How to make a sugar skull Dollar Tree Halloween wreath.  With just $4 in supplies, you'll have an adorable and very easy wreath for your front door. I live in a rural area, so the closest Dollar Tree used to be half an hour away.  We got one in the town closest to me last year. It was worth the wait to get a closer store.  It's one of the larger ones in the area, and bigger than the ones in the larger town.   I love going in to see what's new, especially in the seasonal and craft aisles.   This year, it was time to update my Halloween wreath. I live half a mile from the road, so I don't make a wreath for my front door since no one will see it.  Instead, I make wreaths for above my fireplace. My Halloween wreath had seen better days, and this is what I came up with this year.

Learn how to make pumpkin pie spice from scratch.  Use this in all of your fall and winter recipes, including coffee and desserts. The months between summer and Halloween are best known as pumpkin spice season in my house. During this time I switch to a pumpkin spice coffee creamer, and my family makes all sorts of pumpkin recipes. As such, I go through a lot of pumpkin spice each year, especially as I enjoy baking from scratch. I also make my own homemade coffee creamer with pumpkin spice. Because I go through so much, I like to make my own pumpkin spice from scratch. There are several reasons to make your own pumpkin spice.  Perhaps you’re in the middle of a recipe and you’ve run out, or you just want to save some money.  Following is an easy pumpkin pie  recipe you can make from scratch that is sure to make the season. How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice From Scratch What is Pumpkin Spice Made Of? There are several spices that you will need to make pumpkin spice, including:  ginger clove

 Learn how to make Instant Pot apple cider.  This is a delicious fall drink that is made in under half an hour in an electric pressure cooker.  Drink it plain or use it to make other fall drinks. I've always wanted to make my own apple cider.  To make a true apple cider, you'll need an expensive press. Or you can make it on the stove or in a slow cooker in several hours.  It's pretty much an all day thing. With the Instant Pot pressure cooker, you can make homemade apple cider in less than half an hour!  We drink it plain, or you can use it to make other fall drinks. Before we move on to the recipe, this isn't a true apple cider.  A true apple cider is made by just crushing apples with a press.   You wouldn't add water, an orange, brown sugar, or any spices for a true apple cider. So without spending $100 or more on a press, you can make Instant Pot apple cider that's pretty close to pressed cider.

Make your home smell amazing with a fall simmer pot recipe.  This simmer pot is easy to make and has spices and fruits that will fill your home with a delightful autumn scent.  It's 80 degrees outside and we have the air conditioner running, but I'm still moving on to fall.  Fall is my favorite season.  I love the smell of the crisp air and the cooler temperatures. I also love the scents of fall.  It's when pumpkin, apple, cranberries, and spices like cinnamon and cloves get their time in the spotlight. I used to burn candles obsessively.  I don't anymore because of asthma, but I miss the scents.  I do make my own wax melts with essential oils, but I also use this fall stove top potpourri recipe sometimes.   I work from home, so I have plenty of time to make things like this.  Otherwise, it's a great recipe to use when you're expecting company.

 Learn how to make Instant Pot vanilla extract with bourbon or vodka.  Instead of waiting 6 weeks for your vanilla to infuse, now you can make vanilla in just two hours.   Every fall for the last ten years, I put out a reminder for my friends to start their vanilla for their holiday baking.  I keep mine going all year, but I usually restart it in the fall because I use so much of it. In ye olden days, making vanilla extract took six weeks to fully infuse.  Now thanks to the miracle of the electric pressure cooker, you can make Instant Pot vanilla extract in two hours plus cooling time. Yes, that's right.  Two.  Hours.   When I found that out, I ran straight to the liquor store to get both vodka and bourbon and ordered new beans from Amazon. We go through a crazy amount of vanilla because my daughter and I both bake a lot.  This made 6 cups, so I am giving my step mom a cup of each the vodka and the bourbon vanilla extract.

