Some Apple Fun

For the rest of this year, I've planned themed units for Munchkin around some scheduled 'field trips'.  In anticipation of the trip to our annual Apple Festival, we've been working on apple themed activities.  Here's a look at some of our workboxes:

Lacing 'apples'

A small bushel basket I found in Target's dollar spot - it was a $2.50 item.  Inside are some red and green plastic balls that we had from an inflatable bouncy house - we're pretending that they're apples.  We've used these a few different ways:

  - tossing the 'apples' into the bushel basket from different lengths

  - pretend 'apple' picking

  - hide and seek apples

  - counting, addition and subtraction

Pattern work using red and green pom poms - I created the pattern strips in Word, then printed and laminated them.  I plan to pull this one back out at Christmastime!

I found this apple hole punch in Walmart's $1 craft supplies.  Munchkin has punched a number of apples from each of the red, green and yellow strips that he will then be gluing onto a paper apple tree.

Apple size sequencing from File Folder Fun

Button on Apple Tree - Here's the tutorial

Smelling bottles - I bought these spice jars at IKEA for a totally different use, but they work great for smelling bottles (although, I'm not sure if these glass bottles will retain the scents after washing...I'll have to update this in a few weeks).  I used basic baking extracts - vanilla, lemon and mint.

Foam alphabet puzzle that I found at Walmart (on clearance...for 75 cents!)

In addition to these, we also have some fall coloring pages and worksheets from various workbooks that I've picked up from Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc.  And we've played a rousing game of Hi-Ho Cherry-o pretty much every day.

Here's the list of Apple books that we've been reading:

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter, One Artsy Mama,

Apples Apples Apples!

This week I have apples on the brain.  On Saturday, the fam and I will go to our annual rite of Autumn - our  local Apple Festival.  It's a family tradition (we've been going for 23 years!) and my favorite weekend in the fall.  We'll watch chain saws artists (otherwise knows as guys carving pumpkins and bears and such out of logs using a chainsaw)...eat kettle corn, caramel apples, roasted chickens and apple dumplings...buy every cute craft I see...and maybe take a hayride.  Oh yeah, and we'll bring home bushels of apples and gallons of apple cider!  Since I'll have so many just-picked-perfectly-juicy apples lying around, I turned to Pinterest for some extra inspiration.  Here are some of my favorite applicious pins:

1  Gorgeous apple wreath  {source}

2  Big, beautiful, bushels of apples  {source}

3  I love this fresh centerpiece  {source}

4  I might have to press some of the apples into decorative duty  {source}

5  These are the prettiest caramel apples  {source}

6  I am absolutely trying this apple ring recipe out!  {source}

7  Oh how I love tealights in the top of apples  {source}

8  This arrangement would be jaw-dropping stunning at a fall wedding...or my dining room table  {source}

9  Must do this for Munchin!  {source}



And Munchkin's favorite part of the Apple Festival?  The fact that we have to park in hayfields and ride on school buses to the festival site!

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter,

Why Hello Mr Praying Mantis

Yesterday afternoon I found this on my car:

Luckily, he was good enough to pose for a few pictures.  He even waited patiently while I went in the house to get my camera. 

New Entrees for One

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of T.G.I. FRiDAY'S for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently had the fun opportunity of letting the Hubbers try out on of the T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One”.  We are frequent visitors to our local T.G.I. Friday's and were really excited to try out they're new frozen entree line.  There were alot of tempting options like the Loaded Chicken and Cheese, Sizzling Chicken Fajitas or Sizzling Steak Fajitas, but he went with the Sesame Orange Chicken:

It looked both tasty and big enough to leave him feeling satisfied after lunch.  The preperation could not have been easier -  just pop the whole bag in the microwave for a few minutes, let cool, and then pour everything out onto your waiting plate. 

From my perspective, it both looked and smelled delicious.  From his perspective, it tasted just as delicious as it looked.  We were pleasantly surprised by the colorful array of veggies and big chunks of chicken!  The chicken, rice and veggies were all cooked perfectly and there was plenty of sauce.  And the portion size?  Perfect for lunch!

Make sure to visit the T.G.I. Friday's facebook page and enter the Fun Freezer contest  for a chance to win cool prizes!

Fried Cheesecake

This is the best 2 ingredient dessert in the world.  Ok, it IS a bit of a cheat that I count a premade cheesecake as one ingredient, but I took the easy way out and bought some little cheesecakes to use in this.  My grocery store was running a special on teesny individual sized cheesecakes, which is what actually made the lightbulb of cheesecakeliciousness go off in my head.  I love that this isn't a super sweet dessert.  It's a nice 'little something sweet' and you can make as many or as few as you'd like.

Fried Cheesecake


Wonton wrappers
Premade cheesecake (your own or storebought)
Canola or Vegetable Oil (for fying)
Powdered Sugar (if desired)




1 - Add approximately 1/2 inch of oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat

2 - Place a wonton wrapper on a flat surface
3 - Spoon approximately a tablespoon of premade cheesecake onto the center of the wonton wrapper

4 - Seal wontons by rubbing water onto 2 of the wonton wrapper sides

5 - And folding the other 2 sides over to form a triangle - press edges together to seal.  You could also do any number of beautifully fancy folding techniques.  I was all about expediency of cheesecake to mouth, so I went the fastest folding route. 

6 - Fry wontons in small batches approximately 1 minute per side (or until goldenbrown)

 7 - Move fried wontons to paper towel covered plate to cool and allow the excess oil to drain


8 - Dust with powdered sugar (if desired).  A nice berry sauce would also have been a perfect accompaniment.

The batch I made were devoured too quickly to get a good picture of the inside.  But it is absolutely heavenly - the crunchy wonton wrapper...the sweet, creamy cheesecake.  Just like crab wontons...but without the crab...and sweeter...so really, not like crab wontons at all.  Sorry, stream of consciousness there. 


From this point forward I might wrap all deserts in wonton wrappers and fry them.  Things could get messy.  But if wonton wrappers are wrong, I don't wanna be right...


I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter,