Cold weather? Check. Sweaters? Check. Pumpkin spice lattes in hand? Check. Ready for hibernation? NO WAY! Fall is our new favorite season and we’re going to help you enjoy it while it lasts! Our Seasonal Survival Guide is full of hot tips to help you not just survive, but thrive throughout autumn. This series will give you ways to keep active, fun crafts, recipes, and of course movies (for the days that hibernation is the only option).
October is a great month to get started. Follow along all season with us, Jen and Yasmine, as we get ready for a spooky season. Let’s jump in!
ACTIVITIES
The perfect way to ease the end-of-summer scaries is to stay active! Getting outdoors (even though you might need a sweater now) is sure to lift your spirits!
Running a 5k
If you’re really looking for something that will get the blood pumping on these crisp October days, consider participating in a 5k! Gather your friends, go on a few training runs, and then have a fun race day running, jogging, or walking. You can even go to your favorite restaurant to refuel after the race and warm up.
Here’s some helpful sites to get you started: www.active.com and www.mayoclinic.org both have some great insights on preparing for a 5k!
Going on a Ghost Tour
A ghost tour would get your heart rate up in a slightly different way. Basically a ghost tour is a special excursion led by a guide around a town or city to various places of paranormal activity. It’s a walking/driving ghost story where you get to see the places the stories take place and learn about the true history behind the stories. Book a tour through your local agency (typically priced at about $20-25 per person) and prepare for ghost stories galore! We haven’t convinced you?
Check out www.afar.com and www.ghostsandgravestones.com for more information and get ready to get your spook on!
Pumpkin or Apple Picking
And of course, pumpkin and apple picking are a fall favorite! Find your local orchard and have a day filled with picking, snacking on apple cider donuts, and a hay ride! If you don’t live near an orchard, consider stopping by a fall farmers market and see what they have for a selection.
Right click to download and save FableVision’s pumpkin carving template!
CRAFTS
Not up for an outdoor activity, or rain keeping you indoors? Fall also has some of the best crafts!
"How do you mend a broken jack-o-lantern?
With a pumpkin patch!"
One of our favorite crafts to do in October, is a classic: Pumpkin Carving. To help you make your own pumpkin creation, we’ve made pumpkin carving an easy four step process.
Head to your local pumpkin patch (or supermarket) and pick up the nicest pumpkin you can find. Consider what design you are going to be carving when selecting the shape and size of the pumpkin.
Cut off the top of your pumpkin, and gut it (this part is messy, you might want to have a trash can nearby)
Carve it out using our FableVision pumpkin carving template! Or look up some other cool designs here. While working on your design, make sure to remember to cut away from yourself and check out this site for more information about safely carving your pumpkin!
Put a light source inside, turn off the lights, and voila! Your very own jack-o-lantern! Congratulations!
Love pumpkins so much you picked up two? Have no fear, for we have another pumpkin craft for you! To create a pumpkin flower vase:
Again, stop by your local pumpkin patch, farmers market, or grocery store and select a pumpkin. We chose a medium sized, round pumpkin!
Buy a floral arrangement, or create one! Some farms have pick your own flowers, or you can even cut some from your own garden if it’s still in bloom.
Cut a small hole in the top of your pumpkin, and remove the guts! (Pro tip: save the seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds later!)
Rinse the pumpkin, and fill with water. (Optional: line the pumpkin with saran wrap before filling)
Arrange your flowers however you see fit! This makes a beautiful front step decoration or table centerpiece!
RECIPE
Pumpkin bread with streusel topping, straight from Jen’s family cookbook!
INGREDIENTS FOR BREAD (yields 3 loaves)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
3.5 cups flour
⅔ cup water
1.5 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups pumpkin
(optional) walnuts
INGREDIENTS FOR STREUSEL
About 4-5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cream eggs, oil, and sugar in a mixer
Add water and pumpkin mix, mix on medium speed until combined
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl
Add dry ingredients to wet, mix until well incorporated
Pour into well greased, floured bread pans
For streusel: combine all ingredients in a bowl using fingers or a fork until texture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of loaves before baking.
Bake breads at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.
MOVIES
So after a long day of enjoying the beautiful fall weather and crafting to your heart's content, it’s time to wind down for the night. These movies are a real treat, and that isn’t a trick!
If you haven’t seen Heathers yet, what’s your damage? Get ready for the Teen Drama to end all Teen Dramas. Veronica’s teenage angst embodies the spooky spirit of October and Halloween. So grab some popcorn, turn on the fireplace, and watch Heathers, it’ll be very.
Heathers not bewitching you? Try Hocus Pocus to get your spooky delights! A tale of three witch sisters awoken by the lighting of an enchanted candle 300 years after being executed in a Salem witch trial. Chaos ensues as the kids who lit the candle attempt to stop the sisters from becoming immortal.
Did you heed our advice? If so, congrats, you survived October! We hope you enjoyed this month’s itinerary. Be sure to stop by next month for some gratitude vibes and even more fall favorites. We will get through November together!
Jen Jordan and Yasmine Ebeed’s Seasonal Survival Guide is an independent project of FableVision’s Fall 2018 Marketing Interns. Apply to join our team at www.fablevisionstudios.com/jobs-internships.