Canning is COOOL!!!!



Cooking down the yummy apples we picked!

 Sooo my canning adventure this weekend was a HUGE success.  We made applesauce.  It is one of the easiest things to make and can.  So Jeff wanted (since he is the only one that is going to eat it) to make red hot apple sauce which is his fav!!!  It came out beautiful.  If he doesn't eat the 4 jars we canned I am giving them for xmas gifts.  Canning was so much easier than I though.  With that being said...I wonder if my neighbor will teach me how to grow veggies....those are the next thing I want to can next year.



In the water bath canner!!



 Making the applesauce was a breeze nobrainer recipe....



Canned Cinn Apple Sauce







Canning was way easier than I had thought it would be.  Of course I did a ton of research and didn't just run into it.  I made sure I understood the science behind it and what needed to align in order for it to be a success... I cannot wait to break into those jars in a few months.



Apple Butter In the Crock

 Of course my apple butter wasn't such a success...I'm not sure what I did wrong and maybe I didn't do anything wrong but it cooked down to half and is still too runny to be butter like.  So, and I could find nothing on this, it might need to cool before becoming spreadable so I am waiting to see. 

RJ has been at a friends all night...I have figured out that I am way tooo nutty and need to start trusting other people more...but I just don't like to put him in situations where he may not do well.  Which in itself makes it so he doesn't do well in certain situations.  The kid is fearless, loves to do whatever he can...I am the chicken.  I am officially letting go.  Right now.  sigh.

Amber has actually picked herself up, dusted off and started to look forward and be happy.  She has two jobs currently!!  She is living with a girl and her father whom are helping her immensely, she doesn't want to take anything from us, she feels more obligated when it's someone else.  SO i have stopped being cynical and let that go and stopped taking it personally, her and I are way too much alike for me to take it personally.

Next weekend will be decorate for the season!!  LOVE Halloween!!!  The week will bring eating all the chili and slow cooker recipe's I made this weekend....I have my lunch ready for the week.  Down 4.5 lbs for 2 weeks, very excited and motivated!!  I am finally making friends with exercise...



 

Civil War Reenactment

What a fun day!!  We started out early this morning...headed to the civil war camps.  It was fun to see the camps of the different armies and how differently they lived.  We saw the games that kids played and RJ was taken a back by the lack of everything we take for granted.  Rolling down a steep hill was as fun as a roller coaster back then. 

We learned a lot about the way of life, I was amazed at how much everyone we talked to knew.  We would stop people just walking through and ask why their uniform looked a certain way or why they had a certain instrument and they knew..of course the could of been BS'ing us but I like to think that they were knowledgeable.  It was a great experience all in all.

We toured the Lehman mansion and learned the history, which I embarrassingly say I had no idea who the Lehman's were or why I cared.  But now that I know, i like the story, it's very interesting.   The house is beautiful, although renovated and added to in order to accommodate modern conveniences like...oh a real kitchen.  The fact that the swimming pool was fed through a pipe coming from the either Cedar or Crooked lake was amazing...they didn't truck water in and they certainly didn't chemically treat it.  The pool is filled in with cement now but you could see that it was a big one for those days.  The gardens, although nowhere near the glory of the 1850's were still beautiful and the fountain, which was original, was amazing to see working. 

But of course the piece de resistance of the day was the civil war reenactment of the Battle of Monasses, they did a great job.  I took this picture in a sepia tone...trying to get the flavor of the era....below is a little video I took of the battle.  It was really pretty cool to see.  They were realistic all the way down to the undertaker walking around taking measurements of the dead for their caskets.  The modern technology that keeps our soldiers safe now were no where to be seen then it's amazing they were even able to coordinate since they didn't have any means of communication other than yelling and relaying it and it seems to me that by the the front lines got word....the plan had already changed.  It was a neat thing to watch.



RJ Talking to a Confederate Soldier.




Me and Jeff...sitting on the hay...or straw..or whatever.  Ree Drummond would know the difference




Federal soldiers in their camp.




I know this guy is Federal but who he is no idea....




Pres. Lincoln's Speach





Holidays....really?

Wow I don't know about anyone else but I'd like to enjoy Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving before having to look at Christmas decorations in the stores.  They are starting to put the Holiday decorations up next to the halloween stuff it's nuts...

Of course I found this Lolita wine glass that I think is pretty great...and it's holiday...it's okay if it's wine related but when they are selling you lights to decorate your house it's as bad as leaving them on the house year round...in my humble (not) opinion. 

I want to get through my apple sauce extravaganza before talking about the holidays....which I might add that the apples are fabulous.  I am waiting for my water bath canning equipment to get here so I can make the apple sauce and apple butter!! YUM!!!

This time of year brings school and now that I don't have to go, I am thankful for school, it gives us a foundation.  Summers are tough since Jeff and I both work and there isn't much out there for a 12 year old to do for those months.  RJ is really enjoying being back in school, socializing and having fun.  Tonight is an Open House at his school, which is a special education district.  They just got done re doing the entire building over the summer and they have moved into larger classrooms etc.  I can't wait to see how nice they are. 

