Last weekend we went apple picking with my in-laws. I love U-pick patches and this one is always a hit for my family. Cider Hill Family Orchard is just a few miles west of the Legends shopping area in Kansas City, Kansas. We really like going here and it works great for the kids. We were on a time crunch this year so we weren’t able to enjoy all the extras that the orchard has to offer, but we did get more than enough apples to bring home. I really need to write down how many apples we buy so I can remember it the next year. I always get too into it and forget to stop picking! 🙂

Here is our link to last year’s post that will tell you more about Cider Hill. In this post you can also find a link to the most amazing Apple Fritters and our recipe for homemade applesauce.

This year I made my applesauce a little different. My crockpot was being used to make Apple Butter so I made my applesauce on the stove. I chopped up a bunch of apples and cooked them on the stove top. My apples did not produce enough juice on their own, so as they cooked down so I had to add some water to the mixture. Once the apples were very mushy, I put them into my food mill and ground them into a very smooth consistency. I did not add any sugar or cinnamon to my applesauce since my family is used to the natural applesauce from the store, but you could add either to taste if that is what your family prefers. Continue Reading…

Yesterday my kids got the privilege along with 5 other families to minister to residents at a nursing home. One of the residents attends our church and asked us to come and share a few songs. It was an awesome opportunity for us to serve the older and wiser generation. Our performance was simple but touched so many hearts.

Our kids ranged from 1 years old to teenagers, and all got to play a little part. Our worship Pastor headed this event up. She picked four songs for the kids to sing and then gave any kid the opportunity to share a poem, Bible verse, book, song or joke.

The songs we sang were I’ve got the Joy, Joy, Joy, I’m in the Lord’s Army, This Little Light of Mine and Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone).  It was the perfect combination. Some fun, some with actions, some with deep meaning and some oldies but goodies. Each family practiced the songs on their own so that the kids could learn them without setting up practice times. Ruth played the piano, and I sat in front of the kids helping to lead them as they sang. After the songs, several of the kids did share something individually.

The Lord’s Army

It was a great opportunity for the kids to do some public speaking in a safe and loving environment. It also gave them an opportunity to be a light and serve others. After the performance we passed out little cards that the kids had made for the residents to take home. To make the cards we cut a piece of cardstock into fourths. The kids then used a white crayon to write a message on the card. The kids came up with the messages. A couple of the messages were ‘Jesus Loves You’ and ‘Have a Blessed Day.’ Then they used watercolors to paint them and make them unique. Hopefully this brought a little sunshine into their lives.

It was amazing to watch our children interact with the residents as they handed out the cards. The kids were able to ask them questions and answer theirs. It did this mama’s heart good to see my children blessing others – it blessed me as well!

Do you know someone in a nursing home that you can go and bless? Get a couple of your friends together and go and brighten their day. Pick some songs that you know well and teach them to the kids. You don’t have to have a piano; acappella or with a CD works just fine. Have the kids do a simple craft that they can hand out to bless the residents. You will be amazed at how God can use this opportunity to minister to everyone involved.

James 1:27 (NASB)

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Video from the Event:

It is May in Kansas City and I have one word for you….STRAWBERRIES!!!!! I am so excited that strawberry season is almost upon us. When I was a child, my grandparents had a U-Pick strawberry patch. I have many fond memories of going to their house and staying for a week to help my grandma run her business. Most years I was a picker for those who could not bend over or the heat was too much. Eventually, I got promoted into the job of selling the strawberries from the nice shade of the barn. Continue Reading…

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed another one of our annual U-Pick traditions. This time: Apples! It was a perfect fall day! The wind had a slight chill, but we were comfortable in pants and a light coat. The coats even came off as we got into the middle of picking. The trees were very prolific!! We picked a full bushel of apples in 20 minutes, and that was picking at a leisurely pace.

Our favorite Apple Orchard is Cider Mill Family Orchard. It is located at 3341 N. 139^th Street in Kansas City, KS. It is just off of K-7. When you are going north on K-7 it is immediately after Leavenworth Rd. There is no entrance fee to this Orchard. The Orchard does an excellent job of keeping their picking report up to date on their Facebook page…they will even update it throughout the day. Make sure you check it out before driving to the patch!! They are open Thursday thru Friday 9-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm. At the Orchard they provide a hayrack ride out to the trees that is always fun for our kids.  They even provide the ingredients for you to make smores! We learned that they do not waste any of the apples. The fallen apples are either taken to a homeless shelter if they are still good or taken to a mill to be made into applesauce for local shelters. This is definitely a cause I can support! Continue Reading…

One of our annual family outings is going to a pumpkin patch. There are a lot of reasons that we like this.  It is a fun activity where we can get out of the house.  It is on a farm, and we want our kids to have a lot of exposure to rural life so that they understand and appreciate where our food comes from.  Plus it is just a good harvest activity that signals the beginning of fall.  Here is some information about our favorite pumpkin patch.

Since we are a family of 6, free admission is important to us. We have many options in the Kansas City area but our favorite one is Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch. It is between Lawrence, KS and Kansas City off of K-10.

Their season is the last weekend of September through October 31^st. Admission is free and they are open daily from 9-6pm. It is a well-organized farm. Once you park and walk up to the barn you can catch a free hayrack ride to the patch. This patch also has livestock to view, a playground and hay bale maze. You can also pay $1 to launch baby pumpkins at targets. We always bring a lunch so we can stay as long as we want.

They have a large variety of pumpkins and gourds. There are plenty of options for each of us to get exactly what we want. We let each kid pick a pumpkin to take home and carve, and I get my Cinderella pumpkin for decoration.  Nate always requests that we roast the Pumpkin Seeds, and I make sure we come home with a couple pie pumpkins to make some pies from scratch. It is a lot of work but so worth it!!

Continue Reading…

Our Purposeful Life is a fun life!  We are silly and enjoy lots of good things, from all areas of life.  Throughout the year we will put some things on the blog that make life more fun. We love exploring and going on adventures. Hopefully we will give you some new ideas to do with your spouse and children and inspire you to try something new!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3