I holler at the kids; interrupt at dinner parties and chat up my mom friends at the park.

Still, I am feeling a vacant sort of quiet in my head.  The noise of my own thoughts seem too loud so I stop listening and keep on doing things anyway.

On auto-pilot and cruise control for parenting, working, family bonding, cleaning, enjoying, creating, worshiping. Until…I found this photo, in my archives, of an apple corer.

Change

A whole apple represents me. Blades of daily life split me apart; tearing pieces away from my very center. All that was left? Fleshy fruit waiting to brown with a pile of seeds standing alone.

Or so I thought.

In reality, I am an apple, willing to nourish and refresh others.

Even when bowls of mac-n-cheese spill over the highchair, or another opportunity for time with my husband gets side-tracked by much needed “to-do” work on the laptop, *cough* see above, I can give a section of hope to my loved ones.

When every slice of me is served up for the taking, I am still centered. God stands with me as the core of my strength.

When I my shiny, red exterior has been sectioned off by the mini-van hustle, job responsibilities, hyper kids, and unmet wants and desires. God provides seeds of regrowth, made just for me.

By Definition

The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. {2 Timothy 4:1}

Lil’ Miss Molly sat on her tuffet eating her apples and whey.

Aunt Carly’s “cute” apple Uncle John (Neat Pete’s little brother) heroically jumped to give pick for her in the orchard lane.

Uncle Tim (Neat Pete’s middle brother) and Ry strut their stuff through the orchard.

Aunt Lisa showed Ry the antique tractor.

Uncle John took Ry on a pony ride.

Not enough room for your pickings? Fill your nephew’s hood with apples. Uncles I tell ya!

Applicious I

Applicious II

Making caramel apples was more fun than eating them. Time with friends and candy corn was time well spent.

Ryan and his friend Jack. Really, two peas in a pod.

We used mini yogurt pretzels, sunflower seeds and candy corn to embellish our caramel apples.

Nora and my daughter Molly. Two peas in a basket.

Nora making apples with her Papa Chris and Mama Dawn.

Bin-style candy corn vs. Brach's bagged candy corn. It was a draw! Both types were yummy. Which do you prefer? Could you tell them apart in a blind taste test?

]]> http://justablink.com/2008/10/applicious-i/feed/ 0 http://justablink.com/2008/10/menu-plan-monday-an-apple-a-day/ http://justablink.com/2008/10/menu-plan-monday-an-apple-a-day/#comments Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:04:06 +0000 Jessica http://themcwilliams.info/?p=993 This post was linked up with Org Junkie and Life as a Mom

Instead of planning whole week of meals I am featuring a whole weeks worth of apple recipes!

M: Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings Neat Pete (my new blogging nick name for my darling husband) may try this recipe with our son while I am away at a wedding shower.

T: Warm Apple Pockets

W: Apple Leathers This link calls for an oven. I will be using a dehydrator on 160 degrees for 10 hours.

Th: Apple Sauce

F: Dried Apple Rings

S: Applesauce Honey Rolls (recipe below)

Sun: Apples with Homemade Caramel Dip

Applesauce Honey Rolls

This comes from Apple Lovers’ Cook Book by Shirely Munson, Jo Nelson.

2 loaves (1 lb. each) frozen bread dough
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup honey
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup raisins

Allow dough to thaw in plastic bag. Let rise until doubled in bulk.

Mix the 1 cup brown sugar, honey and 3 Tablespoons butter. Sprinkle mixture over the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Place dough on lightly floured pastry board or sheet and roll or pat into a 14×12-inch rectangle.

Combine the 4 Tablespoons melted butter, applesauce, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar and raisins; spread evenly over dough. Roll up and seal.

Cut into slices about 1/2 to 1-inch thick. Place slices on honey mixture in pan.

Bake in 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and turn over onto a plate or tray.

Makes 12 rolls.

I love to celebrate the harvest season. I do not really get into the spooky stuff. But I do love the beautiful colors and natural inspirations that are around for fall.

I am linking up with Kimba over at A Soft Place to Land for an Autumn/Halloween decor and craft “party”.  Check it out and add your own photos!

Pier One mosaic trivet for my kitchen table. Thrift store find of course.

An old white washed chicken coup board from the farm serves as a backdrop for my seasonal items.

I splurged this year and bought a metal frame pumpkin from a local arts and crafts store. It was on sale for $5. I could not resist. Look at the beads!

This charming little stained glass window hanger was a hand me down from my MIL (Mother-in-Love) aka Grammy Kris.

I made filling for the cornucopia (rip off from Grammy Lu) from ribbon, leaves from outside and faux autumn berries on a stick. I usually keep my autumn hand towels in the empty bowl but they were all in the wash pile! The apple corer just happened to be by the bread box it is not a decoration but it could be if I weren't using it everyday! That's what 20 plus pounds of apples will do!

I like to add just a hint of the season in already existing collections.

Sometimes it is just the little things that can make me smile.

I keep a little bag of candy corn stashed above my cupboards so my little ones can't beg for it all day long!

I still have a little craft fair flair in my blood.

Fall display on top of my entertainment center in the living room. I am "blessed" with the special task of incorporating two black speaker boxes into my theme.

Mini white pumpkins were 3 for $1.89 at the orchard. I think they are just delightful.

A 50 cent postcard from the orchard. I love the green color and it will remind me of a great memory every year I pull it out to decorate!

Apple picking.

Bee swatting.

Cider drinking.

Doughnut hogging.

Extra money spending.

Fresh air breathing.

Goat watching.

Hay jumping.

Spending time with good friends over cider and doughnuts in the windy sunshine was superb. We already miss our TX crew. I loved looking at my home state with a fresh pair of eyes. Kristin pointed out to me how green everything looked. I was so busy looking for reds and yellows I forgot how pretty just green can be!

Here are a few images from our time together with the Donovans. For a full look check out our flickr set.

Ryan follows Jaimes up Goat Hill.

Jaimes with a Honey Crisp apple.

Gracie at snack-time.

Molly in stripes.

Penny for your thoughts. Ryan in a wooden train play set.

We got our doughnuts right away--a perk of a mid-day mid-week vacation.

Matt, Jaimes, Kristin and Gracie - Safe travels home. I hope you enjoyed the "cold".

These utterances came from my mouth as I rejected a bite of not fully ripened organic banana this morning. I finally have fresh fruit in our home after weeks of delaying the grocery run to Super Target.

I knew it was green but I was trying to push my luck. The banana tasted so foul. After I had resolved the issue I was telling Ryan about unripe fruit and why I had made such a fuss.

He said, “Mom that’s why God says in the beginning of ‘my little first Bible’, “Don’t eat fruit that is still growing.” Of course he was referring to the picture in his Bible of Adam and Eve hanging around a tree with the fruit still hanging on it in the garden of Eden.

I just smiled and said, “You’re right we shouldn’t eat fruit that is still growing!”