Hello blog friends - happy October !
Fall is in full swing here. In spite of the warm weather (still hitting the 80's every week !) the trees have made note of the calendar change and have begun turning their leaves. Vibrant greens are slowly being replaced with rich warm hues - pale yellow, dazzling gold, subtle purple and cheery red are on display for our neighborhood walks, and we are LOVING the beauty of it all.
Pay no attention to that little imp pictured above - his mother apparently didn't ever teach him the one about "don't run with sticks in your hands."
Our summer garden is gone, but that doesn't stop Bambi and friends from coming back to eat all the pears that have fallen off our trees. They've become such a familiar site in our backyard, that we've given up chasing them out. Next week we might have them over for dinner ... mwuahahahahaha ;)
In all seriousness, we don't really care for venison here at The Rice Ranch. Strictly beef and chicken for us ....
... and bears. And worms. And fish (Swedish preferred.) And frogs - the bluer and juicier, the better.
Mmmmmmm.
A little bit of belated September news : Miss Abigail Joy became a teenager last month !!
My little girl has blossomed into a beautiful young woman of God, and we are so incredibly proud of her for so many reasons. She has a passion for baking, and we are blessed DAILY with her creations in the kitchen... I do believe she is going to fulfill her dream of owning her own bakery some day.
Because of that, I decided to feature her on a regular basis on the blog from now on, because her gourmet goodness is just too good not to share. This section will be called Abbi's Eats - I will be posting pictures of her goodies along with the recipes for them - she mainly gets ideas off Pinterest, but she uses other recipe sites online for inspiration as well.
Yesterday she treated us to The Best Ever Apple Crisp - Sam and I promptly informed her that she will be making this weekly for the entire season of Fall. She actually got this recipe off my Pinterest boards, but the original recipe came from HERE.
My kitchen smelled divine when she was done baking - and dessert tasted as good as this picture looks !
THE BEST EVER APPLE CRISP :
Another little blog regular I'd like to add is Patti's Picks.
I'm always excited when I find new products I love ... or books ... or songs ... and this is how weird I am : I always think "everyone needs to know about this !" I will routinely tell my family - "Seriously, you guys - I could do a commercial for this stuff " - when I really like something.
SOoooo.... here is the first installment of Patti's Picks. Drumroll pleeeeze ....
My sister-in-law sent me these goodies two months ago, "just because." Don't you just love when people send you things "just because" ? Not because it's your birthday, or Christmas, or any other holiday - but just because they wanted to bless you ? I love when that happens ! Makes me feel so special :)
SO anyhoot, these products are AH-MAY-ZA-ZING. I use them almost every day when I get out of the shower- I forgot to include the bottle that is sitting in my shower, but it is just as good- it's an exfoliating gel for your feet, and it smells soooo yummy, and is so so wonderful. I use it on my feet at the end of every shower, then I dry off, step out, and immediately use these other products. My legs and feet feel like I just had a professional pedicure, and the feeling lasts for hours. And the fragrance in all these lotions is HEAVENLY. Very subtle and natural smelling, like you just walked out of a spa.
And for the record, I'm not getting paid to do this little blog commercial, I just really really love these products, and wanted to share them ... they would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas (hint hint if you are reading, Rice children) and even though I have no idea how much they cost, I can tell you they are worth every penny. The End.
Okay, moving on .... Kenzie and I treated Abigail to a night at the coast for her birthday. Well, we actually went a few days after her birthday, but still ... it was a Girls' Night Out at The Coast in honor of Abbi turning thirteen. As you can see from the pic, we had a little stow-away along. If anyone would like to know how The Great Weaning Project of 2015 is going ... here's the answer.
We went to fish and chips for dinner, and then stayed at the vacation home in Depoe Bay that we always stay at (gracious friends own it, and we are forever indebted to them for letting us stay there.)
It was just a quick trip, but I had so much fun with my three girlies - I can't believe that I'm going to have FOUR daughters next year !!! Quadruply blessed, that's what I am.
And even though he will probably have to have his lips cut off before he allows me to wean him, this little cutie has me wrapped around his finger as well ....
Just a few more pics from the past few weeks before I close ...
Trader Joe flowers- I guess you could also consider this Patti's Picks Part Two. They have the nicest varieties, and they are so affordable. Flowers just make everything happier, in my humble opinion.
And so do these little people ...
... my baby and my grandbabies, Norah Jane and Macie Blair. aren't they CUUUUUUTE ???
