Fresh Produce

Last night after apple picking we juiced majority of the 40lbs of apples and made three batches of apple jelly! My mom whipped up another batch of jelly before breakfast bringing our total up to 35 pint jars. They looked so pretty sitting on my mom's counter all lined up. 

The children requested Gramma's pancakes for breakfast and Camilla pulled up a chair to help flip.

Gramma spoiled them and made each of their names with batter. They were so excited they didn't want to eat them.

Once their bellies were full we drove down the road and picked apples at a neighbors place. They had more than they needed and offered my parents any that were left. The boys were tickled to climb the ladder and pick! The trees were loaded with beautiful apples and we spent a few hours picking boxes full. 

It was such a wonderful bright, sunny day for apple picking! It ended up being much warmer than I thought it would be!

They always make sure to bring their hats to "catch" the apples from whoever is up on top of the ladder picking.

I even caught these two snacking as they worked! I love that they were able to enjoy fresh, organic apples right off the tree. They were so yummy!

He ate, and ate, and ate....

I discovered that this little guy is quite the climber! I've never had a climber this young before, so it's fun (and slightly terrifying).

It was a great way to spend the morning.

More jelly was made in the afternoon...

Seriously, such pretty apples!

I loved looking out and seeing the giant picnic table covered in fresh produce to be made into something yummy!

In the late afternoon I loaded up the littles and drove across the highway to visit with my childhood bestie and her Mamma. I haven't seen her for a long time, so it was nice to catch up and meet each others kids! I miss hanging out with this lady. We had such fun growing up across the road from each other.

Gramma whipped up a yummy chicken stew for dinner with the canned chicken and garden veggies tucked away in the basement.  It was so full of flavor! The kids ate it all gone with the promise of ice cream if they licked their bowls clean. Joe hugged me tight after dinner and promptly said, "Your hair smells good, Mom!" He quickly took his sweet little hands and gently grabbed a few strands to smell again. It was the best part of my entire day!