Day 31 - Until Next Year

Happy Halloween! This is the final entry of the Write31Days challenge.  I am so ready for it to be over!  I don't mean that in a bad way, it's always fun to be a part of this blogging challenge.  I'm just super ready for November in retreat.  

This year I only have two kids who went trick or treating. We invited friends over for dinner then they went begging for candy with us.  The weather wasn't optimal with a light drizzle that turned into rain showers.  Fortunately, the downpour happened towards the end of our walk.  

Can I admit I have been stressed out all day, all week really?!  Everyday this week (until Sunday) something is going on.  Today was especially stressful with having to run around town for doc appointments then trying to get the house tidy and dinner prepared for company.  The good news is I was also doing a nine-hour novena for a special intention.  I think stopping to pray on top of the hour from 6 am to 2 pm minimized all the drama that my stressed out mind could have made worse.  Maybe I should do a nine-hour novena everyday or at least until Sunday!

Before I end this series let me thank you all for reading everyday. Thank you also to my friend Nicole who writes with me every October.  This is the last year for Write31Days but I intend to keep writing every October, challenge or not.

I will take a brief break to get in the spirit of retreat. I am committed to writing the Monday Daybook and Fit Friday so you will hear from me at least twice a week.  

Keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine. 

All the treats!

Pampering With Silence

This is my second to last post for the Write31Days series.  I can't believe it's almost over.  I will still be blogging regularly.  I'm actually excited about November/December.  My plan is to do some sort of retreat to prepare for the Advent/Christmas season.  It will be self-directed but supported by the sacraments.  When I was listening to Catholic radio recently one of the hosts talked about pampering ourselves with silence.  I thought that was brilliant but also a sad commentary about our culture.  So that will be the theme of my retreat - "pampering with silence".  As always, I'm sure I will blog about it from time to time.

Another thing I'm hoping to accomplish is make a dent on my reading list.  I have books given to me as presents over the years that have yet to be cracked open. That doesn't include books on Kindle.  On top of my list is The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI.  Joy To The World by Scott Hahn is second then everything else will be a toss-up.

What about you, are you already thinking and planning for Advent?

Before I sign off for the night let me share some pictures from a recent outing with my older two.  I always cherish these moments I have with them now that they are no longer homeschooled. 

*ugh, Blogger is giving me a hard time with photos! I will share the rest later.

a literal face palm

Monday Daybook - Evening Edition

Outside My Window...dark.  I love the dark. I love the Autumn dark after a beautiful day.  But when I started writing this entry it was still light out.  The view from my window was this...

I'm Listening To...my kids chit-chatting while cleaning their room.  Seventh Day Slumber on my playlist.  Their song "I Am Not The Same" is on repeat.

The Week Ahead...lots on my calendar with doc appointments, Trick or Treat, Holy Day of Obligation, youth group obligation, and planning for my CCD class on Sunday.

What's Cooking...right now nothing. Lots of baking tomorrow for youth group.  I made stir fry for the kids and bacon wrapped petite sirloin for hubby for dinner. 

Homeschool Is Cool...we decided to take our learning outdoors today.  My two youngest have been under the weather.  I thought the fresh air would help the congestion and the cabin fever.  We saw some critters at the local Metropark.  We hung out a bit at the Nature Center reading about snakes, mammals, amphibians, and the like.

Great Nature...it was beautiful out today!

Prayers...so many going up as always.  Continued prayers for friends and a new intention sent to me today. 

What I'm Reading...catechetical resources online for my CCD class. We have now started the Beatitudes series.  I'm talking about Blessed Are Those Who Mourn.  I have so many thoughts on this topic that I need to translate for the junior high minds.  Pray for me.

Fighting Emotion With Emotion

At least once a year I find myself having to re-organize/de-clutter our basement.  Part of it is switching seasonal clothes and an even bigger part is dealing with all the stuff that we just dump there for assessment later.  Out of mind out of sight.  Dump now, shed the tears later. 

