MMM...MAMA! SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE EDITION.

last week, after i had bought a 5lb. bag of apples at BJs, and the weather was cool and crisp... i decided to make applesauce with my kiddos. in all the stress of keeping jake alive and tending to my sweet&sour rorie, i needed a break to cook. i've noticed that i always feel a little better when i'm able to create in the kitchen. so i did.

the peeling took a while, but we were able to get into a good rhythm. jakey watched and did his little screeches as we worked. rorie and i snacked on the peels as i went and she was my official seed finder. she'd eat through the core and collect the seeds. it was really cute. so of course we talked about apple trees and planting trees from seeds and all that good stuff. and the applesauce made the house smell amazing.

INGREDIENTS:
a bunch of apples (i used my whole 5lb bag minus one or two)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. brown sugar (you can add this or not...and i'm not really sure of the amount i used)

DIRECTIONS:
peel, core, and chop the apples. plop them and the water & brown sugar in the slow cooker. mix em up (i did it with my hands). cook on low for 7 hours. then blend together.

wa-la. done. homemade applesauce. and i wish i had a dehydrator or learned how to make apple chips in the oven... because a lot of the peels got wasted. i just couldn't eat anymore!

bring on more fall activities! (you hear that humid weather...stay away!)

EASTER 2014.

the easter bunny came to grandma & grandpa redding's house this year! last easter was fun (check out how short rorie's hair was!), but this easter has taken the cake! 

since rorie's tummy doesn't do well with chocolate we notified the easter bunny that she needed some extra special treats left around the house. and boy, does that easter bunny know what she's doing. rorie's eggs were filled with annie's bunny fruit snacks, stickers, fruit leather, original goldfish, and mini muffins. she also got play dough, a new water bottle,  a stuffed friend, and a finger puppet. she was a happy little camper and kept wishing everyone a "happy easter". it was wonderful. 

after church we all went back to grandma's for a ham dinner and easter egg hunt. it was a great 1st holiday to have in our new area. we loved being such a short drive to family. i also really loved the easter message this year. i was worried beforehand that i would feel uneasy about the death of jesus, but the pastor's message reminded me that that isn't the end of the story! and that's something i needed to hear. i'm going to hold on tight to that message.

now we're back at home and ready to settle in and wait on a little man to make his arrival...