Fall has come.......

Yes it its official fall has come, and to be honest I am not ready for it..lol After a year in Florida I have realized the lat few chilly mornings that my family is no longer equiped for the colder weather. Off to buy coats, sweaters, etc..oh well..guess my days of being warm are gone for awhile..lol

I can say though that even though we are not prepared for fall my kitchen is.....we went apple picking on Sunday and have a rather large bushal of apples that my 2 year old and I are the only ones eating...so yesterday I filled the house with the yummy smell of apple pie. I sit here now snuggled under a blanket trying to decided what to bake or make that requires apples today....apple bread, apple butter...hmm what to do???

Outdoor soccer for Meghan has ended till spring and we are still deciding on indoor or not, I personally would like to see the girls take swim lessons during the winter months...but we shall see.. Elaine should be able to start Irish Step in the next week or so as her foot is healed. The girls are both singing in the 4th grade choir at school and the church choir..this keeps them busy,and me the transportation.

We are plugging along on our homeschool religous education and the girls really seem to enjoy me teaching it to them instead of running to the church every week for it. I actually enjoy it to when they are not fighting!! Which lately is almost never. For twins, I really never expected so much fighting and hatered from the two of them..it breaks my heart daily to see how they treat each other....

I am head on iton being a college student again at 34.....I am determined to make this work this time...although I think 11.5 credits to start out again with may have been a tad too much, but I will prevail..not only for me but for my kids and my family....If all goes as planned I will graduated with my first associates in the fall...apply for nursing school next year for entrance in 2012...and graduate with my second associates degree the end of 2013...heres hoping...I would be the first to graduate college...my parents never did...so I know this would mean alot to them, me and my children....I want to lead by example...so here I go!!!!

That being said....my already horrible blogging habits may get worse in the weeks to come....I will try....but blogging at 2AM sort of defeats the purpose...although I was finishing a paper at 240am today...lol
Why you ask.....becasue it was midnight before my house was finally quiet enough for me to do it...

So....as my way of welcoming fall and the chaos it is bringing how about sharing your favorite fall recipe?? I'll even go first!!!!

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER




Approximately 3 lb. apples

3 cups sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cloves

Dash of salt

3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider



Fill Crock-pot 3/4 full with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.

If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.



Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze for longer storage.



Variation: For a less sweet apple butter, substitute 1 cup honey for the sugar.



To can the apple butter, pack into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.