Maplin' with Mikayla

Today was filled with all kind of odds and ends!  Other than having A hang out with Mikayla and I this afternoon I didn't have anything slated on the calendar.  Oddly enough it ended up being one super full day, though!

I got all of Noah's patches sewn to his uniform for his Den meeting tonight, hung with D and Kayla for a bit his morning and then got to catch up with Tess for a bit, I've lost count of exactly how many loads of laundry I've done, worked on a fun maple leaf project that was inspired by this with my Bean, then made our Vermont Apple Slab Pie with her for dessert tonight.  The girl cracks me up.  She has been a huge help today between her craft, baking, laundry and then keeping A entertained.  She has had quite the afternoon playing 'big' sister as opposed to little sister.  And by the time we got Noah off the bus, I am not sure which kid was having the most fun.  I worked on getting our dinner of Vermont Maple Chunky Beef Stew on the table and listened to them sing, chase each other around the map room and giggle uncontrollably.  There was reading by my Cub Scout and play-doh with the Bean.  I could do three, right?  (KIDDING - Grant, keep breathing!  We're good.)  Anyway, my 'down' day turned out full, which was perfect.

Because November 11th is always a little tough for me as it marks the anniversary of my Papa's passing.  So it makes me a little sad, especially since this year Noah is the same age as I was when it happened and I think about how sad, terrified and distraught I was and can't imagine him ever having to feel that way.  (Hey Dad, you hear that - my kids need you!  And so does your kid! ;-) )  But I am hoping there is a HUGE Polish party going on in heaven tonight.  (And you're letting G-Ma play Bingo) Wish you were here, especially to meet the kiddo who has your name as his middle name.  He would (I hope!) make you so stinkin' proud!  And I know the Bean would have you wrapped around her tiny pinkie finger.  In your honor I'm paying them a dollar tonight to eat some potato chips :)

Alright, enough of my melancholy.  I will be back tomorrow in a more chipper mindset for more Vermont fun, another cheese and maple infused meal, the "We've Been There State" (Mikayla is lobbying hard for a trip to Ben and Jerry's, by the way) and who knows what else!  So until then...

Vermont Fun Fact of the Day: Montpelier, with 8247 residents, has the smallest population of any state capital.

Painting the background for her maple leaf project

And now we bake!

Pretty soon she's not going to need me (other than to read the recipe maybe :-p)

We marked it with an M and tossed it in the oven!

Tracing the leaf

Then gathering some leaves...

Which we crunched up with the food processor

Outlined in glue

And spread all over!!

Then dumped

It was a little hard to make out (because we drew in the inner lines) but she loved it

Then we had to make the glaze for the pie

It made it out of the oven (Apple Pie is the official state dessert of Vermont, by the way)

And we got it glazed

She's so efficient she even cleaned the kitchen (yep, my child for sure...)

She then wanted to decorate her leaf

And we assembled Doc McStuffins

Chunky Maple Beef Stew - everyone here loved it for the record (even my non-meat eater Kayla)

After the glaze hardened

An inside shot - there is seriously just one little piece of this left

My Cub Scout reading to A

While the Bean and he played play-doh