Fall Means DIY Apple Cider!

We are probably well into the latter days of fall here in Anchorage. Today it was in the 50's and sunny. It was so nice to see the tops of the Chugach mountain range surrounding the city again! It's been a few weeks since we've had a good view due to the weather. 

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the colors (I am a natural palette gal), the smells, the crisp air, the cool days. I also love it because I was born in the fall, which we will be celebrating here in a few weeks and I am oh, so excited! 

With fall in full-swing, I have been craving all things autumn--corn mazes, pumpkin patches, apple orchards and apple cider. Unfortunately, those fun fall things never made it this far north. I saw my first jug of apple cider at the Fred Meyer this week. I had started craving it weeks ago. With the draught across nearly the entire lower 48 this summer, produce prices have sky-rocketed and cider is near impossible to find up here, so I decided to make my own!

Isn't autumn lovely here?

DIY Apple Cider

All you need is a nice large pot, some nice healthy apples, an orange and some yummy spices! Approximately 12 apples will make 3 gallons of cider. I chose a variety of Granny Smiths, Galas and Red Delicious. This combo will make a sweet--yet not overwhelmingly so--cider. 

            

Preparation:

Once your produce has been properly washed, quarter it. Removes stems, cores and seeds unlike my following photo. I will explain later. 

       

Place fruit into a large stock pot, then fill the of the pot with water. Add some cinnamon sticks, cloves, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The portions are up to you, depending on how you like it. You can season as you go. 

Next, bring the pot to a boil and let it simmer for a few hours on low. Your house will smell heavenly! 

Once your fruit has boiled and the juice have seeped out, you may remove from heat. Let it cool for an hour, then strain through a cheese cloth into a pitcher or jug and you are done! Voila!

 
       

Oh wait, you're not done! One more thing (and this is why you wanted to clean those apples up before, unlike me, and save yourself a lot of work later)! Instead of throwing out the remainder of the apples, remove from the cinnamon sticks and orange, and place in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds and you have yourself some nice yummy apple sauce for the fall and winter! Place in containers and keep in the freezer until you want something quick and yummy to satisfy your sweet tooth! 

I absolutely love how this cider turned out. I love having it in my fridge and being able to heat it up and curl up with a mug and a book. Mmmm. I just love everything fall!

Thanks for reading!

2 Weeks Through My Lens

Life has been so hectic and chaotic, I've barely had a chance to sit and breathe. Two weeks ago I started my new job and am a working girl again. It feels great to return to a routine and I really love my new job. But I am exhausted! Between that and taking care of a dog and a house and a husband and getting my act together so I can go back to school starting January, along with a new photography class, vet appointments, church related activities--life is just too busy. Thus, I apologize for the long absence and the lengthy photos to come.

1. Fall happened in Alaska last week. Yes, last week. It is now over.

       

2. Winter started last night in Alaska. We woke to our first snow this morning. I am unsure how I feel about it. Meisje, however, loved it. It's like she woke up today and realized: "Snow. Wait, I'm a sled dog! This is why I'm alive! HALLELUJAH!" And ran around in it like crazy.

       

3. This is all I want to do when I get home from a long day at work and Meisje gets home from a long day at doggie daycare--lay down, snuggle, and pass out.

       

4. Look at this face. Can't you see why I struggle so?

       

5. Ben recently removed his facial hair. I welcomed the change with open arms. The intermittent moments of chops and handlebar stash were immensely entertaining as well.

       

6. These babes are not horses. These are two little baby moose! And are super cute. If they would only stay this size, I would want one as a domesticated pet.

       

7. Being that it was fall last week, and that the apple industry did so poorly this year due to draught in the 'lower 48' (yes, I can say that now, I have an Alaskan ID!), I made my own homemade apple cider. Recipe to come!

       

8.  I saw my first Alaskan Grizzly. Yes, he was endangered and caged. But still, I saw my first bear!

       

9. Last Friday we headed downtown with the young adults group from church and hung out with the homeless crowd there. It is amazing the amount of homeless people in this bitter cold state. The man playing guitar told us his story of losing both parents at a very young age and had many people in tears. It was awesome to watch him light up when we said he could play Ben's guitar. He said he hadn't been able to touch a guitar in years.

       

10. And a cute little face to leave you with. Because she is the cutest dog ever! :)

       

Thanks for reading!

