Brandi Graves

Apples, Apples, Apples...

For the last couple years, Ol' Fall has rushed through and passed me right on by, with hardly an exhale.  I know this happens largely because I hold on - so desperately - to Summer... and, probably, of course, because this season seems to becomes a big, stumbling trip, of back-to-school, and prepare-for-rain, and pumpkin-patches, and can't-find-the-galoshes, and Halloween-costumes, and hurry-up-and-do-something-with-those-tomatoes-!

But NO, not this year.  I mean, yes, of course... all those dear-Autumn-I'm-dizzy things are still part of the push... but THIS YEAR, I promised my boys we'd go apple-picking.  Doesn't that sound... so... Aautumnal?

Well... OH. MY. GOSH..., was it worth it... full of lots of praise for my "Great Idea, MOM!!!" from Henry, and the adoption of a new Joe-inspired family mantra, "It's-another-golden-delicious!!... It's-ANOTHER-golden-delicious!!!... IT'S ANOTHER GOLDEN DELICIOUS!!!!!" - The surprise, and thrill, and pure 2-year-old-GLEE flooding out of each. and. every. word. (ok, - just so we're clear, - that's not a golden delicious!).

So we visited Apple-a-Day Ratzlaff Ranch in Sebastopol, on a warm Friday morning, while my good ol' pal from Colorado was visiting (thanks for coming, - Fatima).  It was really just a spur-of-the-moment choice, as we googled 'Sonoma County Apple Picking' first thing in the morning, but it turned out to be just the right place.

The orchard's 3rd generation farmer, Ken Ratzlaff (yes, - that's him... getting the scale ready to weigh our 38 lbs (!!!) of apples) was incredibly generous with his time, giving us a private tour of his family's cider-making equipment ("Like Pure Sugar!!!!" - noted Henry, upon cider taste-testing.) .... We'll definitely have Farmer Ken's cider on our grocery list from now on (It's available at Whole Foods throughout California and Washington in the refrigerated section... just in case... you're interested - and, oooooh, - you SHOULD be.)

So for now, our fridge, and our pantry are FULL, - albeit only with apples.  Fortunately, apples can wait - so I'll have a little time to start sewing the boy's halloween costumes before we begin the "Big Applesauce Making Marathon of 2009".

A perfect weekend.

Just look at that sky.  Can you feel the sun?  OOOOH, perfect days.  Gone to the water, south of Santa Cruz, this past weekend - Henry, Joe, and their favorite peoples... Daddy, and Mammy, and... well, yes, - my boys still love their Mama.

I KNOW.  Is there anything better?  After days of rain, big rain here in Northern California (rain we ABSOLUTELY needed, and I am absolutely grateful for)... that warm sun came out smiling, and we all felt ... giddy, really... with this one more weekend of summer.  (We love you too, Fall... but can you blame us, really?)

Mammy provided our 4th annual painting by the water experience... both 'o my babes painted the lake, and a duck, - SUCH great lakes... SUCH great ducks... SUCH proud boys.

... And that big Joey of mine grew up overnight:  Upon losing his beloved "SHOO-SHAH" (yes, his dear pacifier) in his bed overnight, he woke up to declare that he had "swallowed it"... and didn't need it anymore, anyway.

So, no more words, - just some photos.  Snapshots of these good days, - each our own.  Each our own.

 

Too, too good.

Perfect travel backpacks...

In a flurry to get ready for a week long road trip down the central California coast, I pulled together these little backpacks the night before we left.  We were to be gone for a total of 7 days, and only staying 1 night in each place, so getting things organized before we left was essential (a packing lesson I am, surely, getting better at ... thank God).  

Keeping in mind our daily adventures,-the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Monterey Bay Aquarium to name just two, - I wanted the boys (Henry is 4 1/2 and Joe is almost 2) - to have something they could easily take with them, and small enough to stash in the stroller.

The pattern comes from Living Crafts Magazine (Summer '08), and is really very easy. The fabric was something I had on hand, as were the little initial iron-ons... the only thing I bought was the little bit of rope I used for the straps, and this I got just before closing at Orchard Supply Hardware, just minutes from my house.

I also made a small inside pouch for each of the bags... to hold the little things, or to be stashed individually in mama's big bag to occupy little hands while eating out.

Essentials for boys on the road:  

Henry:

water bottle

pencil roll

sketch pad

room for all the rocks and feathers and misc. collections found along the way

Joe:

water bottle

misc. riders (animals, little people, etc.)

... and objects to ride on (boat, horse, matchbox cars, etc.)

The backpacks? - they liked them, - of course, - and were truly useful along the way... but most exciting? - the little baggie of candy I stuck in each one, - a wink to my daddy, who very specifically, understood the word "vacation" to be also, synonymous, with - indulging your sweet tooth.  And oooooh, how I agree.