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apple cider

Blog, Faith, Family, Parenting, prayer

Pumpkin fun: Louisburg Cider Mill with Annabelle & Violet

I had promised our granddaughters, Annabelle and Violet, to do something fun with them when this new year started. So I took them to the Louisburg Cider Mill pumpkin patch. I had no idea they were having a festival this weekend and it was so crowded–and hot!

First, though, I had lunch alone with our beautiful daughter Heather for us to talk. We tried out a new coffee shop in Belton, Kneaders, which also serves pastries and sandwiches. Heather and I both ordered the turkey-avocado-bacon sandwich. It was so yummy!

Lunch with our beautiful daughter Heather

Lunch with our beautiful daughter Heather

 

Turkey-avocado-bacon sandwich at Kneaders

Turkey-avocado-bacon sandwich

Here are Annabelle and Violet at the Louisburg Cider Mill. Such pretty girls and they are growing up so fast!

Annabelle & Violet at Louisburg Cider Mill

Annabelle & Violet at Louisburg Cider Mill

The line into the store which sold the apple cider and cider doughtnuts was ridiculously long, but it went fast. Naturally, it went all throughout the store so you’d be sure to buy things! I bought some postcards for family, and our cider doughnuts and drinks.

Violet commented on how rich the owners would be with all those people buying doughnuts. Yes, I wish I could bottle their secret and sell my books like that! Maybe I should get into the doughnut biz! 🙂 I thought this sunflower coffee cup below was really cute. 

long line into store

long line into store

 

sunflower cup

sunflower cup

I ordered 2 dozen doughnuts for our family. We sat in the shade on hay bales to eat our cider doughnuts and drink our apple cider. They were delicious!

Enjoying our cider doughnuts!

Enjoying our cider doughnuts!

 

Apple Cider

Apple Cider

As we ate, a band was playing bluegrass music with banjos. It reminded me of the TV show HeeHaw, which my father used to watch as he relaxed at night, drinking beer and eating salted boiled peanuts (boiled peanuts are a southern thing!). The girls and I listened awhile, although that’s not my style of music!

Crowd listening to bluegrass

Crowd listening to bluegrass music

There were lots of vendor booths at the festival. The girls wanted to get their faces painted. Violet chose a pretty flower and Annabelle picked a lovely butterfly. The young woman who painted these was so talented and sweet.

Violet with her flower face painting

Violet with her flower face painting

 

Annabelle with her butterfly face painting and the artist by her

Annabelle with her butterfly face painting and the artist by her

Violet and I noticed the white pumpkins and other unusual-colored ones. She said they looked painted. 

pumpkins

pumpkins

I did stop by another booth before we left to try some fresh-squeezed lemonade. It could have used a little more sugar, but was cold and tart.

lemons

lemons

Afterward, I babysat our precious granddaughter Piper, while her dad Craig and her mom Eden went out to Longhorn Steakhouse and to shop at Target for their two year wedding anniversary. I was happy that Piper said my name, “Nana.” When Violet and I clapped after she said Violet’s name, my name and other family’s names, Piper clapped, too. So cute!

Craig and Eden are expecting their new baby soon, so it may be awhile before they can go on regular dates after the baby comes! We’re excited about the new addition to our family!

Violet & Piper

Violet & Piper

 

Our daughter Eden & her husband Craig

Our daughter Eden & her husband Craig

Overall, it was a fun family day for me! I hope the girls enjoyed it, too.

Girls and me

Girls and me

I’m planning to do more fun things this year with my family. How do you make memories with your family? Ber sure to keep writing and doing your bucket list! Leave your comments below.

Blog

Organizing, cider doughnuts, and Pumpkin Pie candles for fall

autumn leaves quote

The last couple of days, I’ve been doing chores, cleaning out my closet, and taking clothes to GoodWill. Fall and spring are a great time of year to clean, organize, and declutter. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Here’s a few tips to organize and declutter:

  • Haven’t worn that piece of clothing in the back of your closet in 6 months to a year? Sell it, give it away to GoodWill (if it’s still in decent shape), or if it has holes, rips, is badly faded, etc., then throw it out. Some consignment shops will take gently used clothing, that you can sell to make a little money. It’s taking up space, which you can use for good, new things to come into your life!
  • Are you a book-aholic like me, and have stacks of books? Go through your personal library and choose some books that you’re already read (or haven’t), that you can part with to bless someone else. Some book stores even pay you a few dollars or cents for your books, so you can make a few bucks–or buy more books!
  • Is your Tupperware cabinet overflowing with extra lids and plastic bowls? Organize this space. Put all the same size bowls and containers together. Do the same for the lids. Or close the containers with the lids and neatly stack them on top of each other. Throw out or give away that extra lid! Like the one sock that has lost its mate, it will do you no good.
  • Tackle your junk drawer. Most families have one in the kitchen, bathroom, office, or somewhere, that is a place where everyone tosses random things in a messy pile: screwdriver, hammer, nails, picture hooks, scissors, cords, etc. Recently I went through ours and organized it, getting rid of anything we didn’t need. You’ll feel so much better–until it piles up again!
  • Look through your supply of sheets, pillow cases, and blankets before winter. If they are ripped and torn, get rid of them and buy new ones. Make sure your electric blanket isn’t real old and in good shape to prevent a fire hazard. Now is a good time to buy fresh, new pillows because of dust mites. You can find cute, colorful, soft pillows for your couches or loveseats at Walmart, Kohl’s, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Walmart has pretty, soft blankets to curl up in and read a good book this cold winter. 
  • Go through every room, closet, and drawer in your house. Look at with a sharp eye. Are there piles of papers? Drawers stuffed with junk you don’t need or use? Cobwebs and dust? Things are in disarray and needing organized? I highly recommend Jennifer Ford Berry’s cute, orange book, Organize Now!, for a complete guide on getting your home and life organized. Get it all done before the holidays hit, so you can just relax and have fun with your family and friends, not worried about your house looks. 