I knew on Saturday that there's no escaping the annual basement purgation. I've procrastinated long enough and this might be the last Saturday I have free for awhile.  So "purge" was written in big bold letters in my journal and etched in my brain.  After assessing the damage, I knew it would take most of my day even with helping hands. That means I will be tired and when I'm tired I get grumpy and when I'm grumpy I find everything else that's wrong in my life, all unrelated to the basement. So I decided to have a game plan.  Plan one is to pace myself, take frequent rests before I hit the burnout point.  Plan two is to ask for help, for a control freak that is not always easy. Plan three, fight emotions (anger, frustration with the clutter) with emotions (happy clappy music!)

Usually my music of choice when cleaning is something fun and dance-y.  But the basement is a completely different battlefield that requires a completely different weapon. It calls for praise music.  Dance music can only make me happy so much in the abyss.  But oh, praise music, it makes me sing Hallelujah even in the shadow of the valley of Tupperware boxes. I find that praise, for all it's emotional overtures, actually helps me overcome the budding emotions of anger, annoyance, and grumpiness that a cleaning marathon elicits. Fight emotion with emotion. This tactic worked really well for me.  How can I be grumpy when Britt Nicole sings the truth that God is "who you say you are".  By the time Seventh Day Slumber croons "you restore the wasted years, you build the broken walls, your love replaces fear, your mercy makes us whole ", there's no room left for any negative emotions. At the end of the day I was tired but no one suffered the usual after effects.  Praise God for that!

Sometime this week I will post my Praise playlist.  In the meantime, I am off to bed and the music to that will be chant.

Happy Sunday!

A BFF Guest Post - Life Lessons From Jacob

Guys, you get a special treat today!  Jacob, my oldest child's best friend, writes for my blog today. They have known each other since elementary (homeschool) and they now attend the same brick-and-mortar high school.  I gave him permission to use his real name. I won't make this intro long so here is Jacob -  

Hi, I’m Jacob. I like to read, write, play the piano, watch the Office, and complain about school. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few life lessons that I try to live by.

1. Smile and Wave

Now, I am a generally soft-spoken person. I do not usually put myself out there, and I am prone to secluding myself and not engaging in social interactions. However, within the few interactions I have had, I have realized that a little bit of joy goes a long way. Everyone loves a smile, and you can really brighten up someone’s day with a big one.

2. Avoid Unnecessary Conflict

One flaw that I have is that I love to cause trouble and make people mad. This is obviously not healthy behavior! There’s already a good deal of conflict present in the world, so it really doesn’t help to incite it unnecessarily. I will elaborate on ways to avoid conflict below.

3. Spread God’s Love

That’s why we’re here!

4. Women are impossible. Men are too.

There are really two camps on this issue. Many men would argue that women are crazy, but a good amount of women would feel that way about men. I have had to deal with impossible people from both sexes. I think that the sooner we realize that we are all imperfect it makes it easier to accept and love the people around us despite their imperfections. We’re all humans, we all fall short of the glory of God, but we all have each other to help us get through life!

5. LISTEN

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19

One of my greatest attributes is thinking that I’m right all the time. Another, of course, is being right all the time. However, everyone loves a good listener, and everyone has something they need someone else to hear. Pay attention to the words of others, it’s pretty essential to forming good relationships and can help to avoid unnecessary conflict.

6. Don't Take Everything Personally                                                                                                      A lot of people tend to speak before they think. People tend to say things that end up sounding hurtful without trying to. Of course, try to think before you speak but also, do not let the things other people say stick. I usually let things stick a lot. As an example, I once showed a priest my article for my school newspaper. When asked for his opinion, he gave an honest and helpful criticism, but I saw it as an attack and lack of admiration for my work, but obviously his honesty was wise and helpful when I was able to accept it for what it was.

7. Be Direct                                                                                           

This is one of my favorites, because I am very good at being passive aggressive. If you are direct about how you feel, and let people know why you’re upset, it can help them to connect with you and help you. If someone does something unsavory, I might say (erroneously) “I need new friends” instead of saying “I don’t appreciate what you just did.”

