HomeMadeApplesauce

A first grade class at Kirk's school made homemade applesauce

for Harvest Day yesterday. It smelled so good I decided to make some.

A bowl full of apples (probably a dozen med-large apples)

made about two cups of applesauce.

All I added was cinnamon, and it was so good!

It also made the house smell like I was cooking all day.

What did I learn?

It's way easy to make. Just core, peel and slice.

Throw in the crockpot with a shake or two of cinnamon and a half cup of water.

Cook until mushy, and then smash with a potato masher.

Eat it warm or cold, with a little vanilla ice cream or not. Yummy!

What else did I learn?

A dozen apples is not enough to provide enough applesauce for my clan.

No wonder applesauce is expensive. But...

Why is applesauce with sugar added less expensive than natural applesauce at the store?

Ponder that one for a minute!

Need a Good Laugh? Here You Go...

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired, and Mrs. Fenton insists
her husband go with her to Walmart,
but he gets bored with all the shopping trips.
He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse.
Here's a letter sent to Mrs. Fenton------

Dear Mrs. Fenton,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.
Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Walmart:

June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals

July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares..... and watched what happened.

August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

December 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but not least .....

December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Regards, Walmart

My JAKE is FOURTEEN!

Look at him! Isn't he just about the cutest 14 year old you ever did see? I let JAKE stay home for his birthday today. He slept in, got up around 10:00am (because he stayed up until 2:30am), then we went to lunch. Just me and my JAKE. Then we checked out the various Guitar Heros (Aerosmith versus Rock Legends), made our purchase (He says thank you to Grammie & Papa for his birthday present, by the way), then we came home. Skipper is begging to come in and play Guitar Hero with him. Too bad, Skipper.
Happy 14th Birthday, JAKE!
We Love You!
(JAKE is his preferred name of choice these days, FYI)

Two and a Half Weeks and Counting!

To answer Natalie's questions,
Yes, Skipper is still here. We have had a few rough howling spells, but have finally figured out that he simply likes the front yard better than the back. That works for me. He has not been snuck into the house yet, however, Chad goes out of town Thursday and we'll have to see what happens then! Personally, I think Skipper likes being our "Guard Dog" of the front yard. Anyway, I promise the next blog
will not be about Skipper, even though he is pretty cute!

Skipper Is Still Here!

Skipper came close to going back to his previous owners last thursday. I opened the garage door and PU it stunk. Then the SPCA came out because someone complained about his howling. But Chad and Caroline gave him a bath and threw out his old blankie (I know, I'm surprised Caroline let that happen, too) and the garage didn't stink anymore. Then we figured out that he doesn't bark if we put him in the garage. He really is a good doggie. He just wants to be with us. Oh, and Chad took him for a ride and he loved it! He knows that I am the one with the treats, because I've been using treats to cut out the barking. His tail wags when he sees me. Kirk, I think, is feeling a little displaced. We're trying really hard not to pay more attention to the dog, but even he has to go see Skipper (pronounced "Skippa" by Kirk) before he goes to school. I still can't believe we have a dog. Atleast, it gives me something to blog about, right!

The Muhlesteins Have a Dog?

Meet our new addition to the Muhlestein Family!

He's a two year old beagle who likes to "howl."

The kids are in love with him,

There is just no other way to put it!

His name is Skipper!

No Ben. No Carlo. Sad.

You can't imagine the sorry at our home today. After spending all day Monday building a home for either Ben or Carlo, we found out Tuesday that they won't let us adopt a dog. "Why?" you ask. Because we were going to keep the dog outside. Now, we weren't going to let him freeze outside. And we wouldn't let him sweat it out in the sweltering heat. Dogs were not put on this earth to live inside the home. They are animals; they started on this earth living in a den, outside. You know, like wolves. So, I don't get it! Someone please explain. I have four very upset young people at my house.

I thought maybe it was just the "Humane Society" because, well, they like to be humane. But then I called the SPCA.
"We don't generally let them go to homes where they live outside," they said.
"Is it a DE law that they can't live outside," I asked.
"No, it's just our policy," they said.
"So, let me get this straight," I said, "You have dozens of dogs who need a home, but instead of letting them live outside with a family who feeds them, etc., you euthenize the ones that have been there too long? That's what your website claims."
No answer. I hung up. I'm not even an "animal lover" and I'm disgusted.

This will not derail us. We will find a dog!
Anyone know a good beagle breeder?

By the way...Carlo had been adopted already. Yeah Carlo.