My Oven Works....For Now!

For a couple of months now my oven works about 50% of the time. Lately, 0% of the time. We grill almost EVERYTHING, so it really hasn't been a big deal. But one of my favorite things about fall is baking. So you can see where this has begun to be an issue for me. A couple of weeks ago Jackson and I baked some cookies. Because the oven wouldn't come on we had to bake them in the toaster oven. Do you know how long it takes to bake two dozen cookies two at a time in the toaster oven? A stinking long time, that's how long! Jay doesn't want to call someone to have it fixed because you can make it come on if you slam the door real hard a few times (and by a few I mean a couple hundred). Anyway, he figured out a trick that makes it come on. I don't really care as long as I get to do a little baking. AND still have an excuse not to cook too much.

I found this recipe for Dried Apple Cider Pie that I wanted to try. My favorite part of any pie is the crust. I have a GREAT pie crust recipe that makes enough for two pies so I used the extra pastry to cut out some leaves with some cookie cutters and baked them for the top of the pie. The pie turned out yummy!

Fall Is In The Air

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the fall colors and cool air. I love corn mazes and pumpkin farms. I love boiled peanuts and funnel cakes. I love football and post-season baseball. And we can't forget that my birthday and annual shopping trip are all part of this wonderful season!
Nothing says "fall is here" quite like the beautiful reds, oranges & yellows of the trees when their leaves change colors. One afternoon Hailey and I were pulling into our driveway and she noticed the small maple tree that is now blazing red.
Hailey: Mom, did we get a new tree?
Me: No, that's the same tree, it's turning colors because it's fall
Hailey: Did you get new colors for me?
Me: I didn't do it, God did.
It's so neat to see something for the first time all over again through the eyes of my children. While I've always loved the fall colors, they haven't seemed so "magical" for several years.

We spent a couple of hours at Jaemor Sunday with friends. Jaemor Farms is so much fun with loads of things to do, but man is it PACKED on Sundays! We went through the corn maze (but don't tell the kids it was the mini maze). We rode the hay ride. Jackson & Maddie slid down the big slide, a VERY big deal for Maddie. The kids abused some pumpkins. We ate boiled peanuts and funnel cake, yummy! But the very best part...spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon with great friends!