Fall pictures

This day was a beautiful fall day. In the morning, it was cool, in the 40's, and smelled like fall. There is that distinctive, sharp smell which is so much better than any perfume. By lunchtime, we decided to take the dogs on a walk. Given Kelby's knee issues, we kept it short. I used this opportunity with both of us, with the dogs, in the daytime to take some pictures. Sophie moves so fast! It was hard to get her into certain poses, but we were able to get cute ones. Enjoy

This is Sophie's typical position.

Trying to get Skipper to play!



I couldn’t decide on which pictures I liked best, so you are able to see more than expected.


I love when Sophie carries toys.
She is too cute!



    

  



Applesauce

Mom mailed me a box of apples. Probably one of the best packages I have received in the mail. In the box, were fresh, crisp, delicious apples. TX apples are just not the same, even the ones imported from other states. They were great to eat and cook with.

With the rest of the apples, I decided to make homemade applesauce. It is actually much easier than it sounds.Wash the apples, cut them into hunks. Place all the apples into a large pot, with a little water on the bottom. Turn on the heat, and let them cook for 30ish minutes with the lid on, stirring at times, until all the apples are soft and mushy.

Use this wonderful invention, a food press. Turn the crank, and applesauce falls out the bottom! Press the entire batch of apples, and then it is ready to eat.

I love it best as is, but it is also good with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Deliciousness



What to cook when the fridge is empty...

Wow, food was expensive this month. As it is the end of the month, our budget for food refills on the first of November. So this weekend, I used my creativity in order to feed our stomachs.

1. I purposely bought these ingredients earlier this month, as there are no fresh items needed besides onion and half-and-half, both of which last a long time. The hardest part about this recipe is I cooked it at 8am today, since the apartment complex was turning off our water at 9am.

Corn Chowder Soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp margarine
1 tsp Italian Spices (parsley, oregano, basil)
salt
ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth (I used 3 bouillon cubes and 3 cups of water)
1 can diced white potatoes, drained
2 cans corn, cream style
1/2 cup cream/half-and-half (I used fat-free)

Melt margarine, add onion and sautee until soft. Add spices, salt and pepper to taste, chicken broth, potatoes, corn. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream, bring to just under a boil.


2. I have made crepes probably 4 times in the past few months. They have tastes delicious, and use basic ingredients. Besides that, they are slightly time-consuming, but totally worth it!

Crepes
1.5 cups milk
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup flour
1.5 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
margarine (for the pan)

Beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add milk, mix together. Add in flour, sugar, salt and mix until most of the lumps are out. Place in fridge for an hour. Heat pan, melt a small dollop of margarine. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of mixture at a time to the pan. Tilt the pan so your crepe is nice and thin. Cook around 30 seconds on the first side, and 15 seconds on the second side.
- I love these with a little margarine rolled in the middle. Also great with cream cheese, or anything else you can think of!

Pray for Kelby

We received some unfortunate news regarding Kelby's knee this past week. A surgeon told us that Kelby needs exploratory surgery on his left knee, as the MRI and X-rays showed a severe lateral torn meniscus. During the surgery, the doctor will decide if it can be fixed, or just cut out the torn pieces. The doctor was not very promising on the odds of being able to fix this kind of injury. The life-long implications are overwhelming, as many of our goals and dreams may need to be rewritten, depending on the outcome of the surgery.

Please pray that Kelby's surgery goes smoothly, and that the knee can be fully fixed. That his pain is minimal. That his recovery time will be short. A long recovery means that much more time off from work. Pray that Kelby is spared from having "old man knees" for the rest of his life.

His surgery is on November 17th.

Thank you!