Fall Fun

Today I'll let the pictures and video do the talking...

A Giveaway Entry

Well, here I am again entering a giveaway. This one has a great prize- a $300 Vision Forum gift certificate! WHOO-HOO! :D
You all do know about Vision Forum right? It is THE place to find a huge selection of christian books, toys, messages, and more. 

I could *almost* say that you will only ever need to order from Vision Forum for your family library. Almost. When I think of Vision Forum I think of Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever thing are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Of course we still need to be discerning, but many of the books Vision Forum sells are the epitome of this verse. 

I know my girlhood library was filled with their products and I would love for JuneBug's and Peanut's library to be the same. Just last week I ordered my own copy of  Large Family Logistics (can't wait to take a highlighter to it!) to add to the family library. Some of our other favorite products are Providential Battles, the Douglas Bond books, and the first item I ever remember getting from Vision Forum: What's a Girl to do?. I could also give you my wish list but that might seem kind of corn-y. :) Anyway thanks for reading this (if you did). A bonus for reading this far...YOU can go enter for a $100 or $200 gift certificates by commenting at Raising Olives, Smockity Frocks, The Wise Woman, Life in a Shoe, Generation Cedar and The Modest Mom. Or if you want to win the $300 gift certificate- blog about it (directions are on any of the blogged listed above). Have fun!

P.S. A cute fall post of Junebug & Peanut will be forth coming!

What's on the Table?

This week I have another breakfast recipe. It is called Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal by GoodLife Eats. I originally came across it in my blog reading and I think we have had it almost every week now. After going through last winter with stove top oatmeal nearly every morning I about gag just at the thought of it. But we need warm hearty breakfasts during the winter and oatmeal is a good choice. So this is my compromise. Of course anything with the word "pie" in it for breakfast doesn't seem too bad.
As for modifications to the recipe I have a few. For one I don't use the individual sized ramekins that the recipe uses. Because well, I don't have them and we eat a lot of oatmeal. A lot. I quadruple the recipe for our family and it lasts two mornings. For a quadrupled recipe I use a 9x13 pan. If I remember correctly I have also x6 it and it just barely fit in a 9x13. I usually bake my quad-ed recipe for 45-50minutes total.
Instead of the brown sugar I have substituted sucanat and/or honey successfully. You can if you are in a hurry mix the topping right in but it won't have a layered look.
This doesn't make me gag at all. No sirree! :)

What's on the Table?

photo credit

This post is going to highlight my newest favorite recipe. It is a cookie and there are so many variations that you can eat cookies all day long. They are healthy enough you almost could....almost. The recipe is for Giant Breakfast Cookies by Heavenly Homemakers.com When we had them for breakfast I used a mixture of dried fruits (strawberries, raisins, figs, dates, peaches). The cookies were delicious! Then I made them with chocolate chips and cashew brittle and they were even better.  A few things I love about this recipe:

1. Very versatile (healthy enough for breakfast, chocolaty enough for a snack)

2. Whole wheat and honey are main ingredients

3. Super easy. Trust me you can whip them together fast enough during nap time to still get a nap yourself!

Again I didn't paste the recipe here in case of copyright infringement but you can go here for the recipe. 

Ooddles of Little Boy Yummy-ness

 Well, since I said yummy-ness in the title I thought I would share this fun picture of JuneBug eating a cupcake.

Throughout the last month or so I've been trying to get some good shots of the boys individually, together, and as a family. During this time of the year all the photo places start competing for your picture business and I wanted to be able to take advantage of any good deals. Especially the FREE ones! :) So for your enjoyment here are a few of the good ones.

Look at these eyes!

 Dressed as a cowboy

 This one cracks me up with how it looks like he is anticipating the gun really going off

 This one turned out sooo cute

 That afternoon he had a "thing" for showing off his tongue

 In these next two there was too much light but I thought they were cute anyway

Even though they aren't smiling I love this one

 Blurry but happy

 Peanut was not on his best behavior that day but you wouldn't be able to tell from this photo

 In their police car.

Shootin' Pistols

What's on the Table?

photo credit

I thought I might start a little series highlighting new recipes that I have found AND used. Perhaps it is the cooler weather and wanting to turn the oven on but I have always thought that the fall season is a good time to try new recipes. 

The first recipe I want to share is this lifesaver: 30 Minute Breadsticks by Everyday...Food Storage. One evening with a pot of spaghetti on to boil, the sauce to perfection, and hubby about 30 minutes from home I realized I wanted NEEDED bread-sticks to go with my Italian meal. I mean who doesn't have some sort of bread-stick/garlic bread with spaghetti? But alas who can make bread sticks in 30 minutes using whole foods? Well, I must be a believer in the impossible because I got online and searched for a recipe anyway. 30 Minute Bread-sticks is just what I was looking for. My favorite things about this recipe:

1. Uses whole wheat

2. Honey can be used in place of the sugar

3. So easy

4.QUICK!

After trying the recipe it went on my list favorites. One note I have on the recipe is that the "1 cube" of butter is about 1/4cup. Second I went ahead and added my spices (garlic, parsley, etc) right to the dough before the flour so that it get mixed well enough. Third this does come together pretty quickly so 30 minutes really is 30 minutes start to finish. 

This delicious recipe certainly satisfied my craving for bread-sticks!

I did not copy the recipe here in case there were any copyright problems so you will need to visit the site.