Blog is moving

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have moved my blog to a new website.  You can now visit at http://www.afirewifenmom.com/.  You can also visit my craft blog at http://www.firehousecrafts.com/.  My craft blog is just beginning so it is still under construction.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will stop by and visit my new websites!

Time To Bake Some Pumpkins

Well, it is that time of year again and Fall is upon us.  My family and I love this time of year.  We go to Fall Festivals, pumpkin searching, nature walks, apple picking and we like to do some canning.  This past weekend we bought some cooking pumpkins because the boys asked if you could eat a pumpkin.  I told them that you could but you needed to buy a smaller cooking pumpkin.  They were very excited so last night we cleaned out our pumpkins.  I cut off the tops of the pumpkins and then cut the pumpkins in half to scoop out the goop inside.  We saved the seeds because the boys remembered that we saved the seeds last year and baked them.  I remember that none of us really liked them but the boys were so excited about baking them this year we did it anyhow.

All cleaned out!

 Once the pumpkins were all cleaned out I washed them up real well.  Afterwards, I put the halves in glass baking dishes and baked them at 325 degrees for 50 minutes.

G enjoyed helping me clean up the kitchen but he found out that sweeping up the pumpkin goop was not a real good idea!

Meanwhile, I washed up all of the seeds and put them on a towel to dry a bit.  Since none of us liked the seeds salted last year I tried something different this year.  I put the seeds in a bowl and used a tiny bit of olive oil, just enough to coat the seeds.  I then sprinkled them with brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Once the pumpkins were done baking I lowered the oven temperature to 325 degrees and spread the pumpkin seeds into one layer on a baking sheet then baked them for about 20 minutes.  They smelled good and their flavor was real good too.  However, the boys and I still did not like them because the outer part of the seed was just too hard to eat.

The pumpkins looked pretty much the same when they were cooked as when they were raw except that the skins were darker in color after they were baked.

 Once the pumpkins cooled a bit I cut them into quarters and scraped the pumpkin pulp off of the skin and put the pulp in a bowl.  As I was doing that G took the potato masher and mashed up the pumpkin pulp. 

 Once we measured it out we had enough for two loaves of pumpkin bread and at least one pumpkin pie.  Of course I did not have any light cream because I did not read the recipe earlier in the day so the pumpkin pie will have to wait until today so that I can go to the grocery store.  The boys were cooperating very well and were actually happily taking turns putting in each of the ingredients.  Once the ingredients were in the bowl M would lock the mixer in place and G would turn it on while I supervised.  It is amazing how something so simple can be so exciting for kids.  Once we were done mixing I put the loaves of bread in the oven and began the clean up.  I know that G loves to help clean up in the kitchen so that he can play in the water but sometimes that just makes for even more of a mess.  I decided to turn the television on and put in one of the old Scooby Doo DVDs so they watched that and played with their toy barn.  I was then able to clean up the disaster in the kitchen.

We were able to make the two loaves of pumpkin bread and they turned out so good!  The boys were disappointed when they realized that the bread was not going to be done until bedtime and would not be cool enough to eat but I promised them a piece at breakfast this morning.  Our Firefighter had to work yesterday so he can have some pumpkin bread for breakfast too!

I love how good the baking smells in the house in the Fall!!  Some apple cider would have topped off the evening but we were out.  That gives us another reason to go back to the apple farm this week!

The Apple Picking Season Has Officially Begun

What a beautiful afternoon for apple picking!  This is one of our favorite Fall activities.  We went to Church in the morning and then the Kiwanis Chicken Bar-B-Que afterwards.  After a wonderful lunch, that I did not have to cook or clean up, we were off to apple picking.  The boys had been looking forward to it all week.  We had a long week between preschool, things to do around the house,  and our Firefighter had been gone a lot during the week with shifts.  We were all looking forward to Sunday apple picking!

When we arrived at the apple orchard they were not too crowded so we went in line to pay for our ½ bushel bag.  Once we paid for our bag we were instructed which apple trees were ready for apple picking and then we were off.  The boys were so excited and were running ahead of me.  When we found the section of trees that were ready for picking we all started picking the apples.  We were picking the Empire apples.  One of the trees that we found was really loaded with apples and it had a lot of apples down low so the boys were able to reach more than we needed.

The one part of apple picking that is difficult in the beginning of the apple picking season is trying to keep the boys from biting all of the apples, especially M, because they are so excited.  He kept picking the apples off of the tree, taking a bite out of them and then would put them in the bag.  I had to keep reminding him to stop and only eat one apple at a time, not bite every apple before putting it in the bag.  I think that he was just so excited that he could not help himself!

After awhile the boys took a break to eat an apple while sitting under the apple tree.  I took advantage of the quiet time and picked some of the larger apples that were up a bit higher on the tree.  Once our bag was overflowing we took our apples back to the car and went back into the market to buy some goodies.

We ended up buying some fresh apple cider, a little blueberry pie and some apple cider donuts.  Those donuts are the best and we look forward to them every year.  They also sell 10 cent candy sticks so I usually let the boys each have one.

