An Afternoon at the Apple Orchard

by Steph // Tuesday, October 4, 2016 // Comments off

Two years ago Blake and I took the three youngest to Ferguson’s Apple Orchard on a Sunday afternoon.

Eliza has photos of that day in her scrapbook, and shows Tate those photos all the time!

They were both asking to go back there this year.

We thought it was a great idea!

Sunday we took all the kiddos and headed there after church.

Sunday was GORGEROUS!

Perfect weather, perfect temperature, perfect sunshine, perfect blue skies!

Which made the orchard VERY crowded!

But it was still worth being there.

Tate and Eliza were SO excited!

SO patient in the long lines, and very kind!

And having the time of their lives!

There was a petting zoo,

and a John Deere tractor to climb in.

There were pedal tractors to ride!

And a corn maze to go through, and try to find Charlie in!

We split up in teams to see who would get there first!

We found him!!

Where is our other team?!?

There were all kinds of fun things for a Mama who brought her big camera!

And also a playground and spinning apple ride that I did not get photos of!

We took a wagon ride up the hill to pick apples!

The smell of diesel from the tractor was strong, the sun was bright, and there was a lot of dust flying at us – but our sweet baby was still smiling!

You have no idea how much that means to us!

Where the views were AMAZING!

There were big kid pedal tractors too!

Several hours later, we were on our way back home, much to Eliza’s dismay, with a promise that we would go back again next year, Lord willing!

We thought the beautiful day would have us fighting the bees – but, honestly, we did not see even one! Instead, though, we were fighting these tiny little flea like knats, and a few of us were getting bit and bit and bit. We changed, bathed and showered right after we got home from the orchard, but yesterday morning Tate and I especially were covered in welts. My poor boy! The bugs just love his sweet skin so much!

Bugs or no bugs, our afternoon at the orchard was blessed. Tate kept saying, “MOM!! I never this done before!” “MOM! My first time done this!”

Oh my heart! Another first. What joy it is for us to have firsts with our little ones. We missed way too many – and I am SO, so thankful that we are not missing them anymore. So glad you loved the apple orchard, Tate Owen!

A Recipe//Two Ways To Make Squash

by Steph // Monday, October 3, 2016 // Comments off

Fall has arrived!

I am not sure what I love more about the season changes – the change in the weather and landscape – or the change in the food we eat!

For us, fall means soup, quick breads, muffins, roasted chickens, roasted veggies, baked yams, and squash. YUM!

We have two favorite recipes for butternut squash. I thought I would share them both at the same time!

First, though, I always bake my squash some before I use them in a recipe.

Just wash the squash off, prick it with a sharp knife in several places, place it in a pan with a couple inches of water on the bottom of the pan, and bake it at 350 degrees for about 40 – 45 minutes or until somewhat soft.

Remove the squash from the oven, carefully cut it in half (it’s hot!), scoop out the seeds, peel off the rind, and cut the squash into cubes.

I accidentally cooked this one too long! It is much softer than it should be.

Now for the recipes!

Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake

1 large butternut squash, partially cooked and cut into cubes
2 large apples, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup butter
Sauce:
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (we use coconut sugar, and only 1/4 cup)
1 TBSP of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
(we add 1/2 tsp cinnamon for extra flavor)

Place squash, apples, and cranberries in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients, and pour over top. Dot top with butter. Bake at 350 degrees 30 – 40 minutes until squash, apples and berries are soft and tender. We double this recipe for our family!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

four carrots, peeled and diced
one onion, diced
three cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBSP oil (we use coconut oil)
two large butternut squash partially cooked and cubed
8 cups of chicken stock or veggie stock
Herbamare* and pepper to taste

Saute the carrots, onion and garlic in the oil in a stock pot for several minutes until softened. Add squash and stock. Simmer over medium heat until squash and carrots are fully cooked. Add Herbamare* and pepper to taste. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth, or carefully put part of the soup in a blender and blend – blending in parts until all soup is blended. Be sure not to try to blend all of the soup in the blender at once, as it is very hot.

