seasons series | fall | giving thanks

Happy November! I love that the holidays are right around the corner... my favorite time of year because of the occasions to celebrate with family and friends. There is a time of slowing down and focusing on those things that are really important in life. Not that we can't do this at other times of the year, of course. But Thanksgiving, in particular, is a time when I am reminded of all that I am blessed with in life, and that even in the midst of difficult times, God is good.

And as cliche as it might sound, I am really going to try to make a list, one day at a time, of things that I am thankful for this month. I am not much of a journaler... more of a list-maker, so that's what I will do. And just before Thanksgiving, I will share them with you. I think this exercise will put things back in perspective for me. It's so easy to lose perspective, isn't it?

What are you thankful for? Will you join me in this little challenge this month? Make it a family activity. If you have children, teach them to be thankful at a young age.  Display the list somewhere in your house so everyone is reminded throughout the month of the things they mentioned.

seasons series | apple butter

I am introducing a new "category" to the blog in which I can share seasonal decorating ideas, recipes, photographs, craft projects and the like. A few posts each season will be dedicated to this category, and I hope you find it enjoyable and maybe even helpful. I live in Pennsylvania, and am blessed to be able to watch the seasons change in very distinct ways - colors of the trees, weather/changes in temperature, and other patterns in nature. It's hard to say I have a favorite season, because I really do enjoy special things about each one.

One of my favorite things about fall is the abundance of flavors that hint at the need for warmth as the temperature gradually grows cooler and the air is marked by crispness. Apple and pumpkin added to just about anything you can think of.  My mother-in-law stopped by a local orchard recently, and bought an abundance of apples for baking - Gold Delicious and Cortland. She gave me about 40 of them, and with a few, I made this apple cake shared by Bethany over at b*spoke, which was so yummy! Instead of mixing the nuts in, though, I sprinkled about a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts over half the cake after I spread it into the baking dish, and then sprinkled the whole thing lightly with some cinnamon. You can't go wrong with a little cinnamon!

So this past weekend, Rob and I visited my cousin in Virginia Beach, and I brought some apples with me, in case we decided to make a treat. She shared that she had been wanting to try this apple butter for the crock pot recipe for a while now, so we got everything together that we needed... made a double recipe... and let me tell you, it is GOOD. Here's the recipe we followed, with a few changes that we made along the way.

INGREDIENTS
Approx. 3 lb. apples, 2 c. sugar (we cut this down from 3 cups), 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. cloves, dash of salt, 3/4 c. water

DIRECTIONS
Fill crock pot 3/4 full of peeled, cored sliced apples. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low overnight, for 8-10 hours (took more like 12 for the doubled batch). If butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until desired consistency results, checking and stirring every 20 minutes. The finished consistency will not be as smooth as its store-bought counterpart

I am excited to make this again, (for Thanksgiving dinner maybe?) and would welcome your feedback if you decide to give it a go!