Homemade Applesauce

Last week, some friends of ours who own an apple orchard gave us a huge box of apples. I immediately thought, "Homemade applesauce!" But as thankful as I was for the free food, I was not looking forward to peeling and slicing all those apples by hand.

That is, until Ian reminded me that we could use our Pampered Chef apple peeler/ corer/slicer. How could I have forgotten about that??

So we got it out, attached it to the counter, and got busy. It took 3 days (2 hours each day) to do all the apples. But the children had a blast cranking the "apple machine".  :)  Each one had to have a go at it...

I love the way the "machine" slices the apples....

After the apples were peeled,cored, and sliced, we put them into the pot  to simmer for about an hour. I added a little bit of sugar. And to 2 of the batches, I added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves..and did it ever smell good!  :)

Then, I put the hot apples into jars, adjusted lids and rings, then processed them in a hot water bath.
And here's the finished product..

A total of 10 quarts. I'm sure it will taste good on a cold winter day.  :)




Here are the specifics of the recipe that I used:

Wash, stem, peel, and slice apples.
Cook until soft in a covered saucepot with just enough water to prevent sticking.
Add sugar/spices to taste.
Use a big wooden spoon to mash the apples as desired. (I left ours a little chunky.)
Put apples in clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace.
Remove air bubbles.
Adjust caps and rings.
Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

"Keep my commandments and live,
And keep my law as the apple of your eye." ~ Proverbs 7:2 


Have wonderful Monday, friends!

The Modest Mom
Deep Roots at Home

10 Predictions

With last night's presidential debate and the election just around the corner, I thought I would share this.....

"The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord, 

Like the rivers of water;

He turns wherever He wishes."

~ Proverbs 21:1

Hope you have a lovely day, friends!

Oh Me of Little Faith

Hi friends,

For those of you who don't know, hubby and I have been experiencing an unsettling situation over the past few months. You see, we live on one of 2 of my parents' farms. My oldest sister and brother also live on this farm. That is, my sister used to live on this farm. She and her husband sold their house to move closer to their children and grandchildren. Their house is just over the hill from our...in our back yard..sort of.

So when their house finally sold in May, the fervent prayers began to ascend;  we began praying for our new neighbors, mostly that they would be child-friendly (since our children would definitely be coming into contact with them since they are outside-loving children), and that they would be home school friendly (to squelch my fears of being turned in to social services every few days).

The prayers kept going up..and so did my blood pressure...as I allowed my fears to displace my faith. Others were praying, too, and that should have given me comfort. But I chose fear over faith.

My hubby was praying as I was, but he seemed to have complete peace about everything. I was fretting..he was resting. It unnerved me sometimes.

The new neighbors arrived yesterday. Hubby decided that we should introduce ourselves. We walked up the driveway and rang the doorbell.

Mrs. New Neighbor greeted us at the door with her 2 dogs and huge smile. She invited us in and  introduced us to  Mr. New Neighbor. He was the same: all smiles and cordiality.

During the course of the conversation, they told us that she is a retired school teacher. Uh-oh. I didn't think there was a chance of a retired ps teacher being pro home school, so I didn't mention it. The very next minute, she looked at me and asked, "You home school, don't you?" Yikes! Busted!

I told her yes, and she exclaimed, "I am a retired teacher, but I am very pro-home school. In fact, I have relatives that home school their children, and I think it's wonderful!"  Home school friendly. Check.

The next minute, she was asking about all of our children (and grandchildren)...their ages, names, etc. (The children were outside playing and didn't go in with us.) After filling her in about everyone, she said, "Well, I just can't wait to meet all of them!!" Child friendly. Check.

Relieved doesn't even come close to describing how I felt to hear those words! And shocked. Why was I shocked  that He answered our prayers when we had been praying about this for months? If the God of the Universe can save my soul from the pit of Hell, isn't He more than able to work out this situation for good in our lives? Where was my faith?

 I was immediately convicted when I remembered that I had wasted all that energy worrying - and not trusting the Lord for the very thing I was praying about.

So many times I have quoted Ephesians 3:20 "...He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.."   to friends and family when they are concerned or worried about something. How many times had I quoted the verse to them, and yet, with my situation, I had somehow missed it?? Ouch.

We are really looking forward to spending time with our new neighbors. And from now, I'm going to trust more, fret less. May He help me to do just that.

 "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. " ~ Psalm 4:5

 Praying for a faith-filled week for you, my friends.  :)








sharing this week with Deep Roots at Home
                                 

Sad Commentary on the Total Depravity of Our Society

I read this article last week and wanted to share it, but I didn't have time to post it. 

Charisma News

 www.charismanews.com/opinion/34176-kill-your-baby-for-free-day-sees-dozens-slaughtered

‘Kill Your Baby for Free’ Day Sees Dozens Slaughtered

8:48AM EDT 9/19/2012 Jennifer LeClaire

(OHOP)

"Dozens of babies were literally massacred in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday in what area pro-lifers will remember as "free baby-killing day."
Scores of pregnant young women—probably scared, anxious or resentful—lined up at the Orlando Women’s Center to take the abortion clinic up on its offer to brutally murder their pre-born babies—free of charge.

In a sickening marketing display that treats murder like a two-for-one special at McDonald’s, the pregnant women were only responsible to pay for a $150 state-required sonogram. That’s less than half the price of a regular abortion. It seems it was an offer too good for many scared, young pregnant and cash-strapped girls to refuse.

