H = Harvest Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pastry for 2 crusts
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks. If your pie
pan is deep enough, you might want to use more apples, as many
as 9. If you don't use Granny Smith, make sure your apples are tart!
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp sugar
1/3 Cup light corn syrup
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter, softened

Directions

Fill pastry-lined pie pan with apples. I highly recommend using a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet or chicken fryer -- these make a great crust. Combine next 6 ingredients and pour over apples. Cover with top crust; a lattice works best as it allows plenty of steam to escape. If you don't know how to make a lattice, "Joy of Cooking" shows you how. Bake at 425 F for 30-45 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients and spread over crust. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until topping is bubbly.

http://www.recipeplace.com/HarvestApplePie/recipe

This recipe reminds me of apple picking when I was younger. Years ago my mom would take me to an orchard with my sister and occasionally my brother. I thought it was one of the funnest pass times there was. Now that I'm older though I've grown out of it. I spent time climbing trees and collecting the most interesting looking apples. After spending the day at the orchard we'd return home and make apple pies in the kitchen. My mom would always have her best friend over, we called her by the name "Aunt Pat" even though she wasn't our real Aunt. We were all just very close to her so we called her by that name. She would bring a machine over that peeled the apples and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I just remember being in the kitchen and being absolutely fascinated by how quickly it got the job done. I guess I kind of miss being at my mom's house, even more so being a little kid. Even though I'm still somewhat a little kid. My Grandma loves her pies. As a kid I remember that every single time I went to my Grandma's, without fail, there would be a pie or a cake after lunch and dinner. Even though she would always have a variety, apple pie was no doubt my favorite. I have another glimpse of a memory, being at my moms in the living room and sitting down and eating apple pie and ice cream together for the first time. Let me tell you, best combination ever. All this writing about apple pie is making me want to devour some right about now. 

Famous Poem Starters

But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep
There's never time to weep, and what you sow you will reap
Hard work and no sleep, nothing good ever comes cheap
Words that in my mind I'll keep, God's our Shepard we are his sheep
I cannot rest until all my work is done
These miles to go will be a run
Get all my work done before I see the sun
Even if the works a ton
When I close my eyes I will have won

Nursery Rhymes ARE relevant to life

Eencey Weencey spider
Climed up the water spout;
Down came the rain
And washed poor Eencey out;
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain;
And the Eencey Weencey spider
Climbed up the spout again.

This nursery rhyme reminds me of my childhood. This was the first nursery rhyme I memorized completely and could retell on my own. I remember learning this song around the same time my family and I took a road trip down to Missouri. I must have sang this nursery rhyme at least 100 times on the way there and a hundred back.  My brother and sister also joined me in the singing and in driving my parents crazy. Reflecting on this nursery rhyme with the mind I have now, it has a lot of hidden meanings. It tells not only a story of perserverence, but about life as a whole. Sometimes your flush and sometimes your bust, meaning sometimes things are going good and sometimes things aren't. I think that's what the rain and the sun are representing in this nursery rhyme.
http://blackboard.neric.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_2263_1%26url%3d

Turn your Inkblot into a Butterfly

Last year I couldn't have been more lazy
The day before school I dropped AP
I thought it would be a time bandit
Now I have no college credit

This year I almost failed Renaud
My AP grade would have been flawed
If I had taken AP I wouldn't be prepared
My skills would have appeared impaired

Honors Renaud was a necessity

I now think I have the ability

To pass AP if I work real hard

It'll be a battle, down to the last yard

Nothing good ever comes easy

AP certainly won't be a breezy

Hard work and learned skills will guide me

Any teacher or hard worker will agree

Dayelin Roman

Dayelin Roman is a female journalist, "She was born and raised in Miami, Florida." Her profession as a journalist is more on the risky side. She "covers crime and other breaking news in the Capital Region." To go into greater detail, she covers cops for The Gardner News in Massachusetts and things of that nature. She obtained her master's degree from Syracuse University, specifically from the "S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications." Those aren't her only degrees though. She also has two bachelor's degrees from Florida State University.
The article she wrote about had to do with an argument between, "ZBA chairman Peter Barber" and "Ron Levesque, project manager for Sign Studio, who represented Walgreens." Walgreen's wants to put a hanging W on the window of the steeple of the Walgreen's on Western Avenue. The problem is that Barber rejected the sign due to his opinion that "It's intended to draw attention to motorists on Route 20 and 155." The decision was made by a group as a whole, the Zoning Board of Appeals. They are asking Walgreen's to come up with a variance, Levesque is frustrated by the situation.

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Guilderland-sign-ruling-irks-Walgreens-3492857.php
http://www.timesunion.com/dayelinroman/

NYT Tuesday

Luxury

Live like a billionaire

you're never alone

even in my private jet

flying to my Rolls-Royce

spotless white interior

football field's worth of legroom

car spews smoke, breaks sputter

go pick up another Mercedes

the chauffeured cars

the private planes

the V.I.P. access

the endless privilege 

Living like a billionaire

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/living-like-a-billionaire-if-only-for-a-day/?hp

10 things I really like about my best friend, sibling, parent, or relative

The person I chose for this prompt is my brother
1.) I like how he's turning his life around
2.) I like the fact that he's the family peace maker
3.) I like that I know no matter what he'd always be there for me
4.) I like how he's taught me things he's learned along his own life
5.) I like how he's always watching out for me and my sister
6.) I like how he cares so much about other people and would put others before him every time
7.) I like how religious he is
8.) I like how he always trys to make things easier for the people around him even at his own sacrifice
9.) I like that he plays football and basketball
10.) I like that he always pushes me to be the best I can be