Now on to the meat of today....I started Weight Watchers on Tuesday and I'm doing okay making better choices (it's been 2 days..really) but ...staying within the points I am supposed to have in a day has not been easy.  Of course that would be why I'm so over weight, yes I do see the relationship.  I have written down everything I've eaten every day and it's easier with the iPhone app than it used to be, yes I've been on WW before and I was successful in weight loss just not holding on to the lessons that I learned.  So this time I am going slow and really learning the lessons...more fruits and veggies, bite it write it, drink water and move more.  So...feeling positive about this journey and yes that is the way I'm looking at it, as much as I'd like to be skinny and sexy by this weekend for our drinks with the Lincoln's but I'm thinking that is unrealistic...which makes me sad but does bring me into reality. 

Of course exercise would make this all a lot easier and as soon as I get released to exercise, which should be tomorrow, I am back on it.  One that I really enjoyed was Jazzercise so I'm looking forward to getting back into that!!!  It definately helped me lose weight and feel more toned and energetic.

Joined Weight Watchers On-Line

Okay, signed up for 4 months so I am committed until January!!!  Sigh... saw some pictures from a few weekends ago WOW is all I have to say.  I know what I need to do but maybe that is the problem, counting calories and trying to know it all and remember it all is just too much!  Exercise and eat right, why is it that I am too stupid to be able to do that.  I am hoping that the WW program will take some of the thought out of it.  I am thinking that the goal setting and seeing progress each week on a chart will help...not that i can't make a line chart at home but this will be easier and automatic.  Stay within points and exercise.  Sounds a lot like eat right and exercise....but that is okay because WW is giving me the tools to do it without me having to make things up.... I believe that it is stupid proof so that even I can handle it and stick to it.  I'm excited...I need this.    RJ has given me the motivation to exercise and move more, he wants to do more so we are going to do more together.   Okay first goal is a small one but it's 5%, I'm hoping to do this in the first week or so.  We shall see.  Wish me luck on this journey it will be a tough one!!

Fall...hmm not really Fall weather...

but we went the apple orchard anyway.  It was 80 degrees or so and it got a little hot in the corn maze...especially when we thought we would have to call for help!!  It was a good cornmaze and we found our way out of phaze 1 but I couldn't get the boys to do phaze 2... so sad.

It was a lot of fun though.  It is called All Seasons Apple Orchard in Woodstock.  Yes we drove an hour to get there.  But I will say it was cleaner, less crowded and there were TONS of apples on the trees for us to pick.  They even provided really cool apple picking thingy's that you could use to pick the apples up high.   It was not cheap...it was 18.00 per person for the whole experience and you can't just do the corn maze and apple picking.  You can just apple pick for 10.00 for 5lbs, and it does always seem odd to me that I pay more for apples when I have to go out and pick them myself BUT that being said, nothing, I repeat NOTHING tastes like a fresh apple from the tree.

The overall experience seemed genuine ...unlike other places that have totally gone commercial, Apple Holler brings in apples and pumpkins from outside sources.  Last year by the time we got there in late September all the apples were picked and there were only apples in big cardboard bins in the isles and we saw them laying out the pumpkins form large bins into the pumpkin patch...sort of ruined it for me.  If I wanted a prepicked apple or pumpkin I can go to WalMart.

All Seasons had some unique things like an apple cannon which the boys absolutely LOVED, this sucker really chucked the apples.  There is also a pumpkin cannon....seriously!!!  It looks like an old military weapon.  The corn maze was one of the best we've been in, it was tough but you can figure it out if you take your time.  You also get tickets to take a shot with the apple cannons when you complete one of the corn maze phases...of course that is  how they hook you because shooting it off once is NOT enough.     The food was okay but pricey of course.  The petting zoo was good as well...of course we were there early in the day so the animals were hungry and not overly hot.  There was lots to do with the littler kids to...a cow train which was adorable a couple of bouncy things, one was actually in the ground like an airpillow sand box if that makes any sense, it was cool.  A corn sand box.  Check out their website...  http://www.allseasonsorchard.com/new/orchard.php

All in all it was a fun day....so this week I'm making my apple butter and apple sauce...so excited.  I've ordered my water bath canning stuff..can't wait to receive.  Next weekend is Civil War Days in Lake Villa...looking forward to that as well!!!  I LOVE FALL!!!!

Oooglie Mooglie....it's Friday already!!!

