Happy Misfortunes

With a storm that recently passed through, an apple tree lost a branch loaded with fruit fell. Fortunately, the apples were ripe and it's time to make some applesauce!

Being me, I wanted and easy way to make a large batch of applesauce. Hello Pinterest! Lots of ways to make applesauce in the crock pot to be found! Let the cooking begin...

In the end it turned out great! Very yummy and on it's way to be canned.

Planning Binder

After reading a fantastic blog (thank you Pinterest!), I decided to get together a better plan for next year. It's been  dubbed "the pretty binder"

I'm hoping that it will force me to be more organized and make it easier for when I'm out. All my important information for classes will be in one central location. It just gets to be a headache when there's a dozen folders and binders to keep track of. 

My binder has sections for calendars, schedules, lesson plans, student data, parent contact log, and meeting notes. I'd like to add seating charts and class rosters at the beginning of the school year. I won't know who's in my classes till much closer to September.

*Inspiration and pages for the binder came from Eat. Write. Teach. Stephanie Richardson is nice enough to have all of the black and white copies of documents available. She's also got a teacherspayteachers account where you can buy/download more of her awesome templates.

Getting Crafty

For a while now I have been unable to do any sewing because I didn't have a proper workspace. Alas, good fortune! I have been gifted a desk by a good family friend. Now I just have to clean up my sewing machine :-)

Cast Iron Cinnamon Rolls

Thank god for air conditioners! Who wants to bake in the summer -  the hot, humid, upstate NY summer? With the AC cranked up on high, I set out to make these babies...

You'll notice that there's a roll missing already. In my family, it's called the Aunt Ann corner. Ann was my Great Great Aunt and more often than not, a corner of a pan of brownies, etc would be missing when culinary delights showed up.  Unfortunately, she is no longer with us in the physical, but always in spirit. Every time a corner, a piece, or a swipe of frosting goes missing - everyone simply states

 "Aunt Ann must have been here".

Back to the baking-
I've had a Cast Iron Magazine laying around for ages and drooled over nearly all the photos in it. Most of the drooling, though, has been concentrated on the Pecan Sticky Rolls page. So, with ingredients on hand, I got to baking.

The recipe has you make what looks like a sourdough starter and add it to flour and yeast. After you knead like the dickens and then wait an eternity...well you get to the filling soon enough.

A little patience and the dough did indeed double in size! Hallelujah 

Unfortunately, once you've waited for the dough to rise, you roll out the dough, put in the filling, and then WAIT again. It's all worth it, I promise!

Into the oven at 350 degrees until golden brown. I think a couple of my guys couldn't stay in the pan!

I really love my cast iron to cook with. However, I've never baked anything in my most favorite pan. A couple of the rolls really seemed to "pop up" at the prospect of being in it!

All in all, you can taste the yummy cinnamon and fresh orange zest. Not a bad way to end the day (and right before a thunderstorm too!)

Brown Sugar Scrub

There are lots of sugar scrubs out there, made with all sorts of things. You can literally make a sugar scrub with almost anything. I've done some experimenting of my own and am ready to try out one a little different.

Me, an orange, and sugar make three...well and then the honey and oil.

For this scrub I used brown sugar, almond oil, buckwheat honey, and some orange zest I had leftover from making cinnamon rolls.

Now you'd think that the honey in it would make the scrub sticky - it doesn't. I'm willing to bet that the oil dilutes it or some other chemical bonding, etc. 

Best part about this scrub - totally edible. No kiddies will get poisoned from this one!

My Apologies

I've been neglectful in keeping up with my blog so far this summer. In part, it is due to working at Sheriff's Camp in the middle of the woods where there is no internet connection of any kind. However, it's high time that I get a move on and start posting again.

A nugget or two of useful information from summer life so far:

• Chenango County Summer Sheriff's Camp is absolutely free for kids ages 9-12 living in Chenango County. Lots of great presentations and fun! Look for applications or go online at the end of the school year.
• Drink lots of liquids (stay hydrated!) when it is ungodly hot out. 
• Bug spray is your best friend - so is sunscreen! No lobsters here!
• Go to the bathroom whenever you can - you never know when you have to go! You could be in the middle of a demonstration or hike!
• Appreciate the manners your parents taught you. Not everybody has good toileting skills! Or cleaning skills!
• Enjoy the small, quiet moments. Sometimes you just need a break from all those electronics to find yourself again.