Happiness

Today I read these words,

"The fact is that nothing evades men more, when they search for it, than happiness. Happness cannot be a goal in itself. It is a byproduct of other things. When we do our work well and find it rewarding, we are happy. When we are godly and honorable in our relationships with our loved ones and others, it adds to our happiness. Happiness is not a goal but a payoff for work well done towards a worthy goal." R.J. Rushdoony.

Upon pondering these words and life as of lately, I smiled contentedly at the truth I had just read.  So much happiness has filled my heart as of late, so grateful for the many blessings in my life.  Work being one of them. It is piercing to the heart to read how we are to be self-disciplined and not idle when spending time in the Word of God. Yes, I continue to grow in this area, but sometimes it seems painfully slow. It is constant to be redeeming the time before me. So when I am working in my home and productively having something to show for it, my heart is content and happy. So let me share some of our adventures as of late, with pictures to prove it.

I love applesauce. I have always loved it. I rarely got it as a child, and I never knew why. So as an adult running the grocery and meal affairs in our home I tend to gravitate toward it. But wow, has anyone seen how pricey organic apple sauce is?! And so last year I made a batch and froze it. I intended to do the same again this year and ordered 20 lbs. of apples only for them to not arrive! Horrors. So I ordered a different kind and they arrived. Relief! I paid roughly $25 for 20 lbs. of organic apples, plus some jars to freeze them in. It made 9 jars each holding around 3 1/2 cups of deliciousness. An afternoon well worth it, plus 2nd Samuel was mighty cute throughout the process.

Beginning the process, Step 1, chop up the apples and put them in the roaster oven.

Step 2, get the toddler (!) who just woke up from his nap to help and taste apples.

(I think he thoroughly enjoyed helping, don't you?)

Step 3, fill the roaster oven with water, turn on to 350/400 degrees and let them cook.

An hour or two later (stirring during this time to prevent burning)  they should be done.

These are fluffy apples ready for saucing.

Step 4, get an applesaucer thing. I borrowed this cool one that attaches to your counter.

It's really easy to set up, use, and even has a sieve that keeps out the junk.

Step 5, feed hungry and curious boy applesauce that has cooled.

Be sure to watch him though, he may get impatient and start

feeding himself when you aren't looking!

Step 6, fill jars and let them cool. If freezing in glass be sure to leave enough head

space or else they will bust and crack open. Just saying. Once cooled off,

put them in freezer.

We also made some Kombucha:

This was the end product. It turns out my boy enjoyed kombucha at his grandparents house. So I figured it was time to get brewing again.

We already have finished one jar of apple sauce, one week later. Which means if we keep up this rate we will be done with apple sauce in two months. Um.. Well that's no good. Looks like I may need to order more apples while I can, if I can.

Next year I would like to experiment making our own apple cider and turning it into hard apple cider. Doesn't that sound fun?!

Another non-photographed task Samuel and I enjoy doing together is baking bread. The last few times I've made it I set him on the counter with me and tried to interest him while I am kneading the dough. Well last time he finally plunged into the fun and slapped it, squeezed it, and tried to eat it. Sorry, I'm one of those mom's who is not giving her kid grains yet (not sorry), so I didn't let him eat it. He is currently napping so I am waiting until he wakes up to begin the process again today (Yay for afternoon naps!).

Yes, it is very satisfying and adds to my happiness to provide healthy food and beverages for my family. (: