One of our favorite fall treats....

I've posted a lot of recipes on this blog over the years, but none of them are quite like this one. This recipe is simply AMAZING! Scott's mom made this every fall when he was growing up, and when we got married, he immediately requested the recipe. And yes, when you read the ingredient list, you'll quickly realize why it is so amazing. That is why I only make it two or three times a year! A friend of mine was looking for some uses for apples the other day on Facebook, and I immediately offered to pass along this recipe (but not without making a cake with one of my favorite little helpers first!)

Who needs a cute little kitchen apron when you have one from Lowe's, right?! I love having little boys!

Apple Bundt Cake (or "butt cake".... as my beloved husband ALWAYS calls it.... lovely).

1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. SELF-RISING flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3 c. apples, chopped
1 c. raisins (optional)

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend in raisins and apples. Use WELL-GREASED and floured bundt pan (seriously, WELL-GREASED.... I've never had a recipe stick to the pan as badly as this one can). Bake in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour.

And the icing on the cake (literally.... and seriously again, don't skip this icing. It is unbelievable!)

1/4 c. margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Cook first three ingredients on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until brown sugar dissolves (boil for approximately 1 minute). Add vanilla and powdered sugar until desired consistency is obtained. Drizzle over cooled cake. ENJOY! :)

One of the best parts of this recipe: the amazing frosting pools in the middle of the cake (YUM!) When I came in from playtime with the kiddos outside to prepare dinner, I noticed that someone had cleaned out the pool. At dinner, I laughed and said, "Fess up! Who ate all of the frosting?!" (Aaron was the guilty party.... with a big grin on his face.... and a belly full of sugar!)

Look who is 2!

Oh Ellie, you are so much fun.... and you challenge my socks off on some days, too! I am constantly getting an education from you on raising a little girl.... wow, you are SO different from your brothers! You can say SO many words and use SO many sentences now. You love your babies and their blankies and their bottles. You love "princess" (Tangled) and "toy" (Toy Story). You give the best hugs and kisses. I loved it when I gave you a kiss the other night, and you used your sweet little hands just to turn my face so you could plant one on my cheek, too. I think it is so silly that you make me count your blankies in your bed before you will go to sleep at night and at nap. Thank you for being a good sleeper now; that is a blessing to your mommy. I love you forever and know that it is one of the greatest privileges of my life to watch you grow up and to raise you to be a Godly woman. Love, Mommy

Sweet!

We were blessed recently to receive a new-to-us homemade ice cream maker after ours quit on us (sniff, sniff... it was a wedding gift 14 years ago). However, I have never found a recipe that I really loved... and have always been so hesitant about so many of the ones I've seen because of the raw eggs involved. And then.... OH JOY.... I found this one online. SO, SO simple..... SO, SO awesome.... SO, SO rich and fabulous!

4 c. half&half
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. vanilla

AND THAT IS IT!!! ;) Put it in the ice cream maker that is loaded up with salt and ice and VOILA! Next time, I'm going to try to use some regular milk in the recipe, too, to try to (ahem...) make it a little healthier! I'll probably add some fruit as well, because that will REALLY make it healthy! HAHA! :)

The best part of homemade ice cream: cleaning off the paddle!

Thankful Thursday....

Today, I am thankful....

1) For a quiet house and a moment to blog (the kids are in bed, and Scott is at a meeting tonight).
2) For Isaac and Ellie's awesome preschool and awesome teachers. We are so blessed. The teachers are so loving and nurturing. We weren't planning to enroll Ellie this year, but the director called this summer and said that they had an opening in her class, asking us to consider sending her. We're so glad that we did. She loves it!

Isaac's first day (notice, it is hard to catch a good smile sometimes! He is the "Hey, look mom, I'm a crazy pirate" stage!)

Ellie's first day (she is in an even harder stage.... running away from the camera!)
Funny sidenote:

The other day, Scott said to Isaac, "Buddy, Ms. Daphne loves Jesus."
Isaac (without hesitation): "I think I will marry her."
Scott: "Well bud, she is already married."
(We've talked to our boys about the fact that it is important to God that they marry someone else who loves Jesus someday. Therefore, in Isaac's mind, Ms. Daphne loves Jesus = a great spouse!)

3) For fun movie nights and campouts in the living room! The boys were the only ones who actually slept downstairs; they loved it!

Even Ollie joined in! Audrey missed out on the fun though.... already in her crib!

4) Speaking of sleeping, I'm thankful that Scott and I purchased a new mattress set two weeks ago. OH.MY.GOODNESS. We've had the same bed for 14 years.... it was time. And this bed is WONDERFUL. The only downside.... it makes it even harder to get out of bed in the morning; I, seriously, just want to stay there ALL DAY! ;)
5) For a fabulous MOPS group. I am blessed to still be on the steering team. What a great team of ladies! I think that it will be an awesome year!

Many blessings and much love to you today!!!!

The joy of home videos....

I recently told Scott that when I am old, just set me up with the remote in my hand to watch home videos of my babies over and over again. Seriously, this brings me so much joy. It was just a couple of years ago, and I had already forgotten this.... so thankful that our video camera captured this sweet little boy's voice....

Water Baby #5

Yep, there is one more big kid at my house that I couldn't forget.....

Um, someone we know and love missed the memo that zip sleds are for kids....

I love that this guy keeps our house fun.... and even a little silly at times, too!

Water Baby #4

Can't forget about Audrey!

At the end of last week, before the temps dropped dramatically around here, Audrey made her pool debut for a bit. She seemed pretty peaceful while "swimming."

Lounging with Aaron (he is such an awesome big brother!)

Kisses from sis

I love this picture for many reasons.... but I really love that you can see her cute little hairline. We often say that she has "old man hair"! And seriously, how cute is this itty bitty swimsuit?!! The littlest size of swimmer diapers came almost to her armpits, too! :)

But, truth be told, THIS is where Audrey spent most of her time in the "water" for 2011!

Water Baby #3

And, of course..... Ellie!

Our little sweetie started her summer at the pool playing in a bucket of water on the deck....

But that certainly changed as the summer went along! This girl loved jumping in and became pretty independent if she had on her floatie suit and floaties!

At the lake, Ellie loved kayaking....

Goofing off on the tube at the end of the pier (yes, she is fully clothed in this pic)....

And oh, how she loved the wave runner (with Grandpa!)

By the end of the summer, she was even ready to try out some tubing with her Daddy. This is such a precious memory for me.... she loved it.... and trusted her Daddy 100%!

(one of my favorite pics from the summer)

Whew! All that fun in the water can really make a girl tired! Thanks for snuggling in the boat, Aunt Debby! :)