Asheville in Fall

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After harvest we were lucky enough to take our lessons to the road while we helped mix some business with pleasure.

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Love my family so much

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Thank you for the energetic eyes and smile.

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Miss Abigail

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We love playing in this green flat field.

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Isabela was enjoying this sunny day.

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Great tree for climbing.

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The last time I sat on this wagon I was pregnant with Isabela!

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Isabela finally gets to meet Chester the Horse

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She wasn’t too sure of his size!

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This was Cotton the Goat. Cotton stayed on this bucket the whole time we were visiting.

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First up close look at hens and roosters.

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Wooly worm, dark black on both ends

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Sitting on a really old John Deere

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I would love to have one of these old desk

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Tea time for the girls.

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One more look at Chester

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You can usually always find a truck or tractor in his hand.

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Special time with Daddy is always a treat.

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There were fall flowers everywhere. Abigail is standing with Mums waiting to be planted.

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A successful day if you find a playground!

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A better day if you find a slide!

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A tunnel slide!

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So special to me…

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Squishy grapes between her toes

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Glad to see this smile. Jackson was four months old the first time he tried this…he was furiously crying.

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Crush those grapes!

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A fun thing to do

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This rooster was so gentle.

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Every animal was friendly.

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A good place to learn about farm animals.

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Jackson holding a baby chick

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Abigail’s turn

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Together

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I’m so happy that Abigail can find the hearts tucked away in nature. She excitedly found this heart leaf.

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A beautiful day filled with many memories to cherish!

Harvest 2013

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2013 was the first harvest that Jackson was given a tool for removing the grapes!  He was very excited.

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This was the first year that Abigail was able to use the tool (refractometer) for checking the sugar within the grapes.
The grape juice is squeezed on the screen. You hold it to the light and look in the opposite end to read the sugar content.
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Isabela was happy to just be in the field.

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We harvested for two weekends. Once for personal consumption and once for the market. The grapes hung on the vines until the second week in September this year, a couple of weeks later than normal. A rough year getting the sugar where we wanted it because of the rainy cloudy days without the sun’s nourishment.

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My girl helping me

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Sweet as sugar. She usually is just happy to be

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Jackson truly is one of the hardest workers I know!

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Jackson with one of our favorite blessings…Janice…our vineyard neighbor.

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We decided to make our own grape juice for the children.

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We loaded up the truck with our grapes to take home

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Jackson emptied about 400 pounds into the crusher.

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The grapes were crushed and then added to our press. We took the juice and canned it. Our first big canning project!

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Isabela tried to take a bite of the leftover skins!

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The community sign that announces we are open for business!

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Harvesting with Nana

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And Aunt Amy Jo

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This day is our hardest all year but because of family, one of the most blessed ones!

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Isabela picked the grapes one by one

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Happy to put her grapes and juice in a holiday bucket

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Love our help

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Nana and Jayden

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Brooke joined our day of work

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Elijah enjoyed using the tool to cut the grapes

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We love our cousins!

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We love harvesting our grapes.

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Papaw really does enjoy carrying all of those buckets, especially with Jackson helping.

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Bins ready to roll out….

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Additional bins ready to roll out . . .

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Papaw ready to roll out too . . .

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Morning of delivery . . .

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Jackson watching out for yellow jackets . . .

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Too much fun!

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We were happy to have Nana join us for this experience.

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1/2 ton macrobins dumping into the crusher/destemmer . . .

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We were able to watch the entire process. About 10,000 pounds of grapes were unloaded, emptied, de-stemmed, crushed into juice, and put into the containers for the waiting. It’s an awesome thing to watch start to finish…especially if you’ve babied the vines and grapes ALL year!

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Thankful Papaw was able to help us for our early morning delivery.

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Thank you three sweet birds for helping us work in the vines all year long. You were always helpful in everything we did and humble to be in the field with your family. Each of you are a tremendous blessing!

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Just like your Daddy, always try to be extraordinary with something special…

Make Summer Last Forever

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Playtime on the back porch

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Pool Fun

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Isabela in the fun.

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Sweetie Pie that loves playing outside

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Ijams Nature Center Homeschool Field Trip

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Pictured with part of our homeschool group 

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We enjoyed our nature walk.  The best part of the trip was carrying clip boards during our treasure hunt.

 

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This is how I found her…sitting alone and whining

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Whining for her sister to pull her

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Jackson doesn’t look too happy for the tight squeeze!

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 Abigail playing silly at one of our summer weddings

 

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Always time for a little learning.

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Isabela trying her tiny fingers with scissors.  More ripping the paper than cutting.

 

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First time squeezing sticky white glue in craft time.  She insist on doing everything she sees Jackson and Abigail doing.

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Abigail using a color code to complete her picture.

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Back at Dollywood picking up ducks and frogs.

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Holding our winnings.

