Cranberry-Apple Chutney

A friend asked me to post this yummy recipe. I got it from a magazine long ago - so I cannot take credit for creating it; however it has become a Thanksgiving tradition in my house. Even the kids like it! (Seriously folks, that is AMAZING!!!) Enjoy!!!

Cranberry-Apple Chutney (makes 2 cups)

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 med. apple, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes

1/3 cup brown suger

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp fresh grated lime zest

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Boil all ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened. Let cool and refrigerate.

Definition of Chutney: : a thick sauce of Indian origin that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment

Toothless!

Lil' Liam lost yet ANOTHER tooth on Sunday! He's positively toothless now. I worry about him being able to chew his food properly ...

Thankful for All the Perks Staying Home Provides

I know I'm lucky. I am aware that not all moms are able to stay home with their kids. Being able to be a stay at home mom (aka a "SAHM"), is a gift that my husband gives, by being the sole breadwinner. And being more than happy to be house/car/child poor, so that I can be here for our children. ;) Granted, the job isn't glamorous, requires much patience, and can be mentally trying due to the lack of daily adult interaction. However, it provides the awesome opportunity to be with my kids; to watch them grow and change daily. :) And to be HERE/THERE for them, for whatever they may need. And for that all, I am so very thankful!!!

Take the kids' Field Day at school, for example. If I worked full-time, or perhaps even part-time, I wouldn't have been able to spend the day, watching my kids have fun at school. What a luxury! I was able to wander around with them, camera in hand, and watch as they interacted with classmates, learned some new skills, and had a blast. It was great! And I was definitely in the minority there. Especially for my older one's class range (3-5); there were hardly any parents who attended to watch their kids. I think that's so sad, for the parents and the kiddos. In fact, one of my lil' girl's friends asked me what I did (work-wise); when I answered that I didn't work outside our home, she looked perplexed. She asked the question again, as if perhaps I misunderstood her. I told her I didn't work, that I stayed home, took care of the kids and the house. Her answer to that? "Wow." Obviously we are blessed to have the option of me staying home at all.

And speaking of Field Day, here's some cute pictures of my three, just having the time of their lives at Field Day. :)

Rhianna rockin' the rock wall









Ronin at the critter toss - chickens into a bucket, pigs onto a blanket - you get the idea












Liam, at the bottle pick-up and cup toss-n-catch - dexterity is the name of the game here












And Rhianna again, on the monkey bars - this was part of an obstacle course






So today I say thanks. Thank you to my husband who eats mac-n-cheese often, and happily; to my kids who take lunch daily, and don't get to eat out much, or have DS's, or a Wii ... we don't have a lot of disposable $$, but we have quality time, and lots of love. :)

Joking with Old People

At lunch today, Rhianna told me about a joke she told at school ...

Rhianna: And I said to this boy in my class, 'Crack my cracker!!!' Get it, Mama?! Crack my cracker! Crack my cracker! (she's laughing so hard during this she's nearly bringing her noodles up her nose)
Me: Uh, no, not really sweetie ...
Rhianna: (still laughing, but looking at me like I'm not too smart) You know, like a cracker that you crack in half? You know a "crack" in a cracker? Like a cracker that's cracked?
Me: I understand what the words mean, I just don't get the joke, babe.
Rhianna: Oh! (long pause as she stares at me) Well it's very funny to young people.
Me: Hey!
Rhianna: I mean people under 10 get it Mama; like 3rd graders. They think it's very funny.

I love conversations with my kids like this - they absolutely crack me up! :) Kids DO say the darnedest things! Not to mention that she's right, I'm not a young person, and that's why I didn't get the joke. But I'm not going to tell HER that. At least not yet. ;)

Ack! A Cat in the Bat's Belfry! (& Other Tales)

This picture of Sarah is too cute not to share - she climbed into Ronin's Bat Project. And as you can read from the sign over her head, Ronin's assigned bat was the Big Brown Bat. Apparently our lil' Sarah thought that the lovely attic Ronin created for his project would suit her JUST fine. :) As it does! We all love this lil' girl so much. She's such a personality; truly one of the funnest cats I've ever owned. :)

And since a post just about my silly kitten seemed well, short; I thought I'd show off my youngest latest tooth loss. :) Liam lost his 5th tooth last night (10/27/09). He's the 1st of my 3 to lose both top teeth. I am surprised and shocked it's taken this long for him, as he fell and hit those top two teeth HARD in preschool on a cement floor. Then at age 5 he fell off his bike and somehow managed to land on his front 2 teeth. Both times they turned black almost, both times they were x-rayed, and both times, with the help of Rescue Remedy and Arnica, they stayed in, and cleared from blackish, to gray, to white. :) Ah the power of Homeopathy! I will say, I think they've come out too soon still, as the 1st one out is only just finally showing a tiny hint of new adult tooth coming in, and this latest one - it's just an empty hole!

And last, but not least, here are my Texas Trips, in their Jerseys, for yesterday's Team Up Against Drugs day at school (it's Red Ribbon week - or drug awareness week I guess!). Rhianna is wearing Daddy's high school jersey and looking fine! Go Ft. Cherry Rangers! Liam and Ronin are Steelers, of course. :)