Apple Pickin'

Last week my Mother-in-law came for a visit. We decided that since none of us had ever been apple-picking that we would find an orchard and go. When we lived in NY we had a couple of apple trees on a hill behind our house so, we never really needed to go anywhere to get apples!

We found a great place in Stow, MA called Honeypot Hill Orchards. It was about a 40 minute drive. Let me just say, that the drive there was breathtaking. New England in the fall is beyond words.

Here we are posing by the silly scarecrow.

Can you see the tiny turtle on the rock? I thought this was so cute.

Of course, you can't resist sampling a big, juicy apple!

My husband saw some good ones up a little higher than any of us could reach so,

of course he did a little climbing.

It rained on our drive there, but managed to stop long enough for us to pick

our apples and have a visit with the farm animals. The rain started up again as we drove away.

Thanks, God. :)

us with nana.

Of course, you can't go apple picking without some apple cider made right there

and some yummy cider donuts...they were a big hit!

I think we might make a tradition out of this.

Did any of you pick apples this year? I'd love to hear about it.

VBS

Last week, our kids attended a VBS at a nearby church. In case you're not familiar with what VBS is, it stands for Vacation Bible School. It is almost like a day camp where your kids go and learn about God and have tons of fun! This was their first time ever going to VBS. Because I homeschool, we spend a lot of time together so, I think it was as good for them as it was for me, to get a little break.

To be honest, I didn't know what I would do with myself alone for three hours! I wanted to make the most of this week. After it was over, I second-guessed whether or not I used my time wisely. My hubby and I snuck in a breakfast date on Friday morning. (one of our favorite dates that don't happen often). We stumbled upon this diner that uses fresh and local ingredients and everything was homemade. Their coffee was even Fair Trade and the prices were very reasonable. It was fun.

Anyway, I digress, Back to VBS...

I know several people from this particular church and knew it would not only be safe but, they would have a great time. Let's just say "A" cried when it was all over. I totally understood the let-down that she felt at the end. We all go through that when there's such a high and then all of a sudden, it's over. I told her I feel that way when Christmas is over.

At the end of the week, they had a Grand Finale in the evening where the parents could come and see the kids perform the songs they had been practicing. It was so cute. I managed to capture some video on my phone.

My kiddos are on the far left corner. "K" has on a blue shirt and "A" is next to him off to the side a little.

Did your kids attend a day camp or VBS this summer?

Best Friends?

I don't know about your kiddos but, mine do not always get along. I'm sure you are completely shocked by that statement, especially if you are looking at the photo below, right? Although they have their moments, like all siblings, there are also some very precious moments.

Yesterday, during his quiet time my son had filled a gift bag with some of his toys and books that he wanted to give to his sister. He is a very generous boy and loves to give. After their quiet time "K" presented the bag to her sister. She was so excited that her brother was sharing some of his favorites with her. Some time had passed and I overheard her from the dining room saying "K, I love YOU more than the gift." That was quite a notable moment for me. I must admit, I did get a little misty over that one. All of the rough moments just seemed to fade into the background. That will be one of those "remember when" moments when they get older for sure.

And lastly... I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world.

Another Captured Memory...

Ahhh....those lazy summer days!

This was one of those moments that just had to be caught on camera.

*This pic was taken at my Mother-in-laws pool.

Making Memories...

As promised, here is another picture from our visit back home!

During our visit, two of Kent's sisters and their families came as well. There were 9 kiddos and 7 adults! "K" and "A" love seeing and spending time with their cousins. We all live in different parts of the country so, it was really special to get to be with them. We were missing Kent's sister Kristina and her daughter. :(

Nana (Kent's mom) made all of the granddaughters these adorable strawberry sundresses and they all wore them one day. 3 little ones are missing from this picture.

I just noticed that they are all lined up from younger to oldest...that was unplanned. How cute!

On the day this picture was taken; we all walked down to the town drugstore to get penny candy...the walk was hot but, the treat at the end made it well worth it. Then we all came back and took a dip in the pool.

As crazy as it might have been with all of the kids, wonderful memories are always made when they are together.

Times with friends...

Yesterday was a special day. A day of tradition with extra special people mixed in. Friends from New York came to visit over the Holiday and we had an exceptional time. Yesterday we ventured out to Marlborough Massachusetts to do our annual tree hunting. It was great to have them along. We found a small, simple farm with lovely trees. It was not raining or snowing, but boy was it windy. We trampled through the forest of trees to find the "perfect one." not too big, not too small, not too fat. Perfect for the corner near the fireplace. Alas, we found it. After much discussion and going back and forth, we had decided on one. Kent and the kids helped cut the tree down and loaded it onto a pull sled. Hot chocolate and candy canes satisfied our chills, and our sweet tooth. For a split second, I felt as though we were back in New York. In our small town, picking out our tree like always. I quickly remembered where we were as we arrived back in the city. We all decorated our tree while listening to Christmas carols and sipping hot spiced cider. I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was the perfect ending to a great week. Now, Kent is heading back to NY for a meeting and the kids and I are very tired from the weeks festivities and a little crabby I might add. (Me, mostly). I would love a nap. We'll see. Our table will be graced with leftovers once again and our hearts will be full of memories with special friends. I am now listening to banging and screaming from the upstairs bedroom...needless to say, time for me to close. :)

Pictures to come.