Wow this short week has FLOWN by.  My 21st wedding anniversary was yesterday, hard to believe really.  Lot's of ups and downs and now we are really planning our future, not just our kids future.  What hubby and I want from our older years...yes I'm serious!!!  We had a financial planner take a look....which thankfully we did cuz seriously we would of never retired.  It was exhilarating to know that it's not too late at 42 to plan for this and actually be able to do it.  So it's a little exciting to think of retirement and the things we can save to do and what we want to have by then.  All of our planning has been for the kids and for emergencies and living in a check to check world of small children and dreams for them.  Now...well now it's all about the cabin up north that we want and at what age we think we can swing retiring and how I don't want a new car because I won't be able to save as much if i have a car payment....THAT has never been the case we've always wanted shiney new now not later.  So we are re looking at our 401k's, opening a ROTH IRA for basic savings...something I find very interesting about the ROTH IRA is that you can put as little as $500 in and you have access to the principal, it takes a little more effort than a plain old savings account but you just fill out the paper and can have the money for an emergency....so it's still liquid but not so liquid it leaks out of your savings account.  That is what always seems to happen to ours...I put money in there but it never stays put, I buy this, I buy that, even if I don't really need it.....so I end up pissing away money and then I can't figure out where it all went....very disturbing. So all in all it was a great experience and now I have people to give me advice on how my portfolio (hah) should be divided up etc. to give me the best opportunity for growth and success.  I LIKE IT!!

This weekend is apple picking in Woodstock.  I refuse to go to the place that is close by...I saw that they shipped in pumpkins and apples and the tree's were all over picked so you really didn't even pick your own apples and they were double the cost...it's nuts!!  So we will pick them this week and next weekend will be an entire weekend of making pies and apple sauce and apple butter!!!  I am absolutely excited!!!

Oh and they come and install my carpet on Monday!!! Very excited about that too!!

The Long Weekend

I just love long weekends...it gives you time to do your chores and have fun.  Usually it's hard to get everything done in one weekend..and of course the long weekend is really no different.  I never get to do everything I want to do because all of the sudden I realize that summer is almost over and I haven't done ANY of the things I thought I would so now I have to do them all in the three day weekend....(deep breath)

REALLY...who am I kidding.   I have to be thankful for the things that I do get to squeeze into this weekend.   Yesterday was a great day...went to a fundraiser for ROAR, had dinner and too many cocktails with the neighbors...woops....and I didn't get lost on my way home (again they are the neighbors as in right next door...).

Today I am taking my daughter to get a knee brace and we will swing by Good Will see if we can't find her some new jeans....she still isn't living here with us, which is really ok, I apparently spoiled her rotten and she seems to be more indebted to the people she is living with.  She watches their young son for them which saves them a ton of money and she has a place to live that isn't with my critical self watching over her.  I do however see a glimmer of hope (shhh don't want to say that too loud....every time I do it seems to cause her to go backwards) that she may just be coming around to the real world where people work hard and get to enjoy the fruits of those labors on long weekends.... =) 

Today and tomorrow I am going to catch up on my reading.  Hunger Games.....I need to sit and read and have a glass of wine this afternoon.  I am making chicken fried steak, mashed potato's and probably green beans for dinner....something nice and stick to your ribs.  I'm also going to plan a few more good meals during the week this week, it seems I am always flying by the seat of my pants when it comes down to dinner time...I want to try to avoid that going forward.    A little more planning and couponing and we will be golden for dinners galore...note I did not say gourmet, big difference......

My son and I have been working out....he is really enjoying it.  He likes to see the results.  In the beginning, which was only about a week or so ago, he could only do push ups part of the way now he can do a full push up, same with a plank he couldn't hold it for very long and now he can go a full 30 seconds.  I know that doesn't seem like much to most people but it's a huge step in the right direction for he and I.

Jeff got a letter in the mail from Northwestern University.  Because of the extent of his blockage, his age and the surgery he had to have they want him to be part of a genetic marker study.  They are trying to see if there are early signs or genetic signs they can see in people before this type of blockage and risk happens.  We were lucky, can't believe I'm saying that, but we are lucky that we caught it when we did and that the blockage was where it was and not someplace close to his heart or brain stem. 

Well off to put on my yoga pants..yes my yoga pants because I'm too lazy to put on real pants... (love that commercial).

and one last thought as we barrell towards another winter in Chicago......that is the neighbor....waste deep in snow Feb 2011...I better do the things I want to do outside...BEFORE it's too late!!!

Agh the end of Summer...

I am looking foward to my new canning quest, I found some appleasauce and apple butter recipes that I am looking foward to trying.  Apple picking is one of my favorite things to do with my kids.  We are going early in the season this year because last year we went around Halloween and well all the tree's were pretty well picked and honestly i think they brought in apples in crates to buy..don't want to do that.  So I am on the hunt for new apple picking grounds....the pickings are slim, no pun intended.

I am looing foward to a nice long weekend.....with nothing totally structured to do....looking foward to dinner tomorrow night with the neighbors...my husband is going to get him a surprise (it was his birthday yesterday).
I think I am going to bring the fixins for a martini...a yummy one...like cucumber or blood orange..we'll see maybe even grapefruit!!  YUM..