I Didn't Fall Down a Rabbit Hole. I Promise.

Have I disappeared off the face of the earth? Have I sunk into a black hole? Have I been so mesmerized by the beauty that is the photo shoot my dear friend Claire just took of me that I cannot tear my eyes away from Picasa?

The answer, no doubt to your great relief, is No.

Although those photos rock. I usually hate photos of myself. That's why that one of me with pink hair stuck around for so long--it's one of the few taken of me that I actually liked. Now that I think of it, I think it was also taken by Claire.

Goodbye, punk TeacherMommy. It was fun.

That settles it. She's now my official photographer. If I could afford it, I'd hire her to follow me around and take fabulous photos of me so I can feel, you know, Hawt.

I feel so pretty.

Enough of the overweening modesty. I'm sure you're dying to know what's been going on the last few days. So I'll give you a little synopsis:

Saturday: Woke up way too early in order to drive out to Claire's, go to breakfast, and then do the photoshoot at the park. I did one of her too. We had both decided it was high time we got some decent photos taken for Facebook and blogs and such.

Then I drove out to the house and met up with He Who Was and the kidlets. We drove out to the Renaissance Festival, where the kidlets' days were made complete by seeing knights jousting and eating apple dumplings. I looked longingly at the wonderful costumes and dreamed of the day I might be able to afford one. I also decided I really need to go back sans kidlets sometime so I can shop properly and enjoy some of the shows other than the joust. Finally I went home and collapsed.

Sunday: Picked up the kids who were miraculously already dressed by He Who Was and took them to church, where DramaBoy charmed everyone in the sanctuary by his cute antics before he left for Sunday School. We then drove back down to Detroit to pick up their uncle and get changed into play clothes, and we all drove out to Erwin's Orchards. We picked an entire bushel of apples and four pounds of raspberries. Well, I did. My brother mostly corralled the kidlets, which led him to comment, Now I understand why you wanted me to come along. He didn't have to be so snarky about it.

Also, I don't know why I obsess over obtaining so much fruit. It's a sickness.

So Sunday night I spent THREE HOURS (no exaggeration here) coring, peeling, and chopping apples in order to make Apple Butter. Which was AMAZING. I just let it cook all night in the crockpot. Here's the recipe, as I did it:

All-Day/Night Apple Butter

About three million 1/3 to 1/2 bushel of apples, cored, peeled, and chopped fine
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir sugar and spices into chopped apples. Pack firmly into crockpot, filling it completely.

Cook on High setting for one hour. Turn crockpot to Low and cook for 7-8 hours, stirring occasionally (I cooked this overnight with very little stirring and it did fine). Remove lid and cook for one more hour. Whisk or puree. Enjoy!

This stores and freezes well in freezer jars/tupperware. If you prefer your apple butter a little sweeter, add more sugar--I prefer slightly tart, spicy apple butter.

I will say, though, that if I were to do this again, I think it would be worth purchasing one of those automatic apple peelers and a food processor. The preparation was ridiculous. The product is heavenly.

Monday: Spent the morning making raspberry empanadas the easy way, using premade pie crust (you know, the rolled up frozen kind?) DramaBoy had been begging for "Raspberry Pie" since he heard we were going to pick raspberries. They were okay, but I underestimated the amount of sugar I needed to put in the raspberry filling. I ate more than the kidlets did, since I like tart stuff. I still have two pounds of raspberries left. I may just freeze them.

Then I drove the kids out to the Detroit Yacht Club to see their Grandpa and Grandma and Auntie and Daddy. We ate yummy food their grandpa grilled, then took refuge on the boat when it started raining. Finally we gave up on the weather permitting a sail and just went home. I did laundry and painted my nails and went to bed earlier than usual.

Why?

Because I had to wake up at five ay-em this morning to get myself and the kidlets ready in time to get to work.

That's right, folks!

School is back in session.

And that's all she wrote.  More later, if my eyes stop crossing with fatigue. Besides, I still have to pick up the kidlets and head home.

And holy crap, I just realized I totally missed my therapy session! Dang it. That's what happens when I actually WORK and stay after school doing all sorts of prep stuff!

Guess I should have been lazy instead.