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Nana with Jaydie and Abigail

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Papaw with Jackson and Elijah

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Happy Grandparent’s Day!  Thanks for the Dollywood Summer Memories!

 

 

Log Cutting

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Jackson has been super excited all summer.

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We have been able to watch this heavy equipment daily work to remove select trees from Papaw’s property.

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As quick as the logs were cut from the forest they were brought out, stripped down, and then carefully loaded. Here is one loaded and another backing in for his pickup.

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Headed for a long trip to the factory.

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One of the unexpected good things from the logging is the great trails that have been created on our land.

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The bad things have been the snakes and of course the black bear!

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A long way from home!

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What a fun journey hiking.

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Not only could we see the mountains all the way around us, we could see the lake, and were even able to identify what part of the lake the vineyard was on.

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You never know where you might see the shape of a heart! Keep your eyes open!

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I love to be a part of their real life nature study.

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May you soar as tall as the trees.

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We do feel some sadness watching the massive pieces of timber leave our property. We are hopeful they will be used to build strong creative structures!

Picture Day for a New School Year

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My three HEALTHY SPECIAL treasures!

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Our high needs growing boy! I am very pleased to witness his journey.

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Our second born loyal sweetheart

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Our “baby” handful of honey

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Officially my heartbeat…good and bad!

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It amazes me how they truly are good friends.
“Do to others whatever you would like them do to you.” Matthew 7:12

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Never a moment to wonder what to do next.

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“God had special plans for me, even before I was born.” Galatians 1:15

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“God began a good work in you and He will continue it until it is finished.”

Question Me Please… 9/2013

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Again for fun, I conducted an individual interview with Jackson and Abigail. Some of their answers have changed, some have stayed the same. I enjoyed watching their thought process before they answered. It really made me smile and feel so lucky to be a part of this new stage in their lives.

My name is JACKSON SAWYER HALL.
I am SIX years old.
My favorite color is RED.
The best things about school are READING and PAINTING DURING ART.
My favorite books are BIG TRUCK BOOKS.
Something that frustrates me is when ABIGAIL AGGRAVATES ME AT BEDTIME.
My favorite thing to do is PLAY TRUCKS and HIT BALLS.
The best places to go are DOLLYWOOD and THE INTERSTATE.
My favorite foods are PIZZA, STARBUCK’S STICKY BUNS, and STRUDLES.
I don’t enjoy eating ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, or COUSCOUS.
My favorite TV shows are MIKE THE KNIGHT and MAX AND RUBY.
Something special for me is GETTING TO HELP DADDY.
I am really good at DRIVING(STEERING) DADDY’S TRUCK AND THE TRACTOR.
When I was little I used to CRY A LOT!
My best friends are ELIJAH, JAYDEN, AND MY SISTERS.
What makes me the happiest is IF I GET A NEW TOY.
What makes me the saddest are TIME OUTS.
My favorite song is CRUISE.
Something that scares me are BEARS.
My favorite animals are BUNNIES, DEER, and TURKEY.
Jesus DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS.
Three words that tell about me are SIX, JACKSON, FUNNY.
Someplace I hope to visit one day is THE ZOO.
When I grow up I want to be A LOG CUTTER.
This year I hope to learn ABOUT BONES AND THE BODY.

My name is ABIGAIL JULIENNE HALL.
I am FOUR AND A HALF years old.
My favorite color is PURPLE.
The best thing about school is COLORING and CUTTING.
My favorite book to listen to is THREE LITTLE KITTENS.
Something that frustrates me is WHEN JACKSON “BE’S” MEAN TO ME.
My favorite thing to do is PLAY DOLLS WITH ISABELA AND MOMMY.
The best place to go is THE BEACH.
My favorite foods to eat are CHEESE and PASTA.
I don’t enjoy eating MUSHROOMS.
My favorite TV shows are PETER RABBIT and PONY SHOW.
Something special for me is ABC MOUSE and COOKING WITH MOMMY.
I am really good at HOOLA HOOPING!
When I was little I used to LOVE MY BINKEY.
My best friends are ISABELA and JACKSON.
What makes me the happiest is PLAYING WITH MOMMY.
What makes me the saddest are THINGS THAT STING, TICKS, and CRYING.
My favorite songs are TREASURE and RUMOR HAS IT.
Something that scares me are BEARS, THUNDER, and YELLOW JACKETS.
My favorite animals are BUNNIES, KITTENS, and PUPPIES.
Jesus TELLS STORIES CALLED PARABLES.
Three words that tell about me are NICE, SILLY, LOVE.
Someplace I hope to visit one day is A PET STORE.
When I grow up I want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER and A VET.
This year I hope to learn how to READ.

You can refer back to the last “Question Me Please” on 8/21/12.

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Aggravating her big brother

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As always, he gives in

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Although they list the other as their major source of frustration, they truly are INSEPARABLE!

 

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