Applesauce Day

On friday I posted about a big bin of apples that we had been given.  Yesterday we made some apple jelly with it.  Today was a day of making lots of apple sauce.  We made 7 quarts, 4 pints, and 1 half pint containers of it.  It is almost enough to feed my small army.  Oh and we also made some apple juice with what we couldn't use in the rest of it.  

The day started with a trip to Fleet Farm for one of these

G and Z took a play break before we got going with the apples

Cooking down the apples

D cutting the apples for batch 3

G helping with the apples

G and Z doing a taste test (out of a baby food jar)

This process took all day but we figure it was worth it.  If the math is right comparing it to Motts applesauce in the store we figure we have $60 worth of the stuff and that is not counting all of the apple jelly or the apple juice.  So on to the finished product pics...

Apple Jelly

Applesauce

I am just glad that my kids like apples because we just saved ourselves a ton of money.  Now we just need a pressure canner to do the squash in the garden.  His grandma has one we should be able to borrow.  

Pics of Z

The summer season is over finally!!!  No more State Fair!!!  No more working on Saturdays!!!

So today after work I tried to get a decent pic of Z on my phone she didn't cooperate.

I almost had a good one but she moved and it blurred out.  Why are 8 month olds so hard to photograph.  I mean all parents want pics of their kids but the kids don't seem to want to let them.  I guess I will have to keep trying.  Or I could switch to video and take still pics off of that.

Big Bin of Apples

On Sunday D's aunt dropped us off a big bin of apples from her trees.  I mean a big bin of apples.  This is the bin after we made some apple jam with it this evening.

So take this picture and add 20 or so more apples to it.  

Tomorrow we are going to make some applesauce.  We would have made it today but due to time constraints and lack of enough jars we are going to make it tomorrow.  They are not quite the right kind of apples for applesauce but what else can you do with that many apples before they go bad?

There are only 3 more days of the State Fair and I only work one more day this week.  I just hope that I don't have to go again this season.  Next week I hope to switch back to a standard Monday to Friday work week.  I am just glad that this summer is finally over.  Hopefully by this time next year I will have a better job and be much happier.

If anyone has any other apple preserving ideas please let me know.

Thanks.

Throwback Thursday

Work wasn't so bad today.  Ok yea it sucked for the most part.  I am so anxious for the summer to be over so I can start looking for better employment.  The best part of my day today was I got paid to go to Cabelas in Rogers.  I mean who doesn't like to go to Cabelas and get paid for it.  I had to take some pics of the wild life while I was there.

A moose...I would be scared sh*tless if I saw one of these alive somewhere

Same goes for the bears

Now for TBT K edition.

3rd place tiger cub pinewood derby

K with my brothers M and N

K first day of Kindergarten

State Fair day 5

Yup you read that right I have now been to the State Fair 5 count them 5 times this year.  Ok well...3 of them were before the fair even started but they still count lol.  Today I got me some cheese curds for breakfast because I was there at 7:30 this morning.

I did learn that I am way too old to eat cheese curds for breakfast.  I felt like crap for the rest of the day.  I tried telling myself that it was just the heat of the fair but it was only 70 degrees out and I have worked in warmer so I gave up and deemed myself too old to do dumb things like that.  The fair is empty that early in the morning.

I figure no one wants to go when things don't even open until 9 out there.  It was nice being able to get my boxes fixed without a ton of people walking around and tripping over my wagon.

Both K and G had homework this afternoon so Z and I hung out over at the daycare for a while to let them concentrate without her underfoot.  She had fun playing with the car.  Little does she know that I have the pink version in a closet for her first birthday or Christmas.  I would pick but they are 9 days apart and she wont notice the difference anyway.

Mmmmm steering wheel lol.

School day 2

Today started out better than yesterday.  I got up at 5:30 and fed Z.  At 6 I was ready to go and woke up K and G.  They were up late last night talking when they were supposed to be sleeping so they were a pain in the butt to get out of bed.  Thankfully G was ready to go on time because I had to get him and Z dropped off at daycare and myself to work before 7.  I didn't even have to wake up Z I just wrapped her in a blanket and walked her the 3 houses down to drop them off.  Thankfully she stayed sleeping so I managed to get out of there with no tears.  I then walked home got my car and went to work.

