Dutch Apple Pie Bread {Recipe}

It all started when I ended up with more apples than I knew what to do with. I made apple butter, apple sauce, apple pie filling and after spending countless hours in the kitchen I couldn't seem to bake, cook or can myself out of apples. While pondering ways to make them disappear I thought "how about some apple bread?" I knew I could freeze the loaves and we could enjoy them all fall. I quickly set out to find a recipe searching Pinterest and Google only to be let down time and time and time again. Every recipe was too fattening with at least half a stick of butter or a whole cup of oil in each loaf. Others were too cake like, (I wanted a true sweet bread.) so I rolled up my sleeves and started baking

I couldn't be more excited to share the results with you today.

I hope you love it as much as we do and that it fills your home with the taste and smell of fall. Ingredients: 1 Cup brown Sugar 1 Egg 1/3 Cup oil 1/3 Cup (heaping) unsweetened apple sauce 1 tsp cinnamon 1.5 tsp vanilla 1 Cup buttermilk 2.5 Cups flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 Cups peeled and chopped apple, approx 1/2" pieces.
*Any baking apple works, but I prefer the granny smith.
Topping Ingredients: 1/4 Cup softened unsalted butter 1/2 C brown sugar 1/3 C flour 1/4-1/3 Cup rolled oats Dash or two of cinnamon
Directions: 1. Mix brown sugar, egg, oil, apple sauce, cinnamon and vanilla until blended.
2. Stir in buttermilk.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda and slowly pour into wet ingredients. 
4. Fold in apples to mixture gently until combined.
5 Pour into greased loaf pan(s).  * This recipe makes one very full large pan (make sure you get the middle done) or you can do two smaller loaf pans instead. I like to do one large loaf pan and 5-6 muffins so I can make sure my loaf gets properly baked in the middle. 
6. Combine crumb topping ingredients, cut together and sprinkle on top. The recipe makes plenty so feel free to use as much or as little as you like.
7. Bake at 350 until set in the middle and golden brown. A large loaf pan takes about 1 hour and muffins approx 12-15 minutes.

  Enjoy!
Now it's your turn to join the Tuesday Talk fun!
Meet your hosts! Becky from BYBMG, Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls, Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place, Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things, Tara from Mrs.Coach Sims, Keri from Living In This Season, Sarah from Abiding In Grace, Lauren from Simply Free , Emily from Morning Motivated Mom, and Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones, Christina from Waltzing In Beauty, Amy from Go Forth and Mother & Michelle from Grammie Time
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Strong & Beautiful, Where Exercise & Faith Collide

Over the past couple of years I have been on a journey. Calling it a journey makes it sounds so intense, but I'm not really sure what word could describe it better seeing I feel so far from where I first began. It is the story of me passionately chasing after something I never imagined, an active and healthy life style. My story has been full of changes, turns, setbacks, adaptions and victories.
To say it has been life changing doesn't seem to say enough.

I guess I had naively assumed that when I started this it was going to be all about me. I was finally doing something for myself, to make myself feel better, look better, and satisfy my desire for "me time".   It has taken me over two years to figure out that this story has never been mine.
It all starts with Anna. She started running just a few weeks before I did and I was instantly inspired. I wanted to do something too. I think I can run! You see, only weeks after she had began she was already making in impact on someones life, my life, and I will forever be grateful. If she hadn't started I probably wouldn't have either.

Looking back over the past two years I can recount story after story similar to the one of Anna inspiring me. Flame igniting flame, one person encouraging another. Stories that are intricately and beautifully woven together.

In a world where it is acceptable to tear down, rip apart, degrade, belittle and make each other feel foolish. Where discouragement is the norm, jealousy abounds and comparison is a thief of so much joy and the cause of so much pain. I have watched countless strong and beautiful women push back and fight not only for themselves, but each other. They push each other towards their goals and dreams giving all the glory to God along the way.

My journey has never been about me. It was always meant to encourage and point others to Jesus.

