Apples, Apples, and More Apples

New England tradition states that we go apple picking in the fall. I enjoy this, and take full advantage. However, Nick doesn't like raw apples, and I can only eat so many. Add to this the apples we keep getting in our CSA (not complaining), and I have been drowning in apples. So, this week I:


Canned apple pie filling, made and canned applesauce, and dehydrated apples.

Now what do I do with these?

Hallowe'en and Santa Claus

Woburn puts on a great Hallowe'en parade every year. We are talking about 2 hours of floats, bagpipes, militia, tanks, marching bands, etc. Nick and I stumbled on it our first year, and have gone back every year since. Nick's favorite part is the Star Wars characters. Mine is grabbing the candy from the little kids ground where it lands.

When I was telling our friends about this, I couldn't help but warn them of the end of the parade.
Yes, that is Santa Claus, and no he doesn't throw candy.

Blog Surfing- An answer to trials? Who Da Thunk it

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rev. 7:17

Being sick means a lot of sleep. Unfortunately, it also means a lot of late night awake time when you start to feel better. So tonight I blog surfed. I don't even know what blog I started on, but I ended up reading through a varied assortment of blogs. From the What NOT to say to a birthmother (which I think has guidelines for everyone if you listen to the intent), to a very tear inducing journal entry that echos a lot of my feelings. I even ended up reading through a few Ensign articles: Infertility, Faith and Personal Growth; Just the Two of Us-For Now; and I Longed to be a Mother. But through all the tears I found peace. I found the peace I have been searching for for a long time. And it's not easy, and I know that my personal trial is not over, and that it's not magically going to go away. But for the first time in a long time, I feel my Savior's love surrounding this trial. I don't feel so alone. I know that there are other couples in our family oriented church that are also struggling with the feeling of denial when it comes to being fruitful. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that my prayers will be answered in His way, not necessarily mine. And I stumbled upon a quote that concisely sums up my feelings:

"Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come." ~Joseph F. Smith

New Recipe#1

I made squash soup. It was fairly easy, and I meant to take a picture. But I became a little disturbed about the fact that while it was deliciously tasty, it looked a lot like baby food....

Recipe: (created by deviating from 3 separate recipes)

2 butternut squash, split in half and seeded
1 acorn squash, split in half and seeded
(side note: easiest way to seed a squash is with an ice cream scoop)

Spritz the flesh side of the squash with olive oil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt, and a dash of pepper. Place the squash halves flesh side up in a 375 oven for about 40 minutes. Pull out, and let cool for about 5 minutes (it should still be hot to warm or it will be harder to work with). Scoop all the flesh into a pot (again the ice cream scoop worked really well). Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Blend with your immersion blender. Add another cup of chicken broth. Blend again. Add 1/2 cup of cream. Blend again. Add 2 tsp -3 tsp of ginger (to taste), 2 tsp black pepper, and a dash of salt. Gently heat until hot. Enjoy!

I was stoked to find out that my food dehydrator fruit leather insert fits perfectly with my immersion blender to form a shield!

The Best Birthday Present Ever

The best birthday present ever is being given to me by C. I won't get him until April or so, but I'm excited now.



I feel very lucky and extremely thankful to be given this gift. Nick and I have named him Matthew. He is due April 4, 2010. We are excited to have the opportunity to bring Matthew into our home. I'm happy that C feels we will be good parents, and that she shared these pictures with us. We have two of them hanging on the fridge.

101 things (or how to get my butt off the couch for 1001 days)

Who: Me, although some goals may involve other family members.
What: 101 measurable goals
Why: To inspire me to work towards my goals rather than hide in a blanket on my couch all winter, or be a computer/electronic sloth. Also, with my brother committing his life to God's Work for 2 years, I feel like I should step it up.
How I learned about it: Inspired by my friend Christy, and tracked back to Day Zero.
When: 1001 days...which means I'm due Wednesday July 11, 2012