I was swinging by the plant to see if I had anything else to do before I headed to the fair @ 12:30 when I got the dreaded call from the school nurse.  K was in the health office complaining of a head ache, stomach ache, and nausea.  I had to go pick him up.  Unfortunately I am now going to be short hours for the week and my small paycheck is going to be even smaller.  I got him home and into bed then went go get Z.

She had a snack then it was time to go get G off of the bus.  Yesterday he almost missed getting off because "it didn't look like my stop."  The bus stop is across the street from our house I have no clue how he can not see our house and know it is his stop but whatever.  

While we were waiting Z and I took some selfies and believe me this is the best one lol.

Then it was homework, dinner and then rush to football practice.  We got our game schedule we play our first game against the maroon team on Tuesday September 2nd at 6:00.  He is dreading this one because he has 2 friends on that team and wants to win but wants his friends to win too.  I told him just do his best and they will to and the best team will win.

First day of school/daycare

Today was G and Z's first day at daycare.  I missed getting a before pic of Z but I have a before school/daycare pic of G

He had to wear his Grave Digger shirt the first day with his shoes with springs in them that make him jump higher and run faster.

I did get a pic of Z after I picked her up from daycare.  She had a hard day and was rather crabby when I was trying to take the pic of her.  

K refused to let me get a pic of him on his first day.  He had school pictures today so I will get one anyways I just have to wait for them.

I did not get much accomplished today with no kids at home.  I chatted with an old friend that I haven't talked to in about 2 years.  Also, I met my mom for lunch at Dennys.

We took the boys out to dinner at Bakers Square this year to celebrate the first day of school.  They had a good time telling us all about their first days.  Well G had fun K and I were trying to get all his syllabus read and signed.  The teachers have this new thing this year that I can (and did) sign up for text messages to let me know when homework is assigned.  Hopefully this will help K stay on track and no more "I forgot I had homework" excuses. 

School starts tomorrow

I am so not ready for the boys to start school tomorrow.  K is going into 8th grade and G into 2nd grade.  Z starts daycare and I am nervous about that too.  I know she will be fine but I am still not ready for it.

My mom and I are going to meet for lunch to celebrate my first day without kids.  Ok and to celebrate our birthday.  We tried to make plans with my other siblings too but they are going to the State Fair.  I hate the fair.

I hope all goes well for the 3 kids tomorrow I guess I will just have to wait and hope for the best.

One more week

One more work week left of summer.  I am so ready to have Saturdays off again.  Well ok until Memorial day next year.  I hope to be out of Arctic by then.

Today is my mom's birthday.  I tried to stop by to wish her a happy birthday in person but grandma said she was at the gym with my aunt.  So I texted her instead.  We are all going to get together next Monday to celebrate mom's and my birthdays.

The boys start School on Monday and they are both excited and anxious to start.

State Fair Day 4

I managed to not go on the first day of the fair but got stuck going today.  I only had to fix 3 boxes there and got to walk around and get my corn dog so that made it a little better.  I still hate the fair there are too many people and it is too hot.  I dig the food but not how much it costs.

The boys helped Nana dig the holes for her new basement windows.  They were covered in dirt when I picked them up.  They are going to their dads for Saturday night.  On Sunday we are going to have an early night due to G and Z starting daycare on Monday as well as Monday being the first day of school for K and G.

I just want to get through these next 10 days of summer then I am going to start looking for another (better paying) job.  I love my job but after daycare for 2 kids that leaves me under $400 for bills and that is with me getting paid bi-weekly.  I can't afford to work there anymore.  Also working Tuesday to Saturday all summer and not being able to take a vacation between Memorial and Labor day really sucks.

11 more days of summer

I am so tired of working all day every day in this heat.  I did manage to avoid the fair today so that was a plus.

I bailed out of work a little early today to take G to meet his teacher today.  She seemed really nice.  I forgot her name already lol.

