Apple Cider Pressing!

It's that time of year again...pumpkins, mums, cider...it can all mean *one* thing...it's fall festival time! :) We are super busy bees when preparing. One big thing we all get together and do is make lots (and lots) of apple cider. We sell out of it *every* year...so each year we try to do more...and each year, we sell out *again*! ;)

While the *guys* were getting the presser-thingy-ma-jig all together and ready...my SIL's mama, Madelyn and I all worked at getting the labels on the new jugs! (My sweet nephew Isaiah helped too! ;)


Jaxson...showing you his new haircut...handsome lil guy he is! ;)

Madelyn and Xavier down gathering pears from my mother-in-love's pear trees...squeezing some pears with the apples makes the cider even better! :)

Lots and lots of apples...


And the pressing begins...

Many family and even some friends come together to lend a hand!


While the men pressed the juice...us gals bottled all the juice! We filled many gallon jugs and half-gallon jugs...hours and hours of work! (I know my children and I were down there for 6 hours to help...others, like Chris and his mama were there even longer!)

Jaxson working *hard* shuffling stones around!

Chris (in the blue) and his brother working the pressing-thingy-ma-jig! ;)
And at the bottom of the photo, there are all the peels and such. This trailer kept getting filled up and they would have to go empty it to put *more* peels in there!


Delicious apple cider...

My dad (although it looks as though he has quite the scary face in this picture...he is actually quite loving and gentle) and Jaxson, who is giggling! ;) **And X taking his turn getting to hold his cousin!**


My sweet nephew...growing so quickly. I just love this little guy!!!

Madelyn found a toad!

A very tiny amount of the actual number of jugs of cider we bottled!

The fall festival is coming up on Saturday...it will be one extremely busy day...but a lot of fun too! :) I hope to be able to share it with you! :)

And as I see the clock is quickly approaching 10pm (way past my bedtime)...I know I need to quickly wrap it up and head to bed. I have prayers to continue lifting up (if you could pray too...lift it up as an unspoken that I have...I would really appreciate it. God knows what it is for).

While out today, the children were picking apples with the older couple who are our neighbors....and they were very excited to find a bird's nest! :) Although it's a fun find, it quickly found it's way back outside and I hurried my kids in to wash their hands. You never know what can be lurking inside those delicately woven pieces of grass, hay, string and dirt! (For some reason the picture came out so blurry. Some days they are great...others they turn out blurry...I will get it figured out...eventually!)

Goodnight and thank you for visiting. If you are local and will be in the area...stop by on Saturday! We would love to see you! It's an all day thing!

Warmly,
Katy

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26