It's a ministry, a gift and something that I want to use to build up the spirit and bodies of those who God puts in my path. I want to be the voice that says you can and the example that say I will too. To be real enough to share my struggles and strong enough to keep going.
To realize that that I will never achieve physical perfection by this worlds standards but know that I am made perfect and complete in Gods eyes because of the blood of Jesus Christ.   And out of that knowledge, I do everything to the glory of God. 
Encouraging, helping, praying, sharing, inspiring and teaching others to do the same.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. ~1 Thessalonians 5:11
That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ~Colossians 2:2

Friday Highlights 9.18.15

Hello Friday!

Another week is gone and over. How in there world is this possible?! I know the last few months of the year always seem to pass by the fastest (because they are the best ones) but really?! This is just craziness and I am not sure that I am okay with it (like that will change things).

Weekend plans consist of eating something pumpkin, crossing something off of our bucket list, maybe our first fall bonfire and time with friends. Sounds just about perfect if you ask me.

Now for this weeks picks.

{ONE}  Family Photos
Family photos are just about 3 weeks away and I am so excited.
So many things to think about.   Location (Obviously the beach is a no go)
Wardrobe So far I know what I'm wearing #priorities. Guess I should figure the others out soon. Must have shots I think I'll leave this up to our photographer
One thing is sure, they are going to be awesome,
I just know it!
{TWO} Blog Highlights
This week I shared...
About our weekend with a photo each hour.  .
I poured out my heart about where I am struggling.

Talked about what's going on currently

{THREE} Cowgirls Don't Cry
Sunday we went to a cowgirl birthday party for Marissa's good friend Mya.  The girls had so much fun dressing up like cowgirls and celebrating with their friends. They even went on their very first horse ride!


My friend Cindy snapped this photo and I just had to share it since the cute level here is way off the charts.

{FOUR} Blog Changes

In case you haven't noticed things changed a bit around here. I worked on a new tabs bar, created clickable favorite categories in my side bar and added some pretty new social media buttons.

I also spent and entire day fixing a Facebook meta-tag issues and staring at HTML code. I wanted to stab myself with a fork. But it is now fixed! I assure you if you ever try and share a blog post to Facebook it should no longer show up with the beautiful face of Becky from BYBMG. If it does, please, please let me know.... or don't ;). 

{FIVE} Girl Mom Series

I was so excited to have Natalie from Messy Mom guest post yesterday.

She shared the beautiful story of her relationship with her daughter Sedona. The last paragraph left me in tears then I watched her gender reveal video and I was laughing with joy.
It's a great post that you don't want to miss. 
Friday Linkup Parties

To see where I am linking up check out my link-up tab.
Have a great weekend!

We will see you back here soon.

Girl Mom Series: Natalie, Messy Mom

Hi! I am Natalie and I blog over at MessyMom.com where I share about my messy life and how our big family lives in a small space on a tiny budget. I have been married for almost 15 years now and I have three children with one more due this Thanksgiving! My two boys are ages 8 and 2 and my daughter is 5. Watch the short video at the end of this post to find out the gender of the next baby!

   

 My daughter Sedona (I call her SJ on my blog) has been surprising us since the moment she arrived. I had planned a home birth, but it was supposed to happen on the bed that we had prepared for labor and delivery. Instead I was in denial that I was actually in labor and I took a bath thinking it might help my contractions slow down. It didn't and go figure that's when Sedona decided to come. Luckily the midwife showed up right when I was exclaiming that I felt like I needed to push. Next thing you know I was holding my baby girl. It all happened so fast! It was definitely one of the greatest moments of my life.

 

Sedona was so different than her brother in every way.

   

 She has always been very independent. She started dressing herself, preparing snacks, and even going potty without my help when she was just a year old. She was also different than in her brother in that he talked earlier and a lot more than she ever did. When she turned two she had only said a few words and they weren't consistent. We took her to the Doctor and expected to start speech therapy as soon as possible. The Doctor referred her to an ENT to have her hearing tested first. So we did that just to rule it out. I'll make a very long story short and skip to the part where it was confirmed that our precious little 2 year old girl was deaf. 

 

 I immediately dove head first in learning all that I could about hearing loss and sign language. Almost a year after her diagnosis she underwent surgery to receive the cochlear implant. For those that aren't familiar with the device it is almost like a bionic ear. She still can't hear as well as natural hearing would allow, but it's pretty close.