Gold is the New White Part 2: DIY Gold "Lace" Candle

I have been so absolutely busy this week, it has been crazy. I thought when I got to Alaska life would settle down a bit... well, it hasn't. Does it ever? Between working pretty much full-time this week in the 'pre-employment process' and being a new mom to a brand new baby (because really, puppies are like babies, only worse because they don't sleep as much), I have barely even been able to squeeze in sleeping and eating and working out, let alone blogging. But, alas, I am doing it now quickly before running out the door with pups to pick up Ben and then out for the evening.

I am almost embarrassed to even call this a DIY project. It was so simple... it should be considered something else altogether. But it turned out really nice and so I am sharing it with you! My lovely readers!

DIY Gold 'Lace' Candle 

Ever since my friend Chris designed our wedding invites and introduced me to this amazing lace-looking paper, I have been obsessed with the pre-cut Michael's scrapbook paper. Well, perusing the isles last week, I found a sheet on sale for like 7 cents. Um: bought! 

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, due to one side being white and the other a mulberry color--which happens to not be a favorite hue of mine. Then this idea popped into mind! All you will need is:

Michael's pre-cut lace-like scrapbook paper

Gold metallic spray paint

Scissors

Candle

Glass candle hurricane

1. Measure your hurricane size and cut paper accordingly. Remember that the paper will go on the inside, so you will have to trim down a bit if you measure like I do: just wrap the paper around the hurricane. 

2. Once you have cut it to size, spray paint one side. I chose the mulberry side, since I didn't care for the color, and wanted white on the inside. You can spray paint both sides, or none at all if you like your color. Us cheapies can't be choosies. 

3. Wait for the spray paint to dry. Once it is dry, you can roll the paper up and fit it nicely into the hurricane. 

4. You're done! Light and enjoy!

See what I mean, this should not count as a DIY! Anyway, I like how it turned out. I'm thinking of making a few more with the left over paper. I can't wait to show you all where I put it in the house! Hint: it currently resides on another DIY project, which I am SO proud of and can't wait to share. It's awesome when you can get hubby involved! So much more gets done when I have his brain power!

Anyway, we are off for a weekend of adventures in Wittier AK. We've never been there before, but friends of my parents are getting on a cruise ship there and need a ride from Anchorage. We are more than happy to explore new places and will use any excuse to do so... hopefully we can figure out a way that puppy can tag along and she does well in the car!

Thanks for reading! Happiest of weekends!

Meghan

Something New.

Ok, so I know that I was supposed to be blogging this week about all my fantastic metallic DIYs I've been making for the new place. However, I got a little sidetracked yesterday with this adorable face:

       

Can you really blame me? I think not!

Anyway, we brought this adorable 10 week old Siberian Husky into our home yesterday. She was born recently in a huge neglect case this summer, one of some 5-6 litters born all roughly the same time. A lot of them (from my understanding) were all in the same cage, as the pregnant mothers were all kenneled together. 

       

We have wanted a dog since coming to Anchorage. It is seriously the most dog-friendly city I have ever been to. We even saw a dog in the bank last week. We knew that we wanted a hiking, biking and running companion, so the husky fits us perfectly! 

       

She does not enjoy the other dog that resides in our closet mirror!

We had a fun first night with her and wore her completely out! 

       

I promise, I will come back to the DIYs, until then you can drool over my puppy! :)

Happy Thursday!

Part One: Gold is the New White-DIY Specimen Display

Is anyone else absolutely crushing over metallics right now as hard as I am? Seriously! I'm suddenly crazy over rose-gold jewelry, metallic prints for clothing, and metallic everything for the home. So crazed, in fact, that I simply googled "diy metallic" a couple weeks ago and let google lead me deeply into the realm of these rich hues, discovering new ways to incorporate them into my home.

This being said: I will be featuring a 'gold' themed week of DIY here at split the lark, starting today with my DIY Specimen Display. These actually turned out even cuter than I imagined and I'm super excited to share this tutorial with you. When I first came home with a bag of rubber animals and a can of spray paint, my husband was a bit skeptic, but even he is a believer now! 

         

What you will need:

-frames (Hint: look in the clearance section. You don't need the glass, so you can find them super cheap!)

-scrapbook paper

-rubber animals/shells/starfish- I tried and used critters from around Alaska, but you can choose whatever suits your style.