Lookin' Back on Days Gone By...

I graduated from High School in 1996. Honestly, it seems like it wasn't that long ago. I have vivid memories of my times in High School; some good, some not so good. I keep my yearbooks on our bookshelf in the living room and occasionally, I'll take a minute and peek at them for fun. Recently, I found a memory book from my Senior year in high school. It was a book that I used to document memories from that year. We were given it along with our yearbook. Today, I flipped through the book and was literally laughing out loud! I was only 17 but, I remember feeling like I was such an adult and I had it all together and I knew everything. Now, 13 years later, as I look back on some of the things I had written, I was thinking..."I thought I was so with it...and I was really ridiculous!" My whole life back then was all based on my social life, which was fine by me and not fine with my parents. Everything revolved around my Boyfriend and having fun. Now, I know it's Ok to have fun but, I admit that at times there is such a thing as too much fun...and I had it. Anyway, the point of this post is to share with you some of the things that I had written in this book...the non-personal stuff of course. I thought it would be fun to take a peek into my 17 year old brain. Disclaimer: I was dead serious when I wrote all of this. Feel free to laugh, I did! (My modern-day common sense commentary in parentheses)

This particular page in the book was called "So, What Now?"

My goal in life is to...become a singer and be famous (that was reaching a little bit)
Summer after Senior year I will...party! (sounds promising)
My plans after high school...work for a year.
My career will be...a professional vocal performance artist
I'd like the yearly salary of...$100,000 or more
Marriage Outlook...Marry a Doctor and have 1 or 2 kids (well, I got the 2 kids part right!)
Family plans...have one or two kids
I'll drive a...Sports car (yeah, with 2 kids...that'll work.)
And I'll own a...record label (I really knew how to dream, didn't I?)
I will live in a...Mansion (I'm perfectly happy with my 4 bedroom split-level)
I will travel to...Europe (still a goal)
My friends will become...my roadies (I'm sure my friends were thinking "Gee, thanks. How nice of you. How did you guess my main goal in life was to handle your sound equipment? )

Funny, right? You know what the cool thing is? My life is completely different from what I thought it would be back then, and I'm so glad. I would not change a thing about my life. This also tells me where my heart was back then, and it definitely wasn't for serving The Lord like it is now. I'm glad that my heart has changed and I now have a family to serve God with. I still wouldn't mind having the sports car, though!

Making Memories...

It's apple season! Yay! I love apples. Honeycrisp happen to be my favorite. If you've never tried one you must! Yesterday, we decided to go and pick some apples and we didn't even have to get in our car. We discovered a little gold mine in our own back yard...we have 2 apple trees! If you've ever been to our house, you will know that we don't have much of a backyard but, there is a huge hill behind our house overgrown with bushes and trees, and up high on the hill are our lovely apple trees. Kent went up the other day and picked a few to see if they were any good, and boy, are they ever! I am pretty sure they are of the Gala variety but, I'm not an apple expert. So, last night I decided to take the kids up and let them pick some apples. I thought it would be an opportunity to make some memories. I'm always thinking about that for some reason. I want to create memories for my kids, and they don't even have to be big, fancy, planned out ones, even if it's of painting rocks in the front yard or picking up the nuts off of the front lawn and throwing them into a big bucket. It doesn't even matter to them, they just love to spend time together with me. Sometimes I, in an attempt to make a memory, bite off a little more than I can chew. Like, going to the lake by ourselves with one who loves to swim and one who doesn't. So, I stick to things I know I can handle now. Ok, back to the apples. Now, there weren't many on the trees, they were all on the ground so, we were sorting through to find the good ones. I gave the kids directions...1. no worm holes 2. No other holes or open spots. 3. No rotten ones. K happened to be the best apple picker. He would pick one up off of the ground and say "this looks like a good one", and indeed it was. He picked more than I did. Now, I am thinking about all of the delicious goodies I can make with these apples. My husband has put in a request for a pie so, I'll definitely do that. Maybe I'll make some applesauce and apple crisp. I've always wanted to make apple butter! I may need to pick a few more apples to make all of that. The best part about all of this is that I didn't have to buy the apples...and we made a great little memory out of it. I'm just thinking about when the kids get older and they'll say "hey, mom do you remember when we used to go up the hill and pick apples when we were younger?" And I'll say "yes...I do." So...what about you? I'd love to hear some memory making moments from all of you...Please share. Maybe we'll all get some great ideas!

*Here's a fun website to check out with recipes, info, and great tips...

The Fruit and Veggie Guru!