Spiced Cran-apple, Oatmeal Bread!!

by Jenny Irvine // October 13, 2011 // No Comments

I love all things fall! One of my favorites though is the smell of yummy quick breads baking in our oven! Ahhh, its a little piece of heaven. The kids and I created this recipe the other day and I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of you!

Spiced Cran-apple, Oatmeal Bread Ingredients

2 2/3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups coarsely chopped apples

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup quick oats

2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Beat in eggs and vanilla, the gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Lastly, fold in chopped apples, craisins, and oatmeal. Grease and lightly flour 2 9×5-inch loaf pans. Pour batter into pans, smoothing the top with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 15 minutes at 325°. Pull out rack and sprinkle loaves with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes; turn out onto a rack. Slice and serve or freeze.

We enjoyed this with our dinner but it is also extra delicious with that morning cup of coffee~ ENJOY!

“Art” of Flexibility

by Jenny Irvine // October 12, 2011 // No Comments

If I have learned one thing since we began our journey of homeschooling …it is the art of flexibility. As someone who likes to have control of all aspect of her life and everyone in it…this is not easy. Our week started off a bit ‘rocky’. I had very crabby kids, arguments galore, tears, and just plain drama all the way around. My initial thought was go by the plan…we are suppose to do school and that is what we will do! Ummm, no! Things did not work out like that our “attempt” was very sour and everything except productive. Therefore, this Momma who is learning to be a bit more ‘flexible’ pulled the plug on school and called it an impromptu field trip day!! Can you believe it?I packed the kids up, packed quick lunches, and we were out the door in 30minutes. 1hour later we were working on a farm at Green Field Village!!

K.Bear and Pumpkin shucked corn for the pigs and the remaining stalks will be used for cow feed. The farmers were wonderful and taught the kids the importance of hard work and the benefits of farming simultaneously. This was much better than learning it in our text book!! Tossing the corn in the wagon was a big hit…even Mr. Smiles participated (unfortunately, I have no pictures since I had to pick him up in order to throw in the corn).

Another big hit was the chickens (we spent a lot of time there..Oooing at them) the kids loved the noise from the rooster and the quiet waddling of the hens. Pumpkin then announced “Momma I think we should have some quiet chickens in our back yard..” My reply “our neighbors would love it…”

Although, we did not ride the train on this particular visit we had a great view while we ate our lunch. The fall colors on the trees, the cool breeze blowing, and the chug of the train was truly something out of a book.

The mode of transportation we chose for the afternoon was the horse drawn covered wagon. Since we have been learning about the 1800’s in history everything in the village seemed to correspond wonderfully. It was as if we were “living” our history lessons for the day!

In the end…I had 3! Yes, 3 sleeping kids on the way home and the “art” of flexibility really paid off. We learned tons, shared many great memories, and ended the day on a high note…instead of the downward spiral we were heading into. Thank goodness…at this particular time I was smart enough to know when not to push and when to let go….work is not called work for nothing. It is not easy to leave your comfort zone at times …but I believe God did not intend for our lives to be comfortable; rather we are to move forward in times of trial, accept new challenges, and accept all that comes our way!

Finger Print Tree Painting

by Jenny Irvine // October 6, 2011 // No Comments

We have been busy decorating our house in homemade Fall decor these days…our once empty looking front window, door, and other surrounding areas are taking on a new, improved, and ‘made with love’ feel. K.Bear is waiting patiently to ‘dive’ into the paint for our “Finger Print Tree Painting”…join us as we get a bit messy!

The girls were in deep thought as they dipped their tiny fingers in the cool paint. The rich red, yellow, and orange colors were almost as beautiful as the real trees outside. We enjoyed our science refresher coarse on why the leaves change color…to ‘feed’ the tree for its upcoming hibernation during the winter months ahead.

I’m always a fan of any project that may involve my kiddos little prints!

And if you should try to do a similar project with your “wee ones” maybe you will get as lucky as me and have a little one whose hand looks like this…

Or maybe one that looks like this…. look closely at the tint of orange on his lips! We don’t bust out the paint very often in our house but when we do it is always a hit and the kids love it. I close my eyes at the mess and we enjoy the messy memories that are being made together….

For your tree printable visit HERE

Grab your kids, some paint, and have fun!