 Learn how to make pumpkin puree in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  This is quicker and easier than making it in the oven, and you can use the puree for desserts, soups, and other recipes. Several years ago, we planted pie pumpkins.  I prepped them, baked them, and turned them into pumpkin puree.   That Thanksgiving, we had the best pumpkin pie we had ever had.  I couldn't believe how different the pie tasted made completely from scratch.  Now, it's the only kind of pumpkin pie that my kids will eat.  They turn their nose up at the canned stuff and for store bought pies.   I used to make pumpkin puree in the oven.  It worked, but it was a real pain.  And I had to turn the oven on for almost an hour. It's nearly fall, but it's still 80 something degrees here.  I don't want to have the oven heat up the house while I'm running the air conditioning. I love my Instant Pot, so this year I switched to making Instant Pot pumpkin puree.  After the first batch, I decided

 Learn how to can tomato juice at home.  Use your homemade tomato juice to drink or in recipes for delicious soups and chili. Every year, I can tomato juice.  We don't drink it as a juice, but I do use in other recipes.  I always add it to my chili and tomato based soups instead of water. Making tomato juice at home is very easy.  I've been making it for years with the leftover juice from making tomato sauce. You can make tomato juice two different wants.  This is going to be long, but I'll explain both of them in this post.   Use the method that makes sense for you and your needs.  I would recommend using the cooked version if you are making it to drink since it will be thicker.

 This soft pumpkin dog treats recipe has peanut butter, pumpkin, flax seeds, and chia seeds to help your dog's skin and coat. If you watch my Instagram stories , then you've seen Nacho, my chihuahua.  He's most definitely a momma's boy.   He sits beside me while I write, and I may or may not have bought an extra wide recliner just so the dog has room to sit beside me while I'm working. This easy dog treat recipe is grain free with coconut flour. This is great if your dog has allergies or a wheat intolerance. It has pumpkin, peanut butter, chia seeds,  flax seeds, and coconut oil. It has no egg and no flour.  Nacho recently went grain free, and it's really helped him.  I bought him some grain free treats, but he didn't like them as much as his old treats.   He really likes pumpkin, so I wanted to make him some a healthy grain free dog treat recipe for a snack.  This recipe is full of ingredients that are good for dogs, like pumpkin, peanut butter, flax seeds,

How to make a pumpkin spice latte recipe at home.  This is a delicious drink that tastes just like an expensive coffee house drink at a fraction of the price. Starbuck's has already released their pumpkin spice latte for the year, but it's still in the 80s and 90s here.  I love fall and I love coffee, but I don't enjoy a PSL quite as much when it's this hot outside.   Until the temperature drops a bit, I'll be sipping this pumpkin spice iced latte recipe.  This is amazing, and the pumpkin makes a delicious cold drink.   This recipe is easy to adapt.  If you want to make it sugar free, you can.  You can also make it vegan or dairy free.  

 Learn how to make an air fryer pizza pockets recipe.  This is easy with a premade puff pastry crust, or you can use a homemade dough for the crust.  Make several of them and freeze for a quick lunch later. My kids love pizza pockets.  Every time I go to the store, they add it to the shopping list. I'd prefer if they didn't eat the preservatives and other junk in the store bought ones, so we started making this air fryer pizza pockets recipe.     This is so easy, all three of my kids can make them.  They make a big batch and freeze them for later.   My kids are all teens 13 to 18, but younger kids should be able to help make their own.  Using the air fryer makes this easy, and I'm more comfortable with them using the air fryer than the oven. Store bought pizza pockets are microwaved, but these will be soggy if you  microwave them.  The air fryer is quick and easy to make.

 How to keep clothes smelling fresh in drawers with an easy drawer deodorizer DIY.  This easy tutorial uses essential oils to naturally remove odors. Fall is coming.  Have you smelled your sweater drawer lately?  Has it taken on a funky scent in the last few months? Learn how to keep clothe smelling fresh in drawers with an easy drawer deodorizer DIY.  This is a simple sachet that takes only a few minutes to make.  Place it in a drawer to freshen your clothes in just a few hours.    I'll also give you a few more ideas to remove odors and keep your clothes smelling great.