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.