By Laura Gaskill, Houzz
Make the most of your weekend with some fall meal planning, bird feeding and maybe a peek ahead to upcoming holidays.
1. Put away Halloween decor. If you decorated for Halloween and still have some lingering skeletons and ghosts hanging around the front yard, take a moment to put them away for next year. Whole pumpkins, gourds and fall wreaths, however, will look right at home all the way through Thanksgiving (or as long as they last).
2. Give that jack-o’-lantern a second life. Instead of tossing carved pumpkins out right away, why not repurpose them into something more useful — like a bird feeder for our feathered friends? Crisscrossed chopsticks make a handy perch, and the hollowed-out center can hold a lot of birdseed. When the birds are finished, throw the pumpkin in your compost pile or bury it in the garden.
3. Stock up on festive drinks. Believe it or not, the holidays are coming around the bend. One small thing you can do now to prepare is pick up a selection of go-to festive drinks, alcoholic or non-, so you always have something on hand for drop-in guests.
Related: Refreshing Home Bar Ideas for the Holidays and Beyond
4. Organize your cookbooks. Browse through your cookbooks and pull out ones you haven’t used or no longer enjoy, to donate or sell. Then get in the mood for fall cooking by flipping through your favorites and making a list of recipes to try this month.
5. Get started on DIY holiday gifts. Planning to make your own bath scrub or knitted scarves this holiday season? This is the time to get started. Even if the project you’ve chosen can be completed in a weekend (think big-batch granola or chocolate bark), you’ll thank yourself for purchasing the supplies and packaging well ahead of time. And knitters — you already know it’s time to get those needles clicking!