JUST LOOK AT THAT CUTENESS. Tell me you could resist him putting those little chubby hands on each side of your face before bed each night while he smiles into your eyes and whispers, "Mama. Let's go nye nye now !" I should probably have weaned him when he was able to ask for cookies with his milk, but I told myself he was my last. Heheheheheh. Oops.
And speaking of my LAST. (And yes, I mean it this time- I'll be a month away from 48 when I deliver our little Bunny, I'm quite sure my baby making days are over after this pregnancy !
I posted this on Instagram* this week, and I wanted to repost it here.
(*Several of you have asked about my IG account, so I'll explain . In a nutshell, I had almost 10,000 followers there. Here on the blog you can moderate comments, but on IG you are unable to do so - you can delete afterwards if comments are rude or inappropriate, but the damage has been done. That's a lot of potential for haters to hate and for feelings to be hurt, etc. On top of that, I heard a reallllly good sermon on social media, and I felt like the best decision for me was to reduce my account to people whom I was familiar with, either through real life, or through comments over the years... so I deleted about 9,400 followers and made my IG account private. I realize I may have deleted a lot of people who have followed our family for years - I let people know ahead of time that they could come follow us here on the blog if they so chose. I have recently been accepting requests from people whose user ID I recognize there, or from people who email me explaining that they have followed for a long time and would love to continue to do so. Soooo, all that to say - if you are on IG and you were one of the ones I blocked, and you still want to follow ... just leave a comment here telling me who you are, and stating your credentials - haha, kidding, but just tell me who you are, and if I remember you from previous nice comments, etc. I'll accept your request there. I know I can't weed out every weirdo or not-nice person, but at least this gives me the ability to say yes or no to an account there. My new user name is psalm127.5 - feel free to email me if you can't find me, as it may be that you are blocked.)
Okay, so here's what I posted with the above picture - it seemed to encourage a lot of people, thus my desire to repost it here . (The comment went with the photo above, of my journal :))
So my question for all of you is this - what are you believing God for ? Whether it is big or little - ANYTHING is possible with Him. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section with your answer- I'd love to join with you in prayer for whatever is on your heart.
Lots of love,
Patti xoxo
Pay no attention to that little imp pictured above - his mother apparently didn't ever teach him the one about "don't run with sticks in your hands."
Our summer garden is gone, but that doesn't stop Bambi and friends from coming back to eat all the pears that have fallen off our trees. They've become such a familiar site in our backyard, that we've given up chasing them out. Next week we might have them over for dinner ... mwuahahahahaha ;)
 |
| Lily : Don't worry, Hayden. Mommy was just teasing when she said we were having Bambi and his friend for dinner. |
In all seriousness, we don't really care for venison here at The Rice Ranch. Strictly beef and chicken for us ....
... and bears. And worms. And fish (Swedish preferred.) And frogs - the bluer and juicier, the better.
Mmmmmmm.
A little bit of belated September news : Miss Abigail Joy became a teenager last month !!
 |
| opening a recipe book from Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris ! |
My little girl has blossomed into a beautiful young woman of God, and we are so incredibly proud of her for so many reasons. She has a passion for baking, and we are blessed DAILY with her creations in the kitchen... I do believe she is going to fulfill her dream of owning her own bakery some day.
Because of that, I decided to feature her on a regular basis on the blog from now on, because her gourmet goodness is just too good not to share. This section will be called Abbi's Eats - I will be posting pictures of her goodies along with the recipes for them - she mainly gets ideas off Pinterest, but she uses other recipe sites online for inspiration as well.
Yesterday she treated us to The Best Ever Apple Crisp - Sam and I promptly informed her that she will be making this weekly for the entire season of Fall. She actually got this recipe off my Pinterest boards, but the original recipe came from HERE.
My kitchen smelled divine when she was done baking - and dessert tasted as good as this picture looks !
THE BEST EVER APPLE CRISP :
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
- 3-4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of salt
For the crumb topping:
For the Apple filling:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
- For the Apple Filling: In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream
Another little blog regular I'd like to add is Patti's Picks.
I'm always excited when I find new products I love ... or books ... or songs ... and this is how weird I am : I always think "everyone needs to know about this !" I will routinely tell my family - "Seriously, you guys - I could do a commercial for this stuff " - when I really like something.
SOoooo.... here is the first installment of Patti's Picks. Drumroll pleeeeze ....
