Fall Carvings

Ahh Fall, how I love thee.  Our yard was a beautiful blanket of fall color before the mighty winds set our way.  Now our neighbor's yard is a beautiful blanket of fall color!  We have been busy with all the projects that fall brings.

The first was a venture into homemade applesauce.  We have made this before, but this year Smoosh and I decided to spice it up a bit and make it in the crockpot.  Crockpot applesauce leaves a smell in the house that lingers well into the next day, just like bread baking does.  We carved at least 20 apples to get maybe 2 full cups of applesauce.  I learned that when cooking with Squeakers I should probably keep a better eye on her or give her jobs that do not involve actual food products.  I think she "tasted" every apple before putting it into the crockpot.  I did not notice this until Smoosh raised a fuss about wanting some "taste tests" too.

There go all those apple peels to our bunnies and some to our compost pile!

Next "carving" project up will be canning pears and make absurd amounts of pear pies, pear sauces, pear whatevers!  It was a pear-a-palooza this fall from our trees!

Smoosh and Jack -he's our neighbor who helped with the picking!

One of our biggest fall "carving" projects was a new bed for Smoosh!  Check it out - that's a dragon rail on there!!!  Big Daddy at work again with his craftiness. 

 The bed still needs some paint and a few more details to be added, but I don't think Smoosh minds too much.  He was pretty excited to finally have a big boy bed!

Of course, there is always the Pumpkin Carving of each year that is such great fun for about 5 minutes before I start wigging out from the knives being used recklessly, the over-the-top need for violence and gory items from an eldest child who shall remain nameless, and the smiles from watching the littlest one take seeds out the pumpkin then put them back in, out, then in, out, then in.  Pics will follow in another post:)