Adapting to a Cast: Bath Time

My baby girl loves her bath time. Sadly, until the cast comes off, bath time as she knew it has changed. I wanted to adjust her bath time so it would still be a special fun time, even if it was different. Starting with the first bath after the cast we changed her routine and she has adapted beautifully.

We generally don't use out downstairs bath for showers or baths unless we have house guests. Until now. We put a towel down on the floor and covered the cast with a bag. I got some bright colored kitchen sponges and cut them into triangles and squares – you can't have a sponge bath without sponges right? I also had a stash of the foam letters that stick to the shower wall when they're wet that I had planned to use for Christmas or birthday gifts, but I popped them out early. With the letters in a beach bucket and the sponges in a big bowl of soapy water, we were ready to give the sponge bath a try.

Gbaby has fun dipping the letters in the water and sticking them to the wall- and by the third time we realized that we couldn't fill the bowl very full because she was having a bit too much fun splashing. So far she doesn't seem to miss her normal baths. And after dinner when we ask her if she's ready for “sponges” she knows the new routine and gets almost as excited as she would about bath time.

This post is linked up at We Are That Family's Works For Me Wednesday.

Garden's Hanging On

Today is another rainy day in Central NY - with the potential for some great storms according to the national weather service.  They've issued a tornado watch - hmmm.  It's something to keep things interesting.

My garden still chugs along, with prolific green beans, determined tomatoes and patient pumpkins.  Does anyone know if a pumpkin that has fallen off the vine will ripen?  My peppers have perked up and decided to finally fruit and I have a dozen or so small bells that I'm hoping will "grow up" before the frosts come.  My little tomatoes are hanging on and ripening on the sad, brown vines that have given up for this year.  It looks like I should have another dozen small tomatoes pretty soon.

A friend told us this weekend that after their asparagus had bolted to bush after the first harvest, they cut it back the beginning of August and got a great second harvest through September.  I'm intrigued and certainly going to give that a try next year!

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This post is linked up at An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party

Caramel Apple Bars

Last weekend I was tasked to bring dessert to my brother's place as we all converged for a visit. I had apples to use and thought about making Apple Crisp. But, the house was chilly on Thursday night and I was afraid that if I made crisp the day before it would be closer to Apple Soggy instead of Apple Crisp.

Off I went into cyberspace for inspiration. I found these Apple Bars and then went to work modifying the recipe. The result was amazing! We had them with ice cream for dessert on Friday, nibbled them with coffee on Saturday morning and by the time I left on Saturday afternoon folks were picking at the crumbs.

I doubled this recipe for a large jelly roll pan. This recipe will work nicely for a 9x13. Enjoy this delicious bit of fall!

Caramel Apple Bars

1/3 cup Melted Butter or Margarine

1/2 cup Sugar

½ cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup Yellow Squash Puree

1 egg

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup All-purpose Flour

1 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 cups finely chopped Apple

Glaze

¼ cup Whipping Cream

¼ cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup Butter

½ cup Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. 
   

   Thoroughly combine butter, sugars, egg, yellow squash and vanilla.

   
   


2. 
   

   Add Flours, cinnamon and baking powder and mix. Fold in apples.

   
   


3. 
   

   Spread batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350, just until the edges are golden and the center doesn't jiggle.

   
   

   

   
   


4. 
   

   Glaze: Combine cream, butter and ¼ cup brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and mix until all powdered sugar is dissolved into the caramel. Drizzle over cooled bars. {sorry, no finished picture - they were enjoyed before I could get the camera out}

   
   


5. 
   

   Cut into squares and enjoy!

   
   
   
   

   This post is linked up at Things I Love Thursday.

   
   

Sunday Sunshine - Fall Weather & Craft Fairs

Practicing contentment by remembering the graces of the week and practicing gratitude by giving.

This has been a full week.  My garden is giving us a ton of late green beans, for which I am very excited.  We've had some great weather and playing outside with GBaby is so much fun.  On Wednesday I got a morning away to do some shopping by myself!  I now have comfier jeans (yay!)

Saturday was the Green Apple Festival and the candles and I got to spend the day outside on gorgeous fall day.  Sales were steady all day and and the end of the day, by all indicators, it was a great success.  Given that we've seen rain in some form or another the last two years for this show, the the sunny fall day was a much appreciate blessing.

This week I've also been blessed by friends who have helped care for GBaby as mine and HandyMan's work schedules collided.  This time of the year is busy for everyone and I do not take for granted the time friends "loan" us when they care for my daughter.

We've had a great week.  I hope you can look back, and forward, to find the joy dotting your story!

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.” (James 1:16 -The Message) May the light of the Father brighten your week!