Static Baby.....

Sticky, Licky Frosting and Leftover Halloween Candy...

The icing is thick and sticky, and when it dries, as hard as cement, and the best is when you add kids to the recipe.  Kids and icing tubes are so funny.  The are so excited about getting it onto their house they forget to hold the back and it squirts out everywhere.  We have even found that it can sneak onto your chair and end up on your sit down. (Sorry Christina) The creativity is endless, Alexa added a jawbreaker snow man with a pineapple nose, Robb made a broken down cottage, and we even ended up with a Christmas Explosive Device.  It was so fun to share an evening of laughs and fun with our good friends the Gregory's, I am so glad that we officially had them over. 

All the friends.

Pernille and Rick

Sugar Rush!

Tree Time....

Getting a Christmas tree is so much fun.  The kids all have set ideas on its size height and bushiness.  Kate wanted a tree that was as tall as she was, infact she saw a red bush and was so excited, because in her eyes it was a pink tree.  Alexa spotted her choice from way across the lot it was huge, but of course perfect.  Robb didn't really care about the tree per say, he was just happy that Dwane let him carry the saw.  Madeline is definitely the most opinionated. She likes the trees as tall as they are round.  Me, I like them to be perfectly symmetrical and reasonably skinny so they don't take up to much space, and Dwane just loves that he gets to wear the lumber jack jacket.  So from the pictures you can see what we ended up bringing home.  And to me it is amazing every year, no matter how Charlie Brown the tree may be, once it is all decorated it becomes the most perfect and the best.  

Everyone helping to haul the tree to be bundled.

Alexa's choice!

Robb and the SAW!

Little trees are best for me!

It's A Give Away....

It's always fun to get something free.  I honestly am not one to enter contests, but this is too fun and it is stuff that my good friend Amy has made.  She's very creative and a lot of fun... so check out her blog and all the fun stuff you can win.  Mommy and Beyond

We've had a Birthday Shout Hurray......

Kate turned three...where has the time gone. 

 We had a very fun day filled with a lot of pink fluff. It truly doesn't get much better than that.  Kate and her friends got together for a tea party. Along with the tea/water, they made wands and necklaces, danced, played games and had fun. It made me want to squeal with delight to see four cuties all dressed in their princess costumes, wand dancing,  as one of the quests called it.  In fact there was a little squealing when Kate surprised us all when out of the bathroom she came.... in her birthday suit and a smile.  What a silly!  

Kate has truly brought us more joy than we can possibly describe.  She has always been a smiler and has enough spunk to create laughter everyday!  We love her so much and are glad to call her ours.

Make a wish!

THE PARTY!

Wand Dancing!

The Tea Party!

Crafts!

Presents....

And Friends!

Day of Thanks Take 2!

Table cloth Ironed!!!!

Crafty Mom!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's the group 2008... it was a fun day of thankful happenings.  

Dwane is the turkey guy and as usual made a delicious bird.  He even altered the famous Young stuffing recipe and made his own, it turned out wonderful.  Madeline and the little girls spent all day wednesday making pies with me, it was so fun.  Alexa made her first pie crust, Madeline made the pumpkin pie (it was the real deal, no canned stuff) And I came to the realization that I was not a pilgrim for a very good reason.  I was exhausted by the time I got it to the puree' stage.  Yet, it turned out fantastic.  Our company came prepared to play games and sing Karoke.  Madeline and Robb creamed everyone at Fusball and Kate ended the evening with Zippety-do-da on the mic.  I am so thankful for life and the wonderful people I have to share it with.  I hope everyone had a wonderful and thankful day too.

(I have to check my setting on the picture up loading because it is making my captions weird so please just be patient with me)

Captions for the next few pictures if interested

1. Madeline and Alexa on Karoke

2. Mom getting crafty with name cards

3. Just a picture of some food...why not, it what you look at most of day...right.

(actually I just wanted my mom and mother -in-law to see proof that I can iron...(see table cloth)

I am just joking there really is no proof of me being crafty or table cloths ironed. (when I looked at the final post those pictures disappeared Sorry!