-gold metallic spray paint

-hot glue

       

First, choose paper that will go with your 'theme' or 'feel'. I originally was going to use fabric but our selection up here in the last frontier is somewhat lacking. I found that scrapbook paper ended up being easier, cheaper, and you have more of a selection (or at least I do in AK). Once you have chosen your paper, cut it to size to fit in you frame.

       

Second: once you have selected which animals/sea life you are going to display, take the little critters outside to a well ventilated area. Place them on a drop cloth or garbage bag or tarp to prevent from having gold grass (as much as I love it, I love my grass green more) and spray away! Let that side dry, flip them over, and spray the other side. Some figurines may need an extra coat. My fox, for example, was simply too orange and needed a second go over. 

Once your animals are dry, arrange them on the scrapbook paper inside the empty frame. This was the most difficult part for me. It took me all afternoon to decide my arrangement. OCD, much? Yes.

Anyway, once you have decided your arrangement, secure them there with hot glue. Rubber animals are actually a lot heavier than you'd expect, so use a big old dab of glue. Let them dry. Viola! Your masterpiece is complete! Decide where you are going to display them in your home, and hang accordingly. 

       

I can't wait to share the rest of the projects I have been working on. Gold is overtaking my home and I am LOVING it! Make sure and stay tuned. Also, be watching for a special announcement next week!

Thanks for reading!

Meghan

Catching Up and Cleaning Up

So, after a fun (thick sarcasm) 3 days with no boiler--i.e. no hot water, no heat, not even running water--followed by a huge windstorm that knocked out our power for another 3 days, I am needless to say,  still catching up from the past week.  I am slightly behind on the awesome projects I was supposed to feature this week, but they are coming, I promise! Hold on to your seats!

Anyway, over the past few days I have been cleaning the blog up a bit and just wanted to highlight a few quick points for my lovely readers! I have been getting some feedback that people are having a hard time locating my 'follow me' buttons... so I have revamped them and made it easy for everyone! Via the nicely labeled new buttons to the left of my blog, you can follow along with Split the Lark--, find me on facebook, drop me an email, etc.! And I encourage everyone to do so! It lets me know who you are and which features you are loving most! I always love hearing from new readers, as well as my following from home whom I miss oh so much!

Also, you can find certain projects and posts more easily now via the category labels to the right side of the blog. My amazing little sis (who just so happens to be an awesome graphic designer) made these for me and I am really starting to utilize them! They streamline the site and make everything much more efficient. 

Thanks for checking it out and remember to say 'hey' every once and a while! :)

Meghan

Blueberries for Labor Day

This weekend didn't quite turn out as we expected. With a 90% chance of rain in the forecast, and a six hour drive to Fairbanks, car camping was beginning to look less and less appealing. So we decided to stay around Anchorage for the weekend. Sunday we drove up to Palmer-- about an hour north of Anchorage--and went to the Alaska State Fair. It was a great day for the fair, sunny and fairly warm. 

I, by no means, am a fair person. I don't really get rides and vendors. I don't really even enjoy the over-priced deep-fried carbohydrates they call food. But fairs are totally Ben's thing. He loves rides, people-watching (which, lets be honest, fairs are the best place for), ridiculous foods (like the donut hamburger he ate this weekend), 4H. The whole sha-bang. We did see a half ton pumpkin. Who wouldn't be impressed with a half ton pumpkin? So that was fun. We also saw our future pets: dwarf goats. No, I am not kidding. I have wanted a goat for years and it will become a reality someday!

Anyway, after the fair, we went mountain biking with some friends up Hatcher Pass. Ben and I bought a set of bikes last week and have been super excited to get them out. Little did we know that we were in NO shape to be on a 'single trail' yet. We literally rode through rock, tree-root, creek infested incline for a troublesome two miles, before turning around and enjoying the downhill. We were sore, wet and muddy by the end of the day. But it felt awesome. Note: Michigan knows nothing of real mountain biking. Just saying. 

       

After our bike ride, we drove out to a spot to pick some wild blueberries. We went with our new friends, who taught us all kinds of new things about edible plants and such in Alaska! We also learned tons about blueberries here. There are low-bush, high-bush and alpine varieties. In Michigan, we would just go to a pick-your-own patch. Here, we trekked up the side of a mountain. But they are everywhere and for those of you who know me, my soul longs for a good freebie every now and then. We brought home a couple pounds of delectable blueberries. I can't wait to make some yummy blueberry tarts and desserts with them!

That's it for today! Short and simple. Thanks for reading!