Do you feel it yet? The bite in the wind and the crisp chill that makes you turn up your coat collar? Can you smell the leaves in the air? Do you find yourself daydreaming of hot apple cider? One of my favorite times of year as a child, was when the leaves turned to brilliant shades of yellow, red and brown, until the mountainside erupted in flame. Growing up on a small, family-run, dairy farm in Idaho, afforded me ample opportunity to be outside; enjoying mother nature in all her seasons. I so enjoyed walking in the canyon with my family, collecting handfuls of these brilliant gifts of nature. We would arrive home with pink cheeks, bright smiles and cold noses. My mother taught us how to press the leaves and enjoy them throughout the autumn season, long after all the other leaves had ultimately abandoned their posts. She taught us how to use them to decorate our home and our lives. We'd press them into homemade candles or frame them or turn them into bookmarks. The possibilities are endless!
I think it's safe to say, that no soldier chooses this life for the money. It's certainly not the most high-paying gig (not even the most appreciated, but let's leave that for another day). My point, is you don't have to have 6 digits in your bank account to make your house a home. For this particular project, you don't even need double digits, all you need is time.
While the leaves are turning in all their brilliance, take your kids, dog (if applicable) and Man (if he's home) and hit the trees. Plan an afternoon to walk in and enjoy the area in which you're currently stationed. Explore, talk and be a family! Pick lots of interesting leaves* and have FUN. For parents with young kids (or mothers with a deployed or in-training husband) this little jaunt may just be a walk around the block, but if your kids are older, go ahead and make a day of it! Take pictures of your family outing and be sure to get plenty of your Soldier with the kids. These photos can be used in photo books (which you can have made on the cheap and are great for when your Soldier is away).
Once home with nature's booty, as a family, look at and admire the leaves. Then take the ones you'd like to keep and put them in a big, heavy book. Space the leaves out so there are several pages in between each leaf. Then lie the book flat and put as much weight as you can on top (about 5 pounds should do rather nicely). This will dry out the leaves and preserve their color and shape. In a week or so, check the leaves. If they're flat and dry (and fragile!) you're ready for Operation Fall.
As mentioned, we used to press flowers and leaves into our homemade candles, but this particular year, with my boys (no husband, as he's gone) we dried our leaves and decided to frame them to fill our home with the colors of Autumn. We did 2 separate projects.
PROJECT 1:
We got some dollar frames (purchased from IKEA and painted at home) a couple pieces of white, printer paper and a few of our bigger leaves. We glued them onto the paper (cut to frame size) using "Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Adhesive" (multiple purpose, temporary or permanent) and simply put them into the frame.
We took the smaller leaves and created our very own wreath. Which we then glued onto more white paper (cut to frame size) and put them into our newly-purchased dollar store frame (or you could put them on the refrigerator the children's rooms, your front door, etc.).
PROJECT IDEA: Another fun idea,
would be to take pictures of the leaves and edit them as a family. These days, Photo editing software and aps are a dime a dozen and make photography simple! You could even have a friendly photography contest to see who can get the best shots. Creating categories for things like: "Best lighting" "Most beautiful leaves" "Best wildlife shot", etc. will help the kids look for things while outside. Once again, you could compile these shots and have them made into a memorable book to enjoy for years to come, or you could pull it out each autumn to display and reminisce.
What I love about these projects, is that these can be used in any home we'll be stationed in. Furthermore, this project can be done with a dollar-store frame or with an expensive frame purchased from a craft store** When the season is over, simply stow them away for next year's enjoyment.*** Good memories will flood your home and invigorate your family. It may even become a new tradition.
At the end of the day, creating fond family memories will go a long way in your child's life. Some 20 years later, I recall all of the fun things we used to do as a family (both immediate and extended). Most of our fun had to be extremely cheap or free (and therefore creative). I promise you that the free/cheap projects and activities will be remembered long after the expensive ones. Lastly, get outside! Be active! Go explore! How many seasons will you actually get to enjoy where you're currently stationed? Don't view the various Duty Stations with exasperation, but rather with an adventurous attitude. It'll help your children adjust more quickly and will create fond memories for years to come!
*SAFETY REMINDER: Be safe while you're out playing Swiss Family Robinson. Be sure to avoid poisonous plants "Leaves of 3, let them be". If you're unfamiliar with dangerous plants in your area, do some research before exploring. Knowledge is key. Also, be sure and check for ticks if you're returning from a wooded area. If you're going deep in the woods, be sure to let friends know the general area of where you're going and about how long you'll be. Pack extra water and warm clothes. If it's hunting season, wear orange and other bright colors.**MONEY-SAVING TIP: Michaels Craft stores have 40% off coupons available on their website. These coupons are free, and are generally intended for one, regular-priced item. If you want to use a really nice frame for either of these projects, print the Coupon and save!
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