Autumn Signs

I was part of the Seasons Round Exchange Harvest- such a wonderful way to mark the changing seasons. A nature table is something we have off and on through out the year. The table always gets set up....but keeping it on the table or even close by is a challenge. The kids love taking it down and create a nature play area in different nooks around the house. Leaving a bare table!

The idea of the exchange was to share 3-5 things, at least one of which you made with your partner. These were things for the other families nature table. In the package I sent our swap family a Harvest Lady, felted, with an apple tree on her dress, holding a basket of apples and a large felted apple. A copy of Autumn by Emily Dickinson, a beeswax candle in a walnut shell, a package of cards each with a different wildflower, a garland of embroidered felt leaves. It was a joy to put them together to share.

Our exchange family is from Washington and they gifted us with some beautiful treasures. A bendy doll, named Pepo, who was a special guest from their garden, some felted acorns in fall colours, and a very beautiful felt pumpkin whose lid comes off. There were calendula seeds from their garden to ours, a collection of fall leaves and hand drawn pumpkins from their boys. Our table looks beautiful! Thank you.

The leaves are changing outside, the nature table is decorated, our fall banner is up and the crock pot is on. Yup, its fall.

Feeling the Crock Pot Love

Fall= Crock pot

I don't usually use the crock pot during the summer, but the autumn I begun to dream about all the yummy warm goodness I can cook up in it. I dusted it off and brought it out this week. I cooked three breakfasts and one pot of chili for dinner in it. The ease the crock pot brings us on slow mornings or over scheduled evenings, is one of many reasons I love it. The way in which the house fills slowly with the delicious aromas of the food bubbling away, it is comforting and homey. Ahh.

I thought I would share our three current favorite crock pot breakfasts. It works well for breakfast because the kids can all help themselves to a warm cooked breakfast as they trickle down stairs.

These are my three favorites.

Oatmeal (the basic)

1 1/2 cups steel cut oats

4 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon
Mix in the crock pot, put on low heat before bed- ready for you when you wake up!

I often add in one or more of the following before I turn it on
-1 cup of chopped dates
-1 cup of raisins (although my guys don't like warm raisins)
-1 cup of cranberries
-1-2 cup chopped and peeled apple or pear

In the morning I often add some of the following
-almond milk
-coconut milk (a big hit lately)
-coconut
-nuts
-honey or brown sugar
-berries
-jam

Blueberry Syrup for Pancakes (or yogurt, on fruit, on leftover oatmeal)
2-3 cups blueberries (or whatever berries you have, fresh or frozen)

1 cups water

1/3 cup sugar

2tsps lemon juice

mix, put crock pot on low heat for 2 -3 hours

Apple Sauce
8 apples, peeled and quartered

1cups of water

2-3 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 cup of brown sugar

mix in crock pot, put on low heat before bed, warm chunky apple sauce ready for you when you get up!

a year of crock pot recipes

a discussion of crock pot cooking at beauty that moves

Red Pepper Jelly

For Penelope and Jen

We have been loving the Red Pepper Jelly we made. I must confess we have tried a few different recipes over the years but the jelly consistency has never been quite right. I was so excited to have this red pepper jelly and the crab apple jelly we made turn out with such a wonderful jelly texture that I called my mum in celebration at 11pm just to share my joy! It's the little things - right?

Most recipes aren't like this one. Many recipes suggest you press the juice out of the peppers or use a cheese cloth bag for easy removal of the pepper pieces. This recipe has you leave them in. I loved how easy that made it and the bits have such a soft consistency after being cooked that really you don't notice. Red peppers are on sale this week for .49 cents a pound, so I might be making some more!

So here it is

3 1/2 cups finely chopped red pepper (careful to keep the seeds out) you can hand chop or use a processor

5 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cupsapple cider vinegar (you can use white vinegar, but I think this brings out the flavour even more)

4 ounces of liquid pectin (for the type I bought it meant 1 and a half pouches) and NOT the powdered kind

Mix the peppers, vinegar, sugar and heat until it is a rolling boil. Stir at a boil for 6 mins. Stir in the liquid pectin, boil for 4 more minutes. Skim foam off. Ladle the jelly into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top of the jars. Put the sealed jars in the canner for 5 mins.

It is great served over cream cheese for crackers or dipping, as a topper to warm brie, as a side for leftover turkey. Enjoy!

similar to one we have used in the past for crushing the juice out of the peppers.

A New Wreath

I love hydrangeas, I love that the previous owners planted some. The beautiful way they change from a cream to a pink to a purple colour, they have been bringing splashes of happiness to different corners of the house.

