Fall Trip: Riley's Apple Farm Part 1

It's autumn.

To my kids that means 3 things: Halloween, our annual family vacation to the Central Coast and a trip to Riley's Farm.

We've only been to Riley's once before, but they loved it so much that it instantly became a part of the fall lineup.

We returned this week for our 2nd trip.

They loved it even more this time.

Part of the fun is getting there.

Once you get off the freeway, that is.

Riley's Farm is a 1.5 hour trip, roughly, from LA or Orange County.

You're headed toward the dessert and can't imagine how apple trees could be growing out in that barren landscape.

But to get to Riley's you travel uphill just enough to get out of the desert and into low mountain elevations.

There are open fields.

We saw deer and a coyote.

There are mountain peaks overhead, small, running streams, snow in the winter and lots and lots of apple trees.

Riley's Farm is located in Oak Glen, a small community with a long history in apples.

There are other apple farms in Oak Glen.

But we don't even pick apples at Riley's.

We do their frontier school program.

It's a really great time.

After an introduction by the farm owners, some history of the farm and some folk songs accompanied by the banjo and wash bucket base, the group heads up to the log cabin.
The cabin was made by wood cut on the farm and it's the real deal.
The kids can go inside and imagine what it was like for Laura and Mary in their Little House in the Big Woods.
This place makes the literature we read come alive.

We spend the next hour or so, working around the cabin, doing the chores that one would have to do during a typical day as a frontier settler.
We start a fire for coffee and tea.

There's a pump for the water.

And the kids crush the beans for coffee.

They can take a tun at the saw.

Then stack wood at the wood pile.

There are apples to core and peel.

And then strung to dry.

There are clothes to wash.

And hung to dry.

Inside the cabin,

You can write with a quill pen and real ink.

There are other crops besides apples to harvest.

And to water.

All of those things are fun, but the boys are really waiting for one thing.
Their favorite activity, hands down, is the log cabin.
They build it themselves.

It's like a giant set of lincoln logs.

And the walls go higher and higher, until the biggest boys can no longer reach.

Then they stand inside, pleased as punch, with what they made.

Just like Pa when he built the house for Ma and the girls when they settled on the Kansas frontier.

By the time we're through at the cabin, we've worked up and appetite, so we head down to the picnic tables under the trees to eat lunch.

There's still lots more to do in the afternoon.

I'll post part 2 on Monday.

Happy weekend, friends!

Love from,

Greta

Why I Blog

Why I Blog.

I have answered that question quite a bit lately.

In several different places, to different people and for different reasons, I have explained why I blog.

So, why do I?

Simple.

I can't help it.

I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.

Seriously.

Like since my Mom was reading The Little House in the Big Woods to me when I was 6.

I wanted to be like Laura.

The desire has never left me.

It was my major in college.

I thought I'd become an editor and work in the publishing world.

But there were other plans: helping a husband through school, English teacher, Mommy to 4.

Time has passed and I did make it into publishing.

I publish my blog.

Call it what you will, but I am writing almost every day.

I have to.

I want to.

I love to.

When I started this blog, I wanted to tell our family stories.

I tried to scrapbook, but I was always hopelessly behind and that never feels good.

This seemed like a much better solution.

As I began to write, the family stories became something more.

After a while I began to share the things on my heart.

Now I have a whole list of those things.

I am not just telling our family story anymore, but also my own story.

And I admit to having dreams of more.

There are so many things I want to write about.

There are never enough hours in the day.

It's 12:50 am and I am sitting in front of the computer.

I have a 3 month old that will be awake to nurse between 4 and 5.

And then I'll be up by 7 to feed breakfast to the other 3.

And yet, here I sit.

Because writing is that important to me.

I think it must be like artists who have to paint, dancers who can't not dance, a singer who must sing.

It's there and it has to come out.

And so I write and dream of being published "for real".

I am horribly embarrassed to confess that here, but oh well.

I talked once about the first bowel movement after my cesarean section.

Obviously I have no shame.

Maybe I'll get an article in a magazine.

Maybe I'll write a book.

And while that is not the reason I blog, I would be lying if I didn't admit that this blog thing fuels those dreams.

We'll see.

In the end, there are lots of reasons why.
I blog for my family.

I blog for me.

I blog for dreams of what might be.

I blog because I have a need to create and this is the way I do it.

If no one ever read these words, I would still be here writing them.

But having you here makes it that much more fun.

These are the reasons why I blog.

This weekend I attended a blog conference.
Because I love blogging and love to be with people who love it too.

I went last year when it was smaller and in Rachel's (the founder) backyard.

We talked a bit about blogging and then mostly mingled.

It was fun and exciting to meet other people who thought blogging was great.

We passed out cards to one another and networked.

That is kind of what I was expecting this time around.

Except bigger.

With panel speakers on different topics about blogging.

I chose photography and using social media to grow your blog.

Clearly I had an agenda.

What I didn't realize was that God had one too.

And it was really different than mine.

It wasn't that I was in some way opposed to attending a faith based blog conference.

I wasn't.  At all.

I just wasn't thinking about it that way.

And so, you can imagine my surprise when I sat there at the "grow your blog" panel and heard a Bible verse that went straight to my heart.

I caught my breath.

What? Here too?

I have been working on some pretty heavy personal issues lately.

Actually, to be honest, I have been trying not to work on them.

I have been avoiding them like the plague.

As I said in this post, sometimes work is hard and we'd just rather avoid it.

I've been doing a lot of that.

God has spoken to me, again and again.

Again and again I have been trying not to listen.

I know that sounds pretty HOLY ROLLER, doesn't it?

He doesn't call my name, but let me tell you, the words of a song, the prayer of a pastor, some experience in my day, even the things I say to my kids are direct words from God to my heart.

And finally, at the Blog Sugar conference, I decided to listen.

I heard Heather speak and she blessed me further.

And comforted me.

It was just what I needed to hear.

That's not the first time she's done that for me.

I really, really love Heather.

Then I heard Meg speak.

And her words about her experience with blogging got right into where my stuff was.

I was hidden behind a curtain, changing Davy's diaper, and crying.

She was talking about blogging, but I wasn't crying about my blog.

It had nothing to do with blogging.

But God still spoke to me.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

Blog Sugar was a great, great day.

I loved the decorations, the food, meeting on-line friends, and being amongst so much passion and creativity.

It was just what you'd expect from a bunch of amazing bloggers.

It would have been wonderful to walk away from the day with just those things.

But because Rachel had an idea for this conference to be more than that, I walked away with more than that.

I am so grateful.

Love from,

Greta

PS If you are a blogger, or want to be, and are interested in Blog Sugar, go to the blog and follow.  You might just find yourself signing up for next year!

Before and After

Do you ever let things go?

You just live with something because it is easier and you don't even realize how bad it is until you finally get it fixed?

I do.

Just look at my glasses.

Not only was the prescription so old I could hardly see out of them anymore, but they were also broken.
Like someone stepped on them broken. 
And since they were stepped on, they sat on my face crooked, and made me look kind of ridiculous.
The worst thing though, was the slipping.
They were so crooked and loose that they hardly stayed on.
In fact, every time I looked down they slid right off my face.
ANNOYING.


I wear my glasses a lot.
I use them for reading and since I am reading something nearly all the time, they are on my face nearly all the time.
So you can imagine how frustrating these glasses were to me.
And yet, I didn't replace them.


There was always a reason: glasses are expensive, no time to do the appointment, who will watch the kids, next month when I can spend the money on that, blah, blah, blah.


But after the glasses fell into the TOILET for the SECOND time, I decided it was time to deal with what was broken.
(for the record, they fell in the toilet when I looked down to wipe my daughter.  and it was pee. thank the Lord)
And so, on Thursday, I got these.

When I put them on, I was blown away by how much better I could see.
And I realized how long I had been living with needless difficulties.


It made me think about the other parts of my life that I have been neglecting to deal with.
Parts of my heart that I have just "lived with" because it is easier than facing them and fixing them.
You've been there, right?
But once you get through the hard work, the tears maybe, anger, sorrow, facing head on the things you've been hiding from, there is joy.
Peace.
Restoration.
I'm working on it.


Maybe you are looking for the courage, the push you need to fix something broken in your life.
You are not alone.
HE is with you.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

And I gotta tell you, it's really nice not to worry about my glasses falling in the toilet anymore.
Little things and big--I'm here to talk about it all.
Love from,
Greta

Some Popular Posts

If you'd like a quick glimpse into the things that are on my heart, please look through some of these popular posts.

On Marriage

More on Marriage

On Being a Mother
More on Being a Mother

On Parenting

On Being Perfect

On Grief and Hope

On Childhood and Creativity

On Home Schooling

Just for Laughs

I hope at least one of these posts spoke to you, encouraged you, touched you.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24

Love from,

Greta

Working

I'm trying to do some rearranging on the blogs.
Full story over here.
I'll be back soon with new content.
Check back.
Love from,
Greta

About Me

Hi, I'm Greta.