8. God Loves You                                                                                                                                      It’s pretty easy for me to be unsatisfied with myself. This can be healthy to the extent of recognizing and improving on my imperfections, but otherwise, self-deprecation is not helpful. It is good to remember that despite our flaws, we’re still infinitely loved by someone. That someone just happens to be the most powerful being in the universe.

9. Fear is the Worst Motivator                                                                                                              Everyone has very rational fears. Don’t ignore those. However, I also have a good amount of irrational fears, and all too often I let these fears dictate my actions. This is most relevant for me in social situations. I tend to blow things out of proportion and make them more frightening than they are. If you are not doing something because you are afraid, I encourage you to overcome your fear. Remember who you’ve got on your side! (See#8).

10. Never Give Up                                                                                       

Giving up usually involves taking the easier road. Did Jesus tell us to take the easier road?                                                                                                                                

11. Live in the Present

Our minds constantly drift between the past present and future. However, the present is the only thing we really have so we should try to make the most of it while we have it. One thing my Uncle Robbie likes to say is do the unrepeatable whenever you can.  Carpe Diem!

12. Forgive and Let Live                           

I tend to hold things against people for a very long time. This is dangerous and can lead to unnecessary conflict. Remember, pobody’s nerfect! Accept that what someone does may have hurt you, but it’s better to forgive them and help them improve than to stay angry at what they did.                                                                                                     

13. Don’t Ask for a Lighter Load, Ask for a Stronger Back  

This is a saying I learned on my Mission Trip. We all have crosses, and they are given to us to help us grow to reach heaven. Pray that God allows you to accept the suffering in your life.

Thank you for reading! I hope I provided you with some nuggets of wisdom. PS I am single (;

Fit Friday - A New Goal

I was supposed to have completed Week 4 of LIIFT4.  Real life happened so I decided to just take the week off and take care of the sickies in my home.  My hubby and one child is on the mend but another child is now sick.  Life in a big family.

I'm getting excited to do the Hot Chocolate race in a few weeks.  Truth be told I haven't trained enough or at least I think I should be running more.  One of my running heroes just challenged herself to running everyday even if it's only a couple of miles.  This is so inspiring to me so I've decided to do the same.  Not sure when I will start. I was thinking maybe as a New Year's resolution but maybe sooner is better.  Either way I plan to blog about it because I need to be accountable somehow.  I haven't yet factored in being sick but the hubby of this gal ran at least a mile even under the weather.  I will cross that bridge when I get there. I'm not even thinking about the weather and how to run on icy days.  I completely ignored the fact that my running gal lives in a place where they don't see snow or ice! This should be fun! 

The thought of running everyday made me think it might be too much.  But with shorter miles it shouldn't be too bad. I will treat it as if I am brisk walking everyday.  Wish me luck!  

What are your fitness goals for the rest of the year?  

Tried And Loved - Amazon Edition

I meant to write this as Christmas Gift Ideas Part Two but I'm not sure if cleaning and baking stuff would be a popular Christmas gift.  Instead I am writing about the products I loved at Amazon. Here we go!

Lolldeal car vacuum - one word for this little machine - Amazing!  It gets into the nooks and crannies of our minivan that my upright vacuum attachments can't get to. Realistic expectations, okay? Small machine small filter so you will probably have to empty it out multiple times like I do.  If my car isn't too messy I only have to clean it out twice. For the price, I'm not complaining.

Wilton Perfect Results Mega Large Cookie Sheet - with the holiday season upon us this cookie sheet will come in handy. Non-stick and easy to wash.  I love that it could hold about 30 cookies. When I bought it the price was only $10 but now it is back up to $14.39 so keep an eye out for sales.  Since I have doing more baking, this has been a time saver.  

J5 Tactical Flashlight - for the outdoorsy people in your life.  This tactical flashlight is compact, sturdy and super bright.  And I sound like an infomercial hahaha. I bought this as a birthday present for my husband after seeing an infomercial (!!!) on tactical flashlights.  But the one on tv was more than I wanted to pay.  Hubby has no complaints about this one so far.

