Red Lion

My Red Lion amaryllis is roaring in glory, just in time to welcome the Christmas Season.

I am absolutely in love with it's brilliant color, curves, and textures. There is nothing like having something alive indoors!

All four flowers are open now, and another stalk is getting taller and ready for it's own show. 

I love how the petals are iridescent in the sunshine. I am in awe! 

Thanks Giving

As always, the beauties of nature leave me in awe of the hand that created them. The storms mixed with sunshine of late have made for some breathtaking scenes. 

As I watched the sky this night I was listening to one of my favorite hymns of Thanksgiving and the combination overwhelmed me with profound gratitude.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Another evidence of divine power, the miracle of life! I am waiting with anticipation for the big reveal!

Forcing Bulbs

'Tis the season to plant your bulbs for indoor displays. Anyone can do this, so listen up!

Amaryllis bulbs are for sale at most stores now, and it's a good time to start them if you want flowers for Christmas! The instructions are easy:

1. Use a basic potting soil (sometimes they come with a soil mix).
2. Find a container, such as a plastic or clay pot, and fill soil to within about an inch of the top.
3. Plant bulb, leaving the top third out of the soil.
4. Water in and keep soil moist.
5. Keep in a light area, but out of direct sunlight, and watch the magic unfold.

I planted mine a week ago and it's already taking off!

Now is also the time to force bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths for indoor enjoyment during the winter.

Believe me, it is so worth it to have the beauties in your kitchen in frigid February!

These steps are also quite simple:

1. Procure bulbs, from transplants in your garden or from a home & garden store.
2. Fill pot with potting mix about 3/4 to the top.

3. Place bulbs on top of the soil with the 'nose' up. They can be pretty close together.
4. Dump more soil on top of the bulbs, until most of them are covered and you can only see the tips.
5. Water thoroughly.
6. Place in a dark, cool place for 12-13 weeks. This is called cold treatment and will prepare the bulbs for blooming. They need to be between temperatures of 35-48 degrees and never allowed to freeze. Here in Utah, my garage is a good place to do this. I put some boxes or paper bags on top of my pots to keep them dark. You could also use a basement if it stays below 48.
7. Mark you calendar to bring pots inside. If you plant now, bring them in at the end of January or beginning of February. Once you give them light and water, they will bloom within about 3 weeks!

More Apples! (recipes)

What do you do when you have apples coming out your ears? Try lots of new apple recipes!

Erin commented about this recipe for apple butter on the applesauce post, and it sounded easy and delish so I tried it. It makes a piece of ordinary toast into a dessert! My crockpot batch made 4 pints, which I froze like freezer jam. Also of note, I had to mash my apples a little with a potato masher at the end to get the fine texture I wanted.

My favorite source for recipes is Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She always has innovative, and yet tried and true, recipes that you can be sure will be delicious. Here is the recipe I tried for Caramel Apple Bundt Cake--it's a bit of a process, but it's worth it in the end!(Her food photos are gorgeous--just one look and you're salivating.)

I also made her version of Apple Crisp and loved it. I think my favorite fall combination is cinnamon and brown sugar goodness!

Autumn Blaze

It has been such a warm, beautiful autumn. The bright sunshine and colors are so vibrant. I especially love the line of cottonwoods behind my house... I can see their golden blaze out of about six windows in the back of my house.

We have enjoyed many warm afternoons out on our bikes. We still have lots of carrots and they make a great snack.

Speaking of the garden, I have been grateful the weather has stayed warm because I haven't gotten around to cleaning it out yet. We gave it a good effort one afternoon (Ella wanted her own bucket and filled it up!), but generally the dying produce exacerbates my morning (rather all day) nausea with this pregnancy, so I've been avoiding it. That is my main goal this weekend!

It was sure a fun change to wake up to snow one morning! It's so beautiful to see the world blanketed in white.

The kids loved making tracks and exploring it. It was a good reminder that I need to get Tyler a winter coat!

It's fun having a few plants in the yard. It makes the winter landscape so much more interesting. 

Apples to Applesauce

When Mike's sister Rebecca told us she had apples available, I jumped at the opportunity! We love applesauce at our house.

The day I chose to pick them was rainy/snowy and cold... the kids didn't last long outside before their fingers froze.

The apples are so yummy this year! We have all had our fair share of them, but I think Tyler takes the prize.
 

I found a nest up in the tree. 

 

I may have been a little over-zealous.... I came home with four full boxes, but there were still tons on the trees!

My sister Dana came over and helped me get started on applesauce. We quartered and cooked the apples to soften them, then put them though the Victorian strainer. 

What a contraption! As easy as it makes it look, it does take a lot of muscle.

Again, Tyler take the prize on consumption. He loves this stuff!

After about 12 hours in the kitchen, I ended up with 25 quarts, a sore and tired body, sticky everything, and I still have 1 1/2 boxes of apples left! Now what?! I'm not sure I have the gumption to start all over, although I probably have enough to make 12 more quarts.

Bulb Planting

October is the month to plant bulbs. I had a small cache from this trip drying in my garage all summer, and it was time to get them in the ground. The key is to get them in before the ground freezes, and it is vital for bulbs to have a winter dormant period, or a period of freezing for 6 weeks or more. 
 

They don't look like much mow.... just dried up old brown papery things... but they produce such beauty!

I tossed mine out it small clumps according to type. A bunch of tulips here, a few hyacinth there, a group of daffodils together... I figured that would look most true to nature. Ella is demonstrating planting technique: the bulbs need to be planted about twice as deep as they are tall.

And the wait begins!