I had the greatest time visiting the

 Zoromski Homestead Farm

with all my kids and grand-loves!

                                                                                     

 Poor little Sloane was frightened when Grandma joined them on the rocker and it actually 'rocked' just a little.  It took me by surprise as well but she was not one bit  impressed.    

My grandson Sean prefered to have his picture taken with his dad. 

                                                          

 This is my oldest daughter with her four girls and her extended family of day care children.

and the corn maze!!   We only did a small portion of the 12 acre maze because some of the kids were under the age of three. Some still in strollers.

As you can tell by the smile on Sloane's face ~ we all enjoyed the animals. Lamas, chickens, baby pigs, goats, kittens, rabbits etc.

and the kids loved the Hay Maze!

Please click the link to the farm at the beginning of this post. Make sure to click the Corn Maze tab.  It blows my mind how they can do this ~ and a portion of the profits go to a good cause! 

Sharing a Recipe

I've had requests for the

Apple Pie in a Jar

recipe so here it is:

Apple Pie in a Jar



Peel and slice apples into clean jars. Have syrup ready to pour on as you fill them up. (Option: peel and slice apples into water with lemon juice added to stop the apples from darkening then drain and fill jars)


Syrup:


4 c sugar 1 c cornstarch 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. salt 8 c water


Bring to a boil.


Add 3 tbsp. lemon juice to syrup after removing it from heat. Pour over jars of apples, clean rim, seal and process 20-25 minutes in hot water bath method.


One jar makes one pie.


Fill pastry pie shell and bake at 400º F for 30-35 min.

I'm Done; or Am I ?

I honestly 'thought'

that I was done canning

for the year

But ... that was before

making 8 half pints of apple butter

21 pints of plums

& 14 quarts of apple pie filling

 But what would you do 

if someone gave you some plums

 and a neighbor offered some apples

 We cooked them up, sauced them

and made some crock pot apple butter

 then we found some more apples

and a friend had just shared

a recipe with me for

Apple-Pie-in-a-Jar

So tell me what would you do?



I haven't been posting much lately

because I've been

keeping myself busy

 preparing for winter

Ah...

Every so often

I need to recharge

my soul

I often do that

through nature

this time it was along the south shores

of Lake Superior

where nature itself puts on a smile

 and the sound of the waves
dissolves all stress

a place where I can

recapture a balance

through the power of prayer

and the beauty of nature

 I feel refreshed.

We started our weekend with a trip back home, visiting with family as we gathered in the comfort of 'Mom's' living room. The following morning we met up with some of Thom's family who made the trip 'up north' where they spent time in a cabin on a small lake. After fishing was checked off their list, we all pitched in and had a 'pot-luck' supper of fresh tomatoes, corn and cucumbers, hamburgers and good old Wisconsin bratwurst on the grill. Dessert of homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies from yours truely.

 Then we shared stories and laughs over a few drinks around the campfire. Have you ever laughed so much that your cheeks hurt?

 The sunset came on so fast that we almost missed it. But thank heavens for the click of a camera to capture it forever.

On our way home we stopped at a wayside

to stretch our legs

and look at the size of this tree!

It towers over the others which are full sized. 

 It was breath-taking against that true blue sky!

 I love the contrast of the greens found in the woods

 and too soon we were on our way home

Apple Butter

 "In an orchard

there should be

enough to eat,

enough to lay up,

enough to be stolen,

and enough to rot

upon the ground." 

Samuel Madden

We picked enough to 'lay up'

some apple butter & some dried apples

 they required very little sugar

added along with

cinnamon and nutmeg

 cooking in the crock pot all day

until it becomes a delicious

apple butter

 the dehydrator worked its magic

and with time 

these apples became tasty treats

Late Bloomer

I've been babying this fuchsia plant since early spring.  It would be loaded with buds but they never seemed to fully open.  So earlier this fall I had my husband hang it under the pine trees and from that point on we totally ignored it.  I guess it didn't like my pampering ~ because all of a sudden it decided to bloom; without my help.  We've had temperatures dip to the hard freezing points but it's still thriving. 

This picture was taken last week -  as you can see by the pine needles.  But now that beautiful fuchsia keeps on blooming and it brightens up that corner of our yard.

 Today is 10-10-10.  

Fall Cleaning

Surprise! I have a new look.  Don't run away ~ if you're looking for CHER SHOTS then you're right where you belong.

I'm not usually the one to promote products through my blog but we did some 'fall' cleaning today and our windows shine!  I believe credit should go where credit is due: http://www.windexoutdoor.com/#/product The extended handle makes the job a bit easier too.
We were both very happy with the results.  Thom went around the outside of the house taking down the screens, washing them as well as the windows while I did all the of the windows on the inside.

Heres a little helpful tip: If you do the windows in a side to side pattern on the inside and up and down on the outside, you can then tell which side of the glass any streaks may appear on.  

We are so thankful for the wonderful weather we've had this past week. It made cleaning the garages, taking up the end of the garden produce, canning, gathering leaves, mulching, digging flower bulbs etc. an enjoyable experience.  I hate doing those chores all bundled up in heavy clothes.

Happy cleaning!