Applesauce

Last year I had a plethora of apples left over from apple picking, so I decided to make applesauce and can what I hadn't eaten.  Oh, the brilliant ideas you get while pregnant!  I bought all the equipment and made the applesauce.  I ended up with 6 large jars of applesauce, barely enough to get passed around to the family.  This year we got a bushel of apples, I figured I would use small jars to make the applesauce go a little further.  What I didn't count on was the fact that Pookie is allergic to apples, which means that I can't eat apples.  This is very sad.  I rather enjoy apples and I love applesauce!  Do to the fact that only a few of the apples were eaten, I had a TON of apples to make sauce with.  So many apples in fact, I was able to make three different versions.

waiting to be sliced up

all the cores and peels

My little "helper"

before

after

water bath

lids

versions 2 & 3

My mom wasn't thrilled with the amount of spice in last years version, so I made a mild one for her.  Then Rob's grandpa can't have sugar, so I made a plain one. 

Filling the large pot for the water bath was entertaining.  I can't fit in in the sink, so I have to fill a jug with water and dump it into the pot.  It was quite a juggle at the end, because everything needs to remain hot for everything to work, and only two of the burners work on the stove-top.  Let's just say I got very creative.  Rob was wonderful at keeping Pookie occupied while I was busy.  Especially considering the entire process took so long.  Rob was very thoughtful and suggested that we order out for dinner that night.  A suggestion that I eagerly agreed with!  I completely underestimated the time that this would take.  I kind of forgot that I twice as many apples from the year before!  The good news is, I have enough to spread around this year!

My little monster

I love my wonderful little boy.  Except, I really should have made his middle name Trouble.  Seeing as he gets into EVERYTHING.  This past weekend, Pookie and I went up to the Shack with my aunt and uncle and their highly energetic dog, Max.  Max's name should be Trouble, too.  Both Max and Pookie were into everything, and of course they want to spend quality time together.  Too bad that Max is a highly energetic boxer that is about four times the size of Pookie, and he likes to lick, and bounce.  You know how Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, bounces?  Maxwell, bounces.  Really, it's kind of funny to watch.  Although with Pookie on the floor, it's a bit disconcerting.  That's why my aunt requested that I bring the play-pen up with me.  Although by Sunday, Max wasn't too bad, he had calmed down quite a bit. 

Pookie and I had a wonderful time.  The only glitch was the fact that Pookie refused to sleep in his bed.  I wasn't able to get a crib when we went up in August, so we got a toddler bed.  But now that Pookie can pull himself up, we have a bit of a problem.  Then to add in the fact that Pookie still hasn't developed depth perception yet, that caused another bit of a problem.  The first night that we were there, I plopped him in bed.  Of course he fell out and landed on his head.  And landed right in front of the door to boot.  Ugh.  It's a good thing Pookie has a hard head.  So I thought about it, and figured the safest thing was to have him sleep with me.  It actually worked out quite well.  Naps, however, were horrendous.  Luckily we decided to go out and about, and Pookie ended up sleeping in the car.  I'm going to have to figure something out for the next time we go, because this isn't working.  I did try to have Pookie sleep in the play-pen, but that didn't work.  I think mainly because it was in the middle of the living room.  Maybe another trip to IKEA is in order.

Topsfield Fair

Over the weekend we were able to go to the Topsfield Fair.  People put so much time and energy into growing and caring for the animals and vegetables.  It's nice to see people put pride into their work.  My favorite part is seeing the horses.  Oh, and the Kettle Corn is really yummy, too.  Which is only to be outdone by the fried dough.  One of the things that I really miss about the Midwest is the bratwurst.  Whenever you go to a cookout or a fair there is always brats and sauerkraut.  In New England all I can find are Italian sausage with peppers.  I know, it's a regional thing.  Plus, I know I'm completely dissing my Italian heritage, but I don't like Italian sausage.  It's the anise seeds, I'm not a fan of licorice.  I had a very yummy pulled pork sandwich to make up for the missing brats! 

Pookie had a wonderful time.  We almost didn't make it, because I pushed back his nap so he would sleep in the car.  That led to a rather frustrated hubby and a cranky baby.  Good thing the cranky baby was taken care of by a nice nap in the car.  Pookie was a real trouper.  He only fussed once at the fair, and that was because he was rather hungry.  Pookie had a great time looking at all of the animals.  He got to pet a Clydesdale horse, named Jay.  We then went on to check out a goat with really small ears.  Then at the end of the day we got to watch the six horse hitch finals.  Pookie got a real kick out of seeing all the teams going by.  I'm not sure if he was more excited about the horses or the sea of people.  Pookie loves to people watch!