Ezoware Fabric Bin - if you own or are thinking of buying an Ikea Kallax shelving unit, you need this in your life! It is bigger than most generic fabric bins so it holds a ton of stuff. It is sturdy and reasonably priced for the quality.

Vremi Cast Iron Grill Pan - I love cooking on cast iron (but I hate cleaning and seasoning them lol) . This grill plan replaces my cast iron griddle when I'm not cooking for the whole family. It heats up evenly, gives a good sear, and is easy to clean. This is my fave pan to roast a whole chicken.  

That's all I have for today!  What are your tried and loved products?

Sick And Tired

This will be a short post as I am running out of steam. Two people in my household are sick so I am turning in early to be sure I am battle ready for tomorrow.

Whatever you do, don't get sick!  In the meantime let me share a photo of what my daughter baked 

Tomorrow I will post part two of Christmas gift ideas.

If You Teach A Child To Drive

How did this happen that I now have a child old enough to drive?!?!  Before my oldest received his temps I didn't like the idea of being his driving teacher.  I have been his teacher since birth. I taught him to walk, talk, read, write, cook, etc...etc...Driving was something I was all too willing to relinquish to another (my husband).  One of the exercises we had him do each day was move cars in and out of our driveway.  For months he would just practice that.  By the time he was able to do it well  I knew I can handle the nerves of teaching a teenage boy to drive. 

My dad taught me to drive.  With the exception of stunt drivers, he might be the best driver in the world.  He is a smooth driver, no jolts, no bumps, no road rage (that I know of).  He wasn't hesitant to teach me to drive his minivan.  I have to say I dread every day he would say "time to learn how to drive!"  I just hated the idea.  Vancouver roads are tight and hilly and I was chicken.  But learn I had to, for the sake of the church ladies.  I was being groomed to chauffeur my parents and their lively friends from the Legion Of Mary. Oh man, I miss my parents and their friends, they were a fun bunch to drive!  Anyhow,  my dad was also an exceptional driving teacher.  He is calm and knew exactly what to say when I would freak out at my perceived driving errors. He never showed any sign of panic even in my early days of erratic speed and jolting stops.  No dramatic "oh my gosh, I won't ever get in a car with you!" (looking at you my brother hahaha).  To my brother's credit I did hit the curb one too many times as I learned the drive and reverse gear.  Many, many years later I can claim to be a very good driver.  Not as good as my dad but not too shabby either.  The one thing we are both equally good at is parallel parking (a mini-van, no less).  It is a necessary skill if you live in Vancouver.  My kids are always impressed by that particular talent.  As a total show-off I try to impress as often as the need arises.  

With that driving prowess adulation from the peanut gallery, I decided I could add driving instructor to my curriculum vitae.  I try to employ the same calm and words of wisdom my dad employed with me.  No hanging on the edge of my seat or yelling in panic. Fortunately, my oldest is a calm driver albeit a tad bit too over-confident.  I think that comes with being a teenager so that needs tamed by humility and an understanding that driving irresponsibly can have life-changing consequences.

Currently,  we are working on night driving, navigating the busier roads, and learning to maintain a steady speed in the process.  So far, so good.  Hopefully, by Spring I will have my very own chauffeur!

How about you, who taught you how to drive and did you enjoy teaching your kid(s) to drive?

Monday Afternoon Daybook

Outside My Window...leaves are beginning to turn colors.  Sun is out and a soft breeze is blowing

I'm Listening To...the hum of central heating.  We finally gave in and turned it on.  The space heaters were no longer cutting it with the temps hovering in the 30's these past few days.  It's nice to wake up to a warm home.  

The Week Ahead...hopefully none of the other kids will catch what the youngest suffers from.  Hopefully, its not the flu!  So the week ahead is a wait-and-see.

What's Cooking...more apples to bake! Crock pot meals for most of the week so I can just set it and forget it.  The Baking Girl doesn't have school today so she is commandeering the oven.

