Some of the 2019 Canning

This is some of the canning we did this fall.  This does not include all the stuff we froze from the garden.  I got sick of canning so a lot of the produce went to the chickens.

Act of Kindness

A couple of weeks ago the kids decided to do an act of kindness for their dad.  Mom called it P.E. though so we could count it for school.  The yard was covered with a nice layer of leaves that were just begging to be raked.  I don't think the kids thought it was as good of an idea as they originally thought.  Mom said, "Who wants to rake the yard instead of doing school?"  Everyone thought it was a great idea then.  It was even suggested it was be a very nice surprise for Dad.  Well....part way through it....different tune was being sung.

 Cormac reporting for leaf duty.

 We got out the tarp after that load.

 Cormac with his commander.  (me of course)

 Rex was not happy about raking a couple of those piles.  He did a womderful job though.

 Keep up the great work, Brech Earl.

 Nice glasses, Blase!

The second-in-command taking a undeserved water break.  Though, someone had to supervise and she did an amazing job of that.

Itasca State Park

Two Saturdays ago we made the drive to Itasca State Park in Minnesota.  It was a long, boring drive.  OK, so it was only long for me and boring for a couple of the kids.  Our plan was to drive over there, look through the park, then find a place to eat lunch on the way back.  Sounded like a great plan, except we changed it mid-park viewing.  We decided we would head over to Grand Forks and stop by Cabela's to exchange a coat that didn't fit Stephen.  That added a bit to our drive (yah a long bit!) and also eliminated the chance for lunch.  We finally ate again at supper time, but it was worth the wait as we ate at Culver's.  That is Brech Earl's favorite.  :-)

 You can just barely see the water behind the kids, mostly Gianna.  That is the start of the Mississippi River.  We have crossed the Mississippi River more times that I ever imagined we would.  We have crossed it in numerous states and used it as a landmark for drives.  I am glad we were able to see where it started.

Why when you say, "Look at me and this will be over sooner," does there have to be ONE or TWO that just won't look at the camera.  This is a particularly telling picture on how many pictures it took to get the kids to look at the picture.  In the above picture Blase is smiling.  In this one he is doing the "death to the picture taker" glare. 

 We got to the open area just in time to see a riverboat turn around and head back down the river.  As you can very well imagine - that was followed by many requests to ride on the boat.  That's just what my stress level needed to send me over the edge.  We did NOT take a boat ride.

 There again - look at me...at me....AT ME!!!

 Gianna and the twins hung out with me while the boys and Darren did a bit of hiking.  She was being a ham for the camera.  She was also every person's best friend that day.  I'm sure she made the day of at least three old women and one dog that stood taller than she did.

 This tree was just hanging out over the road.  Can't say I was excited to see that.

 Thanks for the "nice" picture guys.

It was great to see fall colors and clear skies.  Oh and a few hills too.  

Apple Picking

Today we went apple picking.  We are sorta late in the season, but luckily we have an apple picker.  The kids ran and ran and even managed to pick a few apples.  There for awhile I was beginning to wonder if they were eating more than they were picking.  We were blessed to have Rex's Godmother, my cousin Naomi, and her son come along with us.

 Gianna, Naomi, and Rex

 Rex has an amazing Godmother.  She even picked one of the best apples on the tree for him.

 They kept an eye on all those crazy peoples running around.

 I just want to kiss those cheeks!!

 Cormac, Blase

 most everyone

 I think Blase is the only boy missing from this picture.

 Cormac was my crab apple picking partner. He took this picture of me.  He said, "Mom, smile like you are having fun.  Beautiful."  Melted my heart.  What a great kid.

 Water break!!

 Cormac photo bombing Thatcher's picture.

 Fun times on a swing!

Making the long, weighted down trip back to the vehicles.

My favorite part of the day.... Cormac ate a crab apple and said, "It's like a party in my mouth."

Pumpkins

 Gianna and Mom working on her pumpkin.

 What is that slimy stuff?

 The boys were very diligent workers.

I don't think Blase's pumpkin likes people looking at him. 

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 I'm smilin' and I know it.....

 A picture worth a million words.  Stephen tends to have those kind of pictures.

 See me.  See me look like my pumpkin.

 Cute chocolate covered cheeks on one and rosy orange cheeks on the other.

 Looks like a great pumpkin gathering.

Spoooooky

The Final Apple Count

 This is what made it past the hungry kids and into jars:
Apple jelly - 6 pints, 3 -12 oz. jars, 5 -8 oz. jars
Spiced apple jelly - 5 -8 oz. jars
Apple butter - 8 -12 oz. jars, 9 -8 oz. jars
Apple maple jam - 3 pints, 11 -8 oz. jars, 4 -12 oz. jars
Crab apple jelly - 2 pints, 3 -12 oz. jars, 3 -8 oz. jars
Brandied apples - 11 pints
Pickled crab apples - 4 quarts, 7 pints
Plain applesauce - 30 quarts
Cinnamon spiced applesauce - 9 quarts
Apple pie filling - 35 quarts

That is just what made the water bather.  We probably ate 6 or 7 quarts of applesauce before I canned it.  There were tons of apples being consumed by the boys.

 One lucky apple became a school project for Brech Earl.

 Oh he's adorable!!

Serious work making clove apples.