I think the most wonderful thing about the fair, was the nursing mothers' lounge.  I don't mind feeding Pookie in public.  Pookie however, has different plans in mind.  He has the attention span of a goldfish and he gets distracted very easily.  Which makes feeding him a bit of a pain.  I was kind of excited about checking out the mothers' lounge, I'm not going to kid you.  It was rather basic, with padded bench seating and it was hot as hades in there.  One of the really wonderful things was the lady standing outside, making sure that you were going in to nurse and keeping the guys out.  The thing that really wowed me however, was the table with handmade bears on it.  There was a sign above the table saying to take one for the baby, as well as one for any siblings of the baby.  That completely restored my faith in humanity.  Lord knows how many of these bears were made.  One of the other mom's said that this was her third time using the lounge, and the first time she actually saw bears on the table.  I grabbed one for Pookie.  It's nothing fancy, but it makes me smile every time that I look at it! 

Deck the halls!

I love Christmas!  It is my absolutely favorite time of the year.  Well, holiday wise, that is.  Because Fall is really my favorite time.  Nothing like the cool days and crisp nights.  Ooh, and apple picking with cider doughnuts.  Yum!  I digress...  I was thinking big thoughts while brushing my teeth the other night.  I come up with the most interesting ideas while brushing my teeth.  I started thinking about the holidays, and how they were quickly approaching.  Then I realized that Pookie gets into EVERYTHING, and I figured that I better come up with a battle plan now. 

I have started with the stockings.  I love my stocking.  It is hand knit, with my name on it and a Santa going down a chimney.  My grandmother had a friend who made them, so all of my cousins, my brothers and I have matching stockings.  There is a lot of history with that stocking.  Rob has a stocking from his childhood, it's much simpler than mine.  I started looking for a stocking for Pookie, and then I got thinking.  Maybe we should all get new stockings.  Something that coordinates.  I went onto Pottery Barn Kids, and found three very cute stockings and had our names put on them.  I went with something where new designs come in, but the overall line has been around for awhile.  That way as we add onto our family all the stockings can coordinate!  See, I'm thinking ahead.  Also, I thought the stockings were reasonably priced.  That way if I do change my mind about the design, I don't feel bad about getting new ones. 

I then realized that Pookie is really on the move, and gets into EVERYTHING.  The tree needs to be baby-proofed.  I have started to think about how to tether the tree to the house.  I don't think that Rob will really like any of my ideas on that subject.  Seeing as they involve a masonry drill bit, and holes in the fireplace.  So I came up with Plan B: to have soft, indestructible items on the tree.  I had a brilliant idea for making garland, that will use up some of my yarn stash.  I have also been looking for basic templates to make ornaments from.  This is going to be a home-style Christmas tree this year!  I am so excited about it!  I'll have to post pictures of the finished product!

My favorite time of day

I am a night owl, through and through.  I love being up at night.  It's calm, the world is quiet, and I feel like I can think.  I come up with some of my best ideas while brushing my teeth.  Mornings on the other hand, are horrible.  I don't want to talk to you, everything is a blur and everything is too loud.  Anyone I have ever lived with knows to give me a wide birth in the morning, and not to talk to me.  I will not answer you.  I might grunt at you though, if what you have said requires some form of response.  I don't really wake up until 10 am.  There is a visible shift in my personality that happens then.  It's quite remarkable.  All of a sudden, I'm more awake. 

Seeing as I have a 8 1/2 month old, my schedule is on it's head.  Luckily, Pookie is a night owl like me.  Things could be a lot worse!  So, all of those hormones that are currently wreaking havoc on my life.  Some of them actually come in handy with the whole, "being a mother" bit.  One of the benefits that I've noticed, is the ability to wake up out of a sound sleep and the smallest peep out of Pookie.  Followed by the ability to be rather intelligent at those 4 am wake up calls.  Biology helps you out in really funny ways. 

I have almost come to love the middle of the night (aka early morning) feedings.  The house is quiet.  Everyone is sleeping, except for Pookie and me.  The only light is coming from the small light over the sink.  Everything is calm.  I feel like we are in this bubble.  Sometimes Rob is just getting up as Pookie and I are going back to bed.    Pookie is sleeping through the night on more of a regular basis.  There are still some nights that he might wake up once or twice.  But sometimes he sleeps right through.  Because those middle of the night feedings are becoming slightly less frequent, I am cherishing them more.  Now, of course now that I've said this, Pookie will be up all night for the next week!  I know that the day will come when the night feedings stop completely.  It will be nice to have uninterrupted sleep.  However, until that day arrives, I will try to enjoy the ones I have left.