Apple Cider Donuts

When we went through the corn maze, I had the best apple cider donuts.

They were so good that I went out and bought a donut pan so that I could make them myself!

I have a huge box of little white bags that I've had forever.   I used my craft scissors across the top.  They were perfect for holding the donuts.

I used this recipe for APPLE CIDER DONUTS.

They were so good!  Not quite the same as I had at the corn maze...but definitely a close second!

 I think I had four warm donuts throughout the six hours I spent in the kitchen.  I also tried several chocolate cake donut recipes...but I will keep searching because I didn't like the consistency of any of those that I tried.  

Making donuts is fun!  I look forward to experimenting some more!  However, next time I will

try and limit myself to just one!

Apple Picking and A Corn Maze

Going to the orchard seems to have become a fall tradition for us.  It's one of those things we never really plan for and then we stumble upon a free Saturday morning.  You never know when your kids will want to stop doing a certain thing that you always look forward to doing with them.  And then, they remind you that they are waiting to go and you jump in the car as fast as you can before they change their mind! :)  

I have a lot more pictures but for some reason they are not wanting to upload...no time to waste so I'm moving on...

We also tried our first corn maze this fall.  Cherry Crest Farm is about 15 minutes from our house and everyone raves about it....but we had never been there before.  Definitely a neat place to go.  Everything from animals, pumpkins, games and food.  Oh, and the corn maze that was featured in USA Today as one of the top 10 corn mazes this year.  The maze is 5 acres with over 2.5 miles of paths.  There were three different levels/paths to choose from....Brady wanted to do the most challenging course (Eric and I did not!).  It took us two hours to find all of our clues and get out of there before it started to get dark.  I followed behind they guys eating my tub of kettle corn and letting them do all the work!

Random Monday Stuff

Today we are having beautiful fall weather...60 degrees and sunny....it's perfect.  I took a spin class this morning at our

rec center.  My friend Michelle just became an instructor a couple of weeks ago.  She has wanted to teach spin for almost two years now...and finally decided to put her fear of teaching in front of others aside and go for it.  She has had a full class of women the last two weeks and is doing such a great job.   So proud of you Michelle!

I had this for breakfast this morning.

I've been on a crazy sugar high for the last two months.  The trick or treat candy finally did me in, and I contacted my friend Angie for some help.  She has always been fit and healthy and works hard to keep herself that way.  I knew she would have a plan to jump start me in the right direction.  She gave me this 3 day plan to get me off the sugar.  I started on Saturday, and today is my last day.  So far, in just two days, I've lost 3.8 lbs. and feel so much better.  Thank you tons Angie! 

Brady and Eric tackled our big tall ornamental grasses ( I think that's what they're called!) this weekend.  Brady sure loves to do projects around the house.   These grasses haven't grown evenly the last two years...so we are thinking of digging them out.   They are huge. 

Hope everyone has a beautiful week!

~Kerri

Seriously?!

We woke up to snow on Saturday morning.  What a strange sight to see snow on the fall leaves that are still on the trees.  The earliest I can remember it snowing was a few flurries on Thanksgiving. Usually we do not see snow until mid to late December.  The newspaper said we haven't seen snow in our area in October since 1972.

We were lucky to have only lost our electricity for several hours Saturday afternoon.  Many people in our area are still without power.  I'm hoping the snow is gone for trick or treating tomorrow night.  I'm also hoping that this early snow is not an indication of a long winter yet to come.  Although I do get excited every year for that first snow to fall...I was not as excited as a certain someone in our house to see it so early!

I do have to say though...we really had a great weekend
just hanging out together at home.    Maybe the snow caused us to slow down a bit...and it was just what we needed.


Hope your weekend was great too!
~Kerri

Fall Flashback Friday

Home Depot Boy

Grandma passing out candy at our house.

We're looking forward to trick or treating in our neighborhood

Monday evening!  Such FUN times!

Have a great weekend!

~Kerri

Fall Flashback Friday

To INFINITY and BEYOND!

Brady loved Buzz Lightyear and the movie Toy Story.

My dad bought this costume on eBay for Brady...

and he sure got his money out of it!

  He not only wore it for trick or treating...

he wore it the entire year.  What a sight for the

 neighbors to see Buzz Lightyear riding around

 our yard on his tractor.  Such sweet memories!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Kerri

Pumpkins and Crafts And Bats.....



The first Saturday in October we went to a nearby Amish

Farm to get our pumpkins.  Brady was asking weeks before

to go...but I have a rule that we wait until October to go.  Pumpkins
in September does not make sense to me!