*Herbamare is a seasoning blend that we LOVE. It is similar to Mrs. Dash.

Enjoy!!

Have you all ever cooked spaghetti squash and used it as noodles? This is a favorite for us! Maybe I will share that recipe soon!

School Days Lately

by Steph // Saturday, October 1, 2016 // Comments off

After a wonderful week break at Family Camp two weeks ago, we have been back to our schedule and doing school!

We just finished our eighth week already! Time is moving along!

Our schedule starts with breakfast and then chores.

Chore time is such a sweet time to just sit back and watch! Not that I ever just sit during chores – but I do notice the kiddos as they are working!

Once the littles are done with their chores, they usually help the boys with theirs!

Chad and Lane have embraced our schedule and follow it easily. I usually find Lane in a different place about every 15 minutes!

Tate and Eliza are still enjoying school SO much! They are really learning quickly and surprising me sometimes with what they understand and know! It is super fun being their teacher!

“W” week included a book about a watermelon seed, and then a paper plate craft that looked like a watermelon! I think paper plate crafts are genius! We make them all the time. So easy, fun, and cheap!

“W” week also included a lesson about the wind, and a little wind blowing activity!

“I” week this week had us making igloo’s out of marshmallows!

We also talked about insects, focusing on the ant. The ant is a great character lesson! They work hard and are not lazy!

I was not very diligent in taking pictures these last two weeks!

I made a little book and buddy nook for the littles last week. They lived in that cozy spot!

I usually have someone playing the piano throughout the day. So cute! Eliza and Tate both enjoy music!

And not one photo of Chad doing school! He will find me often throughout the morning to tell me someone really neat that he just read! Such a great student he is!

Our break was fabulous and very needed, but I am glad to be back into our schedule and routines again!

This week? It’s “G” week for the littles, and I am hoping to pick a FIAR book to do! But first, tomorrow is church, a fellowship meal, and then we are heading to the apple orchard to spend the afternoon! I can’t wait!

Have a wonderful Sunday, you all!

Fun Facts Friday!!

by Steph // Friday, September 30, 2016 // Comments off

Good grief, it’s Friday again!! How quickly time goes by!

This week has been about a lot of running! Which is not usually my way!

But the three youngest are taking CBT treatments, so we had appointments everyday. Good stuff! Good, good stuff! We also had chiropractor appointments (much overdue!), and Tate had an eye doctor appointment. He was brave and strong as usual, and we learned that he is a smidge nearsighted. We will see the eye doctor yearly because of Tate’s shunt, so no glasses for right now, but maybe next year.

Two weeks ago Blake and I had date night on Saturday night because we had just gotten home from camp on Friday. I got REALLY spoiled with a Saturday night date night! We were able to start our date much earlier, and I did not have to drive to town and meet my date! Or drive home alone! Saturdays are busy though, so I bet our Friday routine stays put. I will date my hubby any day, any time though – so all is good!!

Looking for a good book to read? This one is VERY good.

This past Saturday night our beautiful oldest daughter blessed me with a family photo shoot! This year my only request was that she have someone else along so that Kayla, David and Clyde could be in the photos. After not having them in the photos last year, I knew I would never do it that way again!

I have a few sneak peeks! The littles did SO great!

This post on adoption says it all SO well. It is not long, but the words cover more than you can even imagine.

One of our foster horses, Vic, has gotten hurt. We do not know how he did it, but it has been a busy week caring for him and his damaged leg. We managed to get him all the way to the barn, where he had xrays by the vet, can be kept safe, and cared for more easily. He wasn’t a very friendly guy before, and now he just lets us love and love on him. It is hard to see him in so much pain, even with pain meds. It is times like these that I am reminded just how much of a city slicker I am! My heart cannot handle farm life sometimes.

Fall is officially here! We had a warmer September than usual, but it has gotten chilly now! The landscape is GORGEOUS and makes me jump up from the dinner table in the middle of dinner to run out and get some photos! I am sure you all know by now how much I LOVE the blessed views from this ridge! JUST LOOK what God did!