Apple Pie

So one of the reasons that I stopped blogging last spring was because of fear. Yes, fear. When you blog and put pictures out there, you have to remember that anyone can read your blog and get a glimpse of your life. For a few different reasons the fear grew in me. I became overwhelmed and thought that the best way for me to conquer what was going on was to take a break from blogging. In the past six months I have dealt with the fear of people knowing too much about me or my kids. I was able to overcome the fear by praying my way through it. I have renewed interest in blogging and sharing with others and feeling connected to other women whom I share common interests. So I am putting aside the fear and moving forward with my blogging.

I always have a difficult time in transitioning from summer to fall. It's not that I don't like fall with beautiful changing leaves, cooler temps, and more free time with the kids in school, it is the fact that we are so far away from my favorite season of summer. I actually mourn the loss of summer and the abundant sunshine and flip flop weather...I am a true summer girl. So last week I decided that I need to embrace the good things about fall and create new and positive memories, even if I didn't feel like it. I had to change my attitude and be grateful for this new season with so many possibilities.

When my oldest walked through the door one day last week, I asked her if she would accompany me to the apple orchard. It is rare that is she is home after school but she is on a short break from her athletic endeavors, as she has been having knee issues. I knew she would rather flop on her bed before beginning her evening studies, but I was able to convince her to go with me. As we walked outside, she asked if she could drive down the driveway. She won't get her driver's permit until January, but recently I have let her drive up and down the driveway and around our irregular circle. She has practiced parking and backing up, too. I can already see a difference in her confidence and I think this will really help her when she gets her permit and gets out on the real road. (I need to write a post on driving and teenagers and my thoughts on why kids need to get their permit and their license.)

One of the bonuses of where we live, is that it is near a wonderful apple orchard that sells fresh cider, homemade apple donuts, produce, and of course, fresh-picked apples. So after our two minute drive to the orchard we asked the salesperson which type of apples were appropriate for making a pie and we popped the apples into the bag from the indoor bin. We purchased them and were on our way out the door when I was stung by a bee. I didn't even see the bee. I just felt this horrible sting on my wrist and could feel the venom traveling downward into my arm. It hurt really badly! There wasn't a stinger and I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I was able to drive home and was glad that my daughter was with me! When we arrived home a few minutes later, I wanted to get started on the apple pie but was in pain and was feeling completely silly that I couldn't handle a little bee sting. Ana was so sweet and worried about me and she told me she thought it was a bee that flew away. She helped me peel and core several apples and it was really rare and precious mother daughter time. Then she went on her way to study.

I was alone in the kitchen and added the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to the apples while waiting for my youngest to get off the bus. She has always baked with me and has a huge interest in watching Cake Boss. I thought it would be fun for her to make the crust. It hit me that I haven't baked with her in a long time and that is a great way to bond with her. She was so surprised that I was going to let her make the pie crust. We worked together and I let her do a lot of the work and helped her with a bit of the rolling and putting the pie crust into the pie dish. She did a lot of the venting of the pie and I had to show her how to make it look even. She was really good at pinching the layers together, so I let her take over that task! Meanwhile my arm was starting to really swell and I was in pain! At this point, the kitchen is becoming very messy with flour and dough everywhere including the floor and ingredients all over the counter.  And I still had to make dinner!

Love how the sunshine on this day streams into my kitchen!

Fresh peeled apples from the orchard

Marissa, my happy baker

Mmmmm, can you smell the apple pie wafting through the house?

Marissa was all about letting me take a few pictures of her while baking. (I didn't even ask my teenage daughter, Ana...privacy is pretty important to teenagers...even in this techno age.) Imagine my husband's surprise when he walked into a house smelling like fresh baked apple pie! He made me take Benadryl (that didn't even occur to me!) and had me keep ice on my wrist and the swelling started to subside. The next morning the swelling got a lot worse and from the lower part of my hand to my elbow was really swollen and inflamed and itchy. Thankfully, on Saturday morning I was able to start on a steroid which has helped tremendously. 

By the way the apple pie was delicious. And it feels good to have a new attitude about this fall season. 

I would love to hear how you are doing and what you have embraced lately!

hugs,
Cathy

Coming Back

I have decided that I am coming back to blogging. I took a much needed break to work on projects and be available to my kids for their endless activities.

After a lot of pondering and thinking, I decided that I need blogging and I need to write and I need to have a reason to take more pictures than necessary.

I will be turning on word verification (I know it is a pain and really hard to read those words!) but I have had an unusual amount of spam, that I am sick of reading via email.

I am back in the blogging world and it feels good to be a part of a team again!

Photo of a U14 boys soccer team and their coach after a winning game!

I hope it all comes back to me. Like riding a bike, right?
hugs,
Cathy

In With the New

I haven't blogged in forever!! I am sorry to my followers. I have spent a lot of time this winter focusing on things that need to get done within my life. Some inward focus on my faith and outward focus on staying fit and healthy. I hope to improve my blogging frequency, as I still love to blog. I am always looking for that elusive balance between blogging and accomplishing tasks that need to get done in a timely manner.