Homeschool Is Cool...the youngest is still sick today so he is exempt from the regular schedule.  I don't know about your homeschool but when one of ours is sick we all seem to feel like we should slow down too.

Great Nature...this picture qualifies as nature, right?  lol

Prayers...the St. Jude novena started a few days ago.  Offering it for a friend who is very ill. 

What I'm Reading...Made This Way by Leila Miller and Trent Horn.  I just picked up this book a few days ago so I'm in the early pages.  

How is your Monday so far?

Bad Business Practice

Power came back sometime during the early morning today.  The wind finally died down replaced by a cool, brisk morning.  My youngest felt ill yesterday.  By dinner time he had a temperature. He missed CCD and Mass today.  Currently he still has a fever so I won't blog for very long.

I feel like October is going by too quickly.  I'm a bit behind schedule with schoolwork and Fall cleaning.  Nothing too drastic, just stuff I was hoping to be done with.

We were hoping to get some work done on our bathroom before Thanksgiving but it looks like it will have to wait until Spring.  What is it with high-pressure salespeople?! When we were getting estimates to get windows replaced in our sunroom  (years ago) we were pressured to commit or we won't get the "special discount".  Same thing happened lately while trying to get an estimate for bathroom renovation.  The salesperson told us the discount they are offering was a "today only" deal.  When we asked if we can let him know later that day he said nope because he was traveling to another client in another state.  Needless to say, that company is NOT getting our business.  I don't like being pressured into making a decision in the same day given the amount of money involved.  The audacity of this person (and possibly this company) to think that their high pressure tactics is the way to go is really irritating.  

Oh well, on to the next contractor....pm me if you have a good bathroom reno person!

In the meantime, how cute is middle child cuddling with his sick brother?! -

Power Outage

Due to high winds our power is out so I won't have my usual long-winded blog post.  

Until tomorrow!!!

Fit Friday: FIIT4 Details, Pros and Cons

Week Three of FIIT 4 is finished.  I'm finding that the shoulder series to be the most challenging. Eight pounds is my max otherwise I don't complete the set. By the time I get to the swimmers my back and shoulders are so tired I can't even lift five pounds. I can only count that as a good thing.

What I love about this workout (Pros):

• only four days a week 
• no more than 37 minutes at a time
• only 10 reps per exercise (except for the "burnout") 
• fairly gentle (saying this since my last workout was HardCorps which was bootcamp style) but don't be fooled, you will be sore and you will be sweaty
• no background music so I can either play my own or not play anything at all (so far I like the no music)
• the exercises are demonstrated before you have to do it (unlike some workouts where it is assumed you know what to do, looking at you P90x!)
• the form check reminders are timely especially when my muscles are getting tired
• since it's only a four-day workout, I usually get to rest on Saturday and Sunday

What I don't love (Cons):

• nothing yet

I do not have a goal for this workout program other than to be consistent.  Since I am also training for a race all my goals are towards a faster running time.  FIIT4 is only and 8-week program so I would really like to do another round post-race. 

Next Friday, I will write about my motivations for exercising.

Happy Weekend!

source

Let's Talk Hobbies

My friend Nicole who does amazing things with Woodburning made me think today of hobbies. Is it sad that I had to think hard (and go on Pinterest!) to figure out if I have hobbies? According to Merriam-Webster a hobby is a "pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation".  Relaxation is a big word around here.  I don't think it could be found in any of my to-do lists! I "relax" myself to sleep at the end of each long day probably doesn't qualify as a hobby.

Apparently, 73 per cent of those asked on HobbyLark if they have hobbies answered "no".  It feels good not be alone.  But before you feel sorry for me, there is hope.  According to various Pinterest and Google'd articles, I actually do have hobbies - reading, writing/blogging, hiking, meditating, running/exercising (eh, not relaxing!), baking/cooking/canning, camping, organizing (also not relaxing)  Wow, I didn't realize my life is one big hobby! 

