Dan & Nina.

I'm sorry for being absent here, we have been busy doing all the last-minute work for our Kenya trip & I have been working on some portrait sessions while the weather is beautiful. Fall is such a great time of year to take portraits, especially if you have Christmas cards in mind. I'm still amazed that I get paid to do this now.....I'm beginning to see a dream come true, one that I've been praying over and chasing for several years now. 

So I thought I would share a couple shots from the weekend.....enjoy!

A Fall Tradition. Fun in the Orchard.

Well if you follow along on Instagram (@GloriousWithin), you will know that we went Apple Picking & to the Cider Mill last weekend. So far I have been 3 times in the last week and a half, might be one of my Fall favorite activities!! I couldn't resist sharing some of our pictures from that trip. It has become one of our Fall Traditions. 
(See Here for fun at the same place last year! And Scroll down for other images for our yearly apple picking visits)

I did have several other gorgeous shots, but I saved these as I begin brainstorming on embarking on the 31 Days journey starting next week. 
More to come on that soon! 

Outfit Stats: Shirt (Old Navy), Necklace (DazzleMeDeals), Jeans (Old Navy), Boots (TJMaxx, a few yrs ago) 

Just in case you were interested:

Any of you have any Fall Traditions? Anybody else planning on doing the 31 day challenge?

Last year I did 31 Days Of Thankfulness. 

Fall: Some things I'm looking Forward to.

Instagram: @GloriousWithin

Happy Fall Friends! 

Hope you guys had a great vacation weekend enjoying time with your families and relaxing before we head into the grind of the year.

I'm totally ready for Fall, even though I really love Summer. I just wish we could do Fall and then Summer again maybe. Oh well. Will have to pray about moving to a warmer climate I guess lol.

I asked this question on Instagram and wanted to ask you guys here too.

What are you most looking forward to?

For me I can't wait to head to the Cider Mill for doughnuts, apple picking (a tradition we have done every year since we got married), watch the explosion of color happen on the trees, enjoy pumpkin spice lattes and maybe even learn the rules of football this year haha! ;)

What do you guys love to do during this season?

Much Love! 

L

Cider Mill Fun.

{Pictures used with parental consent}

Last week I went with a friend and her three kids to a cider mill.

Now this is what I love about Fall. Fun playing in the hay maze, the bikes they have, riding the tractor wagon.

What's not to love about all that.

And add some pumpkin glazed doughnuts with sprinkles, and I'm set. 

As I practice Thankfulness, I realise I really do enjoy this season.

Thankful//For friends to share the season with.

Thankful//for precious kiddos.

Thankful//for smiles & cuddles.

Thankful//for cooler weather and fun warmer clothing.

Thankful//for pumpkins because they make for amazing doughnuts, pies & lattes.

Thankful//for cameras which make capturing memories possible.

Have any of you guys been to the cider mill yet?

Much Love,

L

P.S. The influence conference officially starts this afternoon. eeeekkk!!! =)

DIY Canning with Apple Butter {Guest Post}

Source: recipetips.com via Jillian on Pinterest

The harvest season brings crisp air, cascading leaves and a hint of the winter to come. As we prepare to hunker down for the snowy season, thoughts turn to preserving the bounty of the fall harvest. Canning autumn fruit is an excellent way to capture the season's best produce so that you can enjoy it through winter and beyond.

One of the easiest autumn fruits to can is the apple. Thanks to its relatively high acid level, you can use the simpler water-bath method of canning which saves you from having to buy a bulky and expensive pressure canner. While you can preserve applesauce, a better option would be to turn the applesauce into apple butter. Apple butter intensifies the flavor of the apple, and is not only a tasty spread, but also a wonderful gift.



Ingredients and Tools

9 quarts of unsweetened applesauce, preferably fresh. My favorite fall activity is apple picking, which bodes well for this recipe, but you can purchase apples at the grocery store. Try Gala or Honeycrisp.


2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon


1 teaspoon ground cloves


½ teaspoon of allspice


4 cups of white, granulated sugar


Crock pot that holds 6 quarts


Ladle


Ball Home Canning Basics Kit or equivalent: 21 ½ quart enamel water bath canner, canning jar rack, 10 pint mason jars, 10 lids and rings, lid lifter, funnel, jar lifter and plastic spatula



Directions

Pour 6 quarts of apple sauce into the crockpot and add spices. Add about 2 cups of sugar or an equivalent. Set the crockpot to low, prop the lid so that the steam can vent, and cook down the apple sauce for 6 hours or until it is reduced by half. Then, add the rest of your applesauce and sugar, adjusting to taste, and let it cook for another couple of hours until it reaches your desired consistency. If it gets too thick, add a bit of apple juice to thin it out, and cook it more to thicken if it is too thin.