The List:
1. Make and decorate a cool looking cake
2. Read The New Professional Chef
3. Learn (and use!) my cool fonts on my blog
4. Plan a vacation with my husband
5. Scrapbook prior and 2005
6. Scrapbook 2006-2008
7. Scrapbook 2009 and keep up going forward
8. Make 143 New Recipes (approximately 1 per week) (0/143)
9. Learn to play I Am a Child of God with both hands
10. Call my mom once a week (0/143)
11. Speak to my sister once a week (0/143)
12. Write to my bother once a week while on his mission (0/104)
13. Create a manageable, organized system for storing photos digitally
14. Sew a quilt from old blue jeans
15. Update my blog once a week (1/143)
16. Create cards for every occasion
17. Send homemade birthday cards to my immediate family-at least one birthday (0/14)
18. Host a game night hour times (0/4)
19. Have an overnight in Maine
20. Create and Maintain a House Cleaning Schedule
21. Sort through my closet and get rid of anything that doesn't fit me
22. Create an exercise habit working to a goal of an hour/day 4 days a week
23. Find 15 new authors to try
24. Read 10 inspirational books
25. Read 50 non-fiction books
26. Pay off Student Loans
27. Pay off Car
28. Find a way to store recipes that works for me
29. Turn my craft room into a nursery
30. Have a 72 hour kit for each member of the family (including the dog)
31. Have a 1 year food storage that is easy to rotate
32. Buy a pressure cooker and learn how to use it
33. Paint my nails for Christmas and Hallowe'en (0/6)
34. Update the pictures in my picture clock
35. No soda for 2 weeks (0/14)
36. Have a family photo taken each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
37. Go to the drive in once a month in season (0/16)
38. Return my library books on time for all 1001 days
39. Find a new park to take Stitch to run each summer
40. Go see a Broadway show
41. Visit New York and see the Statue of Liberty
42. Learn Photoshop Elements
43. Find 1 movie for each letter of the alphabet to watch (classics preferred)(0/26)
44. Donate 1,000,000 grains of free rice (50/1,000,000)
45. Watch 5 sunrises with someone I love (0/5)
46. Watch 5 sunsets with someone I love (0/5)
47. Visit the beach 24 times (0/24)
48. Unplug from the phone, computer, and television for one whole day. Repeat. (0/2)
49. No take out for two weeks (0/2)
50. Take 26 pictures around Massachusetts for each letter of the alphabet (0/26)
51. Buy and Install a new kitchen sink
52. Learn how to can vegetables
53. Write in my journal twice a week (0/286)
54. Read my scriptures every day (0/1001)
55. Try a new restaurant for my birthday
56. Do something fun for the summer that's new to me
57. Learn to make pie crust
58. Bake bread every week (0/143)(except for vacation)
59. Ride a train to somewhere
60. Spend an afternoon at the park reading each summer (0/3)
61. Visit a pumpkin patch each fall (0/3)
62. Pick apples in the fall (0/3)
63. Go Strawberry picking in the spring/summer(0/3)
64. Answer a Journal Jar Question once a week (0/143)
65. Dance on the beach at night in the middle of winter when the stars are clearest
66. Write a letter on my 30th birthday for me on my 40th birthday
67. Eat at the dining table every day for 2 weeks (0/14)
68. Do 10 Random Acts of Kindness (0/10)
69. Lose 50 lbs (0/50)
70. Rearrange my kitchen cupboards
71. Tip a great server 50%
72. Host a Scrap Night - or 6! (0/6)
73. Buy 10 Wendy's Frosty books and send them to 10 different people
74. Take a non planned vacation
75. Visit our Utah family
76. Take one picture a day for 30 days (0/30)
77. Fast once a month (0/33)
78. Color all the pictures in one of my coloring books
79. Reread Harry Potter
80. Go to bed before 2am for a month
81. Have a date with Nick once a month (even just a picnic in our living room)
82. Create a family tree for my side of the family
83. Create a family tree for Nick's side of the family
84. Clean up (off?) my computer
85. Become a stay at home wife
86. Make coq au vin (not counted in the new recipe goal)
87. Adjust man room for Nick and I to share
88. Go camping
89. Go to the Hill Cumorah Pageant
90. Visit Nauvoo
91. Have friends over for dinner (0/8)
92. Go to a Bruins Game
93. Go to a Red Sox Game
94. Private
95. Make breakfast everyday for a week (0/7)
96. Donate $5 to charity for every goal not finished (101/101)
97. Learn to listen to Nick without offering my two cents unless asked (work)
98. Learn to use the special features on my camera
99. Sort out my Internet favorites
100.Teach Stitch to heel
101.Make a new list at the end

Who's with me?

Great Brook Farm State Park

This may be my new favorite place. The parking is cheap, the land is beautiful, and Stitch is welcome! The fact that it's year round, and well behaved dogs are allowed off leash on certain trails, means our whole family loves it! We didn't try the ice cream, but we did meet the farm animals.





Check it out!

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/gbfm.htm

Some Songs Touch Your Heart Forever

I'm sure you have all had them, those songs that touch your life, even if you don't know why. As I was listening to my iPod today, I heard these two, and was instantly back with my cousin in Utah. I was about 15 and she had just bought his CD. We listened to it every night at bedtime.

This first song, my cousin absolutely loved. It was one of her favorites on the CD. Interestingly, this same cousin ended up in the situation described by the song. She also chose adoption, and every time I hear this song, I think of her. I also wonder if her spirit recognized the song from another time, or if it was just one of those connections.

