Butter Rum Bon Bons

Decadence ... all in one little bite.

And they are as easy as can be.

You can make your bon bons & eat them too.

It all starts with a box cake mix & a tub of cream cheese frosting.

I'm serious.

{Ok, so this recipe wins no awards from the health dept ...

but it's the holidays ... live a little!}

And without further ado, let the bon bon making begin.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 box butter pecan cake mix, and ingredients to make the cake
• 1 Tbsp. rum extract {more or less, depending on your love of rum flavoring}
• 1 can (16 oz) prepared cream cheese frosting
• 1 lb candy coating, white or dark chocolate

Prep:

Prepare {and bake} the butter pecan cake mix according to the directions of the package for a 9x13 cake,
adding in the rum extract. Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely.

Crumble the cake into a large bowl until it is in small pieces.
Spoon the frosting into the bowl and stir until the mixture is well-combined.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out balls of cake and roll until they are round.
Place the cakes balls on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, and refrigerate/freeze them
while the candy coating is being prepared.

Place the candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it until melted,
stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating.
Using a fork, toothpick or dipping tools, dip the cake balls in the melted candy coating, covering completely.
Place the dipped truffle back on lined baking sheet.

Refrigerate the truffles to set the coating completely, about 20 minutes.
These cake truffles are best served at room temperature.
{*These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.}

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 Who doesn't love a party?!
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Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

A Visit to the Apple Orchard

Welcome to one of our favorite places, The Apple Works!

We make several trips here during the year for the best apples around,
but the fall is our favorite time to visit.
Although we like {& buy} several varieties, the honey crisp apple is about as good as it gets.
You can move around the apple bins to sample slices of any variety imaginable,
so you can get just what you're looking for.

This trip was especially great because not only were we there as a family, all five of us,
but Garrett & Gunnar had their special girls along ... & that makes everything even more fun!
{Be warned ...this is a post full of pictures cause there was just too much beauty
& I didn't want to miss any of it ... & too many memories I wanted to capture.

This place is so much more than an orchard.
It's like the perfect combo of , well, everything.
The property is gorgeous, the little store is quaint & full of country goodies
{we buy fresh farm eggs here}, the workers are sweet, & often there is live singing.
There's a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a train ride, & a bamboo maze.
Just around every corner is a scenic place to take pictures, to stop & eat a caramel apple,
or sip on a cider slushy.

There's even a spot to stop & eat an apple dumpling with ice cream., which tastes so much sweeter
when you're with your best girl.

I love this branch of orange leaves, defiantly changing colors ahead of the rest.

It's just as gorgeous across the bridge.

I am in love with this picture ... & the man in it.
LOVE these colors & the leaves on the water.

Didn't even realize that both of my boys & their girls were in this shot at first.
Neato.

This little guy got the award of the day for 'CUTE'!

Wow!  Indiana is beautiful in the fall.

Wouldn't this is the perfect tree to pitch a tent under?

Hope you've enjoyed our Indiana fall foliage ... & if you get a chance, visit Apple Works.
Thanks for stopping by, sweet friends.

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

fall in the front yard

Indiana has been so beautiful this year!

The grass is still green & the yard is getting mowed at least every other week still.

Big change from last year when we had no rain, resulting in brown yards full of dead grass in August!

The mowing companies have had an extra couple of months to make money this year.

Course at our house, Riley is the mowing company.

He's probably secretly hoping for snow ;)

My tree has now turned vibrant yellow and I'm totally in love with it.

It's the first thing I see every morning when I open the blinds.

I look straight into the top of it from our bedroom window.

 

Here's another pretty one across by the lake.

 I didn't do a ton of outdoor decor & mostly used items I already had, but I did buy

 a couple new things, the little metal scarecrow guy being one of them.

Course, I always pick up some pumpkins & a straw bale or two.

I put little orange lights on my spiral grapevine tree & lit those up every night in October.

(It's sitting behind my rocking chair ...can't see the tree too well 

AND I forgot to put my pillows out before snapping this pic.

Bad blogger.)

 My geraniums are bloomed out again ... probably thinking it's spring time.

I was especially surprised to see my Gerbera Daisy bloom in late October,
the one & only bloom since it was planted in early spring.

And for the front door, here hangs the same little wooden scarecrow guy that I've used to many years.

I love those pretty burlap wreaths, but I just haven't had time to pull one together.

Now, since taking the above pics, we had our 1st dusting of snow!

It's wasn't a lot, but the ground was covered.

I've pulled in all my pumpkins & will be baking those soon.

In case you've never done this, read all about it here.
When it's my turn to host Thanksgiving, I like to leave all my fall decor up.

But since I am not hosting this year,

everything else 'fall' will be removed & the Christmas lights

will be hung up this weekend.

Sad to see the fall season coming to a close.

We've sure enjoyed it though & hope you have too!

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.

Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

a cabin in the woods at the end of the lane~

Our friends had a log cutting & wood splitting day in preparation for a cold Indiana winter.

Wood a'plenty is a necessity to keep the fire going for a warm & cozy home. 

Here's a look down their lane.

Fall beauty in Southern Indiana ~

Just before reaching our destination (a beautiful log cabin in its own right), 

we came upon this adorable cabin.

Oh my goodness.

Don't you wanna just live here?

Pretty close to perfect in my book.

Excuse me while I move here.

Think the owners will mind?

At the end of the lane, we arrived at the log home of our friends, right in the middle of the woods.

Such beauty & serenity.

Made me think of reading Little House in the Big Woods when I was just a girl.

Down the hill behind the house is a pond which I wish I'd gotten a picture of.

I was enjoying the good fellowship too much to think about snapping pics once we got there.

{These two are courtesy of James.}

And here are the results of a day of wood splitting.

Our son, Gunnar, had a wonderful time helping with the wood ...

and we stayed for a few hours when we came to pick him up.

We left feeling refreshed, encouraged, & inspired.

We're thankful for the new friends that God brought into our lives at just the perfect time.

He's just so good to His children.

 The LORD bless you and keep you;  

 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  

 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways