A World Where There are Octobers: An Ohio October Picnic
Winter is quickly approaching, so I’ve been doing my best to prioritize outdoor time with the family. One of the easiest ways I can ensure we do that is by eating dinner outside. I put together a fun October Picnic with all the Fall necessities, hoping and praying that it’s not our last picnic before the snow!
I can’t get enough outside activities in the Fall. This year we’ve been less busy with Fall festivities than usual, BUT to make up for it, we have been eating dinner outside quite a bit. Today I want to share a fun outdoor picnic I put together for the “A World Where There Are October’s” Tour!
Thanks so much to Cecilia with My Thrift Store Addiction!! I’m so honored and excited to be apart of this fun tour to different climates during October. If you’re here from Jen at Midwest Life and Style thanks for continuing the journey! Make sure you head over to the other Fall climates and get a glimpse of October in their neck of the woods!
If this is your first time visiting I want you to know I’m honored you’re here! My name is Aliya. I’m a nurse turned mostly stay-at-home-Mom who loves DIY projects, decorating, and gardening.
At Open Doors Open Hearts, we believe that if you’re brave enough to open your doors to those around you, you’ll be blessed by hearts opening around you. I hope you enjoy sitting outside for an October picnic in my garden! It was fun putting it together, but the real joy is enjoying it with others!
Northern Ohio in October
I’m in Northern Ohio. So October’s here can swing from t-shirt weather to coat weather overnight. I even remember trick-or-treating in the snow before! Generally, I’d say October’s are mild. I looked up the average temperatures for our area in October and the internet claims a high of 60’s and a low of 40’s.
While the temperatures are definitely my favorite temps of the year, the colors, smells, and sounds make Fall the best! Truly it has everything to do with the leaves on the trees. The way they sound rustling in the wind or crunching beneath running feet, their brilliant colors of yellow, orange, and red, and lastly the smell! They smell absolutely divine as they dry up. Octobers in Ohio are wonderful! I could live in a world with a couple Octobers in one calendar year haha!
Elements of an Ohio October Picnic
October Florals-Golden Rod
For this October picnic, I chose to add flowers that are all over at this time of year as the centerpiece. Golden Rod! It’s literally everywhere! I can’t drive any distance without seeing it in ditches, among tall weeds, and beside the road. Even though it’s common, I’m struck by the beauty of it’s yellow blooms!
I offset it like I did when Justin and I had our Romantic Date Picnic a few weeks ago. I mentioned that this simple DIY pallet table is a little bit small for the four of us in that post, but with the flowers moved off to one side and not in the middle of the table is seems to give us more space.
It also allows us to have a fun special picnic like this with the girls. By moving everything off to one side we can keep the decorative pieces safe from the girls’ little hands! This is all assuming the girls don’t want to fight me and Justin for the seats closest to the flowers haha!
October Produce- Pumpkins
To add another October element to this picnic I put pumpkins on the table. October is prime pumpkin time! We actually just went to the Alpaca Farm down the road and got all out pumpkins for the year.
For this table setting, I think the pumpkins make it clear that this is an October picnic. If there was a Month Produce just like States have birds, flowers, and trees, Octobers would be pumpkins.
I love the traditional Fall colors, so I went with oranges and whites. I also knew I wasn’t going to have space for large or medium pumpkins, so I decided to go with minis. They serve the same purpose without taking up as much space.
October Clothing- Sweaters, Pants & Blankets
I mentioned the temperatures of Octobers in Ohio earlier. That means that during the day you’d generally be fine to run around in jeans and a sweater. But by the time the sun is setting and you’re getting ready for dinner, it really cools off. The nights are too cold for me to be without a blanket or near the warmth of a fire.
Since our garden is pretty far away from our firepit we have to use blankets to stay warm after the sun goes down over there. I used one on the table for decoration but I put a basket of blankets nearby so when the sunset we were prepared!
October Food-Chili & Cornbread
The food I chose for a picnic in October is a food that’ll help keep you warm! CHILI!! Not only does it help keep you warm on cold evenings, but it’s also so easy to make! We eat so much chili (and all varieties of it) during the colder months.
October Ambience-Cozy Flicker of Candles
This is one of my favorite parts of this October picnic. I LOVE candles! They are wonderful at creating a cozy, warm, and inviting atmosphere anywhere you put them. But one of my all-time favorite places for candles is on a table. When I first started turning everyday, ordinary activities into something special I started with candles at dinner.
