Five on Friday: Spark of Loves this Week

It's Friday! Yay! And currently we have about four to five inches of snow on the ground here in Oregon. The Willamette Valley is always a fun place to live because we get a lot of rain, a lot of snow, and a lot of sun. It just depends on the time of year. My son, Skylar is out making snow angels still and he has hit the kitchen window with about eight snowballs so far. Super fun!

Don't forget to enter my contest!

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So with that, here are my Five on Friday loves!

1. This Soup.

Because it was tasty and came from the local cafe here in town. Although I love homemade butternut squash soup, this was definitely a nice, warm comfort to enjoy on a cold night.

2. This Package.

Because it came just in the nick of time. We have been reading "A Series of Unfortunate Events" in the Red Snail Classroom and just finished the first book, so the second came right on time. We even made Puttanesca Sauce to celebrate finishing the book!

3. This Research.

In our Red Snail Classroom we have been studying history facts from the 1960s. This was one of those moments where some computer research was needed. Things are so different now days, with finding out facts. I remember having to research for hours in the library from actual books. Now everything you need to know can be found from just a few clicks and buttons.

4. These Pictures.

Because this year marks the tenth Christmas for my little Skylar. Of course, he turned 10 this past September and isn't so little anymore, but to me he is always my little baby boy. This picture above was his first Christmas back in 2003 when we lived in Arkansas, and the ones below it are his third Christmas, in Oregon. Such happy memories have been made in the past 10 years. You can see the full album from Christmases past here.

5. This Ice Cream.

Because recently the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers played in their Civil War game. Of course, the Ducks came out on top, but it was a very intense game. I'm talking, edge of your seat action! So to honor the moment of the civil war, we purchased the Duck Tracks and Beaver Tracks ice cream from Umpqua, a local dairy here in Oregon. The Duck Tracks were finished off first, in honor of the Ducks win, but for some reason no one really touched the Beaver Tracks. hmmmm....

Eco -Tip: When looking to wrap your holiday gifts this year, use the alternative of newspaper and brown paper bags instead. Some wrapping paper isn't biodegradeable and therefore can't be recycled either. Using a more eco-friendly alternative will be a great message to go more green for the gift receivers, as well. You can read more about ways to green up your holiday by visiting the Green Living section at Examiner.com. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me: Go Green.

Darby Smart has done it again! (Giveaway)

HEY, DARBY GIRL!

Darby Smart never let's us down with their endless ways to bring DIY into every one's life. If you are a longtime DIY'er, or just starting out, you know how fun DIY can be. Anything and everything that's DIY is appealing to most people that enjoy doing some sort of craft, and that appeal shouldn't run short with teenagers either.

Along with their DIY kits, that are geared toward beginners and experienced DIY'er, now comes ones geared toward teenage girls. Darby Girl is one of the most exclusive DIY kits that any tween girl could ask for. Darby Smart has partnered up with Girls' Life to make these DIY boxes for tween girls the very best!

With Darby Girl you can subscribe to a bi-monthly kit to be delivered every other month to yourself, or give the subscription to Darby Girl as a gift. This is the perfect gift for that special teen on your Christmas list this year. The first box from Darby Smart is set to arrive before December 23rd if you subscribe and join today.

First month is only $12! Or snag up an entire year for $72 (6 boxes).

Snag your own Darby Girl DIY box subscription now and don't forget about the other great DIY box kits from Darby Smart, like the DIY Soy Candles Kit I showcased here on at South North South.

Right now, in honor of Darby Smart and Girls' Life Magazine, I am giving away a one-year subscription to one lucky reader of South North South. Girls' Life Magazine is the leading tween magazine for girls age 10-15 years. It's the #1 magazine for girls seeking advice on peer pressure, fashion, stress, and everything in between when it comes to becoming a teenager. And now paring up with Darby Smart, life for a tween girl just got 10 times better.

It's easy to enter, all you have to do is visit Darby Smart and leave me one comment on what DIY kit you love the most. That's it!

You can also earn extra entries below!

Good Luck to everyone that enters, and don't forget to snag your Darby Girl DIY kit today!

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Dehydrated apples

This time of year I go a bit nuts with making things; Baking cookies, making meals to freeze, dehydrating fruits and berries, and even making Christmas gifts. My will to keep making seems to run strong until well after the first of the year. Of course my making seems to save us a ton of money in the long run though, and it helps use up most of the items in the fridge or cabinet before they expire too. One of the main things I love making is dehydrated apples.

The great thing about Oregon is that apples come into season in late July and stay in season until late November, so for a good four months apples are a great go-to snack in our house. When fall rolls around, I love dehydrating what's left in order to eat clear through the winter months. We actually got lucky with our son, in the fact that he would rather have a bowl of dehydrated apples, or berries over candy. And they are a great snack with those sugar cravings hit!

Here is a simple, yet delicious dehydrated apples recipe that can be used on all varieties of apples.

Start with good quality apples. I like to use Fuji apples, or Granny Smith, but any variety can be used depending on your taste. Red Delicious I have found does brown a lot when they are dehydrated, and don't seem to hold their taste once dried, but other varieties work great! For this recipe we used all Fuji apples.

Once the apples are gathered, they need to be washed well. I peel the skin off of the apples, but you can leave it on. I have found that the skin isn't all that tasty and loses a lot of its appeal once dried though.

To wash the apples and remove the food-grade wax completely, combine one part baking soda to one part lemon juice. Depending on how many apples you have. I can clean about eight apples with a 1 tbs. to 1 tbs. mixture. Just fill your kitchen sink with about one gallon of warm water, add in your baking soda, and lemon juice. Allow the apples to sit for about 20 minutes, then use a small vegetable brush, or nail brush (that's used for only food) and brush the apples well. Rinse the apples in warm water to remove any wax sitting on the surface. The water in your sink should be a nice, waxy, gross color now. Blah!

Once your apples are rinsed it's time to gather the rest of your supplies. For one, you will need an apple corer. I use a manual, hand corer, but I have my heart set on this one here. You will also need a food peeler, a measuring cup, a medium-sized bowl, one-quart of lemon juice, one-quart of water, a knife, a cutting board, and a food dehydrator. (If you don't own a food dehydrator, you can do the dehydrating in your oven)

Although the manual corer works very well, it would be nice to have one that did the entire motion with just a crank of the hand. The manual corer pictured here is Progressive brand and comes with a plunger to help remove the core bits after they are gathered. You can pick one up for under $6 here.

We cored about 24 apples. Skylar helped by popping out the core and handing me the apples to peel. It was great teamwork.

Then peeled them, which took about 45 minutes. So as you can see the automatic one would be nice.

The apple peels are going to a nice addition to my compost pile.

Once the apples are cored and peeled, add one quart of lemon juice and one quart of water to a large bowl or pitcher. Place the apples into the mixture to sit for about five minutes before cutting.

Next, slice the apples into rings and place back into the lemon/water mixture for another five minutes.

Place the apple rings in your dehydrator in a single layer and dehydrate on 135 degrees for six to eight hours. I use a Nesco dehydrator and it takes about six hours to get the apples rings to where we like them.

After dehydrating I immediately place them in Ball jars with tight-fitting lids and store in our cold storage (not the refrigerator). A cold storage can be anything from a room under your home to your garage. If it stays cold throughout the winter months, then use it to your advantage.