how you can be so far from "home" and yet things seem so much the same. Of all of the places I have lived, I think that North Carolina looks most similar to Maine with its mountainous terrain, long stretches of farmland, historic homes, and quaint downtowns.

Today I decided to bring a little more of home into my new home. I managed to find my fall and Halloween decorations in the spare closet, no small feat let me tell you. Opening that box brought a huge smile to my face. My mother, queen of knick knacks, has sent me lots of decorations over the years. She was always thoughtful enough to write a little something on each and date them, making them even more special. After setting them up around the apartment I realized that this really is the biggest place I have lived in. They didn't go as far as I would've liked, but they definitely warmed the place up a bit.

After setting up my fall decorations I had one more fall favorite that I was craving, molasses cookies. Not just any molasses cookies, but my father's (grandmother's recipe) molasses cookies. They make the house smell wonderfully warm and inviting, and it was just what my soul was craving. That sweet cinnamon, clove and sugary goodness scent reminds me of those special afternoons of baking molasses cookies with my dad. Molasses cookies and a cup of hot coffee, life doesn't get better.