After a few 90+ degree days, we have deliciously overcast and cool weather. A thunderstorm rolled through yesterday and the smell of petrichor infused the entire house. The slower pace of autumn is most welcome, and I’m so grateful the pregnancy illness has mostly subsided so I have energy again. I was able to write a piece on my Substack (see previous post) and travel to my cousin’s wedding.

October has been a month of making. I finally made apple butter before the apples turned mushy. I used the Spiced Cider Apple Butter recipe from the Ball canning book, and sweetened with honey instead of sugar.

Michael helped me by taste-testing many of the apples and throwing the peels into the scrap bowl. I felt a bit like one of Macbeth’s witches as I stirred the pot and waited for the butter to thicken: it burbled and popped with perfect cauldron sound effects (and got all over the kitchen). Very fitting for October.

The final product is a bit too much like thick applesauce for my liking: I like a smoother, butterier texture. Ah well. Next year! It still tastes very good, especially mixed into oatmeal or spread on sourdough.

One of my favorite comfort shows is the Great British Bake-off (especially the earlier seasons with Dame Mary Berry). I usually watch it in the evenings while I knit, and sometimes it inspires some late night baking. I had a handful of apples left and so I used a few of them to make an apple galette. I used a cheater pie crust from Trader Joe’s (because making pie crust intimidates me for some reason), but took a little extra time to make some salted caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. It was my first successful attempt at caramel — I credit my success to the recipe I used. Wonderfully clear instructions. I still have some in a jar in the fridge for eating with apples later.

We also made banana bread. Michael really enjoyed mashing the bananas, turning on the mixer and licking the spoons. We covered the kitchen in banana bread batter and both had to change shirts by the end, but it was worth it.

Now Michael drags the kitchen chairs over to the counter asking to make “nana bread” at least once a day, and whenever he sees me prepping a meal. I’m trying to have one of my motherhood mottos be messes clean. Almost everything can be cleaned or mended or replaced. Time and memories can’t.

My knitting inspiration has returned in full swing. I’ve finished almost all of the baby gifts I’ve been planning (waiting for the yarn to arrive for the last gift). In total, I’ve completed four projects and started two more. When I mail them all, I’ll post pictures and details. For now, here’s a teaser of Michael’s Christmas sweater.

It’s not going to be a Christmas gift: he’ll wear it once the temperatures drop enough to wear wool. When hand-making a sweater for a toddler, you want them to wear it as much as possible before they outgrow it!

I stopped by Hobby Lobby to purchase some recipe cards and meandered through the fabric section for fun. Michael saw this blue truck fabric and fell in love with it, so I bought a yard and whipped up some pj pants for him using this tutorial. He loves them, and I’m pretty proud that this took me about half an hour total.

They’re a bit snug on his bum because I used the only elastic I had (1.5”) instead of 1”. But otherwise they fit perfectly and have some extra length so he can grow into them.

I hope your October has been full of beauty and coziness, and that you’ve found some time to make something too!