When I was young, autumn fun didn't have to cost you as much as a fancy dinner out. No!
And before the end of October we set out--
Small One in tow--
to prove that was STILL true.
Fortunately, thanks to a wonderful farm family and some other people, we found it is!
After a couple of false starts, we headed towards a farm I thought
would fit our idea for autumn fun quite well (link and info below).
After a bit of exploring Small One and I tried out the corn maze
(first photo). It wasn't hard to figure out, but it was great exercise and had some lovely views of the countryside and autumn color!
Pumpkins were all over,
as were "cobwebs" and other autumn themed décor.
Small One, of course, wanted a really big--HUGE--pumpkin.
This is the moment she found out Papa had one rule about choosing a pumpkin...just ONE rule...
can you guess what the rule is?
Does this photo help?
LOL
Small One finally found one she could pick up...
and it was a very lovely one too.
Will get to that photo in a bit...
but, before the choosing of the pumpkin, came a VERY fun tractor pulled wagon ride which left us shaking at times, giggling at others and very thankful we had some here:)
Perhaps I shouldn't post a pic of that as I don't want to give the surprise(s) away
LOL
Total cost: Less than $3 for the pumpkin.
We'll definitely be back!
Later on, we found another farm giving away FREE pumpkins!
We only wish the farmer had been around because we were so very grateful for this lovely gift!
Soon, we met up with a friend of mine,
my BFF to be exact, who I see all together too rarely since she has moved.
Off we headed to a neighborhood park where our grandkids played for awhile on the playground equipment and then discovered another FUN and free pastime--thanks to a family there who apparently had the same kind of philosophy as I do re: autumn fun.
Yep! Leaf piles on a lovely bed of grass are always a recipe for LOTS of fun:)
And, the experience stays with you even after you leave.
Total Cost: nothing
On the way home we swung by a place to pick up another necessary ingredient for autumn fun---
caramel apples,
specifically gourmet caramel apples.
No need to show you this one, but they were the most expensive part of our day and still under $10 for 2 of the most yummy treats known to man (or in our case--girls).
Next up: pumpkin carving
One of our two carved pumpkins--
designed by Small One and carved with lots of love by a REAL Farmer Boy,
which just happens to be a Papa too.
Although we had other autumn adventures including a mini birthday celebration for the Small One.
my load of dishes is just about done, so I'll end this post with another autumn tradition from my childhood...
Wishing you all a very blessed November filled with love, simple blessings and priceless memories.
Blessings,
Aimee
Notes:
A HUGE thank you to the Jim Dandy Farm Family for the awesome time we had there
(I am still smiling when I think of that GREAT wagon ride--teehee!). Thank you also for your kind permission to post photos taken there!!!
Here's a link to those who would like to know more:
