Tidbits

Tidbits: tid·bits, noun

1.) Random moments of life preserved in pictures in an attempt to blog at least once a week.

{Sleepovers With Cousin Lexi}

{Sunset Walks}

{Double Yolked Eggs}

{Busted}

{Playing Waiter/ Waitress}

{Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread}

Malabar Farm

    Over the Weekend we went to Malabar Farm with my family. My dads work rented the local farm for the day for a company picnic. They had hayrides, inflatable bounce houses, food, and lots of animals to feed and pet. The kids had a blast and were plenty worn out. 

{Eli wasn't so sure about the

 whole bouncing thing}

{Grace had a blast with her own cheering section.}

{There actually wasn't any hay so I guess

 it was just a tractor ride.}

{It was such a pretty day.}

{Oh how I want our own bees!}

{The sheep were waiting to be fed}

{Friendly Barn Cat}

{Gracie and Pop watching the chickens.}

Crockpot Apple Sauce

    I love Autumn and all the yummy things it brings.Warm homemade apple sauce is one of those things.  Last Fall I made a batch that last until spring. This year, on the other hand, we ate almost all of it the day I made it because I only used about 1/3 of a bushel. So, I guess I'll have to make another batch just for canning with our next bushel of apples. None the less is delicious, especially since it has been so chilly lately. I even had the heat on Saturday! Regardless, I'm glad Fall is here.

{Separating the pieces for the apple sauce, the peels the kids will

 eat, and the all the other scraps from one another }

{Mixing the apples the water, cinnamon, and lemon zest}

{About to enjoy the finished product

 with a mug of tea}

Alphabet Blog

  Anniversary: June 4th

Bed: Queen

Chore You Dislike the Most: Dishes

Dog: James and I both want a Golden Retriever but what I really want is a Weimaraner.

Essential Start to Your Day: Lately I have been drinking peppermint tea each morning.

Favorite Board Game: I'm more a card game fan but I still a game of Clue!

Gold or Silver: Silver

Height: 5'7"

Instrument: Dose the recorder count?

Job Title: CEO of Domestic Affairs or Stay at Home Mom. HA!

Kids: Grace and Eli 

Living Arrangements  My Husband and two kids.

Mothers Name: Sherri

Nicknames: Katie but Mom called me Pookie growing up.

Overnight Hospital Stays: After giving birth to Grace and Eliot

Pet Peeve: Nail biting

Quote: Sometimes the hardest memories to think about are the ones that never had the chance to be made...

Right or Left Handed: Right

Siblings: One brother and a sister

Time You Wake Up: Around 7

Untidy Right Now: My kitchen and craft corner

Vegetable: Cucumbers but whenever I am pregnant I turn into a rabbit and eat raw carrots like they are candy!

Ways You Run Late: Usually because the kids wake up late or are grumpy.

X-rays: Arm-I broke it in second grade, Back-I have minor Scoliosis

Yummy Food you Make: Apple Hermit Cookies and Lemon Poppy seed Muffins

Zoo Favorites: Watching the wolves chase each other in the snow has a magical feeling to it.

Apple Picking 2013

    Every year we love to pick apples at Apple Hill Orchard. Lots of apples. We picked a whole bushel over the weekend and have already ate a good amount. The kids are at a fun age where they really enjoyed it. I think we will take them again later in the season so we can have a variety of canned and frozen goodies. I plan to make applesauce to can with this batch and pie filling with next. Oh, fall time. How I have missed you!

{Eating some amazing apple donuts before we started}

{Watching the goat and sheep while we ate}

 Let the Apple Picking Commence!

{Eli pulling with all his might}

{Grace could have picked all day}

         
                         
                                                {Pulling all the leaves off}
                           
                          

Tidbits

Tidbits: tid·bits, noun

1.) Random moments of life preserved in pictures in an attempt to blog at least once a week.

{This apple butter syrup is amazing on cinnamon pancakes.}

{Grace taking her dose of elderberry syrup.

 Had to give her immune system a boost during her measles.}

{Pants are an option for this little boy.}

{Tried a new recipe out yesterday for breakfast.

Baked Apple Spice Oatmeal was a hit.}

{James found a Preying Mantis at my parents house.

If you can see the quarter in the tree you can tell how big it was.}

{We think it must have been pregnant.  Look how large its abdomen is!}

Yarn Along

    Each Wednesday the blog Small Things does a series of posts called Yarn Along where she, and other participants, post what we are currently knitting and reading.  Here is where I am:

    I've been trying to get so many knitting projects done lately that it has taken the fun out of it. I have made the kids each a winter hat and was planning to move onto a pair of mittens for each of them next but when Grace asked me to make her a blanket for her doll I couldn't so no. =) Its a simple blanket that I'm making without a pattern, first time doing that, so we will see how it turns out. I started to read Auschwitz: A New History but had to stop after the first chapter because the print is so small I had to strain my eyes just to read it. I've been meaning to have my eyes check, I just need to get around to it. I think I'll read another classic next.  I've been reading a lot of those lately.

Stretchmarks

    I loved being pregnant but I used to hate my stretch marks. I didn't feel attractive in the least. Then perspective hit me. Without meaning to my thought process changed. I realized I was looking from the wrong angle. I learned to love my stretch marks, every one of them. This is why:

    Around 4 month along in each of my pregnancies is when I would start to be able to see major changes in my body. I loved it.  Just knowing a baby was growing inside of me was amazing. I loved measuring my belly and seeing how much I grew, knowing my baby was growing in strength and size as well. Each extra inch from the last measuring made me excited. I loved having James read to Grace every night, before she was even born.  He would kiss my belly and tell her he loved her and goodnight. Every Night.  I loved having Grace rest her head on my tummy and get excited to kiss my belly when I was carrying Eli. Pregnancy is beautiful and something to cherish.

   Pregnancy is NOT something you just have to suck up and get over with until baby has arrived. I understand some people have very hard pregnancies, while others can't get pregnant, and others yet who have miscarriages and I am not demeaning these things. One out of four pregnancies end in a miscarriage. 10-15% of couple are unable to have children. Though most people don't know these statistics they do know, before attempting to have a child of their own, there is a chance, however small, of not having a completely smooth pregnancy. We know we are at risk of heart ache but there is a reason we take it. We desperately want to have a little one of our own. To us, it's more than worth it.

    After thinking about all these things over the past few days I realized something. My stretch marks represent something. My children. I would give up my life for my kids but complain about the very stretch marks I was given to receive my children? Sounds silly when you think about it. I would give so much more than just stretch marks for my children and anymore God chooses to bless me and James with.  My Stretch marks a symbol of my love and oh what I would do for more of them...

{James with Eliot}