This weekend the Lego store near our house had a special event where kids could build lego bricks.  A Lego Master Builder was on hand to use the bricks to put together an 8-foot-tall R2D2 built entirely out of Legos.  We went on Friday and Colin and Eamon built a few bricks of each color and turned them in for a Lego Certificate.  On Sunday we went back to see the final pieces added to complete the model.  We had to wait for a while, but we enjoyed seeing the last layers of bricks added and the streamers falling from the sky as all the crowd cheered and yelled, “LEGO!”  

If you click on the pictures, you’ll see the larger version of the whole thing instead of the thumbnail.

Amicalola Falls is close to where we went to the pumpkin patch, so Daddy asked if we could go there. He said he hadn’t seen the falls since he was a little boy. First, we went into the park visitor center to buy drinks and to look at some of the reptiles they had on exhibit. Then, we decided to hike to the falls. The first trail we went on was the Base of the Falls trail. It took us past the reflecting pool and we got our first glimpse of the waterfall in the distance. I zoomed in with my camera to get this shot.

We continued up the somewhat steep asphalt path to one overlook, then up 175 (I think I remember the number correctly) stairs to the Base of the Falls Overlook where I took some more pictures.

After we looked at the falls for a while and caught our breath, my daddy wanted to go all the way to the top so we could look over the falls from up there. I’ve never been to the top before, so I was all for it. The sign said there were over 400 steps to the top, so we headed up the West Ridge Staircase.

There were a lot of stairs, but it wasn’t too hot outside and the stairs were actually a lot better than the asphalt surface we had been on, so we kept going. We finally made it to the top (both boys walked the whole way without complaining) and oh WOW! Was it ever worth it! The views were absolutely amazing. My camera couldn’t possibly capture how great it was up there.

Okay…so since I’d never been to the top of the falls before, I was quite shocked when we got there to see a parking lot….with cars! Who knew that you could actually just drive to the top and why didn’t they inform me? I feel like driving wouldn’t have made the experience as magnificent, though. When you exert that much energy getting to something…your prize…it makes arriving so much more joyful. It would have been too easy driving and the views wouldn’t have been nearly as great! So, we spent a little time at the top walking around and looking at all the fall foliage. Then, it was time to go back down all the stairs. Colin was still fine going down, but Eamon was scared because he could see through the metal grate stairs to the cliffs below. I tried not to actually look through them and focused on the steps ahead, but he couldn’t figure that out. He was slow, but he made it all the way back down on his own…well, with Mommy holding one hand and him holding onto the railing with the other.

When we were back on solid ground, we took the very easy, recycled tire surfaced West Ridge Falls trail around to Spring Trail which was washed-out clay and roots. Then, we took Mountain Laurel Trail and Creek Trail through the woods and along the creek, back to our van. The trees and leaves in the woods were just gorgeous. (I’ll share in another post.) The wooded trails weren’t as crowded as the other ones going to the falls, so it was a quiet, peaceful, and enjoyable walk. As a reward for their hard work hiking and climbing over 600 stairs and for their lack of grumbling and whining, we let the boys play on the playground before we left for home. Overall, we had an awesome day surrounded by nature and visiting with Grandpa.

Every year about this time we take a trip to Burt’s Pumpkin Farm. My husband says it just doesn’t feel like fall until we’ve been. This year my daddy was visiting from South Georgia and we invited him to tag along. It was chilly, and that was great because it’s always strange going to the pumpkin patch wearing shorts and a t-shirt. When we go, we let Colin pick out a pumpkin for us to carve and Eamon gets to pick out one for cooking. To cook it, I just cut the pumpkin in half horizontally, scrape out the seeds and strings, put the cut sides down onto a cookie sheet, and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Then, I peel off the skin and use it for various pumpkin recipes. Our favorite is pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. I will try to post pictures of the goodies after I bake them. We also enjoy toasting some of the pumpkins seeds for a tasty snack.

Stone Mountain Park usually has a designated homeschool day once a year. This year it was on Friday, October 3. We decided to go because we got free tickets from one of our wonderful friends. The boys were so excited because we haven’t been there in a long time.

We started the day with the Sky Hike because we’ve heard that the line gets longer as the day goes on. Colin had heard the advertising about it and was excited to try it out. Eamon was too little, so he and my husband sat out while Colin and I tested our skills. Since we had never experienced something like it before, we decided to go on the lowest course (there were two higher ones). I’m so glad we started there because I didn’t realize I had an acute fear of heights. By the end, after I realized the safety harness would indeed hold me up, I really enjoyed it. I would like to do a higher course some day.

Eamon’s top priority for the day was to ride the train, so we did that next. We thought it only fair since Colin picked the first thing we did. It was a nice ride around the mountain.

As soon as we got off the train, the boys wanted to play on the new mini golf course. My husband and I realized that playing with children is certainly not the competitive game we played pre-children. They really enjoyed playing and at the end, Eamon got the train to come out of the tunnel. He was very excited because he was the only one of the four of us that did it.

By that time we were all getting hungry, so we went to the van to get our lunch. We drove around to the bottom of the “walk up” trail, parked, packed our backpack, and headed up the mountain. The weather was great for a hike. When we got up to the top, we found a nice shade under a tree and had a picnic looking over the scenery below.