All kidding aside, I found a couple of things I would love to become a hobby.  One of them is to learn calligraphy.  I'm not particularly artistic but calligraphy seems like something that I can be good at. Handwriting in style seems relaxing. Another pursuit I want to take seriously is gardening.  Every year I marvel my husband with plans of planting bulbs, vegetables, flowers and trees (to double as a privacy fence) in the backyard.  Every year I marvel at the fact that I still haven't done it. My dad had a green thumb.  I'm not sure yet what thumb was given to me since all my plants are hardy and require very little intervention save for the occasional watering and pruning.  

If there is one thing, though, that I have done a lot in the last twelve months it was going to the movies.  With all the Marvel movies alone I think the theater made a lot of money from my brood.  I also saw Star Wars (the latest of the saga), Christopher Robin, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Incredibles. I'm sure I'm missing a few more. Come to think of it, with our Amazon Prime, Netflix and On Demand subscriptions I have logged in a lot of screen time.  I'm feeling a little bit more relaxed now seeing as I do have a movie hobby!

What about you, do you have time for hobbies?  If there is something new you could learn as a fun pursuit, what would it be?

source

Tried And Loved Recipes

I just finished processing my first batch of homemade applesauce with the help of my eleven-year-old.  There's still about a bushel left so I was thinking of canning apple pie filling next.  I love this time of the year.  The work that goes into processing apples allows me to slow down without having to think about the next thing on the list to check off.  The frenzy of hosting Thanksgiving gets to me around this time every year.  With the older kids busy at their brick and mortar school, I have less help especially with the bigger chores. Having to focus my energy on something other than Thanksgiving to-do's is a welcome respite.  Thank God for apples, despite Adam and Eve!

Anyhow, for this post I would like to share some of the recipes I found on Pinterest that I actually loved.  I won't post the actual recipes but here are the links -

Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork - with a name like that what is there not to like!  This recipe is a winner followed to the letter.  I asked the family if I should put something else next time (garlic powder, rosemary, etc) and they all agreed it does need anything but salt and pepper. Confession: I used sea salt since I don't have kosher salt.

mouth watering goodness

The World's Greatest Baby Back Ribs - is it the world's greatest? I'm not so sure.  But it is definitely good. We are not big on barbecue sauce around here so we just serve it as is when done. I have tried many different ways of cooking baby back ribs and by far, this is what we all agreed on as the best method (especially for the set it and forget it kind like myself) and the best tasting.

The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever! - I think you can't post anything on Pinterest unless you can claim it as being the best. Once again, I am not sure this is the best ever but it gets pretty darned close. I doubled the recipe and both pies were gone within 24 hours!  Maybe it is actually the best.

My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken - yes to this!  This is a fail-proof recipe. The skin is crunchy, the meat is moist and the recipe is uncomplicated.  And I know complicated roast chicken recipes with the various iterations I have ruined tried over the years.  This is officially now the only way I roast chicken.  My lemongrass-stuffed version is not missed.

What are your go-to recipes?

Freedom To Be Loved

"You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know." - Psalm 139:13-14

While I was contemplating my relationship with the Lord, I thought about all the work I put into loving Him.  First I have to pray, then I have to listen, then I have to study, then I have to put what I've learned into action. A familiar cycle that usually brings me comfort. On this particular day, however, the magnitude of my life - past, present, future - was hitting me with an exhaustion, both mental and physical, I couldn't shake. That is a recipe for a prayer temper-tantrum for me.  But as they say when you have nothing good to say just don't say it.  So I gave God the good old silent treatment.  I figure He knows me well enough and He can handle any attitude I dish out.  By the way, that's not how you should treat people you claim to love! But I'm a fallen human being so every so often this is how I treat God.  

