Recipes : The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie : Food Network

Kath, I'd have to say that while John and I enjoyed the taste of the pie, it was disappointing and definitely not what it was supposed to be, LOL.

My sugar never caramelized, but after a certain point 10 or so minutes in, it boiled all the liquid out and the sugar became "sugar" again. So I added 3 more Tbsp of water and we got to the same point again. Maybe I was cooking it too high? I don't know. Other times I have made caramel it was with brown sugar and milk.....and butter, I think.....anyway.

After that 2nd go round, I just added in the wine and cream and it made a yummy syrup, but it definitely wasn't a creamy caramel sauce.

The insides of the pie are red (from the wine) and the kids, who LOVE apple pie didn't particularly like it this time. The apple-rhubarb crisp was much yummier to them.

YAWN

I'm beat..it's 6:53pm and I want to call it a night......unfortunately, I'm supposed to play MahJohngg at 7:30.

I guess I'll go, bring my apple-rhubarb crisp I made and see if they have 4 players. If they do, I'm outta there!! LOL

Besides the crisp, I made a caramel apple pie today. I also painted the upstairs hallway the same almond color that I did on two walls when we painted our living room last December.

I hate waking up at 6am!

So, it appears I'm already starting to lose my "oomph" for wanting to blog. I just hate coming here to get my list of reads and not seeing any new material, BUT I am just crazy busy most days and don't have time to make my mundane life interesting.

I'm also getting annoyed with going through my list of reads and reading the same posts at every site. Yeah for the payperposters making money, but how many times do I have to scroll past Estelle..... So, yah, I'm just getting bored with the whole blog thing now too.

So, that's my deal.

And, I have another issue on my mind, but really, I'm not even gonna go there.... I'll just roll my eyes for now and move on.

In other news, the wedding last week was wonderful. Seeing my brother and his wife is always enjoyable. I'm glad they come East as often as they do. I'm sure once they have kids that will stop, but then maybe I can get out there with a better excuse.

I hope my sister is enjoying Australia... I wonder if she's gotten caught up in any of the Irwin hoopla.

So, my sister's wedding is Saturday. I'm still trying to comprehend how we're all gonna get through this, without my dad.

In happier news, we looked at that 5 bedroom house. MAN, that thing has a TON of room!!!!! Unfortunately, it looks like it needs a new roof and there is water damage in one of the bedrooms. The owners didn't even know about it. They never really go into the three bedrooms on the 2nd floor. The cedar shakes on the outside need to be replaced in spots too. Other than that, I can't really see ANY downfall to the house, other than I gotta get my ass in gear and get this place so we can show it. It didn't even look like anyone lived in that house. I am wondering how the hell I'm gonna achieve that look with 3 kids and all of our in and outness every night.

Everyone is still excited and loving school. Today was the first day that John and I were sluggish at 6am, but by 6:20, we were accepting life, LOL.

:sigh:........the date.....brings you right back. I'm crying already with the TV.

I had another post, but I'll wait until tomorrow for that.

My heart's going out to the local families that I've grown to know that were affected that day.....and to the rest of the victim's families.

Sheesh......I really had all intentions of blogging daily, but you see, school started and I'm going crazy already, LOL.

I like straightening the house and cleaning in the morning, so the house stays nice for a couple of hours at least.

Then, before you know it, they're all home and I've had nine million pieces of paper to sign and return.

Today, I took two girlfriends out on the lake. What a BEAUTIFUL day and I've refreshed my color for my sister's wedding next week.

Now, I think my husband is getting serious about buying a new home, so I think next week I'm going to purge, beyond belief, so that if he is REALLY serious (which I think he is or else he wouldn't have mentioned it) it will be easy to show this house. There is a really nice 5 bedroom, 2 and (2)1/2 baths and almost an acre of a lot in the next neighborhood.

Once he mentions something, anything, he has a bug up his ass and he tasks the task to completion before you can blink an eye.....so, we'll see........

