Apple Pickin'

U-Pick at Los Rios.

Cute little apple stand.

My little apple blossom.

Faith.

Grace gets a boost from daddy.

Faith finds a good one.

Are these ripe?

Grandma & Faith.

Grandpa came, too!

Wonderful memories.

Little farmers.

Me and Grace.

They still had some raspberries!

Cuties.

Entertainment.

mom & son.

Faith rides Emmy.

Grace rides Rose.

Faith says, "Hooray!"

Our bounty- these lovely Spartans.

The result- Apple Crisp with Vanilla Bean ice cream- YUM!

We spent Labor Day pickin' apples in Oak Glen. We even managed to get Grandpa out of the house to join us! The weather was much cooler up there and it was nice to be able to sit under the shade and have a wonderful breeze and picnic after being out in the sun, picking our bounty of apples and raspberries.

Almost every time we go, the girls ask if they can have a pony ride so again, we let them pick their favorite horse. I always tell myself that I'm not going to take anymore pictures of them on the ponies (I have so many) but I can't help it!! They are just too stinkin' cute! Ah, well...

I made my first apple crisp when we got home and it did not disappoint! It was so easy and SO GOOD! My girls LOVED it. Morgan said it was even better than apple pie! I'll take it. :)

"Mommy, Am I Beautiful?"

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."

*This post comes from a blog I enjoy reading called Raising Homemakers.

It seems to me, that when a young woman knows the correct answer to this pivotal question, she uses her time more wisely, and she gives more generously. She enjoys godliness with contentment, which is great gain! A young woman who understands the secret of true beauty will build her home with supreme wisdom and fruitfulness.

I recited this little rhyme when my daughters were infants as I tickled their faces (”Beautiful faces…”), clapped their hands (”Beautiful hands…”), and jiggled their feet up and down (”Beautiful feet…”). Then, of course, I would tickle them like crazy afterwords.

Now that the little girls are getting older, this poem comes up as we’re getting ready in the morning. I recite it about the girls themselves; I recite it about myself.

Beautiful faces are they that wear

The light of a pleasant spirit there.

Beautiful hands are they that do

Deeds that are noble, good, and true.

Beautiful feet are they that go

Swiftly to ease another’s woe.

My girls are at that age where true beauty and its biblical definition are being pondered, tested, and processed. They've even seen it being played out in the world around them. Let's face it, some little girls can be nasty. I'm passionate for my daughters to know the correct answer to this ever present and distinctly female question. The sooner they know this answer, the easier it will be to make better decisions. And as the author mentioned above, they will be able to "use their time more wisely." I plan to introduce an extra poem during our school time today. :-)