Fall

Today's morning activity was cracking walnuts. The Church we attend was once a walnut grove and still has over a dozen walnut trees that produce a TON of walnuts each year. (Okay so maybe not a ton literally, but you get the idea!) After the storm a few weeks ago Aaron called me and asked if the kids and I had time to pick up some of the walnuts that had blown down from the trees. We went and in a matter of 30 minutes had a paper grocery bag FULL. I've never picked up walnuts before and I have to say, it was pretty gross. The kids had a good time however stepping on the slimy black "soft shells" revealing the harder shell underneath.

Today I finally got around to pulling out the hammer and mallet and setting to the task of "shelling" the walnuts. What a fun activity! After a while we actually got the hang of things and were able to crack them without completely smashing the walnut!
We talked about how great the design of the walnut is and how smart God was to create it the way He did.

We also talked about all the fun things we are going to make with our walnuts, including, but not limited to cookies and brownies. (I can't wait to candy some for my salads!) Grey didn't care for the taste of them raw, actually neither did Noraa, but they were great helpers today in spite of their dislike. Even Sam enjoyed himself as he was given full permission to bang away with his little red hammer!

He made me laugh out loud as he tried so intently to hit the actual walnut. Every time it escaped him he grew frustrated until I finally gave him some that were already cracked in half and stayed put enough to hit properly. Such a boy!

So what did I learn from this adventure? Simply this: it may be easier to do it myself, I may loose a few walnuts in the process, but letting them help me sure made for a morning of fun and memories that will last!