Strawberry and apple muffins and bread loaves

Earlier this summer, I tried a new muffin recipe from Jennifer at Bake or Break for her eye-catching Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins.
They were so good, that I've since made them into bread loaves and also switched out the strawberries for apples for a change. This is a very versatile and simple recipe, full of good ingredients that give moisture, flavor and nutrition to these delicious bites.

Here I tried it with diced apple and quartered apple slices for the top. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and also sprinkled cinnamon on top of the apple slice. They don't look as pretty as the strawberry muffins, but they are very good in their own way.

simple fall leaf garland

Looking for something else today, I found this paper garland carefully wrapped in an unexpected place.

I had forgotten all about it.

I made it last year, likely in October when I took these photos of it on my mantle.
I can remember carefully tracing the leaves from some scrapbook paper and a paper grocery bag (I think) using two small templates I found somewhere on Pinterest.
I know they have machines you can buy that would likely do all of this, but I found it a relaxing project to have on my hands for a few days. 

Tracing, cutting, counting, folding and then finally taping them into position on the hemp cord.

One strand, just long enough to wind itself around my mantle and bring some autumn color inside. 

Kings Landing, New Brunswick

Come along as we meander through the beautiful village created on the Saint John River 50 years ago called Kings Landing. It is only our second visit to this magical place, but we spent a lot of time at Upper Canada Village on the Saint Lawrence Seaway in Ontario so it feels very familiar in a way.
This time, it was just Laura and I with some homeschool friends although we didn't all stay together as there are so many different places to explore.
Once you get out into the laneways and start walking between homes, barns and outbuildings, you find yourself slipping more easily out of modernity and back into the world before plastic and plumbing were common. The first I'm glad to keep at bay in our home, the second, I'm very thankful for! Although I grew up with an elderly neighbor couple who still used their outhouse and handpump exclusively so I feel nostalgic when I see the signs of primitive plumbing. And I've used composting foam-flush toilets at rest stops in Upstate New York and found them very soothing compared to the constant loud flushing sounds you hear in most rest stops. But I digress.
The apple trees were filled with ripe fruit of all colors and many apples were already littered under many of the trees. Laura tried a green variety but found it too sour, which is surprising because she enjoys the crab apple trees at a park close to our house! But others were trying some of the redder varieties so I assume there were some tasty ones to munch on.
The sunshine pouring into the houses and barns heightened the natural beauty of the items of wood, crockery, natural fiber cloths and botanicals that we found inside. To have such beautiful, well made items to use in kitchenwork, housekeeping and woodshops that can be mended or remade nearby is something most of us now know very little about. 
In several of the kitchen and pantry areas, I wanted to jump in and help with whatever tasks 'needed' to be done. The simpler homes and workshops were much more interesting and homey than the finer houses with the formal furniture, expensive decorations and entertaining spaces. But it was wonderful to walk through and enjoy being in that era of 1860s even if we enjoy some aspects of modern living a bit more. But oh, the many activities to do with your hands, and the skills and knowledge that were needed to keep the homestead and village life thriving, those are missing in much of our modern life and are needed again. I know there are a lot of photos, but I hope you enjoy slipping back in time with us and seeing how we can bring beauty to our life and work in meaningful ways if we choose.