From God's Arms to My Arms to Yours
Words and Music by Michael McLean
So many wrong decisions in my past, I'm not quite sure
If I can ever hope to trust my judgment anymore.
But lately I've been thinking,
Cause it's all I've had to do.
And in my heart I feel that I
Should give this child to you.
And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before, By someone, who delivered your son,
From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.

If you choose to tell him,
If he wants to know,
How the one who gave him life
Could bear to let him go.
Just tell him there were sleepless nights,
I prayed and paced the floors,
And knew the only peace I'd find,
Was if this child was yours.

And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before,
By someone, who delivered your son,
From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.
This may not be the answer,
For another girl like me.
But I'm not on a soapbox,
Saying how we all should be.
I'm just trusting in my feelings,
And I'm trusting God above,
And I'm trusting you can give this baby
Both his mothers' love.
And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before,
By someone, who delivered your son,
From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.

(This song was based on the writings of a young birth mother who shared them with songwriter Michael McClean. )

© Michael McLean

The same cousin introduced me to the companion song, which I thought I'd share as well. If you have a chance to listen to the CD, it's absolutely touching. I was told once upon a time that this song is sung by a mother who adopted, and the previous song by a birth mother. I don't know if it's true, but I like to think so.

The Gift We Could Not Give Each Other
Words and Music by Michael McLean

When she was a little girl she held her dolls like children.
Dreaming of the day when she'd have babies of her own.
Now those dolls lie on a shelf as lifeless as the dreams she dreamed.
It's become the deepest ache her heart has ever known.
There's a man who's trying his best to comfort her with roses.
Telling her he'll find a way to make their dreams come true.
He's been saying this for years, but now his tears reveal the truth.
In his heart he fears there's nothing else that they can do.
Then a gift is given, a phone call straight from heaven.
There's a child that's nearly due that a young girl's giving you.
She gave more than just one life when she makes of this man and wife
a father and a mother. She gives the gift they could not give each other.
More than we could ever know this couple thanks the heavens.
Every time they hold their child, they feel they hold the world.
Words will never be enough to share the way the family feels.
From deep inside their hearts they want to tell that girl:
Not a day is ever through till we've thanked the Lord for you.
Your sweetness lingers near in our hearts and thoughts and prayers.
You gave more than just one life when you made of this man and wife,
a Father and a Mother. When you gave the gift we could not give each other.
You have changed our lives forever. Only you and God above could give this gift of love we could not give each other.

© Michael McLean

And now that you are all teary, another favorite of mine. My mom has sung this song around the house as long as I can remember. I remember her dancing around the kitchen with some of my siblings to this song. Every time we go to karaoke, she sings it-usually with my Aunt Bev.

Tennessee Flat Top Box
As sung by Rosanne Cash, Lyrics by Johnny Cash

In a little cabaret in a South Texas border town,
Sat a boy and his guitar, and the people came from all around.
And all the girls from there to Austin,
Were slippin' away from home and puttin' jewelery in hock.
To take the trip, to go and listen,
To the little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box

And he would play: (Instrumental.)

Well, he couldn't ride or wrangle, and he never cared to make a dime.
But give him his guitar, and he'd be happy all the time.
And all the girls from nine to ninety,
Were snapping fingers, tapping toes, and begging him: "Don't stop."
And hypnotized and fascinated,
By the little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box.

And he would play: (Instrumental.)

Then one day he was gone, and no one ever saw him 'round,
He'd vanished like the breeze, they forgot him in the little town.
But all the girls still dreamed about him.
And hung around the cabaret until the doors were locked.
And then one day on the Hit Parade,
Was a little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box.

And he would play: (Instrumental.)
© Johnny Cash

Cards

The thing I miss most about my family? Playing games. Most Sunday evenings, Nick and I could be found at my parents house playing board games with the kids. My dad didn't like to play, but my mom would join in. I really miss that.

One of the fun things about camping when it rains, is there is lots of time to play cards. Even if there isn't much time to have campfires. We also fit in some mad libs.

The Tent

More vacation stuff, I know.

So we took our well worn tent with us to Canada. It had made the trip before, and was a great little tent. Then the rains came. The rains came down, and the water came in! The tent was leaking all over us. There is nothing good about being woken up in the middle of the night by cold water dripping on your face. Then you roll out of the way, and put your face into a wet pillow. Luckily, my sleeping bag was very water proof, so I just sunk deeper until all that was left was a lump in the bag. Nick was not so lucky, and had a bath while he slept.

When morning came, we attempted to fix the tent. Which is when we found out how lucky we were it didn't collapse on us. For collapse it did in the morning.



Since this happened the first night of our week vacation, and there was more rain predicted for the week, we were stuck buying a new tent. Our options were few, so we ended up with a bigger tent than expected.