Pumpkin Decorating instead of Carving
We tried a new pumpkin craft this year in place of carving. With a 3 year old, 2 year old, a 2 month old and a home that is still not fully moved into, the mess of pumpkin carving was not appealing. But I wanted to do something fun and pumpkin-y with the kids to celebrate the season.
And, target for the win!!!
I found pumpkin decorating kits for $3 that were so simple and so cute! One was a llama and the other a unicorn! Each kit came with all the supplies which consisted of sticky paper and foam that you just put straight onto the pumpkin. We had small white pumpkins already from a previous project so they ended up being a little small for what the kit called for, but we were still able to make it work! Sophie LOVED it, we were really able to have her take more of the reigns than if carving and she was so proud of how it turned out!
…
Dress up and hit the town, well kinda!
We got to go to a wedding! A great reason or excuse to dress your kids up, and from my biased opinion, they did look pretty cute! And to make it even sweeter, Garrett was the ring bearer! And it was absolutely priceless! Our first full family wedding, and it was quite a hit! We had a great time, and our kids did too!
…
Israel Adventures: Ein Gedi
The bucket list adventures keep on coming from Isreal!
Today we hiked to the top waterfall in Ein Gedi, the oasis where David hid in caves from King Saul who was chasing him to kill him because David had become more popular with the people. This is referenced in the Bible in 1 Samuel 24:1-22.
Ein Gedi is located at the edge of the Dead Sea. It is the only natural fresh water oasis near this desolate below-sea-level area surrounding the Dead Sea, also inspiring the poetry of Song of Solomon, Song 1:14.
…
Hiking Masada
Today’s bucket list adventure was hiking Masada, Hebrew for “fortress,” and one of Israel’s most popular tourist attractions.
It is possible that Masada is the place David took refuge from Saul and where he wrote some of his Psalms.
Herod the Great built himself two large palaces here between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, Herod had two great fears: one, to be deposed by the Jewish people, and two, the fear of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. This fortress, Masala, was one of his escape places.
You can walk the 911 foot trail to the top, and we are so glad we did. It took 52 minute to climb and the top has incredible views of the Dead Sea. We drank 8 bottles of water!
Signing off for now from Israel,
…
Supporting Our Local Pumpkin Patch
Our favorite pumpkin patch is a family owned farm out in wine country. We love going every year to take a few of the same fun photos to compare as the kids grow. We’ve been going for at least 5 years!
It is really fun to go to this local pumpkin farm to support the family who owns it and run into lots of friendly faces of people we know. We actually decided not to meet any friends on this trip so our family could explore and play at our own pace. Each of the girls got a set amount of tickets and chose a couple activities each. There are lots of activities and even food trucks and a winery up the hill from the farm.
This year I let the girls decide what they wanted to do. They chose between the petting zoo, pony rides, and carnival games. At the end we celebrated awesome parent teacher conference with ice cream from their ice cream truck.
We almost didn’t go this year, but thanks to the Bestie Fall Bucket List Challenge, I knew that this was a memory I didn’t want to pass up! I’m so grateful for this challenge and the reminder to get out and make memories!
…
New breakfast spot
Trunk or Treat
One of our favorite events of the year is our local Girl Scout Trunk-or-Treat. We love walking around the trunks with our troop and supporting all the local girls and families that make the event possible. It is a great way to do something fun as a troop and also to be a part of the Girl Scout community!
I love seeing everyone in their costumes. Even the adults get dressed up. Some of the troops even have theme costumes!! I admire those leaders because that is a lot of organization.
The trunks are FABULOUS. Everyone goes all out and most trunks are interactive with games or photo opps. There was a trunk playing music to dance to, a trunk where girls to try out a lasso, a slime trunk, and one of our favorites – the Star Wars trunk!
I sure wish these cool Halloween events had been around when I was a kid! But I’m glad that I can experience all the fun with my girls and our friends and their families!
…
Sharing Joy with Painted Rocks
Another check off our bucket list!!
The last time we were at Gammie and Poppa’s house, Sophie LOVED getting to decorate rocks with paint and glitter.
Today, we decided to go on an adventure walk and leave the rocks different places around our route for others to enjoy!
In all honesty, the adventure did not fully go as planned (#momlife) – kids continuing to pick the rocks up after they chose a spot, not being great listeners…However, I decided to look at and focus on the positives.
It was a beautiful, sunny day that we got to enjoy on our walk
I let the kids run free instead of sitting in the stroller which they loved and they were very obedient staying on the sidewalk
I was able to talk to the kids about sharing joy with others even if they didn’t fully understand it
Selah slept in the carrier
We achieved our goal of placing the rocks around our block and hope that others love seeing them on their walks!
…
13.1
We did it! I love to run… but I don’t make myself commit to certain goals with running much. But this time… my husband and I set a goal, signed up, and did it! And we met our goal of running it in a certain time. Which I wasn’t quite sure we were going to do since we both got the stomach flu a few days before. But we healed up enough to do it. So I got to make a huge check off my bucket list for this one!!!…
InstantPot Apple Butter-Finding a FAST and EASY way to make Apple Butter
If you have followed our blog for any time at all you know I am PASSIONATE about giving homemade gifts and one of my favorite holiday gifts to give is Apple Butter. I love spending a whole day with one of my dear friends, Sally…but this year we are both busy with our wonderful grandkids. Today I tried making a batch of apple butter in my InstantPot and it was FAST, EASY and DELICIOUS. Not that fast an easy can ever take the place of a fun day with my friend BUT for this year it is a nice alternative.
10-12 large apples (5 pounds)
¾ cup Trader Joes Spiced Apple Cider
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
One of the BEST things about this recipe is you DO NOT HAVE TO PEEL the apples.
Get out your InstantPot and cut large apples into 4 pieces leaving the peel on but discarding the core. Place all apples into InstantPot. Pour in apple cider and add brown sugar, spices and salt. Save th lemon juice until after the apples are cooked.
Put top on InstantPot with vent closed. Set on Manual for 15 minutes. When finished, let naturally vent for 15 minutes and then release the rest of the steam. While apples are cooking make sure to sterilize your jars and tops. When apples are finished, open the top and use an immersion blender to grind up the skins and pulverize the apples. Ladel the apple butter into jars and seal. If you do not seal in the hot apple butter, you must refrigerate and use within 10 days. Once sealed the apple butter will last for months. You can also freeze the apple butter if you can not …