I am wife to Aaron, artist extraordinaire, best friend for 17 years and husband for 13.

Aaron makes me laugh, he encourages me and he does everything in his power to make my dreams come true.

He takes care of the whole lot of us and we are forever grateful.

I love him.

A lot.

I am also mom to these 4 beautiful people.

James 7

William 5

Lilly 3

and Baby Davy 3 months

I adore them.

Before James was born, I was a high school English teacher.
I loved it.
Since having him, I have been happily working as a full time mom.
Now that some of my kids are school age, I am working as an elementary teacher.
I home school.
I love it.


We spend our days together--all together, all the time.
Yes, it can get overwhelming, but most anything can, right?
We read lots of good books, and we enjoy nature study tremendously.
Hiking together is one of our favorite activities.
I love more than anything to take my kids on adventures of all sorts. 
My dream is to offer my children a rich childhood. 
Not in things, but in their education, experiences and the the time I spend with them.


Now about this blog.
From the time I could talk, I have loved to tell stories.
I began this blog so I would have a place to write down our family stories and to have a family history to pass on to my children.
It was also a way for me to hold onto my babies.
My days with them are passing so quickly and I want to remember it all.
So I write.


But in the 2 years since I began the blog, it has become far more than I ever hoped it would.
It is still the place where I share our family stories.
But it is also a place where I share my heart.
As I write about mothering, parenting, marriage, the pain of a miscarriage or the day to day of home schooling, I hope that I can encourage you by being honest.
I want to be real about the good stuff and the hard stuff.
I want to be real about how I get through it all.
I get through it by leaning on my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
My mission has become clear:
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24
It is my prayer that God uses my words to touch you in such a way.


I love to tell stories.
I love to take pictures.
I love to share what God lays on my heart.
And I am slightly obsessed with photo booths.

We're a pretty fun crew.
So glad to document these days and share them with you.
Love from,
Greta

*I also write another blog, Picnics in the Park.
It's full of the other things in life that make me smile: vintage treasures, good recipes, mid century modern design and pictures of cool things, like old signs.  Please go take a look around and let me know what you like.  Thanks!

He Brings Out the Best in Us

Davy turned 3 months old about a week and a half ago.

He's been with us for 101 days.

That's not very long.

But I can hardly remember what life was like before he was here.

It is so much better with him.

He brings me an unspeakable amount of joy.

I love when he wakes in the morning and I lean over his crib and his whole faces smiles to see me.
He loves me.
More than anything else.
And I am relishing it.
Because I know it doesn't last forever.

Even more than with the other kids, this time seems to be going by faster.
He already smiles, laughs and "talks" back when we talk with him.
He's ticklish.
He wants to be a part of the action.
He already hates being left out.
He wants to grow up.

Having him is a daily reminder to take notice of every small, beautiful moment that I so often let slip by.
The way he grabs hold of my shirt in his little fist while he nurses.
His deep dimple and the big grins he flashes when he talks to his Daddy.
He reminds me, also, to cherish my big kid moments too:
To hold onto a little boy's hand a bit longer and remember its sweetness.
The way Lilly wraps her arms around my neck and whispers, "I love you, Mama."
An unsolicited hug from a 7 year old in front of his friends.
Sitting around the table together, just us 3, reading, talking and laughing together.
These are the days.


His presence makes me more fully aware of all the joy in my life.
He brings out the best in me.

Most of all I love to watch them all together.
I am not sure whether he loves them more or they him?
If he's upset, I hear 3 little voices immediately begin to croon, "it's all right Davy, it's all right."
They run to him, offer him toys or their special blankets, singing, dancing, anything to make him all better.
I have never, not once, heard them complain when he cries.
Not even in the car and it's loud.
And that's saying a lot because my kids are not some kind of perfect.
It's just that they love their baby brother more than anything.
He brings out the best in them.

They make him forts.
And then crowd in there with him.
I tell them not to smother him, to give him space.

But he loves it.
He's happiest when they are around.
And if he's left in a room by himself, he'll whimper until you move him to the room where everyone else is.
I've never had such a social baby.

Or one so ticklish.

His little life is already so rich in love.

What a lucky boy he is.

As I have said before, all of the inconvenience, the sleepless nights, the long hours, the hard work, the added expense, the extra laundry and any other reason you could come up with to not have all these kids, pales in comparison to this:

Having Davy has made our family, our life, more beautiful, more complete and more rich than we ever could have known.

He brings out the best in us.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

Davy, I'm so glad you're here.

Love from,

Mommy