Fall Outings - Pumpkin Festival

This past weekend we took the boys to the pumpkin festival at LL Bean. This is an annual fundraiser for Camp Sunshine which is a camp in Casco, Maine for kids with life threatening illnesses and their families.

Ben's class carves pumpkins for this festival every year. It is amazing to see all of the pumpkins created by students in area schools, and employees from neighboring businesses displayed on the LL Bean campus. They line the streets of downtown Freeport,

are stacked into pumpkin towers,

create a pumpkin maze, and line the walkways and streets of the campus.

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During the festival you can purchase a pumpkin to carve and add to the collection. In fact, people were still carving even when volunteers had begun lighting the pumpkins. 

There are events for kids and adults, live bands, snacks, and of course the pumpkin lighting. Unfortunately we had to get home to feed the baby before the lighting, but it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. 

http://www.campsunshine.org/pumpkinfestival/portland_home.html

Next year, hopefully we can all carve pumpkins for this great cause! 

Fall Outings - Apple Picking

Who goes apple picking when they already have two full bags of apples in their fridge? I do! I do! Maybe I'm crazy but for our family, apple picking is a fall tradition. Every year we travel to a local orchard that also sells donuts, cider, and other yummy food and handmade crafts. I know it sounds silly, but I really need to go to an orchard that also does the whole baked goods thing to feel like I've gotten my full annual apple picking experience.

Last year, Max wanted nothing to do with the actual act of picking the apples. In fact, when we tried to make him pick an apple he screamed. See?

I guess it just goes to show that you can't make that child do anything!

This year was a different story. He couldn't get into the trees fast enough!

When we got home I was faced with three bags of apples. Ben suggested applesauce so I got out my trusty crock pot and made the easiest version of apple sauce I have ever tried. I used the recipe from food.com ( thanks Lovebakedin) and then took some lazy shortcuts.

Instead of  measuring out apples I just cut them up until they filled the crock pot.

As you can see, I wasn't too careful with fully peeling the apples. The skin is extra fiber, right? Instead of just cinnamon I used apple pie spice, and I left out the lemon juice because we didn't have any. It turned out great. The boys are loving it with a side of pumpkin bread for their afternoon snack. Unfortunately it only used four or so apples, which means that I have a ton more apples to use up. No worries, I will come up with something! Stay tuned!

Fall Porch

Fall is my favorite season. Maybe because of the beautiful colors, maybe because the temperatures are more mild, maybe because of the warmer, snugglier clothes and pumpkin everything, maybe because it only lasts for a brief, dazzling moment. It really doesn't matter why. I just love it!