Just a quick catchup:

• Even with a very mild winter, we had an awesome winter with lots of skiing (due to our local ski resort's new snowmaking abilities!)
• I had a bad ski fall (about the worst I have ever had in 26 years of skiing) and was so grateful that I was wearing my helmet, as the brunt of the fall was on the base of my skull...I think I suffered a minor concussion and took a week of resting before I resumed my activities...time for a new ski helmet! If you ski without a helmet, please consider wearing one. I cannot even imagine what could have happened had I not been wearing my helmet. 
• The kids were awesome in their progress in skiing and attempting new tricks and bigger air, which made their momma suffer a bit more stress!
• My Anabear has kicked her mono to the curb and is getting more and more energy!
• We had 10 days between ski season and wakeboarding season which is absolutely unheard of in North Central Ohio..we have had a very early and beautiful spring...tulips are in bloom and it is still March! Foster was able to go boating with some friends and he enjoyed his first wakeboarding session since his knee injury last fall. I was worried about hypothermia, but the water was already 71 degrees and he wore his wetsuit. His text to me "Mom, I don't have hypothermia". 
• Although my MSU Spartans made it to the Sweet 16, they did not make it past that point. I was really bummed because they had an awesome season! But, my runner up fave team, the OSU Buckeyes, are in the Final Four! Do you remember my post from a few years ago explaining my team allegiances? You can go here if you want to read about it. 
• Soccer season is in full swing. We are practicing 4 nights/week and are awaiting the game schedule. Spring is upon us!!
• I have been playing tennis and hope my game improves before summer. My forehand has improved but my backhand has declined. Why is it that when one thing improves, another goes downhill? The kids are still playing tennis, while also playing soccer. 
• I am the last person in the world to be reading Hunger Games. Better late than never, right? 

One reason I have been absent from my blog is because I have been working on a few projects. I have a few "teaser" pictures for you and will be sure to post the final results when I complete them.

This is our dining room turned music room. I had it painted a few years ago and I love the color. (Pratt& Lambert Safari) At that time I put in the new light fixture and plenty of can lights. It really needed better lighting. Recently, I bought the painting (Home Goods) and switched the chairs to this room from the study. This room is one of the first rooms that you see when you enter our home. This rug is going to be replaced and we already added a new piece of furniture, which I will show you in an upcoming post! (cliffhanger)

"Teaser" Pic for Music Room~The Before (Stay tuned for the After)

I posted awhile back about likes and dislikes of my laundry room/mud room. Well this room is finally getting a new paint job and hip hip hurray for new flooring. I am going with the paint color on the right (Pratt & Lambert Sea Grass). It is a soft blue/green heading toward a seafoam green.

Pergo Boathouse Pine (Lowe's~special order~)....new flooring..yipppeeee! It is whitewashed and distressed with some grays and natural wood peeking through. It is going to look fresh in here! I cannot wait to be rid of the "forest green marbled" linoleum, that I have endured for 9 1/2 long years.  IN WITH THE NEW!!

I was inspired to start on my new projects by reading Kim's What I Want to Be When I Grow Up and her indecision and decisions on paint colors. Thanks for getting me back on track, Kim!

My real life and bloggy friend Michelle has taken up a new/old hobby and I have enjoyed reading about it at Emerald Cove. Remember we met last year at our favorite lake? I need to get out on the water and practice my water skiing because she can SKI!

And have you heard about my bloggy friend Pam? She is moving to Paris with her family!! You can read about her exciting adventures at Views from My Kitchen Sink.

Another bloggy friend, Val, has found true love after suffering a profound loss. She is a photographer and has a very inspiring story. You can find her at  In the Moment.

I will be back with more updates and pictures.
hugs, Cathy

New Profession

I have been contemplating a new profession for awhile now. I have crossed one off the list. Sports Photographer. Whew, standing sideways in cold temps is not for me! I was happy to get a few good pictures, but could not take fumbling with the buttons (no gloves) and trying to get the right angle! I also had to make sure I was not in the path of skiers and snowboarders who might or might not hit the jump correctly. I was wearing my helmet but that wouldn't help much if someone crashed into me!

Foster hitting the jump with a grab:

I love the clouds in this photo and how he is silhouetted:

This one is a great skier for only 9 years old! All smiles from Marissa:

Hubby, looking cool in his new goggles. So glad he taught our kids to ski.

Fun shot, taken by a friend:

Notice the cloudless, blue sky:

Although it has been a very mild winter (with lots of rain), it is still winter and we are getting through it by having fun on the slopes.

I have been trying to eat healthy, but I really love snacking. This is so healthy!  Mmmm, air popped popcorn next to my cute February calendar. A great afternoon snack. Low cal, too. Sometimes I squeeze a little fresh lime and add a bit of cracked pepper for a bit of flavor.

So tell me how you are getting through the winter. Are you longing for sunshine and the beach, like I am? Are you eating healthy and exercising? Tell me. I need some tricks to get me through winter. I am ready for winter to be over and for summer to be here.

hugs,
Cathy