At this point, sanitize your jars and lids by placing them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and lids with the jar tongs and lid lifter carefully. Pour the hot apple butter in your canning jars (using the tongs!), leaving one-quarter inch of airspace. Wipe the rim clean, and place the lids and rings on the jars and tighten. Place the jars in water bath for 15 minutes. Once they are finished processing, pull them out of the water with tongs, and let them cool. To make sure they’re sealed, press the center of the lid to make sure it does not “pop.”

You’re almost done! If you really want to make it a nice keepsake of the season or holiday gift, consider making your own custom canning labels. These labels can contain whatever you want, but should have a description of the contents of the jar, your name and the date on which it was canned. To make a really beautiful gift, cut out a circle of festive fabric and rubber band it around the lid of the jar, and put one of your custom labels on the jar's main surface.


Guest Post By Jessica Wiener

Jessica is an expert in the online printing industry. 
When she is not learning about new labeling applications 

and technologies, you can find her experimenting with 

new recipes in her kitchen and feeding them to whoever 

comes through the door.

Tutorial: Carving a pumpkin with a Cool Design.

This year I decided to use a design which I found online.

I am not the greatest at freehand with pumpkin carving.

In fact I still struggle when trying to copy a design =)

So this year Andrew came up with a genius idea!

1. Find a design you like for your pumpkin (I would recommend google as it comes up with lots of different images). Pinterest may work if you have a specific one you have seen in mind.
2. Enlarge the image on your computer (May need to download and zoom in)
3. Take a piece of paper and gently trace the lines on the screen with a pencil (DO NOT push too hard!). A laptop may be easier for this as you can lie it flat and then trace.
4. Take the paper and transfer the pattern to your pumpkin using a pin. Make dots along the lines onto the pumpkin. (I did mine pretty close together)
5. Remove paper when finished and you are ready to carve! 

Hope that helps! 

Enjoy your pumpkins!

Much Love,

L

Pumpkin Party Photos.

Photo Credit: Jenny Mergos

Photo Credit: Jenny Mergos

How do you guys carve your pumpkins?

Much Love,

L

Enjoying the Leaves much?

 

Last Saturday, we managed to get some time together and decided to head out for a bike ride.

This was a plan from last year, we were planning on going biking when the leaves started to change color and just didn't make it out for the trip before I left. Then we spent the rest of the season apart. So this is my first Fall stateside, I'm loving it.

Andrew had the entire weekend off *one very happy Me* so we picked this weekend for our trip.

State park ~ Here we come!

We went out and even got a bike carrier for the car.

They are actually decently priced in Walmart and hey if it means you get to go on fun free  (minus initial cost of bike carrier & gas anyway!) adventures like these....I would highly recommend investing in one.

Anyway....Here are some fun photos. 

 My favorite Goofy guy.

Aren't the colors just stunning! =)

I should probably explain a little about what happened while we were there.

So I chose to look 'cute' for our day out. One can look ladylike and feminine while riding a bike. Seriously.

So I picked out a cute dress I got on clearance from Old Navy the day before ($9!), I did have shorts on underneath (not completely unrealistic). Plus I had washed my hair and tied it up cutely and worn flip flops. I figured it was one of my last chances to make the most of the cute summer clothing since its been like 80-90F for the past week. Doubt it will stay that way for much longer.

So we look at the map once in the Park and see there's a mountain bike trail.

Here's where the american translation was lost on me (doesn't happen that often really). I had in my mind, biking trail and thought oh cool a place we won't annoy pedestrians. Let's go!

Really it was an intense mountain bike trail! 

So we did the 5-mile trail....me in dress and flipflops =)

Well I felt stylish =)

 Working the dress at the 3 mile marker.

Yea baby! 

Fashion aside....it was a super fun trail.

Even if it was intense.

We had fun.

The colors were also breathtaking! 

Praise God for making such an artistic canvas of leaves in the Fall.

So glad no-one came up on the trail behind us at this point.

How are you guys getting out to enjoy the colors?
Much love,
Lisa