A weekend trip to KY and WV

We drove down to KY to spend time in Red River Gorge and participated in their "Living Archaeology Weekend." We enjoyed all the nature and hiking...


Bishop George & my family, originally uploaded by mama_marfa. Click on the above photo to see all the photos from the trip!

Then, we went to the monastery of the Holy Cross (whose feast day is today!) in WV. Here is my family with Bishop George...everyone was so kind and hospitable to us. This weekend, they are having "Pilgrimage Weekend"

The Kursk icon will be here, so we will stay in OH, but hope to go to WV again soon.

Little sweet things...

Hannah tasting an idared apple and picking more...we love going to Iron's fruit farm. When we got home we made an apple pie. I blend a stick of butter and 2 cups of flour in my food processor, then add 6 tablespoons of cold water. Blend again...and it's the perfect crust.
Rob filling up our bags (each bag holds 1/2 bushel)...and we paid $24 for the haul...if you go, CAUTION: there is lots of poison ivy, so you might want to wear pants, socks and shoes (both our girls wore flip flops). We came home and washed our legs/feet with soapy water and all is okay!
All ready for Sunday school. We made vestments...This beautiful cross was in the lobby of St. Francis hospital...and there was one in each room.
Right after church, we headed to Indiana to meet the NEW baby...here is Rob holding his nephew, Bryce, and that's his brother, Aaron.Olivia giving her new little cousin a kiss...Hannah held him for a long time. She's so good with babies.

People

One of my favorite books by Peter Spier:
I enjoy his books because they either have few words or no words at all, but you can look at his illustrations and make up stories...be creative. Perfect for a child or adult. His Christmas and Circus are a couple of my favorites. My sister was just telling me about a storytelling workshop that is coming up. Then, my mom said she just got "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I do love a good book.This week, my uber fun Aunt Sarah came with her son, Gideon. He is my littlest cousin. More than 30 years span... In the photo above, we spent time with my dad on his 60th birthday and posed for a picture. Sarah is Dad's little sister. He had a great time in our sandbox and on the trampoline. They live in Vermont. She brought raspberry preserves, that she made herself. Mmmm...they were scrumptious on homemade crepes with yogurt.

Bicycling...

I've been riding my bicycle to work at lot lately! Yep...3 miles there, then 3 miles home. It's do-able. I can't believe I never tried it before. Wednesday, however, I got there just fine...then, time to leave...and I found my rear tired FLAT. Uh oh. Thankfully, Rob was able to pick me up. I thought it was glass...trash day and lots of broken glass on Montgomery Rd. It was a tack, though! Rob got new tires AND tubes at Jim's bike shop on Plainfield Rd.

I'm a happy girl.

"Less than a mile? Bike in style." A quote from the book above.
I gave this book to my niece for her birthday...and have decided I want to be like Fancy Nancy.

For sell...

Wan to buy an apron or stuff for you hair?, originally uploaded by mama_marfa.

We worked hard sewing...and then had a perfect day to sell hot-pads, aprons, ponytail holders and barrettes at the Russian Fest. Olivia sat alone at the table for an hour or two, while Rob grilled shashlik and I sang folk songs. Hannah wore a yo-yo barrette that she sewed herself. We earned about $250.

Hand sewn...

Russian Fest last year was really awesome...tomorrow is the big day. 11am to 5pm. I just baked the last batch of piroshki and coconut macaroons to sell. I hope everyone likes the aprons I've been sewing.

Back in March, I opened an Etsy shop...just added 3 items to it...and hoping to add a bunch more over the next couple of weeks. Sewing is so much fun. Did you click on the link in my post just below to see how to sew a yo-yo? SO easy. Give it a try!!!

I just love Crabtree & Evelyn. There is a shop about a mile from our house...I think it's one of the best places to find gifts (well, okay, not for my husband). They sell these soaps...so pretty...and all made in the USA! I want to try to make soap.