Super Moist Apple Coffeecake Recipe

Here is a very good recipe for Apple Coffeecake. I actually made this one to gift to a friend and her husband, so it is in a to go pan. Normally I would use a glass pan to bake it in. I think the combo of the fruit and sour cream makes this so moist and yummy.

*1 21oz can of apple pie filling

Cake batter
1 cup of white sugar
1 stick of butter (room temp), I like to use Smart balance sticks (50/50)
1 cup of sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Streusel topping

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of organic flour
1/4 cup of nuts (optional)
1 tsp of cinnamon
3 Tablespoons of butter

Make the cake batter and put a bit over half of it in the bottom of your 13x9 baking dish, then open a 21 oz can of apple pie filling, or make your own and spread that on top of the filling use the rest of the cake batter and spread on top of the apple layers. Then make your Streusel topping and put on top of that and bake on 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool and serve! As my Grandpa Smith would have said...it's a keeper!

Lauren's class Christmas play

Here are some photos of Lauren and her class mates performing a Christmas play for us parents yesterday. She did a great job, as did all the children. It was just precious.

Celebrating Christmas with Grandma Sandy

We celebrated Christmas with Steven's side of the family on Sunday afternoon. Grandma Sandy and Grandma Barker came for a visit and to bring the children some gifts.

Christmas at the zoo~

Here is a photo of Lauren in front of the tree her girl scout troop decorated!

Skating Party Pics

The skating party was a lot of fun for all the children! My camera battery died, so this is all I was able to get, picture wise. However a friend of mine is making me a CD from her photos at the party, so hopefully I can post some more soon!

Skating Partys

(This is a photo of Tristyn on a ride at our state fair this September.)


Today is the girl's skating partys. We rented out the entire rink and are having both Lauren & Megan's party's at the same time. The girls were able to invite all the little girls in both of there grade levels, so that no one is left out. I hope it will be a fun time and a good child hood memory for them all.

Steven is putting a new floor down in our little kitchen area, so right now our home looks a bit like a construction zone. It will be nice when it is done though. There are so many little projects to do, and every once in a while we pick one, and complete it. Slow and steady!

I have been doing my tread mill a lot, and truly enjoying it. I go for an hour almost every day now! It gives me added energy and is just a good way to get out any frustrations one may have. I truly try not to listen to the news too much, because hearing about the horrible things that people do to each other and to sweet children just tends to get to me.

I better go and do my tread mill, then get ready for this party today. I will post photos of the party very soon. Happy Saturday!

Christmas Tradtions

I love Christmas, it is my favorite time of the year. Nothing comes close to the snuggly feeling of sitting inside my warm little home while snow is falling outside my window, looking at my candles glow and my Christmas tree sparkle. It just doesn't get much better. What a gift God gave the world with Jesus, and I love the traditions of giving. I try my best, not to let it be a too materialistic time in our home, as I am hoping to teach my children that things are not what is important in this life. So we try to focus on what Christmas truly is about...Jesus and the spirit of giving more than recieving.

Another aspect of Christmas I love is the tradtions that go along with this time of year. My Father and Mother always gave each of us children a special Christmas orniment each and every year. Then, when we got our own homes, they gave to us all of our orinments from our childhood days. When I hang each one, the memories of my childhood come flooding back. This is a tradition that my husband and I have passed onto our children as well, and my parents still buy me an orniment every year, as well as each of my four children. Our tree is beautiful as well as full of memories for my heart. My little ones look forward to going out each year and picking out their orniment for the tree. Traditons may be such simple things, but the feeling of home and serintiy they inspire is awesome.

One of my favorite things to make~

I have to share how I make my favorite frothy coffee. First let it be known, I have tried those coffee makers where you pop a pre-measured type of coffee in and it brews it. I really had thought I would like that, but was very let down at the quality of the taste of the coffee. Yuck! My favorite coffee maker is this little Mr. Coffee with a stainless steel pot. It does wonders for getting the coffee perfectly hot. I like to let it sit for a few minutes once it is brewed, to get it to the perfect temp. While it is doing this, I heat a bit of milk for about 30 sec. in my coffee mug, in my microwave. Then remove it, and use my little battery operated ($5.00) Mr. Coffee milk frother to froth my milk, then slowly pour my favorite coffee into the frothy milk, while using the frother to blend it well.

Here are some photos of the process. :)







So the next time you have a craving for a really yummy cup of coffee, give this one a try.

We had a family skate day on Sunday~

Megan won the limbo contest for the girls and Justin won for the boys! They both won a free soda.