Ryan, Chase, Sadie and I kicked off the weekend with a 4-mile walk before heading home to change and drive to Carrigan Farms in Mooresville. (FYI, we heard from Sadie’s vet on Friday and got great news! Two of her lumps were benign tumors and the mast cell tumor was low-grade and the vet thinks she moved it completely. HOORAY!)
(Chase’s face in that picture kills me! Ah!)
Apple-picking season began September 4 at Carrigan Farms and we learned last year that waiting until October means waiting a bit too long to pick apples. September is where it’s at for apples in this part of North Carolina and we arrived to find the orchard overflowing with Golden Delicious apples.
We had no trouble filling our large bag with perfectly ripe apples of all sizes and I have a feeling we’ll be eating apple pie, apple sauce and apple crisp in our house an awful lot in the coming days! (If you have any must-try apple-based recipes out there, please let me know. We’re clearly in the market and I’d like to try something new!)
Chase ended up sleeping for our entire adventure which suited us just fine. I fed him before we loaded him into his car seat and while I packed by baby carrier to wear him around the orchard just in case he was antsy, he ended up snoozing in the stroller the entire time.
In addition to the orchards, Carrigan Farms also has a petting zoo, so we made sure to pay a visit to the goats, sheep and adorable piglets before grabbing some apple cider to enjoy on the walk back to our car.
(I told Ryan I highly identified with that mama goat.)
Since Chase was being so cool, we decided to pop into a local Italian market on our way home to pick up lasagna and stuffed sausage meatballs for lunch.
If you live in the Lake Norman area, please make a trip to Ferrucci’s ASAP for some of the most fantastic Italian food around! We’ve had their eggplant parmesan and burrata cheese before and both were fantastic! The shop is tiny and located in an unassuming strip mall, but it’s absolutely worth a visit.
The rest of our Saturday was spent on the boat watching a local wakeboarding tournament before we crashed hard at home after dinner. When I say we crashed hard, I mean it! Chase and I fell asleep at 7 p.m. and Ryan joined us in our bedroom at 9 p.m. We slept until 6 a.m. and even though there were definitely some awake periods thrown into the mix in the middle of the night, I woke up feeling the most rested I have in a while. It was a fantastic start to our Sunday!
Ryan went to the gym right after we woke up so he could be home to stay with Chase while I took my turn and went to Pure Barre at 8 a.m. Once I made it home, Chase was ready for a feeding and nursed before we leashed Sadie up for a family walk around the neighborhood. We spent the rest of our Sunday around the house and Chase and I decorated for fall together (well, he hung out in the baby carrier…) and things already feel more festive around here!
I hope you guys had a great weekend!
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Ferucchi’s is awesome…Have you been to Derados (in the plaza with Publix off Catawba)?? The Casa Visco tomato sauce that they sell there is amazing! They also have other great treats including their Egglant Parm!!
I am originally from NY and I always make the mistake of waiting to try to go apple picking in North Carolina too long! One day I will get it right until then I will have to wait until I go to NY in two weeks to get my favorite apple and apple cider donuts!
I would love to go apple picking! Being from central Fl as you can probably remember there really isn’t anywhere to do that around here 🙁 But there is a yummy baked apple french toast recipe that my family loves! I’m terrible at technology so please forgive me for not adding in the link where you can just click on it but copy and paste should work! haha Also where did you get your white canisters that were on your counter?! They are super cute!
http://minimalistbaker.com/apple-french-toast-bake/
So glad to hear the good news about Sadie!
Oh this post brought back some good memories! When I attended Davidson College, some of our spring formats were at Carrigan Farm (the rock quary area) and Ferrucci’s is a little hidden gem. Glad your fall is off to a great start!
I can’t wait to go apple picking. Looks like you had a great day! 🙂
Xo,
Kara
http://www.fcnextdoor.com
This apple crisp recipe is our favorite and super easy!
http://nutritionfor.us/2012/09/healthy-crock-pot-apple-crisp-recipe/
i have to tell you.. I met a vizsla named Sadie at the dog park this weekend! I immediately thought of you and your sweet pooch 🙂
You have to make this apple cake from smitten kitchen! http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/01/apple-sharlotka/
So quick and so delish! And something like 5 ingredients.
And now I need to go make it!
I think apple picking might be one of my favorite fall activities… not to mention the delicious apples that come out of it!
That’s great news about Sadie! Healthy pets make for a happy house 😀
This is such a fun idea for an activity to do! I love apple anything 🙂 Also, your dress is so cute!! Where is it from?
I’ll be going apple picking this weekend and I can’t wait!
What an awesome day! When you go to your morning workout sessions, do you normally have a stash of breast milk pumped or do you supplement with formula?…just curious since i personally find pumling a bit challenging lol.
Yay for Fall! I am in the market for a slow cooker. What slow cooker do you own and would you recommend it? Thank you in advance! 🙂
So awesome that Sadie is doing well!! Love apple picking. Some awesome orchards in Hendersonville too if you haven’t checked out those yet.
I see a decoration in that box that I know! Miss you. Love all the cute pics of everyone 🙂 xox
My boyfriend and I visited this farm a few weekends ago! It is such a pretty place. We ended up spending hours at the farm without notice. 🙂
Saw this on Pinterest this evening & thought of you!
http://www.somethingswanky.com/75-apple-recipes/
I began my search yesterday for an apple orchard near us because I am dying to go apple picking, I have never been and it seems like fun and a great way to get into the fall spirit!