It’s also fun to buy inexpensive fall decorations, like this set of two appetizer plates inscribed with “Thankful/Grateful” and the ceramic orange pumpkin that I found at Target.

appetizer plates

appetizer plates

A fun, annual event that our family does in the fall is visit the Louisburg, MO cider mill, where we buy hot apple cider and eat delicious cider doughnuts. 

fresh apple cider

fresh apple cider

cider doughnuts

cider doughnuts

In autumn, we can enjoy deliciously-scented candles, too, like Pumpkin or Apple Pie or Cinnamon. Light your favorite one at meal time, or take a hot bath soak with lavender, with the lights dim and soft, instrumental music playing to de-stress after a long, hectic day.

Pumpkin scented candles - Pinterest

Pumpkin scented candles
Pinterest

And of course fall is time for Thanksgiving, when we celebrate God’s goodness with family and friends over a feast. My personal faves are the turkey, dressing with gravy, and pumpkin pie! (My mouth is now watering at the thought of the pie!)

http://www.promopro.com/shopping-tips/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Five-Best-Thanksgiving-Apps-for-Your-Perfect-Holiday-Meal.jpg

Thanksgiving meal

What are some of your favorite things about this season? Leave your comments below.

Blog, Parenting, Travel

The Simple Pleasures

I love simple pleasures.

Like the beautiful, long-stemmed red roses Ray spontaneously bought me one day. I love the appearance and smell of red roses so much, I could just eat them. 

red roses

red roses

Or the lovely fresh flowers my friend Liz Zacharias blessed me with for my September birthday.

Fresh flowers from Liz

Fresh flowers from Liz

Or the Hello Kitty surprise birthday package my friend Shelley owww.RochelleValasek.com sent to me this past week.

Hello Kitty package from Shelley

Hello Kitty package from Shelley

Lately I’ve been feeling bored and burned out with life and business. So today I decided to take the day off and drive with Leah to the Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg, Kansas. We bought cider doughnuts and apple cider. Yummy!

cider doughnuts

cider doughnuts

fresh apple cider

fresh apple cider

Leah is a young adult and different from me, so she doesn’t always think the same kinds of things are fun that I do. Here she is, eating her cider doughnut, sort of tolerating things.

Leah at Louisburg Cider Mill

Leah at Louisburg Cider Mill

Here she is, indulging me when I ask to take her picture again.

Leah at cider mill

Leah at cider mill

I teased her with the words from a sign, “Now, Leah, don’t walk on the pumpkins!”

She wasn’t amused. She often tells me, “Mom, you’re not funny!” Well, I think I am!

I guess some people have to actually be warned against doing this. Why would anyone want to walk on top of pumpkins?

Don't walk on the pumpkins sign

Don’t walk on the pumpkins sign

Leah was far more interested in the 2 cockapoodle puppies for sale at the cider mill, in a pen. This breed is a cross between an American Cocker Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel and a poodle (usually a miniature or a toy poodle).

cockapoodle puppies

cockapoodle puppies

 They were only $650 – EACH! I couldn’t believe this.

$650 puppies

$650 puppies

The puppies were asleep most of the time. One was so cute with his little tongue hanging out of his mouth. Leah wanted to take them home.

puppies asleep

puppies asleep

A young couple asked me to take their picture in front of the cider mill, which I gladly did. They looked happy. I should have taken their pic, too (on my camera).

Here you can see them on the left in this pic. I loved her outfit – red plaid shirt, leggings, and tall boots. 

young couple at cider mill

young couple at cider mill

Leah took mine right after I took theirs. It was a perfect, beautiful, fall day.

me at cider mill

me at cider mill

The mill has a store where you can buy all kinds of goodies – apple cider in half-gallon and gallon sizes, tea kettles, raw honey, an assortment of herbal teas, doughnut mix, horseradish, sauces, orange and yellow corn candy, chocolates, toys, etc.

I just bought a half-gallon of cinnamon apple cider, 2 postcards, and a box of tisane ruby mist tea for Leah, besides our cider doughnuts and small cup of cider. 

horseradish and sauces

horseradish and sauces

raw honey & tea kettles

raw honey & tea kettles

cinnamon apple cider

cinnamon apple cider

postcards

postcards

ruby mist tea

ruby mist tea

Outside the store there was a unusual flower bush with pretty, pink flowers on it, that Leah and I couldn’t identify. Do you know what it is?

Flowers always make me think of our oldest daughter Heather. Her name means a plant with various colored flowers. It’s most often associated with Scotland’s rocky highlands, where it grows profusely where few other plants can survive. But it grows on nearly every continent. 

pink flowers

pink flowers

Two little girls dressed alike in yellow dresses were playing at the mill. One of them danced on a stage area by haystacks, and then ran on top of the haystacks when her parents called her.

She amused me. Children have no inhibitions and are so free. What an example for the rest of us.

dancer in yellow

dancer in yellow

The drive to Louisburg in the country was beautiful – rolling green hills, the tree’s leaves beginning to turn red and yellow, cows and horses.

It was so relaxing and fun. Just what I needed today. Simple pleasures -just heavenly.