My sister-in-law sent me these goodies two months ago, "just because." Don't you just love when people send you things "just because" ? Not because it's your birthday, or Christmas, or any other holiday - but just because they wanted to bless you ? I love when that happens ! Makes me feel so special :)
SO anyhoot, these products are AH-MAY-ZA-ZING. I use them almost every day when I get out of the shower- I forgot to include the bottle that is sitting in my shower, but it is just as good- it's an exfoliating gel for your feet, and it smells soooo yummy, and is so so wonderful. I use it on my feet at the end of every shower, then I dry off, step out, and immediately use these other products. My legs and feet feel like I just had a professional pedicure, and the feeling lasts for hours. And the fragrance in all these lotions is HEAVENLY. Very subtle and natural smelling, like you just walked out of a spa.
And for the record, I'm not getting paid to do this little blog commercial, I just really really love these products, and wanted to share them ... they would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas (hint hint if you are reading, Rice children) and even though I have no idea how much they cost, I can tell you they are worth every penny. The End.
Okay, moving on .... Kenzie and I treated Abigail to a night at the coast for her birthday. Well, we actually went a few days after her birthday, but still ... it was a Girls' Night Out at The Coast in honor of Abbi turning thirteen. As you can see from the pic, we had a little stow-away along. If anyone would like to know how The Great Weaning Project of 2015 is going ... here's the answer.
 | ||||||
| just look at the cute widdle look on him's face - "MAMA, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ME ! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT MY NYE NYE EVERY NIGHT". |
We went to fish and chips for dinner, and then stayed at the vacation home in Depoe Bay that we always stay at (gracious friends own it, and we are forever indebted to them for letting us stay there.)
It was just a quick trip, but I had so much fun with my three girlies - I can't believe that I'm going to have FOUR daughters next year !!! Quadruply blessed, that's what I am.
And even though he will probably have to have his lips cut off before he allows me to wean him, this little cutie has me wrapped around his finger as well ....
 |
| "Mama !!! I'm like a SHARK !!" |
Just a few more pics from the past few weeks before I close ...
Trader Joe flowers- I guess you could also consider this Patti's Picks Part Two. They have the nicest varieties, and they are so affordable. Flowers just make everything happier, in my humble opinion.
And so do these little people ...
... my baby and my grandbabies, Norah Jane and Macie Blair. aren't they CUUUUUUTE ???
JUST LOOK AT THAT CUTENESS. Tell me you could resist him putting those little chubby hands on each side of your face before bed each night while he smiles into your eyes and whispers, "Mama. Let's go nye nye now !" I should probably have weaned him when he was able to ask for cookies with his milk, but I told myself he was my last. Heheheheheh. Oops.
And speaking of my LAST. (And yes, I mean it this time- I'll be a month away from 48 when I deliver our little Bunny, I'm quite sure my baby making days are over after this pregnancy !
I posted this on Instagram* this week, and I wanted to repost it here.
(*Several of you have asked about my IG account, so I'll explain . In a nutshell, I had almost 10,000 followers there. Here on the blog you can moderate comments, but on IG you are unable to do so - you can delete afterwards if comments are rude or inappropriate, but the damage has been done. That's a lot of potential for haters to hate and for feelings to be hurt, etc. On top of that, I heard a reallllly good sermon on social media, and I felt like the best decision for me was to reduce my account to people whom I was familiar with, either through real life, or through comments over the years... so I deleted about 9,400 followers and made my IG account private. I realize I may have deleted a lot of people who have followed our family for years - I let people know ahead of time that they could come follow us here on the blog if they so chose. I have recently been accepting requests from people whose user ID I recognize there, or from people who email me explaining that they have followed for a long time and would love to continue to do so. Soooo, all that to say - if you are on IG and you were one of the ones I blocked, and you still want to follow ... just leave a comment here telling me who you are, and stating your credentials - haha, kidding, but just tell me who you are, and if I remember you from previous nice comments, etc. I'll accept your request there. I know I can't weed out every weirdo or not-nice person, but at least this gives me the ability to say yes or no to an account there. My new user name is psalm127.5 - feel free to email me if you can't find me, as it may be that you are blocked.)
Okay, so here's what I posted with the above picture - it seemed to encourage a lot of people, thus my desire to repost it here . (The comment went with the photo above, of my journal :))
So my question for all of you is this - what are you believing God for ? Whether it is big or little - ANYTHING is possible with Him. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section with your answer- I'd love to join with you in prayer for whatever is on your heart.
Lots of love,
Patti xoxo
