Man how time flies!! - Personal Post Monday with an APPLE CRISP recipe!

Okay - so an entire week flew by and here it is Monday and time for a personal post.  I was going to post about our Wisconsin trip - but I haven't even uploaded those pictures yet - so instead you get Halloween - lol!!  But be sure to go to the end of this post for an amazing Apple Crisp recipe - it is my FAV!!

So here are pictures of my grand kids on Halloween night - it's the first Halloween ever that I think we have not spent with at least some of them :(  But my girls were sure to send me pictures -

Paisley, Prince and Zamarah as Minions!

Kamili as Bat Girl and Makai as Wonder Woman!

Zavian as Captain America and Kyan as Iron Man!

Here's the entire crew lined up and ready to hit the streets for CANDY!

So - I had apples in the fridge that I had purchased before our trip and they needed to be used - so I decided to make Apple Crisp.  Hubby loves anything with apples - but this recipe is so simple and soooo delish!  I used my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer - which makes prep so quick!

 

Here's a picture of the pan  - this makes a small cake pan full - this pan was 7" x 11" and is what I used the recipe below for. If you are using a regular size cake pan - you'd probably want to half it again or even double it. You can fill the pan to the very top, as it cooks down some as it bakes.

And I meant to show this ala-mode picture before I started eating it - but my appetite got the better of me :)

I also took the peelings - a cup of water and some cinnamon and simmered it on the stove - it make the entire house smell amazing and I was able to do it again the next day with the same pot of peelings before having to throw them.  Such a warm, cozy feeling in the house when you do this.

So finally - here is the recipe - please let me know if you try it and what you think.  I like it best when it is still warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream.  But it is good cold too!  Not that it lasts long around here.  Enjoy - and stop back soon!  ~Maureen

Apple Crisp - YUMMY!

5-6 big apples (I'm biased towards Granny Smith, but Granny Smith and Honeycrisp mixed are great too.)

1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup water mixed

ground cinnamon  

TOPPING -

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 stick cold butter sliced into about 8 pats

Peel your apples, and slice them into a buttered casserole dish or cake pan. 

Pour the lemon juice mixture over apples.

Generously sprinkle cinnamon on top - use as much or little as you wish - I love cinnamon - so mine were covered pretty well.

Combine flour, brown sugar and butter into a pretty bowl with your fingers till crumbly. You could also use a pastry cutter for this - but I like using my fingers for this step.

Pour crumbles evenly over the top of apples. 

Put in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until nice and golden brown. 

EAT AND ENJOY!!

Personal Post Monday - Retirement Life

So - whoever said retirement life was go to slow done - I am questioning that lately :)  But in a good way.  Between keeping house, unpacking, organizing, starting my Stamping business back up here, supporting my downline in a couple different states, keeping up with my personal card making, working in the garden, canning, pickling, crocheting, cooking, traveling, reading, business networking ......well, you get the picture.  My "to do" list actually seems longer than it ever did before - but now it is mostly fun choices - and that makes all the difference. 

So, it is fall - the weather is cooler, we're starting to pull out plants we no longer want, trimming back some we will keep but have become unruly, and reaping the final harvest from our garden.  Yesterday I decided the lavender I had hung to dry was ready - so we pulled out the bunches and I started stripping the stems. 

It smells so wonderful and from the 6 bunches I dried I got this much.  Next year will dry much more and a little earlier, as I think I got it after it's peak.  But this is all new to me so I am happy with the results.

There is enough here to fill six of these little sachets, and then I'll add a little peppermint and lavender essential oils and place them in our clothes closets and linen closets.  They will absorb moisture in the air, lend a nice fragrance to keep clothes and linens from smelling musty, and the peppermint keeps moths and bugs away.

I've got to say - busy or not - I am enjoying this retirement life!!  Hope you all get to enjoy yours someday too!!  But I'm really learning to live in the minute - none of us our promised tomorrow - so we need to be happy in the here and now.  Here's to a life filled with blessings!  See you soon!  ~Maureen

Personal Post Monday - I've been crocheting :)

I do love lots of different crafts - and even though I'd say stamping is my favorite - in the evenings, while relaxing and watching TV I love to crochet.  I can pretty much do it without looking down much - so I can enjoy TV and accomplish something at the same time.  Today I wanted to share some of the afgans I have made over the last year.  The first I gave to my daughter, Jenee - I picked the colors and she liked it - so it was hers.  But I think if she wants I'll let her pick out colors and make her another more personal for her.

