By the end of last week, the apple heads were not as dried out as I had hoped. They had spent a lot of time in the oven and a little time in the sun, but they were still dense and rather squishy, (except mine, but I started with a smaller apple.) I decided to give them just a few more days and this evening I figured they were ready to complete.

Thankfully I had gone to Walmart last week and picked up a few things to decorate them… buttons for eyes, pipe cleaners for arms and legs, and fake fur for the hair. I broke out the remnant fabric scraps and the hot glue gun and we were ready.

To be honest, my expectations were VERY, VERY low. When I pulled them out of the oven, they were not at all what I had envisioned they might be when we started this project.

I began with mine so that I could work all the bugs out before trying them on the kids. I glued on her eyes, added her hair, and then made her body. We attached the heads to wooden sticks, which was much more stable than the pipe cleaners the directions had recommended. I reserved those for the arms and legs. As mine started to come together I was shocked that it was actually turning out kind of adorable. It looked like a little old lady that I imagined baked pies and crocheted blankets back in the day. I loved her immediately.

When the kids saw that mine was cute, they were even more eager to start theirs. Thankfully Tim had gotten home, so we tackled the other three together. The kids did as much work on them as they could, and what they couldn’t do, they directed us. They each took about a half an hour to complete and I think the final products are amazing!

They are quirky, odd, and strangely endearing. I can see how they would have been popular back in the day when buying a doll at a store wasn’t an option. By using what was around them, they were able to make their own toys. They would have used scraps and trinkets they already had, and these dolls wouldn’t have cost a thing.

I think the kids learned some valuable lessons throughout this process, and we certainly laughed a lot. And thankfully it turns out I didn’t have to set them on fire, bury them in the backyard, or call in an exorcist after all!

We were at the library last week when I ran across two books, “This Book is Red” and “This is a Ball.” The subtitle for each book is “Books that drive kids crazy.”

What? A book that will drive kids crazy? I need to try this out. So I grabbed one and cornered Baby E. “This is a Ball.” I said to him as I pointed to the cover of the book. “No, it’s not!! It’s a square!” he responded.

As I opened the book and started to read it, it followed the same logic as the cover, giving things the wrong names or colors. Before I knew it, Baby E was arguing with me in the library about the contents of the book. He got so frustrated, he walked away before I was even finished!

So, it truly is a book that drives kids crazy. Naturally, they both came home with me. I waited until Tim got home that night to bring them out. We had Baby E sit down and we read both books to him. He argued through both books with such earnestness, it was pretty adorable. He didn’t get angry, but he refused to give into the faulty logic of the books, but by the end of them we were all laughing.

Since then he’s been pulling these books out for me to read. They are definitely a hit in our house. So, if you are looking for a book to annoy your kids with, I recommend these… If you ever find them, pick them up, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

We went to a fundraiser event this morning for the archery club that we attend. It was their big end of the year event with vendors, games, and food. The kids had a great time, but when it was time to leave we didn’t really want to head straight home, so we just started driving.

We ended up near the old town pedestrian mall that my sister in law and I have taken the kids to in the past. In a spontaneous moment, we decided to stop and let the kids play in the splash pad. With most every other splash pad and pool closed for the season, it is refreshing that they still have theirs running. The kids got drenched in the clothes they were wearing and they even talked Tim into walking through it and getting a little wet.

Hearing the squeals and watching the laughter made the entire outing worth it. I’m really dreading the shorter days and colder weather as we head into fall, so I’m going to hang onto these moments as long as I can!

This should be a post about Apple Head Dolls, but I decided to give them another day or so to dry some more. The last thing we need is our terrifyingly hideous dolls adding ‘moldy’ and ‘mushy’ to their resumes.

So instead, this is a post about Pawpaw Bread. My saint of a mother made two loaves today and they were absolutely delicious. She modified her banana bread recipe and the results were fantastic.

I think can confirm that the Pawpaw experiment has been more successful than our apple headed friends.

My sister in law and I were at a park a few months back when she pointed out that there were a lot of pawpaw trees in the forest. I had no idea what she was talking about, but she said there was one behind her house growing up and that she and her siblings used to pick the fruit and eat it.

We decided that we would come back when the trees were ripe and harvest some. A couple of weeks ago I looked them up online and found out that they are ripe from mid August through September, so we made plans to get some.

