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Apple Picking with Mae and Pop

September 14, 2026 by Julie Leave a Comment

We are coming off a wonderful weekend, made extra special because we had two of our very favorite people in town. My parents arrived on Thursday and we made the most of their time with us by filling our days with football games, apple picking and fall fun despite the lingering summer heat.

After playing flag football for the first time this past spring and absolutely loving it, Chase rejoined his same rec team for the fall season. His coach is incredible and assembled a group of boys from his elementary school on a local rec league to play as a mini school team of sorts. Chase’s flag football coach has a connection to the high school football team and got the boys on the field for the varsity game on Friday night which absolutely thrilled them! They ran through the banner behind the varsity team at the start of the game and jumped up and town like crazy when the team scored a touchdown right in front of them on the sidelines.

I haven’t been to a high school football game since I was in high school — same for my parents — and we all said Friday night felt like nostalgic football fun!

Saturday

Saturday morning began on a very unexpected note. When I came out of our bedroom I was hit with a horrific smell and found poor Comet had experienced major doggie diarrhea. I felt absolutely awful for Comet because I could tell he tried to aim his butt out of his crate (and he succeed for the most part). His poop went absolutely  everywhere — on his crate blankets, the floor, the walls, etc. I have no idea why he didn’t whine or make any noise (we can easily hear Comet if he whines in his crate even over our noise machine, because he’s just down the hall from our bedroom) but we know he pooped in the 30 minute window between the time Ryan got up to work out and the time I woke up. We gave Comet a bath and went to town cleaning and disinfecting everything. Poor guy!

We also kept a very close eye on Comet and were relieved when he was eating and drinking normally and seemed content to sprint around outside and play like normal. Who knows what caused his emergency poop but we’re just glad he is okay and also that it happend on a weekend morning when we were all home and could quickly care for him.

Comet

After the doggie drama, we ate breakfast and hung out around the house while my dad and Ryan did a bike ride together. Once everyone was home and showered, we were off on our adventure of the day!

Apple Picking at Perry Lowe Orchards

My parents said they were up for a little fall fun on Saturday so we made the 60-minute drive to Perry Lowe Orchards in Moravian Falls, North Carolina.

mae pop apple picking

Perry Lowe is a stunning family orchard nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains with more than 100 acres of apple trees. Ever since we discovered this gem a few years ago, it’s been a must-visit for our family. We’ve loved watching the orchard  expand and add new family-friendly attractions every year.

julie rhett

When we arrived, the boys couldn’t resist the jumping pad which helped them get a little energy out after our car ride.

We then bought bags for our apples (probably too many — we’re swimming in apples at the moment!) and made our way over to the tractor for a ride out to the orchards.

We had no trouble picking our fill of four different varieties of apples.

perry lowe orchard

Our favorites were the Blondees (super sweet) and the Crimson Crisp (similar to a Honeycrisp). We loaded up!!

We then spent a little more time at the orchard enjoying the apple cannon (the highlight!), tube slide, small bike track and potato sack slide before ordering apple cider slushies to sip on the drive home.

perry lowe orchards

We spent some of the drive home brainstorming apple recipes and popped by the grocery store to grab necessary ingredients before heading home and getting to work in the kitchen. Ryan, my dad and the boys headed outside for some backyard archery until the rain set in while my mom and I tag-teamed apple pie and pork tenderloin with apples for dinner and dessert! We spent the rest of the evening hanging out, playing a few games and watching college football.

Sunday

Sunday was a day of apple treats and soccer! Both big kids’ games were scheduled for early Sunday afternon so we spent a decent portion of the our day at the soccer fields cheering them on.

soccer

It was both boys’ first game of the season and after a few years of soccer games under our belts, we know that the first few games of the season always feel a little clunky as the teams begin to learn how to play as a unit. Chase’s team lost 3-1 (he scored their only goal, though!) and Ryder’s team tied. Thankfully both kids seemed to have fun despite the heat that came rolling back in with a vengeance after a more mild Saturday.

Once we were back home, we took Comet on a walk and then the boys just wanted some chill time to play before we were ready for dinner. Over the course of the day, I also whipped up two different apple treats with the apples from our apple picking haul: Pinch of Yum’s cinnamon sugar apple cake and our family’s all-time favorite apple crisp.

oatmeal apple crisp

I’d highly recommend both recipes if you’re looking for apple recipes to make this fall after an apple picking adventure!

We wrapped up our weekend with family movie night. We started Japanorama (season 19) of Jet Lag, our family’s favorite YouTube travel competition show. We chose this season to begin watching with my parents because they have a big trip to Japan scheduled at the end of the month! If you have any Japan tips I can send their way, please share! I know they’d love to read them and I’ll be sure to pass them along.

Now my parents are back in Florida and we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming over here with our typical weekday shenanigans. I hope you guys all have a wonderful week ahead! Thank you for beginning your week with me in my little corner of the internet!

Filed Under: Weekend Recaps Tagged With: apple crisp, apple picking, Perry Lowe Orchards, weekend recaps

Things I’m Loving Friday #604

September 11, 2026 by Julie 8 Comments

frame bubble jeans review

Friday is here and so are my parents!! Woop! Mae and Pop arrived in town yesterday and we are so thrilled to have them here for a quick visit. We were looking at our calendars and realizing that between travel and commitments, this was a weekend we all had free and it felt well-worth squeezing in a visit even if it had to be a short one. We have … [Continue reading...]

A Fun Day Trip to Greensboro, NC with Kids

September 9, 2026 by Julie 1 Comment

day trip to greensboro nc with kids

Hot on the heels of our one-night stay at Great Wolf Lodge, we took the boys on a day trip to Greensboro, North Carolina! (When you have non-refundable boarding arranged for your dog and your original travel plans fall through, you take full advantage!) I've had a trip to the Greensboro Science Center on my list of ideas for family field trips for … [Continue reading...]

15 Great Wolf Lodge Tips for the Best Family Trip

September 7, 2026 by Julie Leave a Comment

Great Wolf lodge tips

When our original Labor Day weekend plans changed at the last minute, Ryan and I scrambled to put together a fun weekend for our family since we already had non-refundable boarding arranged for our dog and wanted to make the most of the time off. We tossed around a few options but the minute the words "Great Wolf Lodge" left our lips, the decision … [Continue reading...]

Things I’m Loving Friday #603

September 4, 2026 by Julie Leave a Comment

Hello, hello! A three-day weekend us upon us and while our initial plans to head to the mountains with friends got postponed until October, Ryan and I threw together a last-minute plan for the weekend that should be a fun one. We grabbed a deal on a room at Great Wolf Lodge and also hope to take the boys apple picking, as a handful of orchards in … [Continue reading...]

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Hi! I’m Julie and I am a mom to three energetic boys and a personal trainer and blogger living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome to my blog! Peanut Butter Fingers follows my life and my interests in food, fitness, family, travel and (mostly) healthy living.
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I am not a registered dietitian. My blog is simply a documentation of my life. The views I express are mine alone, based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical advice. I DO NOT post everything I eat. Though I am a certified personal trainer, the workouts I post may not be right for you. Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your current routine.

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