Ten Apples Up on Top

This past Friday, we left all the laundry and dirty dishes behind as we headed up the road to Sky Top apple orchard. We met Clay and Brooke plus 6 (and 2 extra kiddos) to pick apples and eat donuts. This is the first time I have made it to pick in September, and let me just say it was hot in the sun. We picked apples and enjoyed donuts. The kids played and had a great time.

We have since been eating a lot of apples- cooked apples, apple cake, raw apples, apples with caramel dip and you get the idea. We've been reading books about apples, learning about Johnny Appleseed and making our own little books about apples, too. I do love this time of year with the anticipation of cooler weather.

Ava & Jenna have started American Heritage Girls which is a Christian scouting organization for girls. I am co-leading their group of 20 something Pathfinders. This group has been around since the mid '90's but this is the first troop in Columbia. We are learning as we go! That's what has been going on at our little house. P.S. We do have a new children's book which is sweet and cute. If you like Beatrix Potter, you will like these books as well. It is the complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem. It is about little field mice. There is a story for each season plus a few more. The illustrations are so divine.

Fairytale Princesses

So, I continue to be a very bad blogger. I just can't seem to post as often as I think about it. Our week has been a whirlwind of activity. I'd tell you about it, but I am too tired. The girlies attended a birthday party of a sweet friend this evening wearing full princess (or mermaid) attire. Ava is most proud of her "dress up" hair.

I finally finished smocking ONE Christmas dress. I have also managed to sew each girl a cute tiered skirt for fall/winter. I hope to cut out a sweet fall dress for them over the weekend to start on in the next week or so. I will continue to work on the additional Christmas dress, too. At least, it is portable since the smocking is done by hand.

We have finished 5 weeks of school so far this year, and I am really trying to stay out of the "are we doing enough, or the right things" trap and just trust that what we chose to do for this year is sufficient.
I had a bit of a difficult day today, and actually, we did not do any school. I still have 4 loads of clean but unfolded laundry, and I don't even know how much dirty laundry. Those of you who know me well, know that laundry is my thing. I can somehow live with a dirty bathroom (ickk, but true) but ever expanding dirty laundry throws me into panic mode. I don't even know how I am typing instead of folding right now. Maybe I am being healed from my obsession with laundry OR maybe I have been overwhelmed ALL day and just cannot do ONE more thing. I am going to rest and read a book now. God is good, and I am going to rest in Him.