Fairy Homes

As you already know, breakfast happens to be my most favorite meal of the day! So on mornings when we awake to sunshine steaming through the barn windows, we know a special breakfast is in order...

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The other morning we woke up early and prepared one of our favorite breakfast treats: Baked Oatmeal. Quinn and I met each other out at out local church camp - Echo Ranch Bible Camp - when Quinn was 18 and I was 21. We both have very fond memories of attending the church camp when we were younger, the games, and chapel services, and of course the camp food! Baked Oatmeal was always one of the morning dishes, and it's hard not to get nostalgic when we make it. 

Greta likes Baked Oatmeal too!

I'll include the recipe we used at the bottom of this post, an Amish recipe we've used before and loved a lot. I always add a bit (well, more than a bit) of brown sugar to the top of it as the extra sweetness makes it taste just like the oatmeal we had out at Echo Ranch. 

While we ate our oatmeal in the sunshine, the apple blossoms waved in the breezes and the sound of bumblebees was heard softly going from branch to branch. Soon the trees will be laden with green apples, and I'm already planning the pies and apple sauces I'll be making come the end of summer...I'm also hoping to learn canning so I can can some for the winter months.

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After such a nice breakfast, it stands to reason that the rest of the day would be just as nice. We took Greta on one of our favorite walks called the Outer Point trail. I took my trug along and we gathered interesting finds to make fairy houses with.

Ever since I was young, I have loved the idea of little people with wings. My favorite movie to watch as child was Thumbelina, and as a girl my sister and I would make fairy homes among the trees and bushes of our backyard.

I am also not ashamed to admit that I still sing songs from the Thumbelina movie...usually when my husband is around (I try to make him sing the Prince's parts. Key work: TRY).

Sadly, he didn't watch it as many times as I did as a child. Don't worry though, I'll make him learn it!

Even though Quinn wont sing 'Let me be your wings" with me, he was still up for making fairy houses. They turned out darling, though Greta was a bit sad she didn't fit inside either of them.

Quinn's home had a lovely deck overlooking the ocean. It was built from sticks in a tepee fashion and decorated with woven grass. On the inside he had a couch and bed of moss all ready for a new inhabitant.

 Mine had flat rocks for walls and bark for the roof. It was built up against a cliff with a ladder from the top leading up to a garden of buttercups where a bench sat. On the side of the house was a shed for firewood and a swing made from old man's beard. A big shell served as a comfy bed on the inside.

Making fairy homes made me feel just like a kid again! I encourage you to try it for an afternoon, if nothing else as a reason to get outside and use some creativity. Let me know if you do, and send me pictures of your mini homes!

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Amish Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Mostly Homemade Mom

1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons oil 1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats 1/3 cup brown sugar Chocolate chips (optional)
1.) In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat egg. Add all ingredients except oats and mix thoroughly until well combined. 
2.) Add oats and stir. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish and sprinkle brown sugar over top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
3.) Once finished, and while still hot, add chocolate chips. Serve warm plain or in a bowl with cold milk poured over the top. Enjoy!