More Fun in the Leaves

Corn Maze Fun at Sherman Farm!

On Friday we did the Corn Maze at Sherman Farm (click here to see the maze from above, it's really cool!).

Here are some pic's of the fun we had:

First we went on a wagon ride and got to pick out a small pumpkin to take home. Ethan picked this one out for Mollie.

The "Moo Express" is always a hit!

Ethan was mad because his cow was the only one without a bell!

The goats were really friendly and loved the attention.

Here is the whole group, we had about 35 people all together!

Here we are inside the maze on one of the two wooden bridges.

We found a stray "corny bunny" running around in the maze!

Caleb, (Ethan hiding), James and Maverick having fun in the maze!

We were so happy Mimi and Papa could join us, it was lots of fun to spend the day with them! Emmy loved picking off the corn kernels!

"Follow me guy's! I know the way."

Emmy and Mollie had both had enough of the maze by the end.

Ziggurats

While learning about Mesopotamia this week we learned a new word "ziggurat" which is super fun to say! A ziggurat is a pyramid shaped temple made of mud bricks with stepped platforms. Stair cases went from platform to platform. The temple or shrine was located on the very top. The boys had fun creating them out of different size cardboard boxes.

Emmy just had to get in the pic!

Cylinder Seals

This week we are studying Ancient Mesopotamia and we learned how they would "sign" their belongings using cylinder seals which were made of stone or ivory. A design or picture was carved into the cylinder and then rolled over soft clay to reveal the design. The original ones were sometimes very intricate but ours were much simpler! The boys laid out their design on a small piece of construction paper using yarn and then we glued them around a TP tube. Here are our seals and the prints they made when we rolled them in paint and then onto paper.

Emmy made her name.

Ethan wanted to make a Ladder Truck, if you look closely you can see the "ladder" pointing up on the back of the truck.

James decided to make a house. He was very disappointed in how it came out and wanted to make another using clay...oops, maybe next time!

"Droplet" Apple Oven Pancake

Here it is! Our "droplet" recipe using 100% "droplet" apples picked up by the one and only Little Explorer Homeschool Group (check out our apple picking post to find out about droplets). This was inspired by a German Apple Pancake recipe in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook which is my favorite cookbook!!! Anyway I was craving something apple for breakfast when I remembered this recipe that I have been wanting to try. I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 c. and added cinnamon to give it my own twist. Here is the recipe:

"Droplet" Apple Oven Pancake

Turn the oven on 450 degrees.
Heat 1 T. butter in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet by placing it in the oven while it is coming up to temperature. In a bowl combine the following and beat with a whisk until smooth:

2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
Once the skillet is hot spread the butter around to coat the pan and pour in the batter. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.
While the pancake is baking peel and slice 4-5 apples to make about 4 cups. Then in a saucepan combine :
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
Cook over medium heat for five minutes until thick and bubbly. Add the apples and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes or so until the apples are soft but not mush. Make sure you stir it often so the mixture does not burn. To serve pour most of the apple mixture over the pancake and cut into wedges. Spoon more of the apples onto each serving if desired.

Our Rating:
The kids all ate this and had seconds!!! Ethan even had thirds!!!! They all said they would eat it again so I think we will make it for Daddy on Saturday morning. It was completely gone so I think I will need to double it and make it in my Stoneware Bar Pan to make sure there is enough for him. The boys would have liked it even better if there was no apples in the topping. They ate them but there was a bunch left that I piled onto mine, yummy! I don't think I will double the apple topping for my family but if your kids like cooked apples you will need to!! The kids gave this recipe three out of five stars but I would have to give it at least four.


Check out the Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe swap going on now for more yummy recipes.

Dino Digging

These pictures are from the week we were studying creation and the boys were begging me to do Dinosaur stuff so we broke out the Dino excavation kit. They boys had a great time and found six little dinosaurs. It was super messy as you can see. The pink dust was all over everything (mostly Ethan) and even stained the carpet. My vacuum I don't think will ever be the same!!

Mollie's First Fall

Mollie had fun outside with us while raking leaves! She even found a few to chew on!!

Mud House

After being inspired by a mud house photo we saw in a book about Ancient Mesopotamia the boys went outside and build their own. Good job boys!

Fall Fun

Yesterday was such a beautiful fall day we decided to rake leaves into a pile to jump into off the deck. I couldn't resist the photo op!

The kids loved the action photo's of leaves flying through the air!

James has fallen and can't get up.

Thanks to Nana and Bumpa for carving pumpkins with the kids on Saturday. They had lots of fun on a sleepover at their house on Friday night and gave Mom and Dad some needed time off (with Mollie that is).

Say leaves!

We love our little sisters!!

Kelley Fairy Godmother

Our fairy godmother showed up the other day and let us take a pic.

Apple Picking At Hatches Orchard

We picked apples on Friday with the homeschool group. It was a beautiful day! The kids had lots of fun picking up "droplets" which is what they were calling the apples that had dropped from the trees already.We are now going to create a new apple recipe with the name "droplets"in the title. We will post it when we make it.

Emmy and Becka posing for a pic.

Mollie got lot's of love from the little girls!

James was a great helper! He loaded apples into his sweater and brought them back to the wagon over and over.

Ethan and Danyelle.

Lexi was too short to pick the apples in the trees, so her daddy gave her a boost!

Great job you guys! Thanks for the help!!

After picking we took a short hike in the Hatches back yard to a field with an awesome view! We ate a picnic lunch and took in the scenery!