I spent Monday getting the fixings ready for Apple butter. I made the apple sauce, then got the slow cooker ready. It needs to cook for 12 – 14 hours so I put it on at 7pm and let it go all night long. Which is great, except when I had to wake up and feed Apple. Oh the smell of apples and cinnamon. It was enough to make me want to go down and get a snack, but I didn’t.
Hubby and Opa put it on their ice cream. Apple and I put it in our yogurt. J and A don’t eat apple butter apparently, but that’s ok, more for us!
Here is the finished batch. Some smaller jars and a few larger ones. But, all in all delicious. Hubby was trying to tell some ladies at work about it and they couldn’t grasp that I made it without butter. I guess a lot of people actually use butter in their apple butter, but I have always used the non-butter recipe. It calls for apple sauce, apple cider, honey, cinnamon, all spice and cloves. That’s it!
And as if we aren’t eating apples every two minutes, I seriously had to stop J he was eating them like there was no tomorrow, Hubby wanted an Apple Crisp. My Mom has always called it an Apple Betty, not sure why, but whether you call it a Crisp or a Betty it sure was delicious. Again, J and A didn’t eat any but Hubby, Opa, Apple and I dove right in. I might see an Apple pie in the future….
**Thank you all for your kind words and support for the run. I am very excited and thrilled at the support I have received. I ran 3k full out tonight, so I hope to run earlier tomorrow when I haven’t just finished a huge meal that ended in Apple Betty, to see if I can make it to 4k.
Today we hit our nine week mark. And I still can’t believe it has only been nine weeks. At nine weeks pregnant I was feeling very ill and still nervous about losing another baby. And now here we are laughing and playing and having lots of fun.
J has also really changed towards Apple. He loves that he can make her laugh. He takes care of her (most of the time) in the back seat when she is really unhappy. And most of all he seems to have taken on the duty of the dogs. He lets them out, gets them treats and feeds them. I only hope this continues as he gets older and can start taking them for walks.
My girlfriend dropped this playmat off for Apple on Sunday. And as much as J did not like playmats, Apple loves them. She lay there for at least a half an hour on Sunday, another half an hour last night and she did it again tonight. It arrived at just the right moment in her development. She is starting to knock the dangling things in her playpen so this was like candy for her. Lots of danglies (not a word I am sure) to enjoy and play with . She is also trying to grab things lately so I am sure she will be grabbing onto them all in no time flat. Thanks Northern Mom just the right time for you to stop by.
Today was another gorgeous Fall day. Hubby had to go to the dentist this morning and I had to drive him. I was thinking I would cruise the stores in the little mall while he was being taken care of, not realizing that most stores opened at 9 or 10am. His appointment was at 8:30am. I sat in the car for a few minutes with a sleeping Apple wondering what on earth I was going to do. Duh. Go for a walk.
I could not believe that I sat there wondering what to do when there was this perfectly beautiful day waiting for us. I was only disappointed I did not have my camera with me. We took a path that led through the forest, where most of the leaves have dropped, once we reached the creek we turned around and headed back. I did take photos with my phone, but have no idea how to get them out and into the computer. If I do ever figure it out I will post them. Anyhow, a half hour later with flushed cheeks and feeling refreshed from the Fall sun and crisp air we picked up Hubby and dropped him off for work.
With the forecast of rain and possible snow tonight I was so thankful we took that walk. Not that we won’t have the opportunity to do it again with beautiful days, it is just that our beautiful days will be a little whiter and different in nature.
With the forecast of snow, I am feeling itchy about Christmas. It will be here before I know it. Did I mention I am hosting Christmas Dinner this year? It is a first in our family. My Mom is the only one to ever make Christmas Dinner. Not that there is any pressure or anything.
Littlest Sister left for Charlotte on Saturday. I don’t usually cry when she leaves knowing that Charlotte is where she loves to be. But, this time I just couldn’t help myself. Call it hormones, call it sappy, call it what you will but I miss her terribly when she is not here and wish that we had what it is that she loves about Charlotte right here in Ottawa. She will be back at Christmas after a trip to Israel. She does travel that girl.
Our playdate last Thursday went really well. J and his new friend have so much in common and they get along so well that J was comfortable to play upstairs without me. I was shocked, but it was good. Their house, which is the same layout as ours, is also decorated similarly. Ok, not in decor perse, but in the arrangement of the furniture and such. It was pretty neat to be in the same house but with different furniture. I foresee a few more playdates together.
We went to the orchard on Sunday, Apple Hill Berry Farm (sorry no link) , just up the street from us really on Jockvale Road. I wanted apples to bake some apple pie and instead of just stopping for some pre-pick, we decided to pick our own. It didn’t take very long, but we had a nice time and J finally knows where apples come from now.
J got right in there picking them. He was so fast that I couldn’t see what he was grabbing, but he did very well. I showed him how to make a pocket with his sweater so he could carry them to the basket. They fell a few times, but he enjoyed it and it was really cute.
Now, all I have to do is get off the computer and make some pie!
