"When we had our children, our ideas changed somewhat. Thenceforward we lived only for them; they made all our happiness and we would never have found it save in them. In fact, nothing any longer cost us anything; the world was no longer a burden to us. As for me, my children were my great compensation, so that I wished to have many in order to bring them up for Heaven" -- Saint Zelie Martin, mother of St. Therese of Lisieux, canonized October 18, 2015 along with her husband St. Louis Martin.

Friday, October 21, 2016

7 Quick Takes: Pumpkin Farming

It's Friday!  I've never posted 7 Quick Takes before, but I'm going to see how this goes...I'm not sure what "7" things might come up.

1) Since I have photos uploaded, I will share that we made it to the pumpkin patch again this year!  We always opt for a very rural pumpkin farm experience.  This means no train rides and hay rides or elaborate corn mazes.  Just pumpkins and mud.  I love the large stretches of land and the beauty of the countryside.  For kids raised in the suburbs, I think this is balm for the soul.


 2) From the time she was very little, Rosie has had the hardest time choosing a pumpkin.  (The pictures are of Eowyn, so don't be confused).  I thought there were many beautiful pumpkin options.  Rosie wanted a good stem.  She also didn't like the "dirt side" of the pumpkins...which they all have.  Once she looked enough to realize they all had mud on one side she was more willing to choose.


 3) Legolas went running off at his pace (lightning) and managed to land his foot in a rotten pumpkin.  Rotten and filled with about three inches of slime water.  By the time I reached him he had one socked foot propped up on a pumpkin and a shoe in his hand.  This was about 30 seconds into our picking.   Luckily it went smoothly from there on out.


4) We always get caramel apples at the end of our time.  It's a tradition.  An increasingly expensive tradition!  You know, when you buy an apple or two with your first children and spend, say $5, you think, "this is so special".  When you buy 8 caramel apples at $2.50 a piece...you start thinking about buying a bag of Brach's caramels and start dipping your own!


5) And not to make myself sound like the cheapest of cheapskates, but honestly: I truly think I'm going to try to grow pumpkins next year!  First of all, I know they'll grow because I have seen my neighbors do so with success.  Secondly, pumpkins aren't cheap either!  And we have to buy 8 (soon to be 9) because that's also a tradition--that each kid gets to carve their own.  I think maybe a family pumpkin tradition would have been a good thing to start with.  But alas, we've got the tradition we have...so, I'm going to grow my own (or try) next year!

6) I'm out of thoughts on the pumpkin patch.  Here are a couple of pics of Arwen's b-day to round out #6 and #7.  Have a great weekend!

                                                  

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