Apple Dumplings and Tea -- Camp Grandma!

We've got a nice productive McIntosh apple tree, but in addition to that our kind neighbors have given me permission to pick apples from their many trees!  I've got apple sauce and apple butter lined up to make, but couldn't wait to get something sweet going so I made apple dumplings. Apple dumplings have always been one of my favorite desserts. 

Most apple dumpling recipes have you put a whole (skinned and cored) apple in each dumpling.  But I have always preferred smaller chunks of apples.  I pretty much just make what would be an apple pie filling and pie crust recipe.  The only thing I need then is a syrup to pour on top.

I love apple dumplings served with vanilla ice cream, but didn't have any, so I used whipped topping.  Still super good! 

My sister's son and daughter-in-law are expecting what will be my sister's first grandchild!  We are so excited for them and I couldn't wait to give her a special sign I painted:

 She visited with Ellie (our second of three grandchildren) her at my "Camp Grandma, Coos Bay Unit" and taught her how to "have tea".    She'll be a perfect grandma and she'll love the new title! 

Here's my sign, painted 5 years ago (I used to make my signs way smaller then, and on old wood:

Hope you all have a safe and fun weekend!
          Hugs, Heidi

Here's a basic APPLE DUMPLING recipe, it's the one I use:
THE SYRUP:
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tblspn. butter

THE DUMPLING CRUST:
2 1/4 cups four
1/4 TSP. salt
2/3 cup butter
6 to 8 Tblspn iced cold water

FILLING:
6 apples (skinned, cored, and cut in small bite size pieces)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix the syrup (EXCEPT the butter) ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer, covered for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.
2. Meanwhile mix the crust ingredients and roll out into an 18X12-inch rectangle, then cut into six 6" squares.  (Or get close, like I do!)
3. Mix the apple filling ingredients and divide evenly on the 6 cut squares.
4.  Pull up the four corners of each square into a pocket, or dumpling.  Pitch the edge to keep them closed. Place in a baking pan. 
5. Pour the hot syrup over the dumplings.
6.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crust is lightly browned.
7.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or whipped topping.

Makes 6 servings.
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(Linked to  Cindy's My Romantic Home Show and Tell here. , Six Sisters Struf Your Stuff Saturday here, Be Different and Act Normal Show and Tell Saturday here,  Tator Tots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party here,  Blissful and Domestic Feature Friday Link Up Party here,  Niffty Thrifty Sunday #29 here, Totally Tasty Tuesday at Mandy's Recipe Box here,  Joy of Desserts here,and Frugal Girls Craft Linky Party here.)

Falling Leaves

Just As much as I love to be outside in nature, you must know I always dread the end of summer.  Yet a few weeks later, as in today, I always realize, "HEY, Heidi!  Fall is wonderful, too, for it's own reasons!"

Colorful falling leaves are one of the top reasons!  The crisp smell of the air early in the morning.  The scent in the evening of the wood stoves warming the homes in the area.  So yesterday when I had Ellie and Claira for a couple hours (Melissa was doing a Mary Kay consultation) I decided to try out the craft Heather Bullard blogged about here.

I took an old dictionary I use for crafting and pulled out a bunch of pages.  Ellie (3 going on 6) helped pick out fall color to paint the pages.  We watered down our paint and used old kitchen cookie sheets for easy clean-up.

Painted pages...pages drying...

Pages ready to be cut...

Pages cut out in leaf shapes (I stacked them to cut as many as I could at once, as well as used different scissors).

In the midst of our leaf project Ellie wanted to set up the Barbie pool.  Only by the sink I said. (She still had a POOL of water on my kitchen floor!).

She brought as many Barbies (these are old ones left behind by my grown-up-girls; she even plays with the headless ones, she "pretends" they had head...really.) as she could carry to the pool.

She'd say, "Come to the BARBIE WORLD POOL!" as she'd drop them in.

Then she'd say, "Dreams really do come true!"  (She loves Disney videos, I guess.)

Then back to the leaf project.  We finished up, using hot glue for a fast project.  I tied up an orange ribbon and quickly glued the sets on that.

Ellie is a wonderful crafting partner!  Claira was napping or I'm sure she would have been all over the pool and the paint!

Ellie decided to work on her sticker book as they waited for Mommy Melissa to pick them up and take them to their cousin's birthday party.....waiting to go to a birthday party is hard for a little girl!



Mommy's here..........

...........Heidi's going straight to the couch now....LOL 
What a fun fall day!  I do miss having John Mark here on days like this, but he's a big boy now, in kindergarten!

Blessings and hugs,
     ~Heidi

(Linked to Cindy's My Romantic Home Friday Show and Tell here,   At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday here and Nifty Thrifty Things Sunday here, and Under the Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party here.)

Mr. and Mrs. Wedding Craft Idea

A friend of mine needed some creative crafting help with a wedding basket she was putting together.  She saw an Etsy item on my "Favorites" and thought I had made it.  I told her no, but I probably could!  Then I did!  It was a set of "Mr" and "Mrs" ink stamped eggs in a nest.  She needed it the next day, so there was no way she had time to order.

I experimented on wooden eggs as well as various stones and rocks.  For the wooden eggs I first painted them Robin's Egg Blue, then stamped them.  I used "StazOn" ink pad for the letter stamping.   Then I just put them in a small next filled with shredded paper.  Oh, and added a couple little white feathers.  It was such a fun and fast project, and would be cute on wedding reception tables, or as a gift to the new Mr. and Mrs.

