Rich arrived home last night at about 8pm. Oh, I’m so glad to have him back, I feel much calmer and relaxed now. (downright sleepy) We celebrated his homecoming with a scrumptious Boston Creme Pie around the dinner table. We bowed our heads and prayed before we ate it. It was the best pie ever, filled with real whipped cream, and purchased with love from my favorite bakery in Sturbridge, MA, and eaten all together as a family.
This morning the weather was lovely, so we all got ready and went out for our annual apple picking adventure. This is the third year in a row!
Last year, I was just growing a belly, pregnant with Seth. I was tickled pink to have him along this year, in our arms, and I kept laughing at his cuteness.
We loaded up on a wagon and went for a tractor ride, to the apple orchard.
I don’t pick the apples. The bags are too small, and as it is, the five children get them filled up too quickly. I just have the pleasure (challange) of taking pictures of them as they run around, finding all those red round treasures. They wanted the smallest apples (for Seth), the biggest, and the reddest.
Miss Grace Lillian;
Jacob Richard;
Davy-do;
We picked Macoun and I plan on making some applesauce and freezing it, along with some apple pies, apple cake, apple bread, apple muffins, apple dumplin’s, apple ice cream,
(just kidding)……I doubt I’ll be baking ALL those things.
Sethie loved sucking on his own little apple (that Papa took some small bites out of, so he could get some nice flavor)…..
So very happy with my children all around me!
It was quite sunny.
Seth jawed on that apple for quite a while. Some ladies noticed him and thought he was the cutest thing.
Back at the apple farm store/shop, Rich and I got in line with apple cider and bought two bags of wonderful, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, cinnamon cider donuts!
The children waited outside at a picnic table, and when I returned, I found that Grace had done a good job eating her apple. She didn’t waste a bit, because after I took the picture she decided to go ahead and eat the whole thing.
Then, we ate our donuts. When I took my first bite, I was overcome with joy and said, “This is so good I think I’m going to cry”……it doesn’t take much to make me happy.
I made donuts the other evening. It was really easy. You take canned biscuit dough, poke a hole in the middle, and fry them in hot oil. Then, I dipped them in a glaze. The children and I ate them warm.
I only ate one today, but Ethan, Jacob, David, and Caleb all ate two.
Rich and I (this is so romantic) are wearing matching jackets!!! They were given to us on our trip last week!
When we left, I met a little kitten that lived in the house next door. I wanted to take him home with me.
He was pouncing around, chasing the leaves that were blowing in the wind.
After our apple adventure, we went to Walmart because Davy-do had no pants. Really, he was down to like one pair of churchpants and nothing else. How did that happen? I just realized this week as I was picking out his clothes every morning for school, that he had just shorts available. Now that it’s getting so cool, I was trying to find him pants to wear but wasn’t coming up with anything. I think I bought him about 7 pairs today, so he’s all set and I feel much better.
The boys bought cap guns at the store, and as I type, I can hear through the open window a loud and active war going on outside. Whoops, yells, hollers, laughter, and gunshots.It all comes from watching “The Lone Ranger” for the first time recently. Now they’re all inspired to shoot ’em up.
It’s a great day to be alive, a perfectly lovely fall day.
Rich is downstairs, sound asleep on our new couch. And I’m going to go putter in the kitchen. Time to make dinner (macaroni and cheese with hotdogs)……..
Lotsa love~ Shanda
Good to be Home 
We are going Apple picking Tuesday. I love making Mac-n-cheese with hot dogs! My girls love it too…it is a family thing to do. Love you and hope to catch up with you soon!
OH, I so want to be part of your adventures! This was a prefect Fall Saturday outing! You all look so great, and the apples so red. Tell Grace great job on eating that apple…LOL I love Caleb looking in the donuts bag, the cat in the fall leaves, Rich with Seth under the tree, Seth in the apples, you and all the kids…OK will that is almost all of them…good post!! We are supposed to go to the mountains and the apple farm in October. I hope the weather is cool. They will also have a historical re-enactment as well. Should be fun. I love the idea of Rich breaking in the couch!!
Sounds like a wonderful fall day!! Cool enough to wear jackets? How awesome! Can’t wait for that weather to hit here!
lovin’ this post! apple season is the best, and your day today looked like my kind of adventure! so glad you had the day with your lovely family! enjoy the rest of your weekend!~hugs~Rachel
How fun, I wish we had an apple orchard close to us!! I couldn’t even guess how far it is to the nearest one!!
I love the picture of you with the kids under the apple tree! You inspired me to switch to Xanga, what with all the nice big pictures you post. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your happy fall day…
i really love apple picking!! :))
Sounds like a wonderful day! When you get a chance would you post your donut recipe? And the one for the glaze? Sounds so good!! I love the apple pictures, I’m going to have to look for a orchard around us now:)
Great pics! We’re going to our local orchard tomorrow. I can’t wait.
Awesome photographs! Your family is so beautiful! I especially love the picture of Seth in the bin of apples! So cute! That is a great picture of you and your husband! Blessings!
someday when I visit up north I’m going to have to pick apples and try cider donuts. We don’t have either here, and they sound so good!If I didn’t know better, I’d thought you took a picture of our cat. She looks exactly like that, complete with the playful part 🙂
This post reminds me of the time we went to the pumpkin patch…such sweet memories.
Love it!
What a fun day you had!
