Manic Monday Recipe~ Apple Crisp

**Update** I have added some mouth watering photos!

Okay, I have to admit, my favorite part of the apple crisp is the crust and topping.  Seriously, I love it so much, that when my mom used to make it for me, she would make a little extra so I could eat it.  So here is my mother's recipe, with the some of the ingredients increased to make your apple crisp extra crusty, hmm that sounds weird, but I assure you this apple crisp is delicious!

Ingredients:

Crust/Topping

1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 1/2 C. Melted Butter

1 C. Oatmeal

1 C. Sugar

2 T. Corn Starch

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 C. Water

6-8 Medium to Large Apples (I like Gala or Braeburn best)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the crust ingredients together.  Place half in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Leave the rest aside for your topping.

Peal, core and cut your apples.  (I have this apple slicer and love it!) 

Then, mix the sugar, corn starch, Cinnamon, and water in a pot.  Put on medium heat and stir until the mixture becomes thick. 

Then stir the mixture in with your apples.  Once all of the apples have been coated in the glaze, pour it on top of the crust. 

Then take the remaining crust and sprinkle it evenly over the apples.  

Bake for 1 hour.

I'd love to hear how yours turns out!

Pampers Gifts to Grow Code

Pampers Gifts to Grow Code!!
Just copy and paste the code into your account!

 PAMPERSGTG10PTS  (10 points)

If you don't have an account yet, sign up here.  They have an on-line catalog where you can buy gift cards, toys, magazine subscriptions and many other things with the points you've earned.  Enjoy the 10 points!
Thanks, Totally Target!


My favorite diapers are the Cruisers Dry-Max, they are so thin and don't get all bunched up.

Designer Clipboards!

Alright, it's true, I have an obsession with clipboards.  I use them everywhere!  I especially loved using them in the classroom to stay organized.  This would be a great gift for a teacher for the holidays with some cool pencils/pens/paper!  I was looking around the internet and found a fabulous craft website called How Does She?  So here's my take on the fabulous clipboard idea!

First I chose my paper and then measured each out.  Most clipboards are 9 x 12 1/4.   

Then I measured the cut out for the clip area and cut it out.  Once that was finished, I took

ModPodge and painted it all over the clipboard. Then, I placed the paper on  top of the glue.  I then used a ruler to help push out all of the air bubbles.  Once that was almost dry, I painted a top coat of ModPodge over the paper to give it a nice finish that would be more durable.   

Because the paper wasn't long enough for the clipboard I knew I had to think of something.  I liked the look of using paper, but I thought ribbon would be nice.  So I took Fabri-Tac (glue that can be used on fabric and wood), and glued ribbon down along the base.

Once everything was dry, I took a piece of sand paper and cleaned up the edges.  Then, I took an ink pad and rubbed it around the edges to give it a more rustic look. Her are the final products. 



Enjoy!

21 Free Songs From Baby Genius!

21 Free song downloads, from Baby Genius!  These are great songs for 6 months through kindergarten.  They'd be a great playlist to have in the classroom!

Thanks, DealSeekingMom

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner Coupon

Sign-up for a $1 Off Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners Coupon.  Remember to try the back button, you can print two!
Thanks, Budget Helps!

Party City Deal

I just ordered our Halloween costumes for this year, and found a great deal.  At Party City they are offering free 2nd day air delivary, and if you buy two costumes (with a $60 or more purchase) you get the second one for 50% off.  Use the code PCBOGO.
Happy Halloween!

Guest Bathroom Decor

Because the bathroom has taupe walls and white trim, I decided to add some color using a shower curtain I already had.  It is white, green and blue.  I had no luck finding any artwork that went along with the curtain, so I went to my large stash of paper and found some that would work perfectly.  I knew I wanted to do something with birds.  They have been very trendy lately, and I like the way they look.  I started out by deciding that I just wanted to print out some birds using my Cricut and Sure-Cuts-A-Lot.  I just thought that I would mount them on some paper and then frame them in some pretty white frames.  I then went to a few stores to see if I could find any cheap frames.  I found some at Wal-Mart that were a few dollars, but were brown.  I figured I'd just paint them white.  Then, I went back to the craft department and found some wooden rectangular plaques for $1.12. I knew exactly what I was going to do next!  Here are the directions for the my project.

Materials:
White Paint
3 Wooden Rectangular Plaques
Foam Brush
Cut out of your choice
Mod Podge
Paper to mount the cut out on

Directions:
First, I painted all of the rectangles white.  You don't have to do the part where the paper will cover, just the edges.  Next, I cut the bird out using my Cricut.  Then I cut the background paper (5 x 7).  I then glued the bird on the background paper.  Once it was fairly dry, I painted the Mod Podge onto the plaque and placed the paper on the top of the glue.  I then painted the Mod Podge over the paper and edges.  It gives it a sealed finished look.  (You can use either the matte finish or the gloss finish, I chose matte.)  I put a total of three layers of Mod Podge onto the paper.  The directions for the glue tell you to wait 15-20 minutes between applications. 

Just think of what you could do with Halloween decorations.  A very inexpensive way to decorate.  Please post your creations and comments!
Have Fun!  Laura