Way Up High In The Apple Tree

Two little apples smiled down at me
I shook the tree
As hard as I could
And down came the apples
Mmm! Mmm! They were good

So we have an apple tree in our backyard. I thought they were crab apples but apparently they aren't. Or if they are--they make the yummiest fresh apple juice I have EVER had. This morning, Olivia came up to Sam and I and asked if she could have an apple. We didn't have any. Peaches, grapes, pineapple, pears--yes...but no apples. Sam suggested we go outside and try the ones on the tree. Thus began our morning adventure. How fun to see Sam and the girls pick apples! Sam would shake a branch and the girls would run to pick them up and put them in their cute little baskets. We gathered about two gallons worth of apples. Sam broke out the apple peeler, corer, slicer--I love you, Pampered Chef! An hour later, we had 9 racks of those apples drying out in our dehydrator, 1.5 qt of applesauce (homemade applesauce on toast is so good--I love it even more on peanut butter toast), apples for a apple cobbler and three-quarters of a pitcher of apple juice.

Watch out, Jack LaLanne! If your home juiced apples taste this good, I now know why people buy your juicer! (Ours is a Nutri Source.) It is SOO good. It tastes like apple lemonade to me. The juice itself is so clear. Most of the fresh apple juice I have had in the past was very frothy but this wasn't at all. Sam's mom gave us the juicer we have now and he says this one was likely made to make good, non frothy apple and carrot juice. In addition to that, I think it must have something to do with the kind of apple. These apples were green blushed with red flavored with just enough sweet too temper the tart. All I have to say is that I love my mother in law because that stuff is dang good. So good that I climbed the apple tree to get some more apples--they filled a 4 gallon bucket just shy of half full. Ah the goodness of nature.

September's List

It is 9:25 pm. My children and husband are asleep. My world is INCREDIBLY peaceful. Noone needs my immediate love or attention. I can just sit, reflect and learn. I was reading the blogs of two friends, Jessica and Alissa. Two of their entries put me in a very reflective mode. We all have things we love right? Things that make our souls sing, that fill our hearts with humble pride as we develop skills and focus our energy on the right things. Having a daughter in Kindergarten has made me feel an urgency of how quickly days slip thru our fingers and how important it is to do the very best things that I can--things of both a recreative, leisure nature and things in a productive, wise realm as well.

Alissa's posted about the things she wants to remember about her children and recounted some of her tender experiences with them. It made me tear up because I can hardly stand to think what I might have forgotten about the yummy moments of life with children--the moments when it was just Olivia and I, the moments a year ago when Maia was our baby and the moments last month when Michaela had less hair. Just yesterday I was sitting on the floor by a bookshelf and found a calendar from Maia's first year of life. You see, she doesn't have a baby book. I just wrote down the random funny moments and tiny milestones of her life--not everything by any means, but it is a darling glimpse at the moments of the past. It's time for me to pick up a cute composition notebook at Walmart and more regularly keep record of those funny sayings and misty watercolor memories.

Jessica posted about food storage. Oh my love--do I love food storage. It is a passion passed down to me from my mother, one that was key in her interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, when the missionaries knocked on her door. Jessica has a to die for lovely heaven haven of food storage in her basement. I am wishing for a place to store my food storage like unto hers when we buy a home. My almost year's supply is stored under beds, in closets, and in kitchen cabinets. This next week, I am going to organize more prettily my main food storage closet.

Also, I am going to go at the holes in my food storage and emergency preparedness items more fully. The areas I need to complete are water and toiletries. The main area I need to seriously begin is alternative heat and cooking sources in case we have no electricty. This month is also the month of caselot sales here in Utah. The two stores where I do my caselot are having their sales 2 weeks long back to back. I have already been to this week's caselot sale. I can't wait for next week and the week after that and the week after that--that is where most of this month's grocery money is going.

This year, I plan/desire to expand my canning abilities. I know how to can peaches, but this year I want to can pears and homemade applesauce. I can't wait to see how this fall ends up.

So that is September's list.
1)Get a composition book and write down the cute kid comments (or what will be considered cute in the future) and the fun memories/experiences we make. Nothing fancy--just take a minute each day or so and jot favorites.

2a)Organize the food/water storage--fill in holes. Have fun shopping!
2b) Begin research/saving so we can get our alternative heat and cooking sources in order.
2c) Can/Dehydrate Peaches

September's Project Wish List
--Read the manual to my digital SLR.
--Sew a skirt
--Brutally get rid of clothes (again) that don't love, fit, are no longer in style or that I haven't worn in forever.
--Cull children's books--this could be painful but I don't need a thousand books right? We only read about 20 regulars anyway. If I wimp out, I will just get rid of old toys when my girls are at school, preschool and napping. With 3 fall birthdays and Christmas all in a row, I am sure DI (a local Goodwill like store) would like my donations.

I'll stop there. There is always October :) Thank you for the inspiration, Jessica and Alissa!

Not two, but three

Coming Soon..a report on Maia's third birthday.

I sure wish I could find my transfer cord for my camera. I am bushed. This report could take days. Whenever we ask Maia how old she is--she says "TWO" or "ELEVEN!" Last year, she'd say, "THREE!" At least, I know how old she is. ;)