There Seth is AGAIN, looking so irresistably adorable, gnawing on that apple. How can you get anything done with that little face constantly in view??! <3The family pictures of you all under the apple-laden branches are AMAZING. Grace is starting to look less like a little girl and more like a young lady. She is so beautiful! The picture of you and Rich is great, too, and of course it is romantic to match.
I would have to read this when I’m hungry and there is no food available! ~ too late to eat anyway ~ goodnight!
Apple cider donuts? YUM! Your pictures are great, especially te one of you and Rich; it’s fabulous and you both look genuinely happy! Love, GAil
This made me recall trips I used to take with my girls every year to the apple farm. I miss that! I love the fried cakes you can buy! We used to take our cider and fried cakes out to the lake and watch the wind surfers. Ahh… good memories! Did Rich like the new living room? I am glad he is back with his family, as I know you are! Blessings on your Sunday!
Good Morning, What a lovely lovely post. Great photo’s. I would like to steal Seth-in-the-apples-bed and put it on my Dutch weblog for my blogfriends to visit you…would you find that ok ? Or rather not…you can tell me straight forward…I think you lost a lot of weight, haven’t you ? Since Seth is around ? You are such a sweet and good looking lady…can you eat apple cider donuts…just like that..now, I mean with such a busy family to tend you, you probably don’t sit down much..Enjoy all this beauty .. a lotGodeliva van Ariadone
Ohh. This brings back memories of our apple trees on the hill behind our house when I was growing up. It would be wonderful to take the children through such a great fall experience.The cider and donuts make my mouth water so last evening we made apple fritters.Happy Autumn!
Your kids are so cute!! The apple orchard looks beautiful.
Oh Shanda! This post!!! I’ve been craving apples lately (much like when I am pregnant) and my mouth watered as I looked at those luscious apples on the trees (and so close to the ground, too!!!!) – slurp!!!
Love the family pictures!! I’d love to find an orchard that the children could pick their own apples. I’d like to make some applesauce to freeze (and of course make cakes, pies, apple crisp…:). This post was wonderful. Thanks for taking me along!! I am so refreshed.
This is such a “warm” post. Great pictures ~ especially the one of you and Rich. 🙂
I’ve been following your blog for a long while now and am always very much encouraged. I remember you started crocheting a while back … are you still pursuing this? I know that you like piggys too … so I couldn’t help but think of you as I was crocheting these little pigs (http://tonyandshayna.blogspot.com/2009/09/little-piggy-crochet-pattern.html) and just wanted to share the pattern with you.
THAT CAT LOOKS LIKE BLUEY—and yet I purposely put that in CAPS! Is that why you wanted to take him home? I loved that cat! Anyway onto the rest of the post . . . I loved all the pictures but Grace, where is your smile? Jeremy and I cracked up about the war and Lone Ranger–good one Shan! Love you, Lish
I had been meaning to call you all week because I know it is hard to have him gone, I am sad now that I missed my window! But so glad for you that he is home and that you are calm and happy. It rained today and it brought so many leaves down on the roads, it always makes me miss my sister in CA who does not get to see these fall colors, she would love love the outing you had at the apple orchard!Those fresh donuts are so good, Steve and I had them last year and there is nothing like them!
Oh Fall. How I miss you.Florida just doesn’t provide the same Joys of the northern fall season. It’s more like.. “Drink Pumpkin spice latte dreaming that you’re in chilly weather where it makes sense to drink such hot beverages… and dream that its really not 85* outside.”I love the pic w/ the one Davy? holding two apples. Simply adorable!
There’s nothing like apple picking in New England. I remember going every fall when I was growing up. One of my favorites is caramel apples. Oh, I’m longing for some cool weather. We’ve had another heat wave this weekend.The picture of you and your babies is my favorite! Have a good week.
We went apple picking as well this weekend (and last weekend too!), and it was amazing–blue skies, sunshine, red apples, and smiles all around! And of course now I’m staring at my bushel of apples wondering if I’m possibly going to have time to take care of all these before they go bad! Lots and lots of applesauce … and apple crisp, of course. :)Love the pic of Davy with the apples, and Grace in the orchard. She is such a beautiful young lady, not only on the outside, but you can see her sweet spirit shining through even in pictures.
The apples look wonderful!!!! My 4 yr. old wondered if these pictures were all painted when he saw them!!! Guess he thot they were perfect!!!
MMMM I want some cider donuts!! Boy would I love to visit New England in the fall.
LOVE apples~ and everything about them. 🙂 can’t wait to get to our orchard… fun post. sweet pictures. happy monday.
Oh what is not to love about this entire post. I could fairly smell and taste the fresh apples. But I’ve gotta tell you, the cap guns brought back great memories. I can smell that little acrid scent as the firing pin hits it’s mark. I was Annie Oakley again. Love you!
Shanda,What a delightful apple outing! Sounds wonderful and delicious!I have some lovely Storybook Heirloom dresses that I am parting with if you are interested. I’m not sure how tall your daughter is. I have sizes 10, 12, and 14. I don’t have many listed yet but they are gradually going up on my site. I was so sad when Storybook Heirlooms went out of business as they had the loveliest dresses there.Blessings,Gina
What fun!!! That picture of you and your hubby is great ~ you look so incredibly happy! Isn’t marriage with Jesus just bliss?!?! Blessings!