Emily Sarmiento, co-founder of the Orlando House of Prayer, sent me an email Tuesday afternoon reporting there were 40 to 50 women at the clinic waiting for abortions by pill. Lord, have mercy!
This abortion center was offering the equivalent to drive-thru abortions. The website says, “Time constraints? Have only two hours to be in the office? Make private appointment for consultation with Dr. Pendergraft … VIP and exclusive private appointments available …  immediate appointments available.”

This is so sickening I’m almost at a loss for words. Pregnant young women who are considering abortion are already under immense pressure. This Orlando abortion clinic tapped into that pressure with a promise to do a rush job that leaves them little time to reconsider their decision. VIP and exclusive private appointments relegate abortion to box seats at an NBA game. What's next? BOGO abortions?

And this Pedergraft … he’s known widely for late-term abortions, surgically murdering pre-born babies up to 24 weeks old. The abortion clinic’s website boasts that women were traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles to an abortionist to kill their 24-week old baby until he opened multiple centers in Florida.

Pray that the Lord would give this man dreams by day and visions by night that open his eyes to the reality of the murders he is committing. Pray that the Lord would open the eyes of his heart to see the love of Christ for these pre-born babies, for these pregnant women—and for him. Pray that that this and other abortion clinics shut down.

Prayer does work. Sarmiento sent me another email late last night, reporting some success from the efforts of sidewalk counselor John Barros and the outpouring of prayer that went forth throughout the day.
“John Barros preached the Word with the Spirit's power, calling the 80 aborting moms and dads to listen to the voice of God in their conscience and get out of there,” Sarmiento said.
“Keishley came out of the door of the killing place with a smile on her face and announced in front of the crowd: ‘I heard His voice, John. I heard that voice.’ John sent Keishley over to a pregnancy center. And another couple left, saying, ‘We're not doing this’.”
Of course, it’s always joyous to see babies saved from abortion, but Sarmiento reports that Barros was alone and has never seen so many infants slaughtered. She asks that we pray for him as he will be back there today.

Today is late-term killing day.

I urge you to pray. Pray not just for the abortionist, but pray for the women considering abortion. Pray for them to get a revelation of the precious life they carry within. And pray that the women who have had abortions would come to the knowledge of the saving grace of Christ, which rids them of the guilt and shame of abortion. Just pray. And don't stop praying. Amen."

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including Did the Spirit of God Say That? You can email Jennifer at  jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.


How very sad, my friends. But abortion isn't just about killing precious little babies. It is the direct result of a  sexually promiscuous society. We need to be teaching our young people to save themselves for marriage...and then the murder mills will go out of business, and the "American Holocaust" will come to an end.

Chewy Oatmeal Bars

This one my children's favorite breakfast treats.

Chewy Oatmeal Bars

2  1/4 c. quick oats

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. vanilla extract

5 T. butter (at room temp.)

1/4 c. raw honey

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. raisins, nuts, or chopped fruit (or sometimes I add 1/2 c. chocolate chips as a special treat)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325*.

Lightly coat and 8x8" pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir til well blended.

Press mixture firmly into pan.

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes, then cut into bars.

Let  the bars cool completely in the pan before serving.

  Enjoy!

sharing this week with Thankful Homemaker

Deep Roots at Home

Wordless Wednesday {sort of}

Here's what it looks like at our house after a trip to the library...

 

"The most common and monstrous defect in the education of the day

is that children fail to acquire the habit of reading. "

~ Charlotte Mason

Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends!

Our Falconhurst

Hi friends,

One of our favorite read alouds from last year was the Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss. My children loved this book!

I read the unabridged version and it took some time to make our way through the book, but it was worth it.

And hearing about the awesome tree house ( named Falconhurst) that's mentioned in the book  made the children want one of their own. They mentioned it to their dad and the planning began.

Thankfully, we have a small patch of woods on our property, and in that patch of woods is the perfect sycamore tree for tree house.

My boys helped their dad every evening after he got home from work. It took several weeks to build it, and the best part is that it cost very little because my hubby's boss gave him most of the lumber that was left over from jobs; lumber that would have eventually ended up getting thrown away.

Here are some photos of the whole process...

Building the deck of the tree house..

The "bridge" that leads from the platform of the rope swing (pictured below) ...

Hubby put in this 40-ft. rope swing a few years ago...

The kids like to do this trick and give me a heart attack lol..

Ok, back to the tree house..the decking for the bridge leading to the tree house..

All of the supporting posts were cedars taken from our woods. Hubby wanted to give it a rustic look. :)

Handrails on the bridge...

 More of the rustic look....pickets are made of cedar branches.  :)

Bridge to the tree house is finished..

Deck of the tree house. I love the way hubby built it around the trees. And this fall, it will be carpeted with red oak leaves and yellow sycamore leaves.  :)

To get down from the tree house, my hubby cut the top off a dead cedar tree and attached it to the tree house as a ladder..

Next, he decided that we needed a crow's nest. But from the tree house to crow's nest (14 feet high), we needed another bridge..

Looking up at the crow's nest from the ground...

Now for handrails and pickets..

The bridge and crow's nest are finished!

Looking up at the finished product..

 And last, but certainly not least, hubby wanted a spot for us to sit and watch the children play. So he used cedar to posts to hang this swing on. This swing is very special to us. It's the porch swing that belonged to my beloved father-in-law. He used to love to watch the children play when he came to visit. Now we sit and watch them on his swing.

So there you have it  - our very own Falconhurst. I need to be careful about what I read to my children. You just never know what they're going to ask for.  ;)


Thanks for reading, friends. Hope you have a blessed week!








sharing with The Modest Mom