With the number of days dwindling until the arrival of the little one, my sisters insisted that we had to do something, anything together before the baby takes over. With my younger expecting her third baby in January also, it was looking like it could be months before we’d all be able to be at the same place at the same time.

We tossed a few ideas around, but it took little convincing to get them to make the trip to Madava Farms in upstate New York. I visited the farm for an April Bloomfield pig roast last month and have been raving about it ever since. The 800 acre organic maple farm produces Crown Maple Syrup and is open to the public for tours and tastings. They have a beautifully appointed retail space with a café run by a CIA trained chef. With the chef holding a cookie decorating event, it was a perfect place to spend a peaceful afternoon.

Our aunt and cousin joined us from Connecticut and we spent a few hours sipping wine (not all of us) and maple lattes while decorating ginger people. We even got a lesson from the chef about different ways to use maple syrup and maple sugar in cooking.

Of course, a day wouldn’t be complete without some form of exercise, right? A long walk around the property with our entourage of dogs was the perfect way to wrap things up.

Hope you enjoy Laurel’s photos from the day!

--Bec