Entertainment Weekly's EW.com | Feature: This week in 1978: Rating the top 10 singles

Wow, what a flashback!! I was going into 5th grade and I can vividly remember Rose, Darlene, Liz, Nancy and I at the local field singing the Grease soundtrack on the bleachers, LOL. Those were the times that we could be blocks or miles away from home, with our friends, and we didn't have to be scared/aware/watched.

I don't remember listening to the Stones though, at that time. All the other songs I can remember being played on the local AM radio when I would be listening for their daily trivia questions. I used to win as much as possible. I never let them know I had the same book as they were asking the questions from, LOL.

Well.......he almost missed the bus........first day, LOL.

To his credit though, she was seven minutes early, and it's a good 2-3 minute leisurely stroll to the bus stop. Wondering if anyone got on with him, so they can move it to our corner, if he's the only one.

He got up in plenty of time, I just think he didn't realize that the hs/middle school bus will always be on time, because they are starting their runs with them.

I'm sure he'll have a great day. He's a great kid and already knows lots of kids in his classes.

Now..round 2 (although they're already up with excitement)

Well, I'm not in love, or even like, with this new template, but it should be a good band-aid for now. For some reason the other one wasn't loading correctly....this should enable you to read it better....for now.

I can't believe the lunches are all packed for tomorrow, minus the sandwiches (well, gee, if I forget the sandwiches, I think they have enough food in there anyway, LOL) and the backpacks are READY TO GO.

I'm gonna miss them........ :-( We had a GREAT summer.

Monday Madness

1. Which holidays (if any) do you consider more as a day off from work, than anything else? President's Day, 4th of July, Labor Day
2. Which 3 holidays are most celebrated in your family? Christmas, Easter, birthdays
3. Do you have an organized filing system at home? yes
4. Do you clip coupons for groceries? If so, do you remember to use them? If not, why? yes and yes. I usually only buy what is on sale, unless I really, really need it.
5. How many magazines do you subscribe to? 0
6. Do you play any computer games on a regular basis? If so, which is your favorite, and why? No
7. Have you watched any movies worth recommending, lately? Nope....last one I saw was Talledega Nights and I wasn't impressed, or maybe I was embarrassed that we had taken 6 kids, ages 5,8,9,10,11 and 12, to the movie. Especially funny is when the term "professor dickweed" was used and the 5yr old turned to my 8yr old and said "great movie for kids, isn't it, Tom?" LOL

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Friday Five

1) This is the 1st of September, what do you want to accomplish by the 31st? A more organized house. All painting complete

2) What does September make you think about or feel? School and new beginnings

3) September is the ninth month; can you name nine memories so far from this year?
1-NC vacation
2-John graduating middle school
3-new car
4-sister's wedding plans
5-Puerto Rico
6-1st installment payment for two children at the orthodontist
7-Tommy's 1st communion
8-trying to juggle all our activites
9-Wedding Singer and NYC with sister and friends

4) What does September have in common with three other months and can you name them? They end in "ber" October, November, December

5) The first weekend in September signals the end of summer for many even though it doesn’t really end for weeks. When does summer end for you? When it starts getting chilly and we can't use the boat anymore....mid-October

Sssshhhh

the guy that comes after the one in the cowboy hat was the one telling me to stop

Phew.......did we visit NC at the right time. The storm made landfall, in Long Beach, which was THE EXACT AREA where we spent our vacation this year!

I remember a storm siren going off when we were in McDonald's one day, and we were all clueless as to what it was, and the locals were not in a panic, so I can imagine what that area was like when a storm actually came through. That other storm basically hit Wilmington, and tore part of a roof off a building, which we saw laying on the ground the next day at the Cotton Exchange, but we did not get hit an hour south of there.

That reminds me that I never shared pictures that I took of One Tree Hill taping and Chad Michael Murray and Bethany Joy Lenz. I also have a movie of them during taping, but since I wasn't supposed to be taking it, I'm afraid to share it, LOL. I didn't know though.....and after the crew member was motioning "no cameras" I put it away. You were only allowed to do pictures when they weren't shooting. I guess it probably could mess up the lighting if your flash went off.

Let's see if this works