more of virginia

i didn't do so well at capturing the rest of our time in va, but i did get a few shots in here and there

one evening angela invited us over to her house for some amazing fajitas

loved hanging out in her cozy little home :)

charlie wasn't too sure about this little person invading his space lol

i was super blessed to have friends come all the way down from delaware to see me and bump!!

we had a delicious lunch at the Little Grill Collective (thanx for the pic Carmen!)

checking out some awesome hats from Timeless Toys!!!

one of Bump's favorite things to do at Grandpa and Grandma's house is to go check out the chickens w/ Grandpa

hanging out w/ Mummsy, Auntie Bec, and Abe

right before we left, Dave and i stopped by Bridgewater College to take a few fallish pics of Brighton

 happy last few days of October!!!!!!!

applebutter boiling in beautiful virginia

the past 2 years i have missed one of my favorite family traditions...applebutter boiling

all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and a few family friends on my dad's side of the family come together for the day-long event.

things actually start taking place the day before the event w/ apple snitzing

we always use Stayman and Golden Delicious apples in a 5:3 ratio

the guys peel and quarter the apples

the ladies core and slice

it sure does take a lot of apples!!!

the next day, things start early in the morning...sometime between 5 and 6

the copper kettle is cleaned, the fire is built, and the first apples are added to the kettle

we had a perfect day

the view from Granddaddy and Grammy's house where it all takes place

the shed out back where the fire is built, the applebutter is stirred, and the hanging out takes place

the applebutter has to be stirred constantly to prevent burning

we all take our turn

lots of chatting, playing games, and relaxing

a special gift for Bump from Christian and Rebecca:

a JMU t-shirt that reads "future graduate James Madison University"

the evening before applebutter boiling, Dad shot a dear but couldn't find it, so that morning the guys went out looking for it...and they found it...a nice little 10 pt.

Cory posed w/ the deer for me since Dad isn't really into getting his picture taken lol

the noon meal

there isn't enough room for everyone to eat at once (plus somebody has to keep stirring!)

so the guys eat, and then the girls

right around 3:00 the applebutter was ready to come off

Dad and Grammy check the consistency of the applebutter to make sure it's ready

once it has been determined that the applebutter is indeed ready, the action begins!

Grammy adds both cinnamon oil and clove oil

Uncle Joe fills the jars

Mom and Aunt Ruthy putting lids and rings onto filled jars

lots of helping hands

Granddaddy scrapes down the sides of the kettle as the applebutter is taken out

Brighton licks out the kettle to make sure it's nice and clean for next year ;)

i love my family...and i love applebutter boiling!

we made 27 gallons

so thankful to my hubby for letting us take the trip all the way from Red Lake so we could be a part of the fun fun day :)

my manly man and our homey home

the snow came too soon

our roof and siding were not done

so my manly man and his faithful sidekick have been working outside 

in the snow

they are currently redoing the roofline

then comes shingles

and then siding

yay! it won't be too long and the outside will finally look as good as the inside :)

come midnight, we are virginia bound!!!

can't wait :)