Apple Picking Time

My family went home yesterday and Jon's parent's are here for a week longer. SO much to do in such a short time.

Today we went apple-picking at a farm about 30 minutes NW of us in Westminster, MD.

(He hit the 5' mark this month.)

(She's 4'4" already and fast!)

I love this shot.

I have never seen such enormous apples! They were gorgeous.

I wasn't familiar with some of the varieties, so to test them out I'd find a nice looking apple that had already fallen from the tree and eat as much I wanted then trade with Jon or the kids for whatever variety they were eating. We were so deliciously full by the time we made it back to the weigh-in station. The bees had the same idea, but they liked the ones that weren't so pretty anymore.

We love the bees.

Sis was thrilled to ride on a "train" (really a tractor pulling a trailer with covered benches) to the orchard and a haywagon back.

I would love to have had more time and more people to play hide'n'seek or tag with in the orchard.

A Little Piece of Heaven on Earth

The cottage garden

It's only 25 miles from my home. I can't believe I didn't know about this before now. I love little discoveries like this one.

Its one of those things that just eludes you but when you find it, another little piece of the puzzle of who you are is made more complete. We all have our "things" that bring us joy, help us feel closer to God, and remind us of who we are. Gardens are one of my "things" and the Ladew Gardens is that kind of place for me. It makes me all squinty eyed to think about it.

The rose garden

The croquet garden

It is a magical and lovely set of gardens that wind in and out of each other with such ease. Imagine Mary Poppins, Alice and Wonderland and Italy and England all rolled into one. (At least that's what I did.)

The topiary gardens were amazing. I have never seen anything like them. What a magical space.

Let me just say, as I look at pictures and think of how I felt as I wandered about, I am filled to the brim.

Oh to have bees!

The yellow garden

My camera, nor my photography skills were able to truly capture the beauty of this place, but I tell you as I walked the grounds, I felt as though I were home. I could lose myself so easily to a place like this.

The koi pond

The iris garden

I wish I could post all the pics I took.


This place truly is a little piece of heaven. Even the house, workshop, greenhouse and garages were charming.

I am a simpleton I guess. This is what I want in life, a place where I can wander about with my heart and my hands in the soil. Tending young plants and taming the older ones. Making everything a bit better for having been there. It dawns on me now that I have exactly that living in an apartment in the city. For I am a gardener every day of my life. Already. Now. My children are those tender young plants striving to grow strong roots, needing proper nourishment and light in order to grow healthy and tall, that they might become something wonderful and glorious. Not only am I a worker in this great endeavour, but I am also a plant in this lovely garden and the Lord is the Master Gardener. You see, I am that older plant that needs taming. It's a much more difficult and tedious job to tame something rather than train it you know. Both jobs take constant vigilance but the older plant at times can grow stubborn, prickly, unwieldy. Sometimes you have to cut it back a little to give it a chance to grow properly again. The Lord does that for me. I am grateful. And I am grateful to recognize the subtle lessons he teaches me everyday, in places like this, in my home, inside of myself. Finally, whether I recognize it or not, I do have my heart and hands in the soil every day. I can choose to look at the work I have as a drudgery or a gift. If you know me at all, you know I like to get my hands dirty and I like to work hard. I think it's time I dig in with more enthusiasm and gratitude. Happy planting!

Yes, that is a rose behind my handsome husband.

Here is the stubborn older plant that has been pruned down a bit. Won't it be stunning when it's grown a bit?!

A younger plant being trained up in the way it should go. Its so vibrant!

(Sidenote: Notice the lovely grasses around the plant. They look nice, but make it trickier to get to the plant. Don't we as parents do this sometimes? Putting obstacles in our way that make it more difficult to fulfill our roles. Time to get out the spade.)

Sis' Baptism Day

Sis and Jon - I've got to do something about that tie

What a wonderful day we had on Sis' baptism day. There were a few little hiccups, but nothing major. Every baptismal day has to have a story to tell later. Sis got hers too. (Ask me later and I'll tell you all about it.) Jon was great, I was uncharacteristically calm and Sis was amazing.

(Ok, so due to the little hiccup, we never got an "official" pre-baptism picture. I had them pose for one at home a few days later, hence the red cami Sis is wearing. Pretty funny actually. Jon is a good sport to do this for his mom and I.)

The fam

The most beautiful women I know.

It was such a blessing to have so many of our family there from so far away. I miss them all so much.

Cousin Day @ the Zoo

We love the zoo. It's our little hangout. We had a great time sharing it with our cousins.

Not too sure about the carousel

I love this little person

Mads doing what she does best - tormenting Max

I love that we get to spend so much time with M&M. Its almost as though they are siblings not cousins. Lou is done having kids. I am done. E&E get to have the little brother and sister they never had and M&M get the same. Its a wonderful arrangement and I don't have to change diapers.

Lego Store

When Mom and Lou came to town we did a little shopping...

Max and E - a joyful and monumental occasion

I have to say I think this made E"s year. His first visit, but certainly not the last. Thanks Mom!

100% Stone Ground Wheat

Can you smell it?

I did it. I made a loaf of whole wheat bread that was perfect. I used only whole wheat flour and steel cut oats. It was delicious and filled me with such satisfaction. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Garden Boxes of Bolton HIll

Check these beauties out! The window boxes - not the kids.

Sis in front of an urn filled with begonias and ivy.

Boxes are filled with petunias.

E getting lost in impatiens. Wow!

A Baltimore favorite - Sweet potato vines.

The residents of Bolton Hill really take pride in their homes. These are just a few of the sites to be seen where we walk everyday.

Daddy Daughter Date

Jon doing his best to pose like he did in HS. Sis so excited she's about to jump out of her own skin.

Daddy-daughter dates are the best!

Jon took Sis to dinner and then dancing at the annual DDDance in our LDS stake here. They really go above and beyond. I've never seen anything like it. The cultural hall aka gymnasium was transformed. There was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The floor had been made to look like cobblestones. The tables were set in a round and in the center was dancing.  They had a violinist playing during dinner and dance instructors to help afterwards.  They even got their pictures taken (just like HS) to take home.

At one point while they were dancing Jon said Sis was looking at her feet, counting out the steps and he reminded her to look up at him and not her feet, like the instructor had told them. When she looked up, she was beaming! He said he had never seen her so lit up. It was an absolutely magical night.

Late Night

My daughter is in tune with me already. Its uncanny. You see, when I am sick I often can't sleep. My body doesn't like being horizontal and try as I may, I just can't sleep sitting up. The result? Late nights spent wishing I was sleeping. There have been nights, many in fact, where Sis can somehow sense this and wakes up inexplicably. I'll be reading or on the computer in an utterly silent house and still she wakes. She doesn't just wake, she is awake. We're talking WIDE awake. No groggy voice. No squinty eyes. Just wide awake and ready to chat. Last night was one such occasion. She came into the living room and asked if it was time to be awake. She was ready and if I had told her 1:30 am was the right time to start her day she would have done it. What resulted was a very long night with me escorting her back to bed multiple times. One such time, she came in and informed me that the cat was chasing a really fast bug in the dining room. My first thought - a roach! That had me out of bed in a hurry - which is funny because I don't know what I would have done except scream and climb up on a chair, which also would have been incredibly helpful - but turned out to be an old friend, the house centipede. Some bread and milk and a few hugs later and she was tucked in for the night. I wonder why I'm not getting better? ;)