Homemade "Laraballs"

My family loves Larabars.  But it's so much cheaper to MAKE them.  

Cate gave me the great idea of rolling them into balls!  Perfect portion control.  (And she taught me that you can make a whole bunch at once and store them in the fridge for about a month...if they last that long!) They make a great on-the-go snack. My boys (the big ones) love them. McKlayne...like most other things...it just depends on how she's feeling that day. They're also great when you want something to give you a little energy before you workout, without a heavy meal on your stomach.

We've tried several recipes over the last few months and tinkered around with the proportions until it was "just right" to us.  The original larabars are made with cashews instead of walnuts, but we've modified it to maximize the nutritional benefits.  You can use cashews, if you'd prefer, they're still great for you, but I love that we're getting those Omega-3's with the walnuts.

Here are our two favorite recipes:

Cherry Pie:

3/4cup dates
1 cup cherries*
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts

Dump all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulverize until fine...take about a tablespoon (maybe a little more?) and roll into gumball-sized balls.  This recipe will make about 18-20 balls.

*Locals: I've only found tart, dried cherries (with no added sweetener) at Village Foods.

Lemon:

3/4 cups walnuts
1 1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup dates
2 lemons

Dump the first three ingredients into a food processor.  Zest one lemon and add to the processor.  With a strainer, juice the two lemons and add to the processor. Pulverize until fine. Take about a tablespoon (maybe a little more?) and roll into gumball-sized balls.  This recipe will make about 26-28 balls.

For both of the above recipes, we notice that the longer they sit in the fridge, the more flavorful they become.  And...if you're looking to save money on all of the above pricey items, the best deal I can find around here is to buy the nuts and dates at Sam's.

Pumpkins are for...

play-dough-ing...

(and, of course, baking those play-dough "cookies" in their kitchen)

snacking on their seeds...

(We tried several recipes and my favorite is actually our own variation: 2 cups pumpkin seeds+1/4 cup coconut oil melted and tossed in seasalt. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes on 250 degrees.)

pre-k packing it...

muffins...

(I used a 1/3 cup of honey and didn't notice a difference. Baked them in these from JoAnn's and for extra treat top them with: 1 banana, 3/4 to 1 stick butter + 1/2 tsp cinnamon all whipped together for a nice "buttercream" frosting.)

drawing faces on...

(This was great for practicing drawing shapes and drawing different emotions.  For example: "Give your jack-o-lantern two triangle eyes and a square nose." or "Draw an angry jack-o-lantern!")

dinner...

(These meatloaf muffins may not look pretty with "sweet potatoes smash" and an asparagus stem, but they sure were tasty!)

mosaics...

(I think these would make great place mats for next year once I laminate them.)

and...last, but not least, pumpkins, the baby-sister-girl-kind, are for snuggling in favorite blankies and rocking in cradles and singing to, of course:

(Of course this was all the sweeter before I interrupted with the video camera.)

Our Thankful Tree

I'm sure you've heard of these.  They've been ALL the rage the last few years.

Last year...a few days into November I frantically gathered orange and brown burlap, some felt and several fat quarters and got to work making our Thankful Tree.  I wanted to make a Thankful Tree that I could make ONE time  and not have to re-create it each year (or...at least for the next few years until I fall in love with another idea).  Because, let me tell ya...after the marathon of Halloween-costume-making in October, November really sneaks up on me!

Mine was inspired by Pottery Barn Kids version:

Each evening in November, we sit down and talk about what one thing that each of us are thankful for.  Charlie writes these down on a card beside each of our names and we tuck the card behind the corresponding day of the month. We Westerners have oh, so much to be thankful for, don't we?

Several months ago as Charlie and I were reading through the gospels, we started doing a lot of thinking, praying and question-asking. We began questioning whether or not we really believe what the Bible has to say about those that have been given much. And, whether or not we really believe that the commands of Christ carry the same weight today as they did way back then. They were hard questions with even harder truths that has revealed a lot of ugly selfishness in our hearts.  Our answer is: YES. We certainly do believe that Jesus was serious about all that stuff the Bible addresses.  But we haven't really been living like we do.  Now we're asking God what He wants our family to do in response to some of those answers.  

We believe that we've gotten some clarity on how we're to move forward for now...so I'm sure we'll be sharing more in the days to come.  We're convinced that we're been given MUCH. So, so much. So, we'll be spending the month of November reflecting on the many things, material and non-material, that we've been given.  Want to reflect with us?  You don't need a Thankful Tree to do that.

