Apple Butter Mix - in a jar!
This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Office Depot, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #inspirestudents http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
Just add apples and apple juice to 1/4 cup of the spiced brown sugar mix and you have delicious apple butter! What a great fall teacher appreciation gift!
We have a brand new Kindergartner in the house and we are loving it! Silas comes home from school every day with a grin from ear to ear. Our elementary school offers four "special" classes for the students: music, art, gym, and library. Of course his favorite day is gym day! There's an actual rock climbing wall along the back wall of the gym so he cannot wait until later in the winter when they get to try that out!
Of course the first day of school I was misty eyed, seeing my oldest lined up with all the other Kindergartners. The day I really got choked up? Last week, I believe it was Wednesday. The kids no longer line up right inside the door because they know where to walk already - right to their classroom by themselves. I gave Silas a kiss and watched him walk through those doors saying hi to the adults monitoring the hallway. One stopped him and told him she loved his Transformers backpack and he stopped and smiled and told her all about how much he loves them and what his favorite characters are.
I melted.
He's a kid you guys. An actual kid, not a baby or a toddler anymore. One that loves having a conversation with someone. Other than me. :) While of course this is a testament to him maturing, it's also made me realize how amazing they are doing at his school. In a little over two weeks, he has been taught enough routine to feel confident walking to his own classroom. The teachers and staff make him feel welcome and greet him with a bright face each morning. And while he's shared with me certain things he's not particular interested in doing (namely coloring, haha) his teacher has encouraged him to follow directions anyway and he absolutely loves being in Kindergarten.
I'm really just so appreciative of all that they do for the kids, I headed to my local Office Depot to throw together a quick gift for Silas' teacher. I know when I was a classroom teacher, this stuff was GOLD! I seriously went broke some years with all the money I spent on Expo markers and Sharpies. I was actually really impressed with how affordable these were at Office Depot. Those Neon Expo Window Markers look really neat - they can write on windows, mirrors, and of course dry erase boards. A variety of colors can really come in handy when you're teaching littles to read, which is SO hard to do! And of course Silas insisted we pick up those scented Mr. Sketch markers - I used to love those when I was a kid, too! We tucked them in a gift bag along with this jar of Apple Butter Mix, a few apples, and a "thank you" card.
We really, really don't appreciate them enough!
Apple Butter Mix makes one jar of mix, will prepare 4 batches of apple butter
1 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir all ingredients together well and pour into a mason jar.
Before cooking:
Delicious homemade apple butter! Mash it as smooth as you want.
Label Instructions (include this with the jar)
Peel, core and chop 4 large apples. Place in a saucepan with one cup apple juice. Bring to a boil and continue to cook 5-10 minutes or until apples are tender. Drain, mash as desired, and stir in 1/4 cup apple butter mix until well combined. Store in the refrigerator.
I love gifts like this that have both a personal and practical touch. We really hope she likes it! If you're thinking about making your own teacher feel really special, Office Depot Rewards has a great #TeachersChangeLives and #inspirestudents promotion where you can print a coupon for $5 off your $20 purchase of Expo, Sharpie, Papermate, and Mr. Sketch products (while supplies last). I don't know about you, but I'll take all the savings I can get! :)
Here are some more of my favorite gifts from the kitchen:
Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
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