Gotta Love These Boots!

We had gone to Wal-Mart the other day specifically for humidifier filters. I have not shopped at the Wal-Mart here in a long time due to construction with turning it into a supercenter. I couldn't take the mess and disorganization of it, so I just went to Target for all of our necessities. Now, the Wal-Mart is completely a supercenter, construction done, but I still don't shop there unless at a time like this when I need something and they are the ones who have it. You can go into Target and always come out with items you did not intend on buying (and make a pit stop for a pretzel or popcorn combo for the kids), so I have to take my "list" to keep me focused. I fully expected to go to Wal-Mart and only come out with humidifier filters for Anna's room, but I got sucked into the shoe area when I saw these boots for the kids. Brandon and Anna both oohed and aawwed over them and yes, I liked them too, so I gave into temptation and bought them. I also justified this purchase because we were going to the pumpkin patch the next day and it would be muddy from all of the rain we have had lately. (More on that in my next blog.) The boots would be perfect for that and other times when they play outside, especially at Nana and Papa's or the farm.

Limo Lunch

Recently, Brandon participated in a fundraiser for his school, Rock Creek Elementary. They were trying to raise money by selling items such as chocolates and wrapping paper and a variety of other things. My first thought when he brought the paper home was, "Oh great, school just started and we have to do this already." I just don't like having to ask people if they want to buy things. Brandon, on the other hand, was excited about this. Mostly, because he was looking at the prizes to choose from when he sold that many items. The special prize if you sold 25 items was a ride in a limo for lunch. Oh, Brandon just beamed with excitement and I told him not to get his hopes up because 25 was a lot of items to sell. He turned into Mr. Salesman and went to some of our neighbors, who didn't have kids that went to school there, and asked them if they wanted to support his school. Thanks to the neighbors, grandparents and other family members, Brandon reached his goal!! And beyond!! He ended up selling 28 items.

So, last Wed. Brandon got to ride in a Hummer Limo to Pizza Street for lunch and then back to school. I thought this was a pretty big thing since he doesn't normally eat lunch at school because he goes to afternoon kindergarten. He told me only one other girl from his class went along with other kids that were in first through fifth grade. He said he sat with the big kids, ate 3 pieces of pizza (one boy ate eleven!), and thought the limo was smaller than he expected.

Thanks to everyone who supported Brandon with this fundraiser and helped him to be able to have this "limo lunch" experience. He really enjoyed himself, even though he acts like it was just another day at school.

Apple Butter 2009

On October 9th and 10th we made Grandmary's famous apple butter. This was an old tradition for some, and a new tradition for others.

Starting Friday night we sliced a little more than five bushels of apples in our garage. We used hand-crank apple slicer/corers. This expedited the process greatly, but, according to Grandmary, wasted a little bit of each apple around the core. As it turned out, she was right. We ended up with fewer jars of apple butter per bushel than she used to get when they hand sliced each apple. I think that it was a tradeoff the rest of us were willing to take, as it only took us two hours to slice the apples, versus the many hours it takes to hand slice each apple.

We planned on making the apple butter at our home on Saturday, but Brandon developed pneumonia on Friday, and we were concerned about exposing everyone to any lingering bugs at the house. Fortunately, our friends Paul and Ryan Bowman graciously offered to host the apple butter making at their home. It worked out very well there, and they were terrific hosts, even providing breakfast and preparing lunch for us. Thanks Bowmans! Of course, we missed Jill and Brandon. Jill was involved in slicing the apples, but didn't get to be involved Saturday. Jill stayed with Brandon on Saturday, and I know they would have enjoyed being with us. Wait 'til next year. By the way, Brandon recovered quickly and is doing much better now.

Early on Saturday morning we lit a fire under Grandmary's copper kettle and started adding the sliced apples and a little water. We cooked the apples for a few hours, until they became sauce-like. We then ran the sauce through four food mills, then added it back to the kettle. After reheating, we added the spices and sugar, then cooked it to thicken further.

There is usually some careful inspection involved in the determination of when the apple butter is ready to jar. The one constant is the person who makes the call. It is Grandmary! She inspects the surface to see if it has the right sheen and to see if the "hog eyes" are holding up. (This means that the boiled bubbles stay stiff at the surface, indicating that the apple butter is thick enough). She also uses a white plate and spoon to inspect a sample before making the call.

The day was hugely successful. The apple butter had a great flavor, we felt, and everyone seemed to have a fun time. I need to thank Jill for all that she did getting ready for the event. Honey, I appreciate all of the running around you did to get supplies and to get the house ready. You sacrificed being a part of it to allow me to have fun with the crew on Saturday. I need to thank Mom, Dad, and Grandmary for the use of the kettle, for bringing all of the supplies up, and for locating the apples and spices. We couldn't have done it without you and your expertise. Again, the Bowmans deserve special thanks for opening their home to us. And, thanks to everyone who helped with the apple slicing and apple butter making. You made it a fun and easy day! There are some photos in this blog of apple butter 2009. As I can only include a few photos, I probably won't get everyone in the pics - sorry for that.

Hopefully this is the start of many more years making apple butter each fall with our family and friends!

Little Dutchgirl

My Mom and Dad are getting their basement finished and I thought I would help them out and get some of my stuff out of their way. My Mom saved a lot more than I thought and we had fun going down memory lane. I found some awards and articles from my high school days and even Anna got in on the fun. She found my basketball jersey and had to have it on and play around in it. She does like to play with a basketball, so who knows, maybe one day we will see her in her own jersey. But for now, she can be a "little Dutchgirl".

Highway?

Anna came home from preschool Tues. and was just singing at the top of her lungs. She loves to sing and dance and perform for anyone she can get to watch her. This particular song she had just learned in music and it made me laugh so hard (not in front of her of course ) when I heard it.

Anna's version of Glory to God... with a little animation and yes it was pretty loud!

Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God in the highway (should be Highest)

repeat this over and over again

She did tell me God is everywhere.

Ugh, girls are gross!

Matt and I were talking with Brandon about his day at school and asked what he had done. Brandon said his class went out to recess and he and his friends were playing a game of tag. We asked him who all he had played with and he told us the names of his friends. I asked if he played with any girls and he said no, they were on the slides and monkey bars. I joked with him about chasing girls and he said he didn't do that. I told him to watch out if the girls chased him they might try to give him a kiss. He said, "Oh we are not allowed to do that."(he said this with such a serious face). I was curious if the teachers had actually discussed this and he said no, but had a puzzled look on his face and asked, "We aren't allowed to do that are we?" Matt and I laughed and told him no and Brandon said, "Ugh, good cause that is gross! Ugh."

Yes Brandon, you keep thinking that. We aren't quite ready for those years that are ahead of us.

San Francisco trip

Matt and I were able to take a trip to San Francisco recently. We had a wonderful time together taking in the great sights of the city, eating some delicious food and just enjoying being with one another. Thanks to our fabulous parents, the kids were well taken care of and probably had as much fun as we did. This makes it possible to go anywhere and truly enjoy ourselves, so a big thanks to Nana and Papa and Pop and Grandy!! These are just a few pics from the many we took.