Fall Fever

Maybe I'm nesting. Or, maybe I'm just sick of the 85 degree weather in late September. Either way, I want it to feel like fall time, and to have a cozy house to curl up in. Since I live in South Carolina, Mother Nature is refusing to relent in the summer-like weather. I just can't seem to get my way with wanting the weather and leaves to change to autumn! All is not lost, though, because I am stepping up my home-maker skills, and making it fall time in my house! Below are some of the different things I have done / plan on doing to make the autumn season come alive inside, while its still beach season outside.

1. Read a spooky Southern Gothic novel or short story-- this will get you in the mood for ghouls and witches.
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
• The Robber Bridegroom by Eudora Welty
• Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (she also has several good short stories)
• Any Edgar Allan Poe stories
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
2. Watch any movies / TV shows that make it feel like fall time-- football, Halloween, witches, etc. will all work
• The Crucible (also a play you can read)
• Hocus Pocus
• The Blindside
• Dracula or Van Helsing
• Again, Sleepy Hollow
• Any ghost / paranormal show
• The Hokies football games on Saturdays and Thursdays :o)
3. Light autumn scented candles. All of the flavors below are from Yankee Candle, but you can find similar ones almost anywhere that has a good selection of candles (I found pumpkin ones at the dollar store...).
• Spiced Pumpkin
• Autumn Leaves
• Apple Cider
• Maple Pancakes
• Cinnamon Stick
4. Consume ONLY fall time foods (I have had a blast cooking / baking new recipes). I recommend using recipes with sweet potatoes, apples, pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkins, cranberries-- any fall fruits or veggies. Below are a few of the things I constantly have on hand or have made several times:
• Apple Cider (heated is great)
• Apple or Pumpkin Butter-- to eat with fruit, toast, or as a jelly substitute in a PB and J
• Pumpkin Pie-- a recipe can be found on the cans of pumpkin at the grocery store
• Sweet Potato Casserole (my recipe is very unhealthy, but too good not to use-- Ill put it in the next post)
5. Decorate! The candles will add some autumn ambiance, but there are tons of ways to decorate your house to get that extra fall feeling.
• Use pumpkins-- instead of carving you can paint them, punch holes in them and adorn with flowers (mums, sunflowers, etc), upholstery tacks, or anything decorative that you can stick in them, or etch your house / apartment number or monogram into them (be sure to only scrape off the orange and don't scratch / cut through the shell)... Be creative! You can even use pumpkins with the flatter tops as centerpieces-- just cut off the stem, place a small silver plate or platter on top (be sure its balanced) and place it on the table and top with food! These ideas are from the October issue of Southern Living, and look great!
• Use leaves that have changed colors-- this is cheap and easy! Find leaves that have changed into bright reds, oranges, or yellows from your yard. Rinse them off, dry them, and rub moisturizer on them. The moisturizer will keep them from drying out and rolling up. Now you can use them in a wreath, on the table for a centerpiece, or just scattered around the house.
• Create a wreath or buy one-- if making one, use colored ribbons, pine cones, colored flowers, leaves, twigs, etc... The list goes on and on!
• Lastly, I went to the dollar store... They have cheap and relatively cute decorations. I bought a miniature scarecrow and some pumpkin scented tealight candles for a few bucks.

These are all the things I have done or plan on doing soon... and my house is an autumn wonderland! Now, if only I could figure out a way to make the leaves change here and get the temperature down about 20 degrees...

Click here for Southern Living magazine pictures of the pumpkin decorations

New Book

One of the reasons for this blog was to keep an ongoing list of great books and short stories. Well, I have failed miserably. However, I have just read an exceptional book that I want EVERYONE to read. I am going to teach it to my 12th grade students, and figured before I can do that I should at least read it first! Read it I did, and I fell in love with it. As I laid in bed reading I reflected on my own life and blessings, I cried, I giggled, and I gained a new appreciation and understanding towards a different culture; a culture I had never had respect or patience for. The book is called A Thousand Splendid Suns, and it is a fictional story based on real life events in Afghanistan. The book follows two women's lives, detailing the horror, heart break, triumphs, and tragedies they face. The story intricately weaves their existence together and through a well-written account provokes strong emotions in the reader. At first I was apprehensive, because as I have previously stated, I had no respect or patience for the people of Afghanistan. This apprehension, however, was quickly revealed as ignorance and close mindedness. Our society often times paints the people of Afghanistan as terrorists, extreme religious practitioners, people who need our "saving", or simply too different of a culture to give any heed to. While reading this book I found that my preconceived notions about this country and the people in it were grossly incorrect. Reading this book has even inspired me to do extra research to further educate myself on this war torn country. This novel is exquisite. I sincerely hope that some of the people that read this blog will go out and buy it, or at least listen to it on a book on tape (Mom). I will warn you though-- the author does not shy away from detailing the true horrors that took place, and at times the novel can be graphic and brutally honest. However, I feel that a lot of us are ignorant to what is truly going on in the Middle Eastern countries, and we can all benefit from reading this book, or any book like it.

Book List

Since Christmas is approaching, and way too fast, I have decided to do a holiday themed reading list. Also, to go with the festivities, I think I am going to add some great holiday movies, too!

Things to Read:

-Nobody's Christmas by Charles Dickens (short story and can be found online)
-Christ Climbed Down by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (GREAT poem-- I read this in my American Lit. class and absolutely loved it)
-Christmas Trees by Robert Frost (poem)
-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (novel)
-The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (short story)

Movies to Watch:

-Elf (my personal favorite)
-The Grinch (cartoon or movie are both great)
-All Harry Potters (the theme song always reminds me of Christmas-- and there is always a Christmas   holiday mentioned)
-The Family Stone
-The Santa Claus
-Home Alone

Admittedly, I have been sort of lazy with keeping a book list going. I have one done already, which is the Halloween themed list. I planned on creating one for Thanksgiving as well, but have not found the time, and I blame this completely on school! So, for everyone that checks this daily for an updated book list (anyone?!), here is a short one. Actually, its not all books. I am currently writing a unit plan on Maya Angelou and her autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Well, you can't talk about Miss Angelou without acknowledging her poetry. And, even more so, you can't look at her poetry without hearing her read some. So, this is a list of only works by Maya Angelou, with one speech by Sojourner Truth, and some of them are voice recordings. Please listen to them. They are extremely powerful  and nothing will give you more of a sense of who this woman is and what she came from.



-I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (novel and poem)

-"Still I Rise" - poem and recording http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4bnjUCTbE&feature=related

-"Ain't I A Woman" speech and recording http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0YR1eiG0us

There are so many more great pieces by Maya Angelou. These are just a few that I have came across and am using in my unit plan. You can google both poems and the speech, but obviously you won't be able to read a novel online! Hope y'all enjoy these as much as I do.

Book List-- Halloween / October

As most of the people who are reading this know, I love to read. Being an English major I am introduced to so many different pieces of literature. I have decided to create a list of books / stories that I will update every so often, just in case anyone wants to become better read or is just bored and decides to read something. Since Halloween is soon I am going to start my list with works that are spooky! I hope you guys read one, two, or all of these-- and get in the haunting spirit!

1. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
3. The Fall of the House of Usher, The Premature Burial, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe (many of Poe's short stories deal with macabre and spooky themes so there is plenty to choose from)
4. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
5. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

All of these with an exception to Dracula are short stories and are pretty quick reads. The Yellow Wallpaper and A Rose for Emily are my favorites, but I also love Edgar Allen Poe. I really hope you guys find the chance to read some of these.