I recently read Garden Mama's post on her hydrangeas and a gorgeous wreath she made using these dried flowers. What a gorgeous wreath! It has been long overdue that I change my spring wreath of pussy willows into something a little more seasonal. This was the perfect addition!

Mushrooms

We really like mushrooms. Even more now that we went on a mushroom walk. Our hike at hardwood Lookout lead us to find lots of different types of fungus. We were over the moon to find lots and lots of puff balls, giving everyone a chance to scatter the spores around.
We are trying to identify some of the different fungus, slime molds are becoming easier and a few of the different polypores are too. It was great to watch everyone searching in different corners as we went along, excited to show the rest of us. Even Chris found a great specimen of Bear's Head, we were all so proud!








































puffballs




















perhaps a honey mushroom




















maybe Golden Pholiotas















carnivorous oyster mushrooms















a type of polypore














we call this the hershey kiss, or maybe it's ?

a red belt polypore

bear's head or we like to call it coconut

polypore

A Walk in the Woods

A sunny fall day, colours brilliant, nothing on the calendar meant it was a perfect day to head into Algonquin park for a hike. The fall colours bring in lots of tourists, the parking lot was full. Fortunately for us the trail wasn't very busy.
We decided to take Hardwood Lookout, primarily because it overlooks Smoke Lake and the beautiful scenery and because it isn't a difficult trail, which is important when your two year old wants to walk!

It was a gorgeous hike. There was hardwood trees in their glorious splendid colours, a Hemlock grove, Beech Trees, 300 year old giant Pine trees, huge rocks covered in the roots of trees successfully growing on top of them (kind of like an octopus!). We were amazed at a beautiful lush area, with rare (to this area)Red Spruce trees, the floor was carpeted in moss and giant clover. It was so soft the kids and I laid down on it!

Homeschooling with Playmobile

I was inspired by a friend who is using The Story of Canada as a back bone for a study on Canada. It has been quite a few years see we have done any Canadian history, so the timing is right. It is a book that is already part of our collection and we enjoy the narration style it follows. While the book is the back bone, we have been taking lots of detours and supplementing here and there with more in depth material.

When we started we created a map of the physical shape of Canada and then made numerous copies. As we make our way through the history we our showing the different changes on a separate dated map. It is becoming quite a collection; there is the arrival of the Aboriginal peoples and their settling across the land, the arrival of the Vikings, the Europeans and different explorers. You see what I mean. As history unfolds, the map changes. A very interesting flip book is being formed, which my visual learning is especially taking great interest in.

Fridays have become our 'retelling' or narration day. The above is picture is the kids sharing the history of the vikings coming to Vinland with a little help from some Playmobile props. They are using their vikings set to show the travels from Scandinavia, to Iceland, to Greenland and then on to the coast of now Canada. In preparation for their skit they created a village which was similar to the ones they read about. They practice until they all know what they are doing and with pride they are excited to be sharing the skit for their audience.

Hibernation Ready

Part of fall means preparing for the winter. As much as I like winter and winter weather, I am no where near ready for it. But this weekend we spend a bit more time getting ready. The chicken coop got a coat of protective paint, the garden beds got cleaned and mulched, the garage got organized (well it got started), the toys from around the woods got collected. One of the kids commented that when we are inside we are canning, baking and freezing and when we are outside we are cleaning, collecting, preparing, that we knew just what it must feel like to be an animal getting ready for hibernation. I think we do.

Art Around the Table

It was pouring rain yesterday morning, providing the perfect timing to pull out some of our art supplies. I was inspired by this activity , using different art materials to sketch the same subject spoke to me. We choose to use an apple as our subject in the centre of the table. At different stations around the table I set up four different mediums; charcoal, oil pastels, water colour paints and graphite sketching pencils. We rotated around the table, each having a tour with each of the supplies and sketching from a slightly different perspective.

These art supplies aren't new for the us, but using them consecutively really allowed us to see the contrasts and similarities in them. We mounted the four sketches, everyone really pleased with how they turned out.

Option 2

Today good have gone two ways. Thankfully I ditched my long to do list and packed us up, heading to the beach. We had it all to ourselves, to build in the sand, fish, do some corking, swimming (apparently it is good preparation for the polar bear swim they want to enter) and snacking.