After lunch, we hiked back down the mountain, went back the van, and drove back around the mountain. We looked around in a few shops as we waited to watch a 4-D movie. The boys enjoyed the air blowing, water sprinkling, and smells that went along with the movie. The 3-D glasses were a fun addition to the mood, too.

We went into the barn to play with fake fruit for a while before we realized how much better we remember it from when it first opened. It seems to be pointless (pun intended) since they did away with keeping points for accomplishing tasks. The old days were better.

The last thing we did was drive over to the plantation and visited the petting zoo. Eamon was so funny petting animals. He didn’t want to be anywhere near their mouths, so he usually touched them on the back toward the tail.

I would definitely recommend Stone Mountain’s homeschool day to anyone thinking about going. The crowds weren’t bad and the price with the discount is a bargain (for those without free tickets). If you want more information about Stone Mountain Park, you can check out their website.

Unexpected circumstances have a way of showing up more often than most of us enjoy. Saturday I received a call from my mom saying that her Uncle Cecil had passed away after a massive heart attack. He lived in Moultrie, GA, around 250 miles from where I live. She asked if I would mind letting her ride with me down to the funeral and she’d buy the gas. Well, as expensive as gas is these days, I couldn’t refuse. I’ve been wanting to take a trip down there to visit my daddy and other family members, but finances being tight, I hadn’t been able to go so far.

We left Sunday morning and got to Aunt Mearl’s house in time to change clothes and go to the funeral home. There we had the privilege of visiting with family and friends we never see except for at weddings and funerals (as everyone loves to point out). Uncle Cecil was an evangelical preacher, and apparently loved by everyone, so there were many, many people present. He was 77 years old, so it is a blessing that he passed on into Heaven instead of lingering and suffering in the hospital. Monday morning we picked blueberries until we were rained out. We went to the long funeral conducted by at least 4 reverends and multiple southern-gospel singers.

Afterwards we went on to a pick-your-own tomato patch, where as far as you could see in every direction was planted vegetable fields. I love such places, having lived on a farm until I was 11-years-old. We picked five 5-gallon-buckets full of tomatoes! Once I start picking things, I just don’t want to stop! The only thing holding us back was the $10 per bucket price tag (super-cheap for fresh-picked tomatoes, but $50 altogether).

On Tuesday morning, we got up at six o’clock to go to my cousin’s pick-your-own garden where he plants peas (around 20 varieties), corn, okra, and tomatoes, along with other vegetables. There we picked seven 5-gallon-buckets of peas, including Cream 8, Cream 12, White Peas, and Better Greens. After we got back to Aunt Mearl’s house, we washed the peas and spread them out to dry, using Aunt Mearl’s method which includes using patio furniture as colanders. Then we went to the house I grew up in to pick more blueberries. There were so many of them!! They looked like bunches of grapes hanging on the bushes. Mom, Bonnie (my sister who lives in that house), and I picked and picked and picked until we had around 5 gallons. We laughed and talked and had a wonderful time together. Then it was time to start shelling peas. Four of us started around two o’clock, shortly after eating lunch, stopped long enough to eat dinner, but still shelled until a little after midnight. Needless to say, Tuesday was a very long day.

On Wednesday, we took our time getting all of our fruits and vegetables ready and in the coolers for the long road home. We stopped at Lane Packing Company in Fort Valley to buy peaches straight from the tree. I’ve been there several times before, but never when they were sorting and boxing peaches. From the catwalk above, you can watch the process from hydrocooler to box with explanations given on small signs along the way. I would recommend this to everyone. My boys even got some of the famous little oval stickers you see on peaches and other produce in grocery stores. As is usual, the stop took longer than expected, but was well worth it! Rest from the road, sustenance, and a field trip all in one!

After we made it back, we were all ready to just relax and enjoy being home before going to sleep in our own beds. Poor Mom agreed to take home all of the peas and blanched them, put them in bags, and put them in the freezer.

Thursday morning the boys and I went to Mom’s house to can the tomatoes. Canning really isn’t hard, but it takes a while and is labor-intensive. You have to wash and sanitize jars, lids, and rings; pour boiling water over lids; wash tomatoes; pour hot water over tomatoes; put them into cold water; pull the skins off; core them and cut out any green or bad spots; cut them up; cram them into jars along with salt and lemon juice; thoroughly wipe jar rims; place lid and ring on; place into pressure canner with 2-3″ hot water; attach lid to canner; turn on heat and wait for steam; steam for 10 minutes; attach pressure-regulator weight; wait for weight to jingle; jingle for 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure; turn off heat and wait for the pressure to dissipate; carefully take off canner lid and remove jars onto heat-resistant surface using jar lifters; hope all the jars seal. Lots of steps and lots of time!

After canning 29 jars of tomatoes and putting 63 bags of peas in the freezer, not to mention all the peaches and blueberries we still have to do something with, I feel that this South Georgia Excursion was tiring, but productive, fun, and worth it all!! Thank goodness I now have time to sit down and write a blog instead of breaking my back in a hot field full of wonderful things to eat.