Young Are Our Hearts...under The Harvest Moon!

The October nights are quite cool, the leaves on the trees have changed their colors. It’s a New England fall and The Maine House is hosting a Harvest Birthday Bash!


We spent a week making our invitations by cutting out leaf-shapes and autumn harvest- shapes, such as acorns, pumpkins and scarecrows and  placed them on heavy card stock featuring an image of The Maine House!

 We could not resist using all the fall colors of cinnamon's, chocolates, persimmons and amber's for the balloons, streamers and tableware.

 Leaf-patterned dinnerware also fit the theme nicely. We set our tablescape with mini pumpkins, black vintage crows and little felt witches hats. Oh the fun we had decorating our entrance with the tall corn husks and bales of hay stacked with giant chrysanthemum's and gourds!

Once our guests had arrived we piled in the cars and caravaned to Libby Farm where we had arranged our fall harvest hay ride, plus apple and pumpkin picking, capturing all the fun of fall.

When we arrived back at The Maine House we gathered in the back garden and headed up all the young one's activities.....we......painted and decorated mini pumpkins which they took home to Atlanta and Texas as their own souvenir. We made scarecrow candy necklaces,  bobbed for the apples we had previously picked at Libby Farm, sponge-painted place mats with leaf shapes,  had a  pumpkin-rolling contest by dividing the families into two teams and provided a pumpkin to each team. Each person rolled it to one end and back and passed it along to the next person and lastly, threw hula hoops around one of the largest pumpkins we brought back from the farm.

The Harvest Barbecue had been prepared and WE were all ready to for the feast !!

Estelle's Harvest Party Menu
Harvest Hot Apple Cider
Beer-Cheese Soup
London Broil Slices served in individual toasty sourdough bread rolls
Whole Grain Mustard
Vegetable Pasta Salad
Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes
Carmel Apples

Estelle's Beer Cheese Soup
3 cups milk
1( 12 ounce) can of beer
1(16 ounce) package of Velveeta Cheese, cubed
1 1/2 t. chicken flavored bouillon granules
4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup, plus 2 T. flour
1/4 cup water

Combine milk and beer in a dutch oven. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Add Velveeta cubes, bouillon granules and hot sauce. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Combine flour and water, stirring until smooth. Gradually stir flour mixture into cheese mixture and cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened, being sure to stir until heated through.  Serve in individual mugs(we used our collection of Miss Helen's pewter mugs) topped with sourdough bread toasted croutons. Another idea is to serve in crockery bowls garnished with bacon bits and green onion bundles!

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, "October's Party"