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The fall cooler months are a great time to get outdoors for some important bonding time with your family. The weather is cooler, school is in full swing and we settle into our fall routines. When the weekends roll around our family likes to get outdoors before the cold winter sets in.

Here are some of the fall outdoor activities we look forward to doing every year.

Local fall festivals & street fairs
Apple picking at our local orchard
Raking leaves & piling them up for some childish play with the kids
Hiking and Walking at our local parks & recs centers
Cookouts & Family BBQ’s (fall is great for outdoor family get-togethers)
Decorating our yard for Halloween (family event)
Attending Halloween & Fall Parties
Weekend Trip (we like to take a weekend trip to take in the fall foliage & activities in our state)
Community Volunteering (a lot of organizations need volunteers in the fall so seek those out & volunteer as a family)

What kind of fall activities do you enjoy doing with your family?

Shelly

During the spring and summer months, my family loves for me to make them fruit salad. One of the recipes that I like to use is this particular recipe which I call a DUMP recipe because you just dump the ingredients together.

If you children like to help you in the kitchen, they can certainly help you with this recipe.

Easy Fruit Salad

1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup pear chunks, drained
1/2 cup peach chunks, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 to 1 1/4 cups sour cream

In a large mixing or serving bowl, combined the above ingredients together in the order that they are given. You can add or decrease the sour cream depending on your own taste buds. Cover the bowl with a lid and place into the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to chill.

This fruit salad is best chilled so don’t let it set out at room temperature for too long. My family also likes raisins, so from time to time I will add in a 1/4 cup of raisins.

When my nephews are visiting, they just love it when I make them some cupcakes that are made inside an ice cream cone. They get a real kick out of it!

Here is how you can make them and it’s pretty easy to do.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes Recipe

1 pkg. cake mix (plus box ingredients)
25-30 flat bottom ice cream cones
cake frosting
sprinkles

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare cake mix as directed on the package. Spoon or pour batter into ice cream cones, filling 1/2 full. Place cones in a rectangular baking dish and use foil around them to hold them upright. Bake as directed on package for cupcakes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Once they are cool…decorate with your favorite frosting and sprinkles.

Over the weekend I was hungry for some homemade chocolate bark candy so I decided to make my own. Here are the ingredients you will need to make some delicious chocolate bark.

1 full tub Baker’s Milk Chocolate Discs
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup broken pretzel bits
1/4 cup broken graham crackers
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Follow the directions on the Baker’s Milk Chocolate and melt the chocolate discs in your microwave. Once melted, pour the chocolate into a mixing bowl. Stir in the marshmallows, pretzels, graham crackers and chopped peanuts. You can omit any of those items that you don’t like.

Lightly spray a round glass pie pan with nonstick vegetable spray and spoon/pour your chocolate batter into it. Place foil or a lid on top and place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes so it sets up. Remove from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. You can break it up into pieces (like a brittle) and store in an airtight canister or you can cut it into slices.

When it comes to nasty winter weather, are you and your family prepared? The time to think about preparedness is before the winter storm hits which for me…is at the beginning of the winter weather season.

Here are 10 wintertime snow emergency tips that I think you will find useful the next time you are preparing for a winter snow storm.

1. Have emergency supplies readily available at home. These supplies should include plenty of food (including items that don’t need to be cooked, incase you lose power), several gallons of bottled water and juice, batteries for flashlights, battery operated emergency weather radio, cell phone and a back up plan in place in case of an emergency.

2. Carry a small bag of salt or kitty litter in your automobile trunk…it will help with traction if you get stuck.

3. Carry a box of emergency supplies in the trunk of your car, such as: blankets, flares, bottled water, first aid kit, jumper cables, battery powered radio, snacks, etc.

4. If possible, bring all domestic pets indoors…if it’s too cold outside for you, it is too cold outside for them.

5. If you have to go out in cold snowy weather, dress in warm insulating layers. You want to make sure you keep your feet, hands and head protected from cold temperatures and frost bite.

6. Pre-treat your sidewalks and driveways with salt or chemical mixtures before the storm hits. Once the storm arrives, treat them again.

7. If you live in a dwelling that has a ‘fragile’ roof such as a mobile home or travel trailer, you will need to periodically go out and remove snow from your roof. If you let it pile up, you risk roof damage and cave-in.

8. When it snows…keep up on your shoveling. Go out every 2-3 hours and remove the fresh layer of snow. Don’t let it pile up to where it becomes heavy and unmanageable.

9. Shovel out all fire hydrants in your neighborhood so that emergency crews can easily find them and access them quickly.

10. If you don’t need to travel, then don’t! By going out to do things that can wait to another time, you are risking your life and those who travel with you.

When it comes to surviving bad winter weather and doing so in comfort and warmth, it is all about being prepared ahead of time and knowing what to do once the bad weather has arrived.

~ Keep Safe and Be Warm ~

Shelly