 

So after showing my other daughter, Heidi, what I had made, I asked if she'd like one and she said yes, and she wanted me to pull out some of the colors from her pillows on her couch - so I did - and below is her finished afghan.

So after making hers I had a bunch of yarn left - so I made up this afghan below.

And by then my scrap yarn basket was pretty full - so I decided to make an afghan up just of scraps - and here it is.  I actually really like how it turned out.  No rhyme or reason - just stripes of scraps.  And it is all double crochet - so nice and warm.  I'm sure it will be used in the winter months ahead.

Now I think I'll work on some baby afghan's for gifts next.  Thanks for letting me share another one of my hobbies with you today.   Just one of many things that makes me happy and thankful.  Also wanted to let you know that on Friday, September 25, I'll be participating in the Fall 2015 "Coffee Lovers Bloghop" - so be sure you stop back for that.  You'll be able to hop through hundreds of blogs seeing great card designs - so don't miss it!!  ~Maureen

Personal Post Monday - It's PEACH time! with a recipe!

So the last few weeks have been crazy busy with unpacking, organizing, prepping for classes and a trip to So.Cal (more on that trip later).  But in the midst of all of that - our PEACHES ripened!  The tree was amazing and we got tons - which meant I had to do something with all of them.  We picked our first two buckets on 8/15/15 -

Aren't they beautiful!!!  And I was so pleased when I opened the first one and it was cling-free!  So much easier for prepping them.  The largest ones were about 4" diameter!

Here's the kitchen getting ready for canning to begin!  Coffee is ready in the background - as I needed reinforcements.

The first thing I made was preserves.  I used to can all the time (never peaches though) - when we lived in Wisconsin - but it's been 20 years - so I kinda had to learn all over again.  My first batch was the hardest -getting all the logistics down - but after that much easier.  There are just a lot of steps to it, and lots of dirty dishes - lol!

After a couple weeks and some more picking (about 3-4 of those large paint buckets full all together - I ended up with preserves,

And jelly and sliced peaches - all canned and ready to enjoy during the coming months.  I still have about 6 dozen small peaches - the last ones off the tree and hope to freeze them today.  Wish me luck!

Friday I made my first peach dessert (we've just been eating them sliced as they are so good).  It is Tennessee Peach Pudding - and believe me it tastes as good as it looks.  It's a pretty unique recipe - I had never made anything like it.  Has a bit of a cobbler feel - but the bottom is creamy and more like a pudding consistency.  We had it hot last night with ice cream - and I had some cold with coffee this AM - just as good both ways!  You can find the recipe here - 
http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2014/08/29/tennessee-peach-pudding/  Or follow me on PINTEREST - https://www.pinterest.com/mrauchfuss/ for tons of great recipes and craft ideas.

On a final note for this personal post Monday - I wanted to share this beautiful picture from sunset on Friday - I walked in my kitchen and it was aglow with pinky orange - so I stepped out the back door and this is what I saw - so beautiful!!!

Life is full of blessings - they are all around us - please, please don't get too busy to see them.  See you all soon - TTFN!  ~Maureen

Personal Post Monday - Again :)

I know I have not posted for an entire week - my computer was down for over 5 days and after getting it fixed I am still catching up - so sorry :(  But last week I promised pictures of the critters we have seen around here so I'm still going to do that, and then I HOPE to get some creative posts up this week!  So first - we have amazing hummingbirds - this feeder is right outside my kitchen window and the activity is non-stop.  We saw as many as nine of them there at one time.

I am just mesmerized by them and amazed at how many different colors and types we have.

This picture really shows off some of the color of two of them as they take flight.

Then last week I saw this beautiful moth on our bug zapper - it is a Big Poplar Sphinx Moth.  It was not zapped or harmed and a short time later just flew away.  But I though it was so pretty.

 Walking down my driveway this brightly colored beetle caught my eye.  It was so gorgeous with it's orangey shell.  But when I looked it up I found out it is a tomato beetle and will eat our tomatoes (guess that's why it's that color) - but yikes.  Sent hubby out to find it, but he could not - just hoping it's not hungry!

 Then there are the butterflies.  On each side of the driveway and in the garden we have butterfly bushes and they attract such beauties - like this monarch that landed and was enjoying the nectar of the bush.