Some tastey apple smackerals...

So what have we been doing with all the apples we picked.  Let me show you the line up...

My kids call this cereal, 

Apple pie Oatmeal..

1/2 cup oatmeal, Cinnamon, apples, brown sugar and butter, put one cup of water on top and microwave for 1min and 30 seconds.  Yummy!

Apple Muffins

3/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup grated and peeled apples

2 cups flour

1 handful Oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients then add wet stir until moistened.  Divide among 12 muffin cups. Bake 20-25 mins or until golden brown at 400 degrees

Apple-Pecan Sticky Buns

2 tart apples peeled and sliced

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter softened

2 cups flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 TBL baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 Large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 TBL honey

1. toss apple slices with 1 TBL butter and 1 TBL brown sugar in a 9x9 pan cover with foil and roast until tender 15mins at 400 degrees

2. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer,

blend flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt at low speed. In small bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup cream, then mix into dry mixture.

3. On lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a 9 inch rectangle.

  In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.  Cut  up 2 TBL butter and dot the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top and cover eenly with the roasted apples.  Roll up the dough, jelly roll style and cut crosswise in 9 slices. Place in the pan you roasted the apples in and bake until golden brown.  (here is the torture) 35-40 mins

 

4. Meanwhile, in a suce pan, bring the remaining 4 TBL butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 tsp salt and the honey to a boil. Whisk until reduced 2 minutes.  Let cool slightly. Drizzle sauce over buns.  YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT!

Apple Pie

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book, my favorite.

I hope you have some apples on hand.....

Autumn on Fire!

Are these colors awesome or what! Just a picture I captured off my front porch... before all the colors disappeared.  It almost looked as if my neighbors house was on fire.

A is for Apple.....

.... pie, fritters, turnovers, carmel covered, baked, muffins, cake, cobbler, sauce, rolls..... It is perfectly wonderful the savory things that can be made from this little round fruit. Because the Young's are apple junkies we go picking every year.  Our favorite place is on hill in the Mountains of Virginia called, Stribling Orchard.  We love the smell of the crisp air and view of what seems like the never ending apple orchard.  Not to mention the trees in full autumn color and the knowledge that when the picking is done, we get to enjoy apple delicacies from the orchard kitchen. 

View from the orchard

Kate takes a picking break to enjoy a yummy crisp apple... this is one of four or five she ate...

mmmmm....good!

Alexa finds the perfect apple...

Since Alexa is a little shorter than the big kids she gets the job of taking the apples out of the apple basket and filling the bags.

Madeline takes an apple break too...  the boys must be doing all the work!!!!

... i guess Madeline can multi-task..eat and help.

Robb at work...

Robb bonds with the orchard wildlife.  "Home to the Wooly Caterpillar"

All done!

What can you do with a great skein of orange yarn....

So first I "LOVE" the color orange, since I was a little girl I would pick it out of the color crayon box, one because no one else used it, and it just made me feel happy to cover a piece of empty white paper with it... to me it is warm and homey and well, I love it.  

...but to the story about the hats...my friend Amy surprised me with an orange skein of yarn and in my excitment I just had to turn it into something...

(pumpkin)

... it was so fun making the first one that I made this other one... 

(kitty)

BOO...TO...YOU!(Happy Halloween)

We had a pretty scary bunch, there was a wide variety of characters, everything from southern belles to ninjas.  Too fun.

HERE'S THE YOUNG BUNCH UP CLOSE .....

First we have Alexa modeling the most original of fashions, being a beautiful "Princess Ballerina".....

...while Madeline gets scary with black lipstick and missing teeth creating a perfect touch to her very own original "Spider Queen" outfit...

...watch out for Robb the "Ninja" with sword, he is capable to attack at any moment...

...at last but not least on the runway of costumes we have Kate the Kitty.....Meow.

Hope you all had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!