Pressing Fall Leaves

 Last time we went to the canyon, we pressed leaves into our copy of The Book of Virtues. Weeks later, the leaves are still vibrant and perfect.

You might remember that last year, we took fall leaves and put them up in the window with contact paper. We'll probably be doing that again. I loved the look and feel of it. For details, see last year's post.

Happy Fall!

PS. If you are interested in a very LDS post about teaching your children about the Spirit, you can find my post at Latter-day Homeschooling.

Happiness is...

a pile of dirt.

Life is full of small joys, isn't it? To see more of my happinesses, click here.

Forest School

You'll probably think I'm a hippy, but I love this.

Dear Mother Nature. Thanks for the Snow.

One day last week, My Bebe said that he didn't have that much work to do. Hallelujah! I said. Let's do something fun in the morning. Then I told the kids, and Bubs, in an unusually sarcastic tone, said, What? Like go to the store and not buy anything?

We're certainly feeling the pinch of the economy like most of you probably are. I wracked my brain in frustration for a free place to go in freezing weather, other than, you know, the store...and came up empty.

BUT, the next morning we woke up to snow. Not a whole lot. Just enough for a free family activity.

Thanks, Mother Nature.

Making Apple Juice

On Saturday, we went back to the apple orchard for harvesting and pressing apple cider. Work doesn't get more fun than this! First, we picked apples. Bubs preferred climbing the trees and plucking apples one at a time.

The rest of us shook the apples out of the trees and placed them in buckets.



Carrying the buckets to the press was apparently a 4-kid job.


This orchard was heaven. I loved this horse tire swing.

After the apples were hosed off, they were dropped down the chute into a chopper that cut them up into small pieces...peel, seeds, and all.

Then, the pieces were dumped into a press and the juice was squeezed out. So yummy! We came home with several gallons of fresh, unsweetened (but amazingly sweet) cider.

Apple Picking, aka Some People should go straight to Heaven

We went to this gorgeous apple orchard. Usually the family sells their apples. This year, they have decided to let anyone have them for free because of the hard economic times. They should go straight to heaven when they die. They are angels.

I'm sure I'll be posting some apple projects and recipes soon!

Nature Walk with Baby

The other day, the two older kids went to play with friends, and I found myself with only the baby. My first instinct was to catch up around the house. Thankfully, Y-Y had bigger and better plans for me. Without other kids to watch, Y looked to me for entertainment...

So, I took him on a nature walk. What kind of nature 'walk' can a baby go on, you ask? I mean, he obviously can't actually 'walk'.

We went out and explored our yard. I held him up to a tree and said, "Touch," and he did.

I helped him reach out to a sunflower.

I sat in the grass with him.

We felt the autumn wind. We listened to a dog barking. We talked. He does talk, you know...in his own way.

We talked about our world. The nature right outside the door.

Escaping Out of Doors

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

I am told that when I was just old enough to talk, I would climb up to the windowsill and beg to go, "ow-side. ow-side." I have watched my babies beg for the same. Y-Y loves to be out. Daily, I pace the front yard trying to keep him contented. When I turn toward the front door, he tenses up and fusses until I turn away again.

Where does this longing originate?

When my sister was only a toddler, she saw a picture of a beautiful meadow with deer and sky as far as you could see. Barely able to speak, she said, "That's where Jesus lives."

Could it be that babies remember Heaven a bit more than we do? That they long to be in a place that reminds them of the peace they came from?

As an adult, isn't it still easier to feel closer to our Maker while appreciating the beauties of nature?

What a pleasure it is to watch my own little ones as they explore "ow-side" and glimpse the Heaven from whence they came.

Smell the Salt Air

One of the great side-effects of homeschooling/having an entrepreneurial husband is that you can wake up one day and say, "Let's go to the beach."

Laguna Beach, CA to be exact. Ahhhhhh. Beautiful. Rejuvenating. Warm. Peaceful.

Perfect.

(More about our trip to come.)

Our Latest Outdoor Adventure

Fall is the most beautiful time of year here. I am so glad we have lots of time to enjoy it together.

On our latest adventure, I hooked a fish on a fly rod. My Bebe honestly said that he felt a new level of love for me at that moment. Wow. He's a bit obsessed. (If you or a loved one happens to share his fly fishing obsession, check out his new blog.)

I look a little loopy here...



Since we forgot to bring a blanket, the kids made their own.




Yes. This is actually me. The girly-girl of the world. Trudging (and almost falling) through a river.

See you soon!

PS. These pictures were taken like 3 minutes from our house. Heavenly, huh?

Berry Pickin' at McBride Berry Patch

We were thrilled when Uncle Terry and Aunt Marissa invited us to go raspberry and blackberry picking with them. We made the short drive over to McBride Berry Patch in Mapleton. You can find the info here at PickYourOwn.org.

The day was cold and rainy, but we were all way too excited to be deterred.

I told Welly to wear long pants, so she asked, "Can I at least wear a skirt over my pants?" :)

Anyway, we picked tons of berries at 3 bucks/pound. (Anyone have a great recipe they want to share?)

Then (while I fed Why-Why in the car), the troops ventured into other parts of McBride farm. The McBrides (who I totally adored, by the way) told them to help themselves to some tomatoes and onions.

Don't these look awesome? Oh yeah, the onions, too.

We had such a lovely time. Truly. That was one of my favorite family outings EVER. Go check out McBride Berry Patch if you're local.

I'm sure we'll be going back!

Camping

Camping. I love it.I love the smell of the campfire and the taste of the bubbly brown marshmallows. I love the warmth around the fire and in my heart as we sit together in the evening...without phones, without computers, without even my beloved books. Just the family together around the fire.

After a lovely evening, comes the camping morning. Brisk and dirty. The morning in the mountains is when I can't help but feel close to my Creator. The mountains, the lake, the trees...all remind me of the One who made all these beauties for our pleasure.He must love us. A lot.

An Evening by the River

Thanks to our good friends, The Hausers, we enjoyed a quiet evening at the river...chatting, roasting marshmallows, enjoying the summer night, and fishing, always fishing.

Don't you wish you could follow this little path to the water? It looks like such a treasure, doesn't it? What dreams couldn't come true, right here in this quiet little spot?