The tastes and smells of fall!!

So earlier this week my friends Angela R. and Susan G. went to the orchard to buy apples, peaches and pears. And since the apples were only 17 cents a pound I couldn't pass it up. So they brought me back a bushel of Gala apples from the Church Orchard! I got really ambitious and decided to make apple butter. I have never made or canned anything by myself. But with the help from a few friends on Facebook and borrowed equiptmant (thanks Angela!), I made apple butter.

My helper!

He managed to peal only 3 apples but he was so proud of himself! He is going to give a jar to his teacher!

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I started on Tuesday mid-day, making applesauce (I had to make 9 quarts of applesauce to make 6-7 pints of apple butter!). I used 2 crock pots, and a ricer to make the first 4 quarts of applesauce, it takes 6 hours to make one batch! Then yesterday (Wednesday) I made another 4.5 qts of applesacue (you can only imaging how good the house smells!!! Finally by yesterday evening I started the apple butter!! Again in the crock pot, it had to cook for 16+ hours on low!!

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So today (Thursday) I processed the apple butter and the leftover apple cider! No sugar added just a little cinnamon (in the cider, there are 4 cups of sugar in the "butter"!)

Apple butter! YUM! And all the lids sealed!!! I can't wait to eat this on toast and warm dinner rolls!

And the Hot Apple Cider! This should be good on a cold December day! (It was 90 degrees today!)

Thanks to all my friends and supportive children who made this all possible!!! Mind you I had a 5 month old, a 8 month old and a 2 year old in the house while all this was going on!!

Big Girl!

Just in the past few weeks, Brynley has become less baby and more big baby!! She figured out how to sit up and play. Her favorite thing is to pull things out of a bucket. We load it up with toys and stuff then she sits and pulls the out one by one.

This was the other morning which explains the jammies! She still tips over but she will sit and play for a good 30 mins. And if she does tip over she just continues to play!

So since she can sit up now, bath time is a lot more fun!

We have had this bath "chair" for a while. It sticks to the floor of the tub and she just loves it, especially when he is in the tub too...........

Her most best buddy! She really does love Zachary. He comforts her when she falls over or is fussy, he sings to her at night while they are going to sleep, and he can make her laugh!!!

Spirit Week!

This week at school is spirit week. Each day is something fun. Monday was crazy sock day, Tuesday (today) was crazy hair day, Wednesday is College Colors Day, Thursday is picture day, and Friday is school pride day.

We can always find something for Madison, but Zach was a little harder since I just cut his hair. So I went to Target and got Halloween green hair spray, Madison wanted green too.
Last night I set Madison's hair in sponge rollers, and this is how it turned out! I combed out all the curls, then sprayed it green. She looked like an oompa-loompa!!


Every year we take a family picture to represent the beginning of football season! Usually because Uncle Josh sends us new shirts!!

Last year I was pregnant with Brynley and this year she is ready for football!!!

This same weekend Brynn decided that she liked to sit up on her own and roll over!

Her onesie says, "I love My Ducks."

What a little ham!!

She's Ready!

I made the girls matching hair bows yesterday. This will be Brynley's first football season as a duckling! I will post more when we all of on our new duck gear!