When we arrived back home with our purchases the boys were quite anxious to get started on the season’s first batch of applesauce.  This year G can not only turn the apple peeler but he is able to put the apples on and take the core off all by himself, with my supervision of course.  M likes to help G with this process.  G hands M the peeled apple, M takes a bite out of it and then puts it in the bowl.  When I make applesauce to give away to people I usually make it by myself after the boys are in bed or if they are out with our Firefighter, that way the apples have not all been bitten before they are put into the crockpot!  However, when the applesauce is just for us I let the boys have fun with it.

As soon as I brought G home from preschool today he went right to the kitchen table and asked for the apples and peeler.  Since we did not make that much applesauce last night I let him peel some more apples and it looks like we are going to have a large batch of applesauce today…or maybe I will make apple butter out if it instead

While I am very sorry to see summer go I really do enjoy the Fall season and all of its activities with my family.  Hopefully the weather will continue to be nice and we can have many more apple picking days ahead of us this season!

My First Bellydance Performance

I was very glad for the nice sunny weather that we had today.  Today was the first bellydance performance that I participated in and it was outside at an art festival.  I was pretty nervous but I have been meeting up with some of the girls in the class and we have been practicing all summer.  I am currently taking the intermediate bellydance class with Alanna Shultz.  She is a great teacher and very talented!

She began to instruct the performance class back in May.  We met for eight 1-hour lessons and learned an entire routine.  We were then able to practice over the summer for the performance that we had today.  It was a hot summer and while we tried to practice outstide to enjoy the weather we eventually had to practice in the basement because it was just too hot outside.  Over the summer a group of us got together and practiced twice a week and our kids would play together while the mommies were practicing.  By the end of summer we were all doing a nice job with the dance routine but I was still a bit nervous.  I had some trouble sleeping last night for whatever reason so at 4:00am I was praticing the dance routine, without the music, in my family room  I think that my Firefighter thought I was nuts at that point!

When all of the dancers arrived at the festival today we stayed together as a group while we waited for our turn to go on.  While we were not dancing we remained covered up with our veils since it is not proper to be walking around in costome without being covered up when you are not dancing.

Our performance class went on about 6th in the line-up.  The Troupe and Sister Troupe performed first and then we went on.  I didn't think that I was too nervous but when we were out there and I would try to swallow, my mouth and throat were completely dry.  I messed up close to the beginning but I recovered quickly and did not make any more mistakes after that one.  Of course I can come up with all kinds of criticisms about how I danced but looking back on it I think that I did well for my first performance.  I am a bit of a perfectionist but, for the first time performing, I think that we all did a great job!

Check back to see the video.  I will post it as soon as I figure out why I cannot download it correctly from the camera.

When the peformance was over we all came out and free-styled for one song.  I did not know that we were doing that and free-styling at this point is not my best dancing ability.  Nothing like trying to learn it in front of an audience!!

During the free-style dance members of the audience came out to join us.

All in all I think that everybody did a fantastic job!!  I am definately looking forward to trying out for the Sister Troupe and to doing the performance class again next year.  Right now I am continuing to work hard in the intermediate class.  We are now learning how to dance using veils.

If you are ever looking for some great exercise, and having fun while exercising, then you should think about giving bellydance a try!

Getting back into the school routine

I did not realize how easy I had it last year with only G in pre-school.  He went twice a week in the afternoon.  At first I did not like the schedule because pre-school did not start until 12:15pm and with M waking up later because he was still pretty young, there was never enough time to go anywhere or run any errands by the time everyone was up, fed and dressed.  The main problem was having to be back home in enough time to feed them lunch and clean up G for school (dirt just seems to jump on that child's clothes!) and then get him there by 12:15pm.  Well, we adjusted and we did it.  The teacher told me that we could do early registration the following year since G was now a student and I could register M at the same time.  Cool!!!  So, this year they are both in morning pre-school.  Watch what you wish for!!

Now that both boys are in school and both boys go in the morning it just seems so early!!  I have to keep reminding myself that this was the schedule that I chose.  I know that we will adjust but it is taking some work.  The biggest thing is making sure that they get up in the morning and have enough time to finish waking up.  Some mornings it works and other mornings we are rushing out and eating breakfast in the car.  The days that we are rushed are usually my fault because I stayed up too late the night before doing chores, laundry and stuff like that.  Then I oversleep.  We are still working on it.

The best mornings are when our Firefighter is home.  Then I just have to get one boy up and he stays home with the other one.  At times like that I can really appreciate the fire schedule.  It is nice having his help on the mornings that he is home.  He also gets to do things with the boys without taking time off of work if the activity falls on a non-shift day.  Those days are really nice too.

Fortunately, the boys love school and their teacher.  The same teacher teaches both classes on the opposite days.  The boys like to talk to each other about the toys in class and the projects that they do and where things are kept.  It is so cute to listen to them talk.