We decided to do a little craft that involved the screw gun and

spray paint.  These two things had Brady pretty excited from the start!  His kind of craft for sure!

 First I had him drill several holes into the top of the pumpkin.

We then collected thin branches and Brady gave them two

coats of spray paint.

Brady put the branches into the top of the pumpkin.

Later that evening, we traced bats onto black construction paper

and then cut them out.  We hung them with yarn onto our tree.

And here's our bat tree...

I found this little crow at the Dollar Tree.

I think the bird is a nice touch!

Everytime we sit at the table, Eric turns the bird away because it creeps him out to eat with that bird near him.

  It makes me laugh. 

~Kerri

New Wheels!

When Brady was 5, he got a bike for his birthday.

He had a little bike before that, but didn't really have any interest in it.  He wasn't all that thrilled with his new bike either.

He rode it a few times with the training wheels on.

He also tried one summer without the training wheels.

But, he never came close to being able to ride on his own.

One thing about Brady, he's always been very safe!

We didn't have to worry about him climbing or jumping when he was little.  He wouldn't want to hurt himself!

Last summer we put his bike in our yard sale...he outgrew it.

The bike looked new.  We suggested getting a new bike...but he said he didn't want one.

Eric and I worried he'd never learn to ride a bike...especially since he had zero interest in it.  Is it possible to go your whole life without ever learning to ride a bike?   We would surely have failed as parents if this were the case!

Well, two weeks ago Brady suprised us and asked for a bike.

I couldn't believe it.  What changed his mind?  Or maybe who changed his mind?!  A new girl moved down the street from us right before school started and she's in Brady's class.  She rides her bike over to our house and they mostly play on the playset.  This is where the need to have a bike all of a sudden was coming from!

So, yesterday we took Brady to get a bike.  Normally we don't just run out and buy things Brady wants.  (Although Brady rarely asks for anything)  But, I was thinking soon it will be winter and too cold to be out bike riding.  I was also thinking this would be a nice distraction from tennis.  :)

He did it!  After just a few tries...he was riding around the neighborhood with his friend.  Eric reminded me that this new bike means that Brady will have a little more freedom....hmmmm.  I think I prefer him playing in the backyard!  Actually, I'm thrilled that he finally learned to ride a bike...and now I want one too!

Have a great week!

~Kerri

Fall Flashback Friday

They grow so fast....

(3  1/2 yrs. old)

I can hardly believe this was five years ago...seems like yesterday.

Have a great weekend!

~Kerri



Today I Am Enjoying....





my new Autumn Wreath Yankee Candle.

(I bought it at HomeGoods for $7.99 and it smells so good!)

and hanging out with this guy....

(who has a four day weekend!)





Have a great weekend!

I Love Free Printables

The other day I found this printable:



I made a quick run to the thrift store for a frame.

I found one for 50 cents!



I put a scrap piece of paper in the frame and printed my picture.

I'm pretty happy with my new cheapo fall picture!

Printing a picture and putting it in a frame is such an

inexpensive way to decorate.

You can find the printable HERE if you want one too!



Pumpkin and Pizza

My book came in the mail yesterday!  I stayed up pretty late reading it....and so far, so good.  I will definitely post my thoughts once I'm finished with it.  I'm not the fastest reader...so, it may take a few days.  When Brady brought in the mail yesterday, he said, "What's this?"  I said, "it's a book on how to get your kids to listen!"  He seemed appalled that I would buy such a book!



Look what I found yesterday at Walmart.....

I probably should have bought more...but geeez!  They were almost $2.00 a can.  Last night I made pumpkin muffins and this morning I enjoyed one after my pumpkin smoothie.  Life is good.



The card behind my muffin is for my mom.  I feel bad that I haven't done a very good job lately of putting little notes in the mail.  Yesterday at Walmart I had a fall picture of Brady printed to suprise her with.  Since all of my pictures are stored on the computer it seems I never get prints anymore.  I think the print was 40 cents...but it will make her day...I guarantee it.

My friend Toni shared a pizza recipe with me that she tried last week.  So of course, I needed to try it too.   I made them for dinner last night...and they are definitely worth sharing! 



Ingredients

Pizza dough

pesto

mozarella cheese

parmesan cheese

tomatoes

These were so good!  I bought the Walmart brand pizza dough found where the tubes of cookies are biscuits are.  I think they would make easy little appetizers too.

Hope life is good today for you too!