Making Applesauce

Back in October we made applesauce. We made 34 quarts of applesauce to be precise.

Here's what 3 (1/2 bushel) bags of apples looks like. 

So we start by chopping them up (seeds and skins included) and throwing them in a huge pot!

Somewhere along the line an apple thief showed up.

Then we put C and M to work with this handy gadget, my Victorio. Can I just tell you how much I love this handy dandy thing? I have different screens for it - apple, salsa, pumpkin, and berry. Did I just use the word handy in two sentences? And now three sentences?

Then the jars started to get filled up...

And......the finished product....or products.

Of course, I had to save out enough apples to make an big apple crisp for all the hard workers. It disappeared before I could get a picture of it, so you'll just have to use your imaginations.

From Drop Box

Favorite Books #s 2-4

Howdy, I'm back with some more of my favorite books. Picture Books #2 A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell Hoban        There are a number of books about Frances, a badger, and they are all great. #3 My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis        This is a good selection, especially for boys. #4 Here We Go, Harry by Kim Lewis         Harry, the elephant, and his friends Lulu the lamb and Teddy the bear share a fun day playing outside.      The illustrations are adorable. Chapter Books #2 Happy Little Family by Rebecca Caudill      This is the story of a family of 5 children living in Kentucky in the 1900s. It is the first book in a series of 4 books. #3 Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross by Augusta Stevenson      For this selection I actually chose one of many books from the series, Childhood of Famous Americans. These are great biographies for younger to middle elementary children. They are huge favorite in my house, and I recommend finding the old paperback versions from your library, because some of the newer reprinted books have been changed. Plus, I prefer the older books type-set. #4 The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall       Once again, this is the first in a series of books. The third book is supposedly coming out the summer of 2011, and my daughter can't wait. Until next time, happy reading.

My 50 Favorite Children's Books

Here's the plan. From now until Christmas Eve, I'd like to share 50 of my favorite picture and chapter books with you. For those of you with children to shop for, I hope this helps you. I love books! We have bookshelves in almost every room of our house and still I don't have enough space for all my books, so some are in boxes.  I especially love old books. There is something comforting about the feel of a book in your hands. Oh, did I mention I love books?

My guess is I won't be faithful enough to actually post every day, so I'll end up doubling or tripling up sometimes. So now without further ado, here are today's books. The order in which they appear does not have any bearing other than being the one I'm thinking of at the time.

Picture Book #1: The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash

     This is a current favorite of my 2.5 yr old. If you're not familiar with this poem, I'm sure you can search for it. It's quite funny.

Chapter Book #1: Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede

     This is one of my daughter's favorite books. It's the first in a series of 4 books called "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles".  It is very humorous, and even adults would enjoy reading this book.

There you have it! Happy reading!

*I do not have any affiliation with Amazon, nor do I get anything out of linking the books to their site. It's just an easy place for you to look, should you be interested.

From Drop Box