D's mom stopped by this evening with a peanutbutter cup pie from Bakers Square for my birthday.  I love that pie.

I am hitting burnout.  I am going to feed Z and hopefully she will go to sleep so I can too.

One Month of being a Blogger

I started my blog one month ago today.  What a long way I have come.  I learned what Google+ was, I got a Twitter, a Pinterest and a Facebook fan page.  I have followers.  I have blogged about my life, my kids, my work, and even some of my knitting.  

Today was Gs first day of football.  He is on the purple team and his # is 3.  Last year we were on the blue team and # 14.  His friend Maveric is not on his team but his other friend Timmy is on his team this year.  This is our last year of flag football.  I will miss it but I doubt G will he is too excited to start contact football.

K had his open house at the high school tonight too.  We met all but 2 of his teachers.  We also did not get to meet his new special ed case manager.  I wanted to meet him to talk about Ks school year plans but I guess now that I have a name I will e-mail him to set up a meeting.

G has his back to school night tomorrow.  He is anxious to find out who his teacher is and what friends will be in his class this year.  Last year we were new to town so he didn't know anyone anyways.

Also for those keeping track today was my 3rd trip to the Minnesota State Fair.

My 33rd Birthday

Yup nothing spectacular happened today.  I went to work.  Then Target to get K's meds.  We went out to dinner.  We were going to to to the new 5 8s on Robert street but it was a zoo so we went to Applebees instead.  Z shared my birthday ice cream and brownie with me.  All and all a decent day.  We went out of town to celebrate last weekend so dinner out was all I needed.

Thanks to all my friends for the birthday wishes!!!

Vacation over :(

Today was the last day of our mini vacation.  We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and it was raining so we started making our way back towards home.  We stopped at Toms Logging Camp in Duluth.  The kids had fun feeding the fish, chickens, and lamas (they had goats until the predators got them).  We checked out the store there too but didn't buy anything.  

I did manage to get pics of all 3 kids as loggers.  I think they make super cute loggers lol.  We also checked out this sweet electric chair that they had.  It has a sign on it saying "DO NOT SIT IN IT" or I would have posed for a pic with it but I got one of the chair by its self

We stopped at Jay Cooke State Park for lunch on the way home.  They have rebuilt the swinging bridge since we were last there it was washed out in the flooding of 2012.

Z had to help her Daddy take a pic on the bridge.  G wanted his pic with Z to be taken at the waters edge.

I do have pics of our adventures yesterday too.

The kids playing at the shops and on the rocks in Grand Merais. 

K trying to work stilts

G and Z playing in a sand box

Z and Daddy checking out the water

I love the look of deep reflection K seems to have in this pic

The 3 kids checking out the light house

After Grand Merais we stopped at Temperance River State Park to check out the water falls and do some rock climbing.

By the time we were done there we went to the hotel to relax and swim.

I tried to get pics of the boys on the slide but they just moved so fast.  They rode the slide 48 times each to get certificates saying that they are part of the mile slide club.

Vacation day 1

This morning D woke us up at 5 to go on a mini vacation.  We drove to Two Harbors for breakfast then on to Grand Merais for some shopping and sight seeng.  I do have pics but they are on my camera and my computer is at home.  We are staying the night at the Americinn in silver bay where the boys did the mile long slide challenge.  We are having a blast on the North Shore. 

New seat for Z finally

Today while I was "working" in Burnsville I stopped into K-mart.  I hadn't checked them out for car seats yet so I thought I would check it out.  I didn't see anything that I liked until I stumbled on their clearance section.  I found one I liked and the price was ok on clearance for $47.99.  So I decided what the hell I can always return it.  I get to the register and it rings up for $31.99.  I thought even better if it doesn't fit in my car we can always put it in his Suburban.  It is a Safety First onSide air

It is very gender neutral.  The best part is that we seem to have finally found a car seat that actually fits well in my car and doesn't cost $300.  We were starting to look at the spendy seats hoping that they will actually fit in a small car.  Z seems to think that the box is the best part of the whole experience.

Just wait until your birthday and Christmas baby girl there are more boxes to come lol.