Applesauce!

So I wasn't able to make the trip to Parkdale in Hood River this year because of bedrest, so Mom and Dad had to go on behalf of Nate and I. Don't worry, though - the orchard didn't have what we wanted so Mom and Rae Ann went back the following week. That's a LONG trip, especially to have to make twice.



But we finally got our apples! Slowly but surely I've been working my way through the boxes to dehydrate the pears and cook down the apples. This year I'm using Elstars for the applesauce and spicing them up with pumpkin spice. My batches have been pretty tasty so far! And the dehydrated pears - YUM. Cascades are excellent for dehydrating.



Stephen thought he'd hang out with us a couple Sunday's ago. Well, he got roped into helping peel and dice apples. He and Nate were actually quite helpful - and I'm sure the football game that we kept on was a huge part of why they stayed put at the kitchen nook table...Tis the season, right?

Just stuff.

So here are a few random pictures I took the other day...They're all of things I was wanting to mention on here at some point or another, so why not just make it a totally random blog :) This is Nathaniel's desk decorated for Christmas. I've struggled to find things for his desk that I think really fit, and I've come to realize that it'll just happen naturally over time. I'd love to rush into New Seasons and buy up some cute kiddie things for his desk, but, so far, I've resisted that urge. :) Ever since we moved into this house, I've really wanted to make it a home in the sense of comfort for everyone who walks through our door. My attention has been focused in the family room more than anywhere else. So, my name is Robin, like a bird. When I was in California in May 2005, we found out we were going to be able to move in here. I immediately starting thinking about how to make it comfortable and "nesty"...I found some eggs at an antique store in Visalia, CA, so I brought those home and framed a card of robins with their nest and put it all together in a little collection by my front door. Since then, the idea of birds (especially robins) and their nests has become trendy...and I kinda want to buy a bunch of the stuff I've seen up...Anyway, the point of saying all that is that it's a decorative idea I'm playing with for Nathaniel's desk. When we found out we were pregnant, I was hit pretty hard with the idea of creating a comfy nest for my kids.


This is our harvest decor! I did the same thing last year...I like the look of it! Of course, I didn't even get this up until Halloween night. I was way late in my decorating. I took it down probably two days after decorating for Christmas, too. It really wasn't up that long. But the neighborhood kids kicked me into gear to take it down. I had a huge, gorgeous pumpkin (can you see it in the picture?) and they stole it and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of my neighbor's house, three doors down. Fantastic. The kids in the neighborhood are becoming much bolder; my neighbor had about 50 DVDs stolen out of the glove compartment of her car, and we both think it's the kids around here. It's too bad, really. It's crazy how much the area has changed since we've moved in.


Here's my car! She's working well right now, which I'm happy about. I'll be sad to let her go when it comes time to sell her. Nate is working on selling his red Toyota 4x4 pickup. His brother Ricky was using it before he left for South Korea, so since August it's been sitting in Nate's parents' drive way. He finally got it home and is actively working on selling it. He still has his Toyota Tundra, so he's not truckless.


This is our family room decorated for Christmas! It's lovely and peaceful...Even Frankie (the cat in front of the fire) thinks so. I can't wait to post pictures of the work Nate's been doing around here. The family room looks nothing like this anymore. It's a little ridiculous! Although, I do like the new color...