Fall Farm Tour

It's that time of year again :) I LOVE driving around the countryside and seeing all the beautiful landscapes and colors!

Our first stop was Sunny's_Corner_Farm. The girls got to "paint a pony" and go on a pony ride. For an added bonus they got to help brush down one of the horses before the owner took him out for a ride.




Next we went to Ayrshire_Farm. We took a hay ride from the "parking lot" to the farm. The girls did face painting and painted some pumpkins to bring home. We got to see all kinds of animals and produce, try some fresh organic turkey and apple cider. We also bought some apple fritters -I could eat those all day long!!

After the farm we headed over to Hunter's_Head_Tavern for lunch. Most of the food they serve is from Ayrshire Farm -local, organic, and very yummy. Clay had the pulled pork sandwich. I had the butternut squash and goat cheese lasagna (with sweet potato fries!!). Rebekah had the best tasting mac & cheese I have ever had!! I think Emma ordered a pizza.

From there we drove through the cute old town of Middleburg and stopped in the Home_Farm_Store, another place that you can buy food from the local farms. They had an old fashion ice cream shop upstairs. They also had THESE!! Maple frosted donuts topped with bacon! I really wasn't sure whether I should be grossed out or start drooling...

A day off

Columbus Day ended up being a day off for Clay. It is not usually, but this year since Christmas and New Years both fall of Sundays, they had a couple of extra holidays to throw in.

We decided to make a fun day of it! We started out with breakfast at Lansdowne_Resort. Still the best breakfast place we have found in the area.

Then we headed over to Temple Hall Farm for their Corn_Maze and fall festival. This is what the maze looked like this year (more about that civil war battle in a later post). The girls love doing the maze. They have little trivia sheets to help you get through it. The girls run ahead looking for the t-post with a number on it. Then we read the corresponding trivia question. The multiple choice answers tell you which direction to turn.


Have you seen these pillow bounces?

This year they had this fun water pump game with the rubber duckies. The girls could have spent all day playing with that.

Time for a cow train ride.

After the farm we picked up some pizza and sat at a local park to eat it.

Then the girls wanted to go roller_skating. It's a fun little place that has music playing to skate to. There are arcade games, video games, ping-pong tables, and even a shuffle board. And when you get tired, just skate over to one of their worn couches and plop down for a spell.

What a great day :)

Raising Boys

Actually, I have no idea how to raise boys. I don't have any. But we are raising two Daddy's Girls. They love to watch Clay play Zelda. They ask him at dinnertime if they can watch him play each night. Then they sit and watch and ask questions periodically. Emma has tried to play by herself but she gets scared of the "bad guys". So she is content to watch him play.

Clay has also gotten them interested in watching baseball and football. They are getting a good education on how each game is played, and most importantly who to root for!

an up-do

Taking pictures of myself in the bathroom is a little challenging, but I wanted to show what my hair looks like with an up-do.

(and the back)

Believe

Do you believe in fairies?

Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.

Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true.

Going Curly

Emma's hair is looking just like mine did when I was her age. It is starting to show signs of going curly, especially around her neck. She has been asking me to style her hair curly. So, here it is! I didn't use anything other than my Deva Curl products to wash, condition, and gel her hair. It is all her. What do you think??

General Conference Weekend

Twice a year our church holds a General_Conference. There are 4 sessions (+1 for the men), 2 hours each, over the weekend. It is an opportunity for us to receive direction and counsel from our prophet and other church leaders.

While I know this is what I need most spiritually, it can be a challenge to sit for 8 hours. So I have developed a bit of a strategy to make it an enjoyable weekend for all of us.

Cheez-itz for Conference_Bingo

Crayons to color the ties of each speaker

Oatmeal_Carmelitas as a reward if the girls are quiet

popcorn and M&Ms for snacks

7-layer dip for lunch

dinner in the crock-pot so I can sit and listen

Then on Saturday evening is the extra session just for the men. I put the girls to bed, grab my iPod and go into the basement to scrapbook while Clay is at his meeting.