5 Things I Love about Fall and Winter

Autumn does not always arrive in sync with the calendar. At least not in Nebraska. We may still be running our Air Conditioners when Autumn comes, or we may have a foot of snow on the ground. When it truly feels like Fall, I begin to thrive!

The first thing I love about Cold weather, is that I cook a lot more. I begin to make a LOT of Soup I love to make, and eat soups of all kinds and the family seems to love it just as much. It just makes the house seem cozier when there is a pot of soup simmering in the kitchen.

Put your soup together with a salad, and you have a meal! I like to add croutons to both the salad AND the soup. Want an extra treat? Make sure you make about half-again as much broth, and add "cheater dumplings." To make these, just take refrigerated biscuits, cut into quarters, and drop on top of soup a few minutes before you plan to serve. Cover, cook 10 minutes, uncover and cook about 5 minutes more. If you don't want dumplings, pop the biscuits into the oven and serve with the soup. (Warm Italian or French bread is another idea)

Easy Winter Soup Recipes for People Who Can't Cook:
Easy to Prepare Winter Soup Recipes to Warm Your Insides on a Cold Day

The Taste of the Season:
Inspired Recipes for Fall and Winter

Almost all kids love Halloween, it is a time of dressing up in costumes, running the neighborhood, and collecting more candy than they will eat for months! C'mon, you remember being a kid. If you have more than one child, then of course, the candy trading among the siblings has to be a ritual. It was when I was young.

But that's for the kids. I wanted to share the things I love about Fall and Winter. By the time Halloween gets here, Nebraska has normally had snowfall. In fact, there have been a couple of times Halloween had to be postponed because the weather was so bad. Now it's time to get into some serious cold weather enjoyments.

Cooler weather is a great time for crafting. Personally, I enjoy crochet, and bead art, along with some simple fleece blanket making. For Crochet, I prefer the natural fabrics, like cotton.
Sugar'nCream® Cotton Yarn
I like to take the cotton and make half-granny squares as shown in the video below. If you are looking for Free crochet patterns, check Crochet Pattern Central

The fleece blankets are easy to make, and there are patterns all over. Here are some
FREE Projects at Joann.com

I Taught Myself Crochet Beginners Kit

Palm Candle Making Pour Pot Kit

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If you are counting, this makes (3) of the 5 things I love about cold weather!

Cold Wintry days mean Hot steamy cups of...(fill in the blank) Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate, the possiblities are astounding. Just explore the options;

Tea
Tea can be as simple as a store brand tea bag seeped in a cup of hot water, or as exotic as an imported white or green tea with different herbs and spices. You can also opt for whole leaf tea, which is delicious. I have a tea-pot with a strainer so I can use either the bags or whole leaf tea, and it saves a lot of time and hassle. Flavored teas are a delight. I do have an affinity for certain teas, such as Lady Grey, which has a pleasant taste and the aroma of Roses! Chamomile tea in the evening is literally dreamy. Don't forget, you can take your tea with you when you leave home, thanks to tea wallets!

I can't help it. It gives me great pleasure on cold days and evenings to snuggle under a blanket, and either read a good book, or watch a good movie. It's pure indulgence, I know. Sometimes, this is nice to combine with having a hot cuppa. (see above)

People like all sorts of books. I prefer the Trashy Historical Romantic Novels, and the Suspense Books. eHarlequin is having a good deal right now, so I, for one, will be stocking up on books!

Get 2 FREE Books— just for giving Steeple Hill Love Inspired a try! Click here now!


For cozying down under a blanket, I either use one of the fleece blankets I've made, or one of these:
6-in-1 Travel Blanket and Pillow... Get Yours Today at CabinCuddler.com These blanket/pillows were originally designed for Plane Travel, but they are perfect for the house too!

Now, I'm really beginning to wish the weather would chill!

First, Do No Harm

Dogwood