Home-made Fruit Roll-Up

Every once in a while, I will peruse the time-sucking wonder of Pinterest.  I have recognized the dangers of the site and I haven't yet put any pins up of my own, but I do occasionally foray into the zone of danger when the kids are sleeping, and I stumble across ideas that I think I might actually be able to pull off.  The last thing I tried was this home-made fruit roll up stuff.  I had some fruit kicking around that was past its prime for straight eating, and I thought I'd give this a shot.  I quartered, cored, peeled, chopped, and cooked some apples, and threw them in the blender with strawberries, raspberries and some honey.  I spread this mixture out on parchment paper on four cookie sheets, and put them in the oven for about 5 hours at the lowest temp my oven will do, 170F.  When it was dry-ish to the touch, I took them out, cut them into 1" strips and fed them to my kids, and boy were they a hit!  

Edit:  Tips for Laura :)

I didn't use a specific recipe - I looked around on the internet a bit and it came down to what I had on hand for fruit. A few tips: I cooked the apples first b/c they would be too hard to throw straight in the blender with the berries. I added... maybe 3 tbsp of honey and a 1/4 cup white sugar to sweeten it. I did strain the whole mix before I spread it on the cookie sheets to get some of the seeds out. I used parchment paper, not plastic wrap b/c it seemed a little sketchy to put plastic wrap in the oven like some sites suggested. Try to get the puree as even as possible on the sheets so it will dry evenly. It was in the oven at 170 from 7-10:30, and again in the morning from 7:30-9 or so. I switched the trays around a few times, and dabbed the edges with a wet paper towel a few times to keep them from drying out too much and getting crispy. Hope this helps!  Also, I drained the extra juices out of the cooked apples, and the thawed strawberries and raspberries so the puree wouldn't be too liquidy.

 

In the Garden

Butterflies

It's a gorgeous day today, and so far we've spent pretty much all of it outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.  The lilacs are just starting to bloom, and the sky is filled with butterflies!  I caught one in a glass cup so the kids could get a close-up look

 Pretty intriguing! 

 I took this just as the butterfly was flying away

 

 

 Perching on the lilacs

 Sunning on the deck rail

A Few Photos

Aaron clearly remembered the digger cake that Peter had for his birthday back in November, and he was excited to have one of his own.  I told him he wouldn't get the same cake, but I would make sure to make him a different but equally exciting cake.  Here is my attempt at a fire-engine cake - it passed Aaron's inspection! 

We were in Hamilton on the Friday night before his Saturday birthday, so we slept over at Mom and Dad M's and celebrated Aaron's birthday with them there.  Mom made poffertjes for breakfast, which went over very well with the kids. 

Enjoying his birthday breakfast

After breakfast, we went to Big Al's aquarium and pet store in Stoney Creek to pick out a beta fish for Aaron's birthday present.  They sure were excited to check out all the fish and animals there.

 A busy morning makes for some tired boys on the way home again

 Aaron examining his new friend, Charlie

 He's pretty taken with his fish! 

When the weather outside is nice, the boys enjoy playing outside.  The older ones have some reservations about getting dirty, but not so with Nate.  He found some water under the deck and proceeded to soak himself splashing in the mud. 

 

 Reading together first thing in the morning

Not Yet, Aaron.

After lunch on school days, we usually walk to the school a little bit early so the kids have some time to play and run around.  As I've said before, Aaron can't wait to be able to join the class and go to school like his big brother, and he almost got his wish today.  When the substitute teacher rang the bell, Peter ran to line up and go into the classroom.  I went chasing after Nate in the playground, and when I had caught him and buckled him into the double stroller, I started looking for Aaron.  One of the other moms laughed as she told me that he had just traipsed into the classroom with the whole crowd of kids.  Apparently the teacher invited him in, thinking he was one of the kindergarten students.  Boy, was he ever disappointed when I called him out of the class and brought him back home again with me!  "But I'm in, Mom!  The teacher told me to come inside!"

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Dear Aaron,
You're finally three!  The last year has been a year of growth by leaps and bounds - physically, mentally, verbally, all over.  You've gained 5 lbs and 4.5" in the past year, compared to 6 lbs and 3.5" the previous year.  You're catching up to your older brother - only an inch and half or two to go!  You're a spunky, sweet boy with a great sense of humour, and you keep us laughing all the time.  You are finished with diapers, done with your soothie, you love to help out with work at home and you can't wait to go to school.  You've been trying to convince us that you were going to turn four on your birthday so you could go to school just like your big brother!  You won't be going to school quite yet, but you get to start attending Story Hour every week during Bible study season, and you've enjoyed your sneak peek into that for the last two weeks.  We love your wild, curly red hair and your bright blue eyes, and we are often impressed by your reasoning and knowledge - not much gets past you!  You are a very sweet boy with a tender and compassionate side.  You love animals, especially "Charlie", the fish you got for your birthday.  You talk often about being gentle with animals, and keeping them "comfany".  It makes you very sad if you think that someone/thing is lonely, and you become quite concerned that you need to be their friend!  If you have done something wrong, you are quick to apologize and promise that you won't do it again... and you are also the most likely of my kids to say "thank-you" for something.  I often hear comments from you about God, how He lives in your heart, how He has created everything around us, and how much you love Him because of what He has done for you through His son Jesus.  It is such a blessing to hear this from you, even at such a young age!  Another thing I must mention is that you've developed an impressive knack for pouting, with that lower lip sticking way out and a quick escalation to tears and, quite often, a claim of "but I don't have anything to [eat/play with/cuddle/draw with/etc]".  You can get pretty sad pretty quick!  We hope as you get older and mature a bit that these fits of emotional upheaval will calm down a bit, but in the meantime we do often get a bit of a chuckle (when you're not looking) over that lower lip of yours.  You love hugs and kisses, you love to sing with us and listen to music, and you can't get enough of reading books on our laps.  We look forward to another year of growth and blessing with you, Aaron!

Handsome Boys

 

Treasure Hunt

The other day, I sent the kids on a treasure hunt at snack time.  They each got a clue on a piece of paper, and had to follow that clue to another location to find a second clue.  That second clue would lead them to the location of their snack.  I hid things on pillows, by the computer, in the fridge, and on top of the toilet tank in the bathroom.  I handed Aaron his clue, and prompted him to follow it to the next clue.  He was puzzled, so I asked him to tell me what was in his picture. 
"Is it Jesus?"  he asked me.
I didn't think my drawing skills were that bad...

Endless Holes

I can't stay ahead of the holey pants in this household - it seems there are new holes in the kids' pants all the time.  Is this just boys?  Poor Nate won't have any decent pants to wear if all he gets are "hand-me-downs" 

Anti-Entropy Forces At Work

The never-ending task of reversing the second law of thermodynamics and creating order out of chaos.  How amazing is it that I get to do this almost every single day?