Phoenix is a fabulous place to be during the fall season!  The weather is perfect, the sun is shining and it's fun to see the fall decorations all around town.  Truth be told, I secretly pull out a few fall decorations in early September just to get the party started!

And speaking of parties we held our annual Oktoberfest party last Saturday.  As luck would have it the lovely Carol Williams was staying with us and the two of us had a blast shopping for a few decorations and getting the decorations in place. On Friday we stopped at Trader Joe's to buy pumpkins for every family that would be attending.   What fun that was! Carol picked out a bunch and I picked out the rest. We ended up with two shopping carts full of pumpkins!

On Saturday I showed Carol what I like to do with the pumpkins, which is line them up at the front door, kind of like a 3 dimensional welcome mat!  Carol, who's never tied bows before was quite perplexed on how to POOF those ribbons up and  make them look pretty. She tried a time or two, with not much success. We both decided she could be the pumpkin holder and I'd tie the bows.  We had a bunch of laughs trying to accomplish that feat! Nothing better than team work to get a job done (and have fun too)!

Our guests arrived bearing a dish to share as well as a bottle of wine or their favorite beer.  I had made up a Spicy Beef Chili and Chicken Veggie Chowder the previous day. Everyone enjoyed a beverage and some appetizers outside. And then the fun began playing corn hole!  We typically play bocce ball but thought it would be fun to shake it up a bit this year.  And it was fun watching the antics people used to win (or not)!!!

Next up was the main course of Chili and Chowder!  Everybody loved it as well as a few salads and tiramisu for desert.  Then it was time to chill and relax and spend time catching  up with each other on a beautiful Phoenix evening!

On the way out, every family could chose the pumpkin of their choice to bring home and enjoy.  Good ole Bob decided just what he could do with two pumpkins!! And of course it brought laughs and smiles all the way around!

Happy Fall Everyone!  And don't forget to enter your fall post into the....

October Challenge- Help Us FALL In Love With Your Area!