Another fun thing I've been playing with this week is Crayola brand "Window Markers".  They come in various tips and sizes.  I found a set at WalMart for about $4.  K-Mart had them, too, in the thicker sizes. What fun we've had writing on our windows!  I wrote a Bible verse out on the window above my kitchen sink, an easy way to memorize. 

Ellie was over the other day and she had fun playing with them, too.

Now a word about Pinterest...found this Pumpkin Pound Cake:

(as pictured on Pinterest)

It really is like having a new magazine daily.  I found this recipe a week ago on Pinterest and made it.  It was delicious!  Try it out.  It's one of those cakes that taste better great right out the oven and even better the next day or two!

(my cake)

Needless to say...Pinterest continues to rock!

Blessings, Heidi 

Linked to Cindy's My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday,
 and Nifty Thrifty Sunday #26, and the DIY Show Off Blog Project Parade.

Final Days of September

.......ah, the final days of September........

Melissa (oldest of our two daughters) is now a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant!  If you need or want to order anything from her (help support her family!) you can order directly from her website and it can be shipped directly to your home. Here she is setting up for a party last night:

Here's she is during the presentation (with one of guests):

Jessica (younger of our two daughters) is officially the Cupcake Queen! She's just got the talent it takes to make cupcakes both taste yummy and look great! Here's a photo of a batch she's taking into her work today for a surprise shower:

Here's a photo of Jessica on Saturday when she was able to stop by home on her way to an event (with her new camera from her husband!):

Now....hang on to your seats....Mark and I went salmon fishing on Saturday...

(the Coast Guard cutter came in right next to us)

(the seaplane took off next to us)

(the bay was calm)

... and guess who caught her very first salmon? 

Yep, I did!  It was so exiting. It measured at 31 inches but we forgot to weight it.  We had fresh salmon for dinner Saturday night, then froze the rest in packages. 

Another September event, I ran my first "official" race!  It was our local Prefontaine Run, a 10K race (6.2 miles).  My goal was to place in the top 5 of MY age group, and I did!  I placed 5th.  I ran 8:48 minute miles on a somewhat difficult course, it has several "agony" hills! 

I am really loving these early autumn days.  A few of then were "Indian Summer" days, and now today the rain has returned!  And I am spending a little too much time "pinning"...LOL  Here's one I found, you can print out and frame:

And another:



Fall Blessings to you all!  Hugs, Heidi

Pinterest and my flop!

Just keeping it real here, girls.  I love Pinterest.  I've made several recipes from Pinterest links, with great results.   Until this one, Strawberry Lemonade Bars.  This one took a couple weeks to make, as each time I set out to make it I would be short an ingredient.  So finally this week I got my act together and made it, carefully following the "test kitchen" recipe.

(these were not mine, but from the K&K Test Kitchen blog)

I had made these to take to my ladies Bible study, but had to leave them home! Yep, not even sprinkled powder sugar was going to make a save:

I'm not sure if I should try again or not?  Have any of you made this recipe yet?  Maybe I should just stick to lemon bars!  And eat my strawberries with plenty of whipped cream on the side!

If you'd like to take a look at my "Baking Corner" board on Pinterest, you can see my collection here:

Heidi's Baking Corner

I really want to make the Texas Roadhouse Copy Cat Rolls next......hope my yeast doesn't let me down! 

Back to work now....I'm painting sign orders, and also packaging up "Vintage Scrap Packs" for Jenn's event next month, "Once Upon a Dream", which I am a sponsor.  I'm sure the girls there will have fun, Jenn's got lots lined up and she throws an event like no other!



Blessings, Heidi

 



Natural Love

When you live on the Oregon coast, where we get so much rain, you MUST not miss any opportunities to enjoy nature when it doesn't rain!  Hence the reason I have not posted a blog in a month!  Lakes, mountains, rivers, oceans, runs, biking, swimming and more have filled my days (when not working!).  I have a million pictures to share....(seems like a million).

Today is a very special day.  It's the 10 year anniversary of our oldest daughter's wedding to her high school sweetheart.  They met in junior high, and were married in September, the year she graduated from high school.  Kris is the hardest worker you'd ever meet, always the first one to help anyone in need--he's perfect for our Melissa! They have gone through tragedies (the death of Kris's brother and cousin), crisis, times of joy and so much more, but have always kept their eyes on God, both focused on Him, therefore always having their heads and hearts in the same place.  They now have three children and live on just under 20 acres out in the country.   They'll celebrate with a weekend trip to Newport, to take the kids to see the Newport Aquarium!

Kris and Melissa on September 15, 2001

On Sunday, September 18, our younger daughter and her husband (we have two) are celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary!  They met while in college, Corban College, and had the love of God, sports and movies in common!  Craig is the most easy going guy you'd ever met---perfect for our Jessica.  They also have already experience great sadness in their first year of marriage, the death of Craig's sister, as well as the joy of  new family members (Craig's sister's baby, and Melissa's baby).  We wish they lived across the road, but are thankful they at least live on the west coast just 4 hours from us.  They'll celebrate this weekend with a trip to Seattle, where Craig had proposed to her!

Craig and Jessica on September 18, 2010

Jessica and Craig's reception was held under a big canopy on our front pasture, the evening was magical:

(magical, with soft rain pattering on the top...)

Now a quick photo of our recent vacation...





Sunset....our canoe awaits us....this is just the cove of the beautiful Waldo Lake.

Waldo Lake is worth finding!

Hugs, Heidi