Have Yourself a Very Merry Fall

We've been enjoying sneaking outdoors whenever the elusive sun decides to peak through the near constant cold and dreary drizzling that's been going on for way too long. Okay, 1 day of cold with drizzle is too long for me, I need sun, but this days and days and days of it has got to go.

Our family decided not to take part in the spreading of the germs* that runs rampant right about now, and stayed home from church yesterday. We had a nice morning around the big table with some hymn singing and the starting of a new Bible Study, called Line Upon Line, which will eventually take us through the entire Bible. It was a nice time, even with all of the toddler potty breaks and the 4 yr old's whisperings. It was also nice to be home for the afternoon, to get out for some fresh air- and sunshine!!

*The youngest two have been coughing and have had extremely runny/snotty noses for about 10 days now, it seems to have come and gone for the 4 & 10 yr olds, all without fevers or body aches- this is not the flu, probably just a seasonal 'common cold' or quite possibly some fall allergies. It's hard to tell, but with the current flu issues, we're not taking coughing children anywhere, especially the nursing home we were scheduled to visit...

The sun is out again today, there will be bundling up and heading out to get some blood pumping right after a little math and reading!

I thought I'd share one of my favorite fall recipes, that I shared over at my knitting blog. It makes a perfect fall snack, dessert, or, if you're anything like my family, even breakfast. Baked oatmeal with fruit, that works for breakfast. Yes it does. Enjoy it! (Our family always doubles this!)

Apple Oatmeal Bars

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup shortening

9 medium apples, sliced

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. butter

Mix flour, salt, soda, brown sugar, and oatmeal together. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Spread half of mixture into greased 9 by 9-inch baking dish. Press down firmly. Cover with apple slices. Mix white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Dot with butter. Cover with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Serve warm, with cream, if desired.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup honey and substitute 2/3 cup butter for shortening in crust.

Now it's time for some vitamin D! This is the Frozen Tundra, we need to get it when we get the chance!