We got to the park before lunch this morning and walked to our pawpaw spot. Pawpaw trees are tall and skinny with broad leaves. The fruit hangs in small clusters near the top of the tree. As we found trees we would shake them and the fruits would fall down around us. Some of them were still hard and will need a few days to soften, and others were too soft and we couldn’t transport them back. But then there were some that were just right. We peeled a few and ate some as we walked around. They have the texture between a mango and a banana. The flavor is kind of like a pear, but also like an avocado. The kids liked them, but didn’t love them, however they really enjoyed shaking the trees and searching for the fruit that fell.

We gathered enough that tomorrow we (probably my mom) are going to make some pawpaw bread! I’m really excited and hope the bread turns out better than our Apple Head Dolls…

Speaking of Apple Head Dolls, they spent about 10 hours in the oven today. I’ve come to the conclusion that even though the ‘recipe’ calls for large apples, smaller ones work better because they are easier to dry out. (I thought I’d share that tip in case one of you wants to take up a new and horrifying hobby.) When I took them out this evening, mine was the driest and is definitely ready for decorating. The other ones could probably stand to spend one more day in the oven, but I’m eager to get these things done, so we might just finish them all tomorrow.

I hope you all are just as excited as I am to see how they turn out!!

The instructions say that after a day hanging out in the oven, our apple heads should spend at least two days in the sun. I’m assuming this is to ensure that they continue their downward spiral into the macabre.

So, as the dutiful art teacher and mother that I am, I transported these foul beasts to the front porch to spend the remainder of their day under the scorching sun.

As the sun arched its way across the sky and the porch was cast into shadows by mid morning, I realized they would have to move once again. I walked over to pick them up and I noticed that one of them, the one on the left, was moving. Now I can assure you that the shrunken head was not moving when I had deposited him there mere hours earlier, but he was most certainly moving now- wiggling ever so slightly. I gingerly approached him. As I leaned down to investigate, a large bee shot out of one of the apple heads many openings straight toward my face! I jumped back and squealed as if the apple head itself had tried to attack me. Apparently the bees were burrowing deep inside Baby E’s apple head!!

This would not do! This head was made for greater things!!

I found a long stick and tapped the apple head to clear it of its inhabitants. Once I was sure he was empty, I was able to move them out further into the yard, but it was a losing battle all day as the bees dug and gnawed at that one head. The others remained untouched while Baby E’s wiggled and danced.

By this evening the tray was littered with tiny pieces of fruit dug from the depths of that appalling apple head. Evicting the bees one last time, I brought the apples inside. I don’t think Baby E’s will survive another day in the elements so tomorrow they will spend a few more hours in the oven spa.

Stay tuned, because with any luck, by Friday our “masterpieces” will be complete!

We started the Apple Dolls this morning.

I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.

It started out innocently enough. I peeled the apples. Three big ones for the kids and a little one for myself. Each kid had the liberty to carve their apple however they chose.

Let’s be honest, these things are terrifying, and we aren’t even done yet. They have two more days of prep time before we even add the bodies, clothing, and hair. (yes, you read that right… there will be hair and maybe even a little make-up.)

We’re in too deep now. We can’t turn back. We are seeing this horrifying, disturbing, nightmare inducing project to the bitter, bitter end, and you dear reader, are coming with us.

These might look like normal apples. I’m sure they taste like normal apples, but we will never know because by the end of this week they should be dolls.

Yes… Dolls.

Apparently back in the day… I mean way back in the day… people used to make dolls from apples. There weren’t toy stores back then and disposable income wasn’t really a thing, so they made their toys with what was available. And in the case of colonial Americans in the Appalachian mountains and New England, they often used apples.

So for our art class this week we will be making them as well. They are going to take several days to make, I’ll check in each evening and let you know how it’s going. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday they should be done!

Before reading about these dolls today, I had never heard of them. Have you or anyone you know ever tried making one?

One of my favorite things about seeing my kids with their cousins is to watch how they interact and to see how their imaginations come to life. We spent the day with my sister-in-law’s family and the kids ran themselves ragged with all the playing. For the six hours we were there, they barely stayed still but to eat their dinner. While they ran wild in the basement, we adults got the chance to catch up and connect.

I know I’ve said it a million times, but I love that they live so close. Since I’ve known my husband for decades, I’ve known his family just as long and there is something very comfortable about the time that we spend together.