But if you'd like to make your own (No-Sew) Pottery Barn Kids-knock-off, you'll need:

-1/2 yard of Orange burlap (or PBK's is made out of felt)

-1 yard brown burlap (again theirs is from felt)

-fat quarters in various Fall colors and patterns (I used 6 and had plenty...you could go with less here, I just like the variation.  Or split the materials with a friend and save $...the brown burlap will be plenty wide to share, what you're needing on that is the length.)

-4 sheets of felt in different Fall colors

-Char made me this pattern for my leaves and numbers (Sorry, but you're on your own for the letters if you want to do a "Give Thanks")

-The "hook" side of velcro, also known as the harder or more prickly "male side" with the adhesive backing. (I didn't need the female side since the male side stuck fine to the burlap...I'm thinking it'd stick fine to felt, too? I'd recommend trying it out first.)

-Fabric Glue

-Sewing Machine (this is optional...I just like the way that it looked finished when I top-stitched around each of the leaves.)

1. Cut out all the leaves and numbers from your materials.  (If you'd like, you can top-stitch around your leaf outline about 1/2 inch allowance around the entire leaf.  This is totally optional. I just liked the way that it "finished" it.)

2. Cut out your tree trunk (mine measured 48 inches tall x 28 inches wide) and tree top (22 inches tall x 40 inches wide) to your liking.

3.  Place the trunk, leaves and numbers on your tree until it's placed and spaced how you like it.  Then, use fabric glue to attach your numbers to your leaves (make sure you don't glue it all the way down onto the tree. My glue bled through a bit and I had to make sure they weren't getting stuck and closing up the leaves, instead leave them open like a "pocket".)  When you're placing the leaves on your tree top...please DON'T do like I did and let the top leaves come off of the tree-top fabric.  Otherwise, you won't have a place for the velcro to stick and the top pockets will drape down...looking like sad wilting leaves. (I have to tack mine down to keep them up.) So, just make sure you leave enough of a border to close the leaf pocket on the top leaves.

4. Glue the trunk onto the tree.  Then, glue the bottom edges and sides of the leaves down to tree top.  Again, make sure they're open like a pocket.  You can even test them out with a piece of paper, if you'd like.

5. Adhere the male side of adhesive velcro to the wrong-side of the fabric (wrong side is the back of the fabric) so that you can close your pocket-leaves.

6. Now go start thinking about all the things you're thankful for!

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Heather made a really nice, simple Thankful Tree variation here, too. And she gives excerpts from One Thousand Gifts, a book that I actually picked up on November 1st to start reading.  Lynsey had given it to me as a gift at Oliver's Baby Shower and I started it this summer. But then, things got too busy for me to give it the attention it deserves. I've heard nothing but incredible things about this book, so let me know if you decide to read it or have already read it, too!

Would you? Could you?

Will you? Please take 2 seconds to go vote to help support the work that our friends, the Hendrick's, are doing in Haiti?  They are so close to winning $50,000 for Heartline, the ministry that they work with!

Go here to read about it.

And the winner is...

The rest of you can take advantage of  the Coupon Code "Nov2share" for 15% discount.

Pumpkins are not for...

carving, at least around our parts. That's what we learned this weekend.

What set out to be a nice, restful Sunday afternoon of family-togetherness and good ol' fashioned pumpkin carving turned out to be a mostly single-handed effort on Charlie's part. It started out great...children were all fired up about creating their jack-o-lantern designs...

 And eager to cut into the pumpkins that they'd picked out weeks in advance...

Cutting into the lid...that's where the excitement ended, folks.  The smell...that stinky, stinky smell of pumpkin squashed all aspirations of a pumpkin carving tradition in the Apel home.  As soon as Asher took one whiff, he was ready to put the lid back on that sucker and chunk it outside. When we wouldn't let him, he excused himself to the front porch for a few minutes. (Where in the world? I often wonder, do my kids get their theatrics?)

McKlayne tried to keep the festivities alive as she relished in removing the slimy, stringy pumpkin seeds.  I think what kept her motivated was us telling her how tasty those pumpkins seeds would be roasted in the oven with "a great deal of butter" (my kids' favorite "chapter books") and some salt.  But Asher, who had returned from sulking, kept repeating, "I can't stand it...I just can't stand it."

Even my attempt at the festive treats (via here and here) could not distract him...well, they may have...just for a few minutes...but soon enough he was back to saying. "I can't stand it anymore."  When he didn't seem to be getting much of a reaction out of us he said, "What does, 'I can't stand it' mean, Daddy?"

Charlie tried to relay that just how stinky, filthy and foul-smelling the inside of the pumpkin was...that's what our hearts are like to God without Christ...and that only He can clean them out and remove the stench that sin leaves.  Jesus. He's the only one who can cleanse us and purify us before the Father, removing our filth and our shame.  And, even more than that, He gives us a new fragrance...one that is a pleasing aroma to God.

