Irresistible Apple Crisp

This apple crisp is a family favorite. Try it with peaches or pears too!

Apple Crisp

4 c. apples, peeled and sliced

1 c. quick oatmeal

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. butter

Put apples in a greased 9x9 baking dish. Mix oatmeal, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter and sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

Addicting Pretzels

I have to thank my cousin, Chad, for this recipe. I have made it many times, and it truly is addicting! 

Addicting Pretzels

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing seasoning

1 tsp. lemon powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 large bag of pretzels

4 oz. Redenbacher popcorn butter

Combine all dry seasonings and mix. In a large bowl, combine pretzels and butter, mixing well. Shake half of seasoning mix onto pretzels. Toss well. Add remaining seasoning mix and toss well again.

Roast Beef Sandwich Roll

You HAVE to try this one! It is quick and easy and delicious -- three things that we all love!

Roast Beef Sandwich Roll

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, divided

2 pkgs. refrigerated pizza crust

8 oz. thinly sliced deli roast beef

8 oz. thinly sliced American cheese

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Cook and stir onion, garlic, and 1/2 tsp of oregano leaves until crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Roll out one pizza crust and cover with half of the beef, cheese and vegetables to within 1/2 inch of edge of dough. Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion; press seam together to seal. Repeat withe remaining ingredients. Place rolls, seam sides down, on baking sheet or stone. Join ends of rolls together to form one big ring. In a small bowl, combine egg white and water together; brush onto dough. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Random Snapshots

Fresh Peach Crumb-Topped Pie

We love pie -- almost any kind. And I love to bake. I bought some delicious peaches this summer and tried out a new pie recipe. The first time I made this crumb-topped peach pie it was absolutely perfect. The second time, it tasted great but the peaches were soupy. I think the peaches were too ripe, resulting in lots of juice. It is a keeper recipe though.

Fresh Peach Crumb Pie

1 c. sugar

2-1/2 tbsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. water

4 c. sliced peaches

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Crumb topping:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter

Combine sugar, corn starch and salt in a saucepan. Add water and peaches. Bring to boil. Add lemon juice and cool. Meanwhile, make topping by combining flour and sugar, then cutting the butter into this mixture. Put cooled peaches in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell and top with crumbs. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. 

A Great Spelling -- and Thinking -- Game

Emily got Scrabble Flash for her birthday from her Grandma and it has been a tool that we use for short fillers during the school day to exercise our brains. The game consists of five electronic tiles that display a letter on each one. You are given a time period to line the tiles up to make as many words as you can. It sounds easy, but can be challenging. Just another fun brain exercise!

Money Games

I found a great set of plastic coins at Staples a few weeks ago for $1! It was just what I was looking for to use to review counting coins. We sorted them into these great plastic stackable containers (which I also found at Staples). Megan and I played a game where I would write a money amount on her dry erase board and she would have to count out that number of coins. Then we reversed the skill and I laid out coins and she would write the amount on the board. Money counting has never been more fun!!!

Seven Months -- Already!!

It's hard to believe that we have had our little Eli for seven months. He has been such a blessing! He is pretty mild-tempered -- so far! His new tricks are standing with support and playing ball. He is curious about EVERYTHING, and loves to drum on things. He has constant entertainment with two older sisters. It still amazes me how much a baby can change and learn in such a short time. 

Snickers Cookies

Ok, these are some of the most delicious cookies! They are a peanut butter cookie with a mini Snickers tucked away inside. It doesn't get much better than this! Try it out and let me know what you think!!

Snickers Cookies


1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. peanut butter
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
40 mini Snickers


Beat sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and vanilla together. Add eggs and continue beating. Ina separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Make 1-inch dough balls and stick a Snickers candy in the middle of each ball. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and EAT. 

Creative Solution

Eli loves to play with balls. However, one morning this week Emily and I found ourselves getting a workout fetching the ball for Eli when it got out of his reach. Poor boy can't wait to be mobile! So, we came up with this solution to the problem! Now he can hit his ball around and it never goes far!

Best Homeschool Tool

One of our BEST homeschool tools is our dry erase boards. We have used them so much that the printed handwriting lines have worn off. There aren't too many days that we don't grab them to work math problems, or for handwriting practice. We buy lots of dry erase markers, but we have saved lots of paper!!!

Meet Me in St. Louie!!!

My took my brother to St. Louis to catch his flight back to Reno earlier this week. We got there in the morning, intending to spend a few hours at Cahokia Mounds, but since that didn't work out as planned, we had plenty of time to spend along the riverfront. 

We caught this cool view of the arch through an alley.

We ate lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory -- always delicious. I recommend the spinach and cheese ravioli!! Mmmmmmmmmm!

I love the feel of old St. Louis, still found at the riverfront! 

Rock-skipping lesson

Emily joined Lewis and Clark (and their faithful dog) as they returned from exploring the west!

Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's House

One last Christmas celebration took place in January this year for us. It was great to have all of our siblings, nieces and nephews home to spend time together. It didn't really feel like Christmas though. The weather was far too beautiful to feel like Christmas-time in Illinois. And, we missed the dinner because church got out late and Matthew needed to stop by our house and do evening chores before driving to my parents. But, it was great to be together and play games with each other. So, now, as we have celebrated our last Christmas celebration for the year, we will take our Christmas tree down. And, anticipate our next Christian celebration -- the miracle of a risen Savior!!

A Day Trip

We took a day trip down to southern Illinois this week. We stopped at Horseshoe Lake, which my brother said is covered in lily pads (although not during the winter months). It was a nice place to get out, use the bathroom and stretch our legs. The girls played a few minutes on the playground before we jumped back into the van to finish a short drive to Cahokia Mounds.

Horseshoe Lake

Unfortunately, Cahokia Mounds is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It happened to be a Monday that we stopped by. This was our SECOND attempt to visit Cahokia Mounds. A month ago we tried to visit and the Visitor's Center closed 5 minutes after we arrived. Matthew, Key and the girls did climb to the top of Monks Mound, though, while I waited with sleeping Eli in the van. They loved hiking up to the top and said you could see the St. Louis Gateway Arch from the top of the mound. One of these days, we are going to actually spend some time at the visitors' center so we can appreciate these hand-built mounds and the native people that built them.