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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

From Orchard to Table (Recipe)

One of the fun things about our autumn drives north to visit Himself’s family is that it’s apple time! 
 
Along one stretch in WI, Himself was tired so I took over driving.  He woke up as I headed down an exit ramp (this happens to him a lot!  LOL). 
 
 
I had seen a sign on the highway for this orchard and decided some fresh apples were just what we needed.
 
 
Huge crates of apples and pumpkins greeted us as we drove up.
 
 
Inside the warehouse they were sorting picked apples.  There was a cold room where you could sample and select from the many varieties they raised.  I love that ‘sample’ part!
 
 
There were a lot to sample…
 
 
After getting a few different types, we headed out to the orchard to pick our own.  Himself picked the first apple… of many, many there were to pick.
 
 
 
 
 
So many that the ground was covered.
 
 
I enjoyed photographing whatever caught my eye, like the patterns on the skin of this apple…
 
 
…or the deep, deep red of this apple…
 
 
…or an apple that had a soft landing.
 
 
We were surprised at how old some of the trees were.  Quite a few had been cut back and were producing on one strong limb.
 
 
I loaded that bag up to the very top.  All along the trip I shared apples, even mailing some down to the babies as they love fresh apples.
 
 
And once home… it was time to use what we had left!  Ummmmm… good! 
 
 
 
Crescent Apple Dumplings
 
2 whole apples
2 cans Crescent rolls
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (12 oz) can Mountain Dew
Cinnamon, to taste 
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and core apples; slice each apple into 8 slices. Unroll Crescent rolls and wrap a roll around each apple slice. Place prepared rolls side-by-side in a 9x13” baking dish. Mix butter and sugar and pour over rolls. Pour the Mountain Dew around the rolls; sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Bake for 35-38 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
 
 
Oh my goodness!!  Super easy and delicious, this recipe is a keeper!! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

We're Going on an "Orange" Hunt!

Himself and I were minding the babies at my parent’s house… and there was a bit too much fighting over who was going to be “driving” Papo’s tractor.  Since I had a photo challenge for the color ‘orange’ I told the kids were going on an Orange Hunt.  (One of their favorite books is “Going on a Bear Hunt”).  They thought that would be a grand idea!
 
 
It didn’t take long for Little Bird to find an orange bucket from Home Depot. 
 
 
A little farther down were the orange berries from the pyracantha bush.
 
 
These orange mushrooms amazed us all!
 
 
Little Hoss found the orange tail light on ‘daddy’s truck’.
 
 
Then Little Bird noticed the orange 6 on Hoss’ sleeve.
 
 
Myrtle the Duck has orange feet (that are in need of repainting!).
 
 
And just when I thought we were done… Little Bird spotted the orange extension cord.
 
It was an excellent game to play with the toddlers.  We’ll be going on many more color hunts in the future!
 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Autumn Porch

  Good bye summer… WELCOME autumn!  It’s time to change the porch over to cozy fall colors.
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Few of a Thousand Reasons...

Yesterday Himself turned 55 and I have been blessed to spend 31 of those years with him.  Here are 23 things I love about this man of mine:
 
 
~ He likes to go for walks with me… even tho I walk slower than he wants to.
 
 
~He helps me do yard work that I don’t want to do… like digging holes.
 
 
~He cooks breakfast… even for Sasha!
 
 
~He makes me laugh.
 
 
~He’ll try new things… even if he already knows he probably won’t like it.
 
 
~Did I mention he makes me laugh?
 
 
~He helps me with my crazy adventures and experiments.
 
 
~He cares about other people.
 
 
~He doesn’t mind carrying things around for me.
 
 
~He LIKES to wash dishes!
 
 
~He will go strawberry picking with me.
 
 
~He leads a Bible study for our family.
 
 
~He cooks desserts!  From scratch!
 
 
~He rescues birds.
 
 
~He carries a LOT of things for me…
 
 
~He loves being with the babies.
 
 
~He stops for chocolate…
 
 
~He loves exploring new places.
 
 
~He takes classes with me.
 
 
~He encourages my gardening and creative projects.
 
 
~He takes me on the BEST vacations!
 
 
~He loves to climb mountains... and doesn't mind that I don't.
 
 
~And he loves me absolutely.
 
Happy Birthday my Love!