   

 Because she didn't start hearing until she was three it means that she has a lot of catching up to do before she is at the same level of her peers. Right now she is 5 and can understand and communicate about the same as a three year old. She is in an excellent deaf school though and she'll be caught up before you know it. The thing that makes our story different from other families of deaf children that have been born in the past 15 years is that there was no newborn hearing screening. We went two years before we knew she was deaf. There is a part of me that feels terrible about the time we lost by not getting her access to sound sooner. There is another part though that has to look on the bright side and appreciate those two years that I had just enjoying getting to know my daughter for who she was. I wasn't rushing to therapy or audiology appointments. I didn't have to panic or fear. I just loved my baby girl for who she was and the deepest sense of joy that she brought to my life and she returned that love to me. I always say I love my children more than words can say and after what we've been through I feel like I have lived that truth.

 

As girl moms I know we all want to emphasize the power of words because they are POWERFUL. Tell your daughters that they are smart, capable, beautiful and loved. Build them up and speak truth everyday. Even more so, love them and teach them in a way that if they never heard a word you said they would still know. My hope for girl moms is that our girls would know what true beauty is because they see it radiating through us. They would know Christ's love because we are walking in it. Lastly, they would feel our love because the mother daughter bond is so deep that even when we feel like we totally blew it (or maybe they feel like they did) we know that our connection remains unchanged. 

 Thank you for allowing me to share my story here on Our Pretty Little Girls. 

As promised here is the gender reveal video. We had a ton of fun making it. I hope you enjoy peeking in on our messy escapades.

 Feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter



Thank you so much Natalie for sharing your story with us. The last paragraph that you wrote had this mama in tears. Such beautiful, beautiful words of hope, love and grace.

Congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your next baby!
(Make sure you watch the fantastic video to find out boy or girl)

Don't forget to stop by Messy Mom follow her along and say hello!

Currently {September 2015}

Reading//   Do text books count? I have a hard time desiring to read much during the school year (or any time really) because it feels I read all day. Long gone are the day of recreational reading for this girl.

Drinking //  Water, lots of water. I am back on track in the fluid department and rewarding myself with cups of coffee between ridiculous amounts of water.

Random question, does anyone else ever save their Starbucks cups, wash them and reuse them? I am pretty sure my homemade iced coffee tastes even better from a Starbucks cup.

Wishing // For life to feel a bit more settled but knowing it will all happen in Gods timing. There are just so many things that feel a little up in the air right now. It always feels so hard to stay grounded in these seasons of life.

Wearing // In the spirit of fall I have been rocking some leggings. But I would like to add that I hereby solemnly swear to keep my back end covered.

Because we all know... leggings aren't pants!!!

Other than that I live in work out clothes, which are pretty much just leggings made of spandex.

Looking Forward To //  I want to say Christmas but I really am excited about fall. We have so many fun things planned on our fall bucket list.

Learning // To map out the 50 united states. You can laugh but it's true. It is part of Marissa' geography curriculum this year. When I told her she asked if I could do it and I had to give her an honest no. Then I quickly replied no, but I will learn how to do it with you. One of my favorite parts of home school is learning together!

Watching //  Master Chef. I just love that show and the grand finale is on tonight. Once that is over I will be in a no TV phase until I start watching the Christmas movies (when that becomes a bit more socially acceptable).

Enjoying // Life. Sure things are a bit up in the air and we feel like we're at an in between spot right now. But there is SO much too enjoy. I love our family dynamic right now, my exercise routine and home school is going so well this year. I wanna soak it all up and really enjoy it because it is so good. 

Planning //  A few fun girl nights in the next few weeks. One will involve some shopping the other a photo shoot of some sort. You'll have to wait for more detail on that one. I have been blessed with some great friends and I am excited to spend some fun time with them.

Eating // The same thing, all the time. It's super fun to do, you should try it some time #sarcasm. I did figure out how to make some protein bites that actually taste pretty good. To bad they aren't as healthy as I'd like for them to be. I justify it by celebrating that they are way better than a cookie. Mmmm, cookies. 