"That smell...it's making me homesick.  I'm just homesick now," is what he kept repeating the rest of the day.  So, poor Charlie was left to carving all three pumpkins by his lonesome, while Asher took deep breaths of fresh air outside...

and while McKlayne played with her "baby sister girl pumpkin"...who was declared "much too plain" without a bow in her hair...and then "nice and fancy" once she wrapped the bow rubberband around her stem.

and while I took pictures of the baby.  He was, as always, such a sport.  He didn't so much as whimper the whole time that he was in that cold, damp, slimy pumpkin.  Our precious Oliver...you are our most patient little pumpkin.

Thanks for all the drama and theatrics that you put up with, from our three little pumpkins, Char.  (And from the Big Mama Pumpkin, too.)  I'm thankful for the way you try to teach our kids through the ordinary and the everyday, even though some days it seems as if it's falling on deaf ears. We love you a whole, stinkin' lot.

Some Pumpkin Carving Remarks:

Maybe next year we'll just paint pumpkins? Anyone have any non-pumpin carving, pumpkin traditions?

Inchbug Orbit Label Review+Giveaway!

I have a confession. I've had Orbit Label envy of one of my child's classmates for over a year now. Pathetic, I know. Envious of a three year old. So mature.

I wouldn't describe myself as a total "germaphobe". Sure, I don't really just love when another kid drinks from my child's drink, but I know it happens...my children have been the culprits before.  (But why is it always the green, snotty nosed kid that happens to slobber all over my child's cup? Blek.) Anyway, like I was saying...the germ-sharing phobia must lessen a bit with each child that's added to the family because as much as I think that it's a great benefit of Inchbug's Orbit Labels, it's actually not the number one reason why I love them. 





I love them for their convenience. I don't know about you, but I'm constantly having to replace sippy cups and nalgenes that somehow don't make it back into my children's bag after childcare. So, I'm hoping they'll help to eliminate that.  Not to mention, I'm often breaking up fights when we're around other children because someone is "stealing" someone else's cup because they own a similar one. So, I'm all for decreasing the likelihood of those. But, being a busy mom of three young ones, I'm just plain sick of re-labeling cups each time my children go to school or the church nursery.  Even sharpies rub off and fade. And, I just plain don't have time for all the re-labeling while trying to get my troop out the door in time, usually in a mad rush!  

But these babies...they're interchangeable, snugly fitting bands that "orbit" your container, so young children can't easily remove them.  They're also non-adhesive and re-usable, meaning you can use them on all your cups or small food containers and put them in the dishwasher, boil or sterilize them without having to worry about anything peeling off or fading.  How's that for convenience?



So,when Inchbug sent me a set of 4 custom labels of my own (err..McKlayne, really) and offered to let me giveaway a set on my blog, I was ecstatic! 

And, my girl? She loves them just about as much as I do.  

Being the only girl, as soon as she saw the pink labels, she knew they were for her...before she even spotted her name on it! Then, she was doubly impressed!

There are 8 bright colors to choose from.

You can customize up to 2 lines of text...does your child have food allergies?  You can even label something like "*Peanut Allergy*" on their label underneath their name.  

She sure was eager to go to school with her new sippy cup label.  

I think she showed just about everyone that we encountered her "new cup" with her very own name on it. 

                           

(It made posing for the pics oh, so fun.)

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So, do you want a custom set of 4 Orbit Labels of your own for the child in your life? (If you don't have children, think grandchildren, nieces/nephews, friend's kids, etc.) These would make excellent baby shower gifts, too. The mother of the child will love you forever and ever for it. 

All you need to have is a facebook account:


HOW TO ENTER this giveaway: 
1. "Like" Inchbug on Facebook 
AND
2. Leave a comment on my blog (if you're reading this from Facebook, please hop on over to planetoftheapels.blogspot.com...comments on my facebook page will not be entered) letting me know you'd like to be entered! AND PLEASE include your name and an email address as a way to contact you! That's it! 


Both of the above steps are required for you to be entered in the giveaway!


If you just can't wait to win a set of your own, I  just saw this on their facebook page: "Boo" coupon code for 15% off any order until trick of treat day! So, "liking" them on Facebook will also alert you to other offers, short-term coupons, and the inside scoop on their new products.   I'm off to order each of the boys a set of their own now with this coupon code!


This Giveaway will CLOSE on November 2  at 11:59 pm CST. Giveaway is open to U.S. and CANADA residents only. Winner will be picked the following day and will be emailed and announced on my blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Inchbug for providing the sample and the giveaway prize! 

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(Inchbug provided my own custom sample set for review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100% my own.)