 

Finally wanted to share this picture of a Cicada and the nymph shell it left behind as it emerged (there are many types of Cicada - but this is the type we have here locally).  I did not see this in person - just a picture I found - but they are abundant here in the Prescott area.  In the evening as it cools you can hear them playing their "song" in the trees.  Kind of a humming, buzzing to attract those females in the area :)

So that's it for now - thanks for sticking with me.  Stop back soon!  ~Maureen

Personal Post Monday - Nature in all it's glory!

Yay - it's Monday and I get to do a personal post.  I know some of you come by for the creative ideas - which I love too - but there is so much more to my life, and I'm glad I have this forum to share some of that too.  So for today's post I want to share with you some of the beauty that surrounds my home.  Paul and I took a walk this morning and then took some time to just check out the beautiful plants we have.  This first little flower bed is right outside my kitchen window.  The "angels" sign was a gift years ago from my friend Sharon Miller, and it had to travel with me to Prescott - because I LOVE IT!!

Next is just one of our lavender plants - I think we have about 18 on the property and the bees love them.  They are so pretty speckled throughout the greenery.

This morning I picked a few sprigs and bundled them to dry for sachet's in my linen closets to keep them smelling fresh through the winter months.  Paul made a little drying rack area in his tool shed for me to hang them.

Here's our front planters at the entrance to our front porch.  They are full of Marigolds.  Jenee said she did nothing, the seeds just fall from the plants, and then in spring you pull old the dead plants out which loosens the soil, water and the seeds will take root.  They are so beautiful without really any maintenance.  Plus I love this little area with the bench and "Disneyland" light - as my grandkids call it.

This was my favorite picture from the morning walk.  This is in the fenced in area that serves us both as Victorian flower garden and vegetable garden.  The previous owners left birdhouses and birdfeeders all throughout the property and I just love them.  But this one particularly because of the beautiful morning glory that has wrapped itself around the base - looks like a magazine picture to me.

Here's a bigger overview of the garden.  The sun was shining brightly, and everything just seemed so lovely to me.  There are flowers everywhere plus radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.  The flag pole in the forefront needs to be taken down and repainted - but I think that will happen next year.  So much other stuff to do this summer and fall.

Another close-up of a morning glory that found its way around our split rail fence.  I absolutely love the vibrant purple.

And finally,a close up of the Trumpet Vine on our arbor.  Last year Paul cut it way back in it's dormant season, and I was not sure it would come back - but I was wrong!  Just look at it!  The blossoms are amazing and the hummingbirds love it.  See the picture a couple above to see how it has grown over the arbor again.  Looks like we'll be cutting it back again this year.

Thanks for bearing with me - I hope you also enjoyed this beauty.  I feel so close to God when I walk out and see all the beauty in nature around me - and just had to share it.   Next Monday I'll show you some of the 'creatures' that we share our land with.  Stop back soon for some more stamping ideas!  ~Maureen

Personal post Monday - Gramma Day with Zavian

So a week ago I got to have a fun "Gramma" day with this little guy - my 5 year old grandson Zavian.  He is just such a sweetheart.  The plan was to drive up to the Camarillo airport, have lunch and watch the airplanes ..... but when we got there the restaurant was closed for kitchen renovation.  I felt so bad, but when I told him he said that's okay - let's just go to McDonalds.  How great was that!

The best part was that they were giving out Skylander characters in the Happy Meals - and Zavian's favorite thing in the world right now is Skylander - so at McDonald's he got "Wally" (above).

Our next stop was Target for a look at what they had in the Skylanders Dept. - and we picked up this trio of characters on sale - needless to say he was a HAPPY boy!  After that I asked what he wanted to do, and he just wanted to go to Toys R Us and look at "the stuff" so that's what we did - 40 minutes of checking out toys and seeing what they would do and dreaming of what he's gonna ask for, for Christmas, lol.

Our last stop was for ICE CREAM - and he got his trademark Cotton Candy flavor with sprinkles - not appealing at all to me - but he loves it.

Back home his Mom snapped this picture of us together as I forgot to get one when we were out and about.  It was a change in plans, but none the less a great day full of fun memories.  Thanks Zavian for being such a great kid - and making it a great day!!!  Can't wait till next time. Love you buddy!  ~Gramma