Praying //  I think yesterdays post pretty much summarizes the prayer department. I am also praying for more patience in my life when it comes to school stuff. I can get so impatient sometimes and I want to graciously love my girls.

Missing // Our days at the pool. Summer is over and my tan is fading fast. I've taken the girls swimming at the indoor pool a few times recently but it just isn't the same. 

What have you been up to currently?

Opening Up, Biblical Truths To Stand On When You Feel Broken

On a typical day I try to keep things light hearted and fun around here. I have been known to have my serious moments, from confessions of sin to parenting failures I believe these moments need to be shared. Not only as an imperfect human, but more importantly an imperfect Christian. I am a sinner in need of Gods grace and mercy EVERY day and there should be no shame or fear in saying that.
Today I want to open up about where I am lately. I wrestled with whether or not I should post this but in the end I ultimately decided I was not intended to struggle alone.

Today is September 15th 2015. Just saying those words makes me want to cry tears of frustration, anger and loss. It has been over 6 months and we are still drifters looking for a new church home.
I remember a girl who was saddened but more than that she was hopeful. She anticipated great things and naively assumed it would be easy. She expected quick results, surely we'd be in a new church home by Easter. She was excited about the idea of new friends, opportunities, a change of pace and felt so sure this would all be in the past in just a matter of weeks.
 I kind of wish I could go back and punch myself in the face.
Weeks later and Easter long gone, things weren't at all what I expected them to be. I thought it would easy, it wasn't. I thought it would be fast, nope, I assumed that we would walk into a church one Sunday and just get a feeling that "we were home", HA! I couldn't have possibly envisioned  things any more incorrectly.
And then one Sunday on the way home from what felt like another church failure I broke. It was like the walls I had built up closing off my emotions just snapped and I was left sobbing. Why was this so hard, why did it hurt so bad, why did this happen and where was God in the midst of this? The reality of it all finally set in so hard I thought it might crush me. 
From that point weeks went by where I stumbled in and out of depression riding an emotional roller coaster of grief. Then one day I just stopped being sad and realized I was am angry. 
I say am because I still feel it. I feel it in the lump in my throat when I talk about it. I feel it when I look on Facebook and see others happily settled into "this great new church they found". I feel it every time we cross another church off  "our list", when we visit a church that is completely missing it and I cant help but wonder how on earth are they still here but our church isn't? I know it's wrong, I know it's sinful, I know it's dark and twisted, but it's there. 
Some days I entertain the thoughts and buy into the lies feeling defeated. Other days I shout the truth of The Gospel confronting the lies for what they are. I find myself so hopeful and optimistic one day and saying the most terrible things the next. This conflict and confusion is something I have never felt before. I am so tired of pretending I am okay, tired of the brave face, tired of being a fake. Which is ultimately why I am writing this right now. I need to expose my sin to the light, no more hiding.   In the midst of the mess, the struggle, the fight what is true?  What can I believe?  What does the Bible say?
I believe that God is faithful and good even when I don't get it.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful He cannot deny himself.
Romans 8:28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I believe that God is never surprised. Mystery doesn't exist any more because that was the divine will of God! Who am I to argue with that?
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
I believe that He does have a plan for our family and it is good.
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I believe that sometimes God's will is for us too walk in the dessert.  Life as a Christian was not promised to be easy and comfortable.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
1 Peter 5:10  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
I believe than I am not alone even when I feel like I am.
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I believe that God is calling us just to be still, wait on Him and He will guide us in His perfect time. 

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

I believe there is hope. 

Real hope found in a real savior,
not in a new church.
Psalm 39:7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Now it's your turn to grab the button on my side bar and link up with me and my amazing co-hosts for another round of Tuesday Talk.

Meet your hosts! Becky from BYBMG, Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls, Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place, Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things, Tara from Mrs.Coach Sims, Keri from Living In This Season, Sarah from Abiding In Grace, Lauren from Simply Free , Emily from Morning Motivated Mom, and Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones, Christina from Waltzing In Beauty, Amy from Go Forth and Mother & Michelle from Grammie Time

An InLinkz Link-up