Life is full of unexpected surprises, both good and bad. This is a lesson I learn over and over again with each passing year. Sometimes I wish life would just remain calm for a little while- you know, no more big natural disasters would be a good start. But, for better or for worse, huge changes continue to happen all around me.

Pregnancy? Biggest and best change so far. In only 7 weeks, we will welcome the biggest change of our lives.

Unexpected surprises are often easy to miss. They don’t always take you by the shoulders and force you to pay attention. Today, for example, I was sitting in the living room when I heard the faint, distant bang of a drum. It did not immediately grab my attention until I heard the beating drum followed by the bright sound of a wooden whistle. Still, none of these things were particularly attention-grabbing and I could have easily ignored them and continued wasting time on Pinterest. But instead I grabbed my camera on the off-chance that something interesting might be outside my door. And today, walking those few steps out of the apartment prevented me from missing this…

Sometimes unexpected things happen to us. Other times we have to take the extra step(s) to notice.

After snapping a couple photos of the passing Mikoshi outside my door, I went back to the apartment where the scent of cinnamon and apples had filled the air. I love making food that permeates each room of the apartment with warm, delicious smells. I especially love it when the weather is cool and the smell of spices, baking chocolate, or simmering soup are like a big, cozy hug.

This apple spice syrup is easy to throw together and brings the fragrance of fall into the kitchen. It can be used in a similar way to the popular pumpkin syrups everyone loves to make this time of year. Apple spice lattes, apple spice hot chocolate, or apple spice tea are just a few of the creations you can put together when you have this syrup on hand. My sister requested that I post a recipe for a spiced syrup, so here you go, Rebecca! I hope you like it!

Apple Spice Syrup

Makes about 1 1/2-2 cups

*Note: this syrup is quite sweet using the recipe below. If you don’t want it to be as sweet, cut back on the sugar but don’t expect a very syrup-like texture. I’ve also included the option of using honey instead of sugar, which will also create a less thick final product, but the flavor is very nice.

1 cup apple cider (you can use juice if you don’t have cider, but I’d recommend the cider)

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar or 3/4 cup honey

1/2 of a large apple, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup) – granny smith is best, or another tart variety

4 cinnamon sticks

4 cloves

1/4 teaspoon dried ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine the cider/juice, water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to simmer, turning the heat down to medium, for about 10 minutes. Strain the syrup into a bowl to cool. Transfer to a glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator.