Apple Cider in the making. November 2011

The tradition continues. Last year Larry and I started a tradition of inviting the missionaries up to help press the apple cider if our family isn't able to come. This year we only had 1/2 the apples we normally get so we got 1/2 the cider but it only took 1/2 the time.

We had one tree left to pick so we sent a couple of the Elders along with Jovie to pick it.

The apples have to be put in the green buckets so they can be washed before we press them.

Where do I put this apple? Ainsley asked.

Here we go!

Gathering the apples, cleaning, pressing and putting them in jugs. What a process.

Thanks Elders!

Time to clean up. Larry looked like a turtle to me.

The finished apple cider after I pasteurized it. Which is siphoning off the juice without any sediment and heating it up to 185 degrees, right before boiling. Feels good to have it done. At $6.00 a gallon which is the cost in a store we saved $240.00 by picking our own apples and pressing them.

I also made applesauce, apple butter and dried some apples.

A strawberry I picked in November. The last one of the season. I wonder who ate it?

Larry was in the mood for some donuts so

I made cinabon cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate one day. That's love.

It's a relief when the growing season is finished and I have the garden and flowerbeds all cleaned up. I can start concentrating on getting ready for Christmathanks. With the growing season being later this year I feel like I'm in a time crunch. I just hope all the family will like what Larry and I wind up getting them for their presents. Well that's another blog post. Stay tuned...



Random pictures from over the last several months of random things and people.

Pictures that I love and want to share but didn't seem to go into anyone specific post so I thought I'd group them all together.

Ruby shopping with me at JoAnn's. Keeping an eye open for the good sales.

Last summer (2010) Larry and I would take Ruby golfing with us. I'd attach her to my golf clubs.

One of the things I love to do when I first wake up is look outside and take deep breaths as I gather in energy for the rest of day. It helps jump start my day. I noticed that Ruby likes to look outside when she first gets up too.

Ethan and Ainsley playing a duet. Beautiful melody.

A few years ago we went to Mexico on a cruise. I came across this picture I took with my old cell phone. I was removing the pictures off it getting ready to disable it. Brought back some good warm fun times.

Larry and I went to the Farmers market with some friends that came to visit and I was watching Ethan. They had a place where you could write on the sidewalk. Ethan loved it.

Sibling love. Owen and Mae.

Misty and David's son Hyrum (11th grandchild) is such a handsome little guy. Gotta love him!

He's wearing a jacket that was Michael's when he was a baby.

I got free tickets to the circus so I took Jovie. Since the tickets were free I treated us to an elephant ride.

That's it for this randomness post. It made me realize that I need to make an effort to take more pictures of the older grand kids even though they may not want me too.

Some of our garden bounty (October 2011)

It was getting near the end of harvest. The days were getting shorter and cooler. We were enjoying produce up to the first hard frost. I had got everything picked by then though. After all that hard work I didn't want to lose anything.

Our pumpkins. Each grandchild was able to have their own pumpkin. Plus we sent some to Michael and Emma and have some left over. Maybe next week I'll be able to make pumpkin seeds. I've been wanting to just haven't got to it yet.

The back row are Cinderella pumpkins, then Ghost pumpkins and the Jackolantern pumpkins are the orange ones in the front. The very front row are a couple of unripe pumpkins and a deformed looking Cinderella one. My favorite looking ones are the Cinderella. They had such a pretty colored skin.

A large harvest of Spaghetti and Butternut squash.

Egg plant grew finally. It took forever and went bad fast once picked so I won't be growing that next year. I did saute some up with zucchini and yellow squash. It's a pretty vegetable. Tasted good.

Cinderella pumpkins up close.

Ainsley loved eating the plums by the handful.

Plum fruit leather I made. It is really really tasty. First time I made it. Why didn't I think of it before?

We had so much cantaloupe that we couldn't get eaten before it went bad I decided to dry some. Everyone gave it a big thumbs up!

The beginning of the goat house Larry is building.