This is G on his first day of preschool last year.  He did not want a picture taken this year on his first day.  He was excited to go back but seemed a bit nervous too.  When we got there he went in with no problem.

M was so excited on his first day of school.  He went in with no tears!  He was also very excited with his bookbag.  I took the boys to the fabric store and they were able to pick out the appliques that they wanted on their bookbags.  M was real good about wanting to carry his bag into school.  He seems to really like having his own bookbag.

The kids have to hang up their coats and bookbags on a hook right outside of the classroom.  After watching G do it last year, M knew just what to do this year and he ran and did it before going into the classroom.  I cannot believe how fast my boys are growing up!

G had his first homework assignment to do.  He had to cover an empty oatmeal container with construction paper and then he could decorate it.  We covered it together but then he decorated it.  One day each week they bring the can to school with something in it that begins with the letter of the week.  G was very excited about this.  As soon as he finished decorating the container he wanted to find something that began with the letter A.  I said how about apple and he agreed right away.  However, he wanted to put the apple in the container that day and leave it there until this week when the container needed to be brought into school.  Eeewwww!  I told him that the apple may not make it.  However, his school last year at the orientation and the information night was giving out magnets with the school name on them and luckily they were in the shape of an apple.  It caught my eye on the refrigerator and when I suggested that he use the apple magnet he was quite happy with it.  I hope that he always wants to get his homework done a week in advance.

So, as I am sitting here typing this I am also thinking about the load of laundry in the dryer and the fact that the garbage has to still go out and there are a few dishes left in the sink yet.  I also need to get to bed at a decent time so that I will not oversleep in the morning.

Overall we are adjusting to the new schedule.  The boys are actually doing better than I thought they would with getting up early every morning.  I am just glad that they enjoy school and that they have such a wonderful teacher!

Heaven - a 911 remix song

A friend of mine sent me this link.  Heaven - a 911 remix song  It just broke my heart!  It really makes you stop and think how short life is and how fast it can all change.  It also makes me think about the dangers of my Firefighter's job and I just have to stop and say a prayer for his safety.  I also pray for those who lost their lives or lost loved ones on 911.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes for Dinner

 When my Firefighter and I were just married and had no children yet I usually did not cook dinner when he was on shift at the fire station.  Since it was just me at home I would just eat leftovers, have a sandwich, have some cereal, get take-out or go over to my parent's house.  Once we had the boys and they started to eat regular food I started to cook dinners on shift days again.  I eventually got a little more organized and I made sure that we had leftovers to eat on the shift days because by dinnertime I was tired!  Sometimes I would pack up the kids and we would head to my parent's house for dinner where I would also give the boys their baths, put them in their pajamas and put them to bed when we got home.  I love my parents!!

One day I was talking to my best friend and she told me how sometimes they would eat breakfast for dinner.  That was always fine for me but I had never thought to do that with the boys.  I am always trying to make sure that they eat healthy meals and for dinner I always made them dinner food.  Since she said that her kids always liked when she did that I decided to try it one day for something different.  If it was good enough for breakfast then why couldn't we eat it for dinner?  My boys thought that it was great so now on some of our Firefighter's shift days we do breakfast for dinner.  Their favorite is chocolate chip pancakes.

M is happy to have a few of the chocolate chips and give the pancake batter a stir or two while I am cooking the pancakes and then he likes to go and play with one of his toys while I finish up.  G has to be involved in the entire process!

 

As soon as I told G that we were going to have chocolate chip pancakes for dinner he started to get what we needed out of the cupboard so that he could help me.  I measure everything and then he pours it in the bowl and mixes it up.  I always check to make sure that it is mixed thoroughly but he has gotten very good at it and I hardly have to mix it at all.  Then I cook the pancakes while G tries to sneak more chocolate chips into the batter that is left in the bowl!

 When I got to the end of the batter I made one large pancake and it actually turned out.  G was very excited and he wanted to eat that one.

G was also excited that we were making a second batch of pancakes.  We had been to a farm market/ice cream shop earlier that day and they had a whole wheat pancake mix so I bought a bag to try it.  I have been trying to eat more healthy so I decided to try the whole wheat pancakes.  I was very good and only put a few chocolate chips in each one!

They seemed to take a little bit longer to cook and the batter was a bit thicker than the regular pancake mix that we use but they ended up tasting great!

I made a bunch of little ones and then one big one with the last of the batter.  I am actually starting to get pretty good at making pancakes that are not folded over anymore.

The boys were very happy with their dinner pancakes.  As you can tell by the picture, that is another thing that we do when our Firefighter is on shift...sometimes we take the little table into the family room and eat in front of the television!  I always swore that I would not let my kids do that but, oh well, once in awhile we do it when our Firefighter is on shift.  When he is home it is nice to have family meals at the table but when he is on shift, sometimes mommy bends the rules a bit.  All in all it was an enjoyable dinner with my boys!  Tomorrow I think that we will have homemade stuffed peppers in the crockpot.