Adventures in Mommyhood

Apple Butter (from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook) 4.5 pounds tart cooking apples, cored and quartered (about 14 medium) 3 cups apple juice 2 cups sugar 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon 0.5 teaspoons ground cloves 0.5 teaspoons ground allspice In an 8 to 10 quart heavy kettle combine apples and cider.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Press through a food mill or sieve until you have 8.5 cups pulp.  Return pulp to kettle. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, over very low heat 1.5 hours or until very thick and mixture mounds on a spoon, stirring often.  Be sure to not have the heat too high, or the apple butter will burn to the bottom of the pan, which would be very sad. Pour into 8-ounce containers with lids.  Freeze or store in the refrigerator.  This keeps for a really long time in the fridge.  If you freeze, make sure to leave some room at the top of the cont

It is hard to believe that November is here.  Really here.  The leaves are sparse on branches and plentiful in our yard.  Even though we still are having warm sunny afternoons, we definitely need gloves and mittens each morning and unfortunatley there are toy catalogs in our mailbox nearly every afternoon.  I like November. Spending days indoors hiding from the cold wind still feels special and I love the anticipation of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to come (without actually being in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle).  And then there is the hope (yes hope!) of snow and all of the fun and hastle and excitedment that it will bring.  November is a transition month.  A transition from evenings with sunshine to dusk in the afternoon.  From burgers on the grill to chilli on the stove.  From bike rides to board games and from hoodies to parkas.  December will be here before I know it, but for now I'm doing my best to enjoy November and all of the lovely things i

Well, we made it through Haloween at our house.  We had an eclectic bunch that included a witch, a watermelon and a Pikachu.  It was an ideal night for being out past dark and my biggest mixing bowl was filled to the brim with a wide assortment of sweets by the end of the night.  Here's my adorable little watermelon.  I found this costume on clearance a long time ago and  giggled every time I saw it these past weeks.  But of course the little stinker refused to wear the hat and there fore it just wasn't the same.  Toddlers...hurumpff.  The Little Witch. In this one I have her subdued a little... A.Really.Bad.Costume.  But he is all about Pokemon these days... so I let him have his wish.  To be Pikachu on Haloween.  Yippee. Now this is really frightening.  The Pikachu and his friend "Deranged Grandpa."  My Dad has had this mask since before I was born.  It looks scarier every year. My goblins.  Notice sneaky Grandma trying to stealthfully pla

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.