We came back smiling, excited for the first night of brownies and time with Dadda for everyone else. What a difference letting go can make.

squelch....squish...squelch...

can you hear that?

that sound is me in my kitchen. It's canning, preserving, freezing time. It is one of those crazy times I really enjoy, seeing the fruits of my labour lining the pantry or filling the freezer, but it also feels a bit like a mad dash trying to fit the work into pockets of time. No complaints though, I do love it.
O.k., one complaint. That noise. squelch, squish, squelch. It comes from my kitchen floor. It is a sticky mess, trapping things as they pass through the area (I think I even caught one of the kids!) , then spreading as things are freed.
I have lots to share; country fair fun, a trip to see friends and family, fall clean up,crafting for the nature exchange, an awesome star program we attended and chicken despair. Despite trying I haven't been able to find a pause button on life, it would make life so much easier to catch up. Darn. Until that happens, (and assuming I can be freed from my kitchen floor )I will begin to post past things below. Thanks for your patience (especially you mum !).

I love to look back and see how much more (hopefully) we are preserving each year.

In the freezer
2 quarts of green beans
6 cups of fresh corn
12 jars of pesto
6 bags of apple pie filling
2 bags of chokecherry pie filling
4 bags of cooked and pureed pumpkin

In the pantry
10 jars of raspberry jam
11 jars of crab apple jelly
6 jars of red pepper jelly
10 jars of ginger pear jam
8 jars of apricot jam
6 of peach jam

There are plans to get together with a friend to do some tomato canning. Plum preserves and blueberries are next in line. I have also been inspired to try peach salsa. Some will be birthday or Christmas gifts, the rest won't be hard for my family to enjoy!

Park Time

We had a few downtown errands to do, which usually means to things to my kids.

1. They have to wear 'town' clothes.

2. We can probably visit the park.

Shai is at that age of just adoring the park, running from slide to climber to swing trying to soak it all in. Aria loves sharing the excitement.

Elias and Ben, they like scarring me half to death with how high they are willing to jump off the swing from.

All kinds of Cars

click on this one to read the great license plate

The other day our town held a huge oldies car show. There were well over 400 antique cars, a little something for everyone. While it really isn't my thing, it was great hearing what the kids liked, what they would change and what they thought of the different cars. The one with the tent attachment was a big winner!

A Country Fair

It was just as we had hoped it would be, a real country fair. After 124 years, this fair still stays true to it's rural roots. There were animals, crafts, fifty cents for a slice of homemade pie, bags of candy for a quarter, classic games and lots of sunshine. There wasn't a neon light, cotton candy, over sized stuffed animal or ride in sight.
We worked like crazy the week before we went away because we wanted to enter some of our handiwork. The kids out did themselves as always, button people, handwriting (Elias came in 3rd Karen!) treasure boxes, recycled piggy banks, a decorated t-shirt, knitting, baked goods, the list goes on. The highlights were our rooster coming in first place, Oreo our rabbit coming in 2ND place, Elias' doll and doll clothes coming first and receiving an invite to the Ontario Agricultural Fair with this entry (so excited!), Ben's button person who had a country theme coming in first, Aria's photos getting first place and my personal celebration was my embroidery coming in first.
The prizes were ribbons and small monetary amounts, which are shared at a potluck evening in October. What a great way to extend the fun!
As if that wasn't fun enough, the games kept everyone busy. There were sack races, tug of war, wheel barrow races, running races, shoe fling, sawing, hammer the fastest. They were a blast.
We enter a fair every year, it has become a bit of a tradition. This one had all the parts of a fair we love rolled into one.

Put This One On Your Must Do List!

This kids entered the egg toss with different friends who were at the fair. You could tell by the expressions on their face it was a lot of fun, filled with a good dash of fear. That never knowing if the next catch will be successful. I was impressed with how long they stayed in and no one got egged, all in all a success.

I convinced Chris to enter with me. All of the games had an adult section, which was fun. So the egg toss. We were doing really well. There were four or five of us left, out of about 20 pairs. I was feeling pretty confident. You know where this is going, right? The next toss was a little shorter than the others, I need to reach forward to grab the egg. Perhaps that's what caused it to literally explode in my hands, covering both the inside and outside of my shirt, my face, my hair, down my arms and onto my pants. Covered. Literally. I swear it was a double yoke because no normal egg holds that much inside. Thank goodness for wet wipes.

Later on in the craft hall a stranger said to me; "from know on everyone here will know you as the egg lady".

All in fun. And it is one of those things you must give a try.

Tradition

For the last three Septembers we have joined a group of friends for a day of tie dying. Each year the weather is beautiful, the friends fun, the wares colourful and the memories fond. Thanks for including us in the fun!

Constants

They might be getting bigger but I don't think they will ever out grow their love of pizza shop.