Happy Halloween!

We had a very fun Halloween this year. Both girls got to trick or treat and fun was had by all.

No surprise that Adelle wanted to be a bride since Aunt Alyssa just got married last weekend. :)

Our little Pooh bear (last year she was Tigger. I'm seeing a trend here).

Mommy and her sweet girls

We also had some great family photos taken this morning by a local photographer. Check them out if you wanna.

Oh, thank you for my AZ

Well, we're back in NC now and mostly recovered from the best wedding I've ever been to (mine included, but that one's easy to trump). To all you single ladies out there - when it's your turn to get married, find a wedding venue that does pretty much everything for you. You will be glad you did. Alyssa got married at the lovely Regency Garden and it was the easiest, stress-free wedding ever. Thank you, RG. Everything was spectacular.

We kicked off wedding week with the rehearsal and dinner about three hours after we arrived in AZ. It was fun. We at at Rustler's Rooste (and my kids both tried rattlesnake. I kid you not). Lovely views overlooking the city.

Thursday was visit with Kristen day! It was so fun to see her again (come visit sometime, Kristen!). It was also mani-pedi day. My stepmom cried for the first time about the upcoming wedding as we were all sitting together waiting for our nails to dry (she was happy we were all together). Thursday night was the bachelorette party. Kelsey, Alyssa, and I enjoyed a fun dinner at BJ's (Get the hefeweizen. It's the best. As Kelsey put it, "It's like drinking a loaf of bread". Delish!). Afterward, we surprised Lyss by taking her to Dave and Busters where we got her all gussied up like a bachelorette and met some of her friends there. Since Alyssa couldn't drink, she got to pick all of Kelsey's drinks for the night. It was way fun and we learned that for every drink Kelsey has, her volume raises one decibel.

Friday was a chill day. All the out of town family came over for dinner on Friday. The sisters and I watched YouTube videos in the livingroom. This is the best one, hands down.

Saturday was wedding day. Chris (the hairdresser, not the groom) came over and did everyone's hair. We just had fun getting ready together. We then went to the wedding location, got dresses, took a few pictures and got Chris (the groom, not the hairdresser) and Alyssa hitched. The dj for the reception was THE BEST EVER. The garter was my favorite part. First off, Chris did his homework and came up with a hilarious act for getting the garter (Lyss had no idea what he was going to do). He unbuttoned his jacket, walked around her, then went under the dress to get the garter. Only he came out with a red thong. Ha ha ha! Alyssa turned one shade of red. The dj sent him back to find the garter and he came back out with handcuffs! Alyssa turned five more shades of red and my Nana laughed so hard I thought she was going to fall off her chair. The third time was the charm and he came out with the garter. All the singles guys then lined up to catch it and four were chosen to 'compete a bit'. They were given small basketball hoops with a ball hung from it by a string to buckle around their waist. They then had to score as many points as possible without using their hands. Shaking hips and pelvic thrusts ensued. I seriously laughed so hard I thought I might pass out. Good times.

Kelsey drank an entire bottle of champagne. We took silly photos, rode in the limo home, and Kelsey fell out. Classy. ;)

So now we're home and I miss my west coast family. Come visit soon guys! And congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Bargren.

When life gives you apples...

you make 12 quarts of applesauce, five batches of apple pie filling for the freezer, four batches of sliced apples for the freezer (for apple crisp... YUM!), four gallon-sized bags of dried apples, and two loaves of apple bread. That's what.

I still have half a box left, but will be making said loaves of apple bread plus another batch of dried apples tomorrow. That ought to finish them up nicely.

I've had several people ask me for my recipe for applesauce. It's not so much of a recipe as it is a process, but here goes:

Peel, core, and slice apples.


Place them in the biggest pot you can find (and add any other fruit you'd like. Here we have the makings of a primo batch of strawberry-raspberry applesauce). Add a bit of fruit fresh to prevent browning, if you like. Add about 1 cup of water, just to prevent the apples from drying out or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook the fruit down until it is very soft. (You can also cook them in the crockpot all day or overnight if you've got the time).


Run the cooked apples through a food mill. If you don't have a food mill, you have three options: 1- use a potato masher for chunky applesauce, 2 - use a blender for very smooth, baby food-like applesauce, or 3 - borrow my mill.


Now either put the applesauce in the fridge or can it. I opted to can it since we won't be needing ALL that applesauce just now.


Voila. Applesauce. I believe this is plain, blueberry, and cinnamon applesauce here.

Guess what I'll be doing this week?

Yep. Thanks to my Gramps for his super awesome apple trees (and generosity) as well as my step dad for driving them down to us, I'll be happily busy with various apple preserving projects. On the menu so far are applesauce, blueberry applesauce (requested by Adelle), dried apples, and probably sliced apples to freeze for apple crisp as well. YUM.

Thank goodness for an electric apple peeler.

Why?

This is a common question heard around our house these days. Adelle is three and a half which means that the 'why' stage is in full effect. I've heard many grumbles of irritation over this from other preschool parents and I have to admit, I only find it mildly annoying (like when she asks 'why' to a question she already knows the answer to). In most cases, I find it refreshing and thought provoking.

I think our society is often afraid to ask 'why'. We just shuffle along and do as we're told feigning shock and outrage at those to flow against the stream. All the while, inside, I believe there is something that respects those who dare to ask 'why'. Why means thinking for oneself; sorting through the piles of opinions of what is right, wrong, acceptable, cool, successful, important, etc. I think most of us would do well to ask ourselves a few more why questions more often.

Why do I believe what I do?
Why do I spend my money as I do?
Why do I prioritize the things in my life as they are?
Why?

It's a good 'stage' to go through the rest of our lives. I hope Adelle never stops questioning or thinking for herself. Maybe this is one of the reasons Jesus told his disciples that they should be like children... healthy curiosity.

Sigh

I'm feeling a little down these days. Of course, 'down' could also be any of the following: lonely, hormonal, tired, over-extended, or insecure.

Not sure, though.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

A few years ago, Adelle received The Jesus Storybook Bible for her birthday. It was a little ahead of where she was, so we set it on her bookshelf and left it for a time. Today, Adelle pulled it off the shelf and asked if we could read it. It was the first time I really sat down and paid it the attention that it deserves.

It is, in a word, magnificent. Sally Lloyd-Jones has written a children's paraphrase version of the Bible from the angle of grace, mercy, and hope. Truly, "every story whispers Jesus' name".

Not only is it beautifully written, the illustrations are stunning. Truly, I cannot wait to read more of this with Adelle (and will probably read it by myself, as well). Whether you have kids or not, get a copy and enjoy!

Here are the opening few paragraphs to whet your appetite.

God wrote, "I love you" - he wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror - to show us what he is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing.

The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims.

And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called, "the Bible."

Now, some think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is - it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.