Instead of focusing on the effort of loving Him, I just let Him love me in the quiet. Instead of my usual, "I need clear, concise, sign of Jonah answers today Lord!" (complete with fists up in the air hahaha) I told Him I was getting tired of my own demands and the demands of my life.  So tired that I'm just going to shut up.  As our companionable silence progressed it occurred to me how He loves in such a free and effortless manner.  Through my tears and tempers, laughter and calm, His love is steady, unwavering. There are no conditions for the love He offers me. I don't have to be anything other than who I am at that moment.  Sometimes those moments are ugly with ingratitude and sinfulness or filled with stress and worry. When He loves He is just Being, whereas when I love I am acting (doing something to prove my love).  No wonder loving is wearying to me because I am measuring my efforts, counting the cost, and anticipating a just reward.  It's still amazing to me how in my giving Him the silent treatment He, in turn, gave me a loud and clear statement of how He loves.  Slowly but surely I am coming to understand what "God is love" truly means.  

I hope, unlike me, you know the ways of God's love in your life.

Monday Afternoon Daybook

Outside My Window...clouds and a light drizzle.  Cuddling under the blanket weather.

I'm Listening To...clanking of forks and plates, kids eating apple crisp topped with ice cream. 

The Week Ahead...a to-do list heavy with deep cleaning projects. I'm trying to muster the enthusiasm to tackle it.  Hopefully, the special Mass for our homeschool support group this week will give me all the graces needed to cross out everything on my list.

What's Cooking...lots of baking with apples this week.  Steak and potatoes for dinner tonight.  I haven't finalized dinner plans for the rest of the week. I'm usually on top of my game with meal planning.  It's only Monday so I'm not behind yet.

Homeschool Is Cool...last day for the Fall session at the Homeschool Gym.  We break for a week then the next session starts up again in a couple of weeks.  Finishing up some tests this week then I have to start thinking about Advent ideas to incorporate in our studies.

Great Nature...dear daughter took these pictures of wildflowers growing in our backyard.  It used to be where we had the vegetable patch.  We have neglected it for a couple of years but Mother Nature, in her genius, decided to grow her own beauty.  

Prayers...of thanksgiving.  Since streamlining my online life and ramping up my prayer life, the Lord has been lavishing me with gifts, both spiritual and temporal.  Maybe He's been giving them to me all along and I was just too busy too notice.  

What I'm reading...lots of recipes (apples of course!)  Do you sometimes feel like just looking at the proportions of certain recipes you know it's not going to taste good?  Well, I'm finding that the amount of sugar in many baking recipes are just a bit too much, at least for me.  So I'm researching non-North American recipes and comparing the sugar content with my well-loved creations.  I'm sure I will blog about it.

Happy Monday!

Apple Picking

It's finally beginning to feel like Fall in these parts.  Late this past week the temperatures cooled down considerably.  The kids have been asking for the central heat to be turned on especially at night. I think we will sit on it for a couple more days. Currently we have space heaters, sweaters,  flannel sheets, and piles of blankets to keep the night-time chill at bay.  

The leaves are beginning to turn colors but most are still green. It shouldn't be long now before we see the riot of reds, purples, oranges, and yellows light up the landscape.  The kids are already talking about jumping on leaves. 

We haven't yet picked pumpkins but we did pick apples. As usual we will make apple sauce, pies, crumbles, cakes, and can the leftovers (if there's any!) We picked Golden Delicious and Winesap and bought seconds of the Jonathan.  The seconds are sub par quality (in appearance only, the taste is the same) so it's priced at a discount. We bought half a bushel for eight dollars. Jonathan is a good eating and baking apple. Unlike some varieties it is not as acidic so I can eat it without the burning feeling on my tongue. If you are making pie with it be sure to add lemon for tartness. 

Without further ado, here are the pictures of our apple picking adventure -  

left or right?

ready to pick apples

I took this picture with my digital camera...

she is taking the same apple picture with a film(!!!) camera lent to her for photography class

oldest and youngest

don't know exactly what this silly pose is about

found the marker my niece from Texas left on the visitor's map last Spring

half a bushel of Jonathan seconds and a gallon of apple cider

gourds and pumpkins

chrysanthemums

Golden Delicious and Winesap

Baking season has begun!  What are you baking this Fall?