Honeycrisp

Honeycrisp apples are about the equivalent of my heaven. I had my first one when I was on my mission in New York, pined for them when I moved back west, and they were among the first purchases I made when I moved to Ohio. Every year I look forward to them and every year I am shocked/amazed/in wonder at how absolutely delicious they really are. One of the local farms here has a honeycrisp orchard and they opened it to the public for picking this Fri, Sat, and Sun. I called first thing Saturday morning to see how they were (since I had to work on Friday, go figure) and they were gone!! All gone! But, they had some already bagged at their market that would open at 9 am (and $8 cheaper I might add). It was 8:30 and I live 30 mins away. I was out of bed and in the car and made it at 9:07. The bins were more than half empty. I got greedy and bought 2 full pecks! How could I pass them up? I looked around some more, it was a fabulous place, and by the time I got in line to pay for my goods, they were gone! There was devastation all around but I didn't relinquish any of my spoils. As soon as I got back into my car I ate one. It was crisp and crunchy with juice running all over my hands. Heaven. Worth every penny.

So this weekend I've spent dehydrating and canning. I made my first ever applesauce and it is yummy. Jamey and I were wondering if we shouldn't have used just regular apples for applesauce but after tasting it tonight...divine. And the dried apple slices are pure candy.

I love when my attempts to be domestic pan out. I love you honeycrisp apples.

Never suppress a generous thought

Crazy that I am still learning this. BUT! I learn best by example. I have a very kind friend here, her name is Amber. She read my last post and popped over with a homemade fruit fly trap! Smallest simplest thing in the world and I honestly started crying when she gave it to me. I had shared a one sentence frustration and she thought, "Hey, I can help." AND THEN SHE DID. She totally could have written it off as too small or maybe dumb (like I probably would have) but it was the best part of my day.

She took a baby food jar, put a piece of fruit inside, covered it in saran wrap with a rubberband, and poked a little hole in top. Flies go in but don't come out. It totally worked too!

She also took a few minutes to write down a few ideas to help me with my Primary class. Jamey and I teach the 4 year-olds and while they're really cute and funny, they can be a handful. She taught preschool/kindergarten and was so happy to share with me some tricks of the trade. And I was so grateful!

Service can be simple and that's when it often means the most. I love reading talks and listening to lessons at Church on Sundays, but I am most grateful for those in my life who teach by example.