I literally remember my first candle-lite dinner with the girls and Justin. It was a small gesture, but they ALL noticed and they all appreciated the candles. Candles at the dinner table seem to quietly announce that this is not your average run-of-the-mill dinner. It’s special.
Thanks for taking a quick trip to Northern Ohio during October. It’s been so fun having you! Now that my tour of October is over you should visit CoCo with The Crowned Goat and check out another climate in October. Can you get enough October your life?! I believe 31 days simply isn’t enough, so soak up as much as you can!
Don’t forget to Pin for later!
Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram! Have a great week! XoXo
Open Your Door,
Aliya
25 Comments
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Cecilia
Aliya, your seasonal picnic is perfection! Your flowers are gorgeous and you created such a cozy setting from the candles to the cornbread and chili! Thanks for joining us! Pinned, tweeted, & I’ll be sharing on IG today, too! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
Aliya
Thanks so much Cecilia!! I had a blast creating this setting! It was so much fun hoping this with you today!! Thank you for inviting me!! You were a great host! 🙂
Rita C at Panoply
Aliya, what a warm welcome to northern OH – chili and cornbread by candlelight! Seriously, life really doesn’t get any better than that this time of year, does it? But, oh yes it does, with the simple addition of cozy throws, pumpkins and goldenrod. That is truly an idyllic setting. Happy Fall! Btw, one of my Panoply sisters lives in Southern OH, and it’s a frequent jaunt for me and my other local Panoply sister to go there for vintage treasure-hunting. She happens to be a retired RN and educator, too. 🙂
Aliya
Rita! We should go get some fun vintage goodies together!! I love it so much! Thanks for you kind word! It was so nice connecting with you through this hop!
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Calypso in the Country
What a beautiful way to celebrate the month of October! Your picnic set up is lovely with the plaid and the flickering candles. I’m sure that chili will keep you warm! Thanks for sharing and it’s great to hop with you!
Shelley
Aliya
Shelley! Thanks for stopping by!! It was so fun creating this setting! I’m glad we were able to connect through this hop!
CoCo
Aliya, there’s just something about eating outdoors with candlelight that is really beautiful this time of year. I love all the pumpkins you’ve added and the fabulous plaid blanket you’ve used too. It’s all just so pretty and the perfect way to welcome all the good things Fall has to offer. Enjoy! Hugs, CoCo
Aliya
CoCo! Thank you for your kind words! They are truly an encouragement!! It was so nice connecting with you through this hop!!
Jen
Aliya, your pretty picnic set-up is just stunning! Such a fun idea for an outing, and your meal looks scrumptious. And an alpaca farm? How fun! Sounds like I need to come for a visit!
Aliya
Girl!! YESSS!!! Come visit whenever you feel like it! But like your region, Ohio changes her mind by the minute. So pack for any and every weather condition!! haha! Thanks for stopping by! Its been so fun hopping with you!!
Lora Bloomquist
I love this outdoor picnic scene, Aliya! And I love that you are making every meal special for your little family. My kiddos grew up with a candle burning on the kitchen window sill many nights, and even my boys appreciate those little touches now (in their 20’s). We’re eating out as many October nights as we can in MN, too! Fun to be hopping with you!
Aliya
I love to hear that your boys, even though they are grown, look back and have fond memories of the little things. Thats the goal for my girls. I want them to look back and see that even though Mom wasn’t perfect and she was terrible in so many ways…she tried her best to love them the best she could! Thanks for stopping by! Its been so nice connecting with you through this hop!
Jemma
Greetings Aliya,
Now this is exactly the Fall that I am dreaming of! Love how you turned a pallet into a tabletop and then elevated the entire extraordinary dining by adding candles. This is very dreamy and Autumn spectacular!
I know this is a sweet memory maker for all.
Great to hop with you and have a wonderful Autumn!
Jemma
Aliya
Jemma!! Thank you for your kind words! They truly mean so much to me! This dinner was so fun to create and I love the girls being apart of it with me! It’s been so fun hopping with you as well!! Aliya
stacy
Aliya I LOVE your outdoor picnice! It’s so beautiful! I would love to join you! xoxoxo
Aliya
Stacy!! Thanks so much! You’re welcome to join EVERYTIME!! 🙂
Kelly Radcliff
Aliya your outdoor picnic is dreamy! Now I want to eat outdoors and have fancy candles too!!! I love the yellow flowers in that bucket. If those were around here I d have them all over my house too!
Aliya
Awe thanks Kelly!! Can’t wait to see the fancy outdoor setting you come up with!!! 😉
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