Blueberries And Other Things

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (a blueberry farm with roaming horses...aka: lawn mowers)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Summer food is starting to roll on in. We've frozen tomatoes (did you know you can freeze them whole?), canned pickles, and now I'm thinking blueberry jam should be next on the list. Today my mom, sister, and I took the kids to a blueberry farm. Yes, we have our own blueberry bushes, but somehow we've ended up at blueberry farms the last two summers despite our own crop. Last summer I blame the army worms. This summer I blame memories from last year.

  It took us forever and a very long time to get to there. Poor Joshua was not enjoying the ride, so half an hour turned into well over an hour of stopping and starting. The big kids were such troopers. They endured the extra long car ride with a decent amount of grace, and when they were finally let loose in the blueberry fields they actually brought in a respectable haul. Okay, so half of it may have gotten eaten on the car ride back, but there's still enough for jam...if they don't eat the rest of the berries tomorrow!

 

 



Water Babies

This is kind of a big deal for us.

Levi has always shied away from water. We would go to splash pads, and he would sit on the sidelines and watch. Until he was well into his threes even baths were torture for all parties involved. This summer has marked a definite change for this boy. He actually LIKES water now. He jumps at the chance to put his swim trunks on.

This mama is totally digging the new summer activities.

P.S. Yes, my children are "gardening" in the pool...shovels, dirt, and all.

Weekend Loves...A Bit Late

Favorite things and links...

: : Blackberries are ripening as I type which means the blueberries are close behind them. I'm dreaming about Blueberry Lemonade. Yum.

: : This beautiful kitchen is so inspiring. I cannot wait until our kitchen gets scratched off of the remodel list.

: : I am crazy about this darling baby dress and turban pattern from Pickles. So so so cute! Sophia is going to need a set.

: : And, in honor of Memorial Day, this post is pretty nifty.

Happy Memorial Day!

Oh, August....

....how I wish I could love you....but I don't.  Your heat sucks the life out of even the non-pregnant.  A heat index of 115 F is intolerable.  And, the mosquitoes?  Really, something should be done about them.  Maybe you could see to it that the rest of the month is at least a tad milder.  M'kay?
                                                                                      xoxo,
                                                                                      Madeline

Seriously though, this heat is getting to me.  It's hard enough to move quickly while pregnant, but in this much heat it's impossible.  I've felt the need to sleep....a lot.  My camera, my blog, the entire internet, and all housework have been sorely neglected.  I'd be okay with this, except that I'm so hot it makes me irritable.  If I step outside, it takes the rest of the day to cool back off again....something about a personal heating system rocking away in my tummy.  Sigh.

On a semi-good note, storms are moving in.  The temperatures will now be in a "reasonable" early to mid 90's.  Of course, rain means more humidity.  Can our air feel any more like split pea soup?  Oh, yes, indeed.

And, entirely unrelated to the weather, if you're in need of a good read this week check out Erin's latest post.  I'm bookmarking it, so I can reread and remind myself of this stuff post baby.

Hope y'all are enjoying your week and staying cool!

The New And Improved Blueberry Lemonade

After posting about our new summer love....blueberry lemonade, a friend sent an email to tell me that agave nectar is really a highly processed food that's not as fabulous as it's made out to be.  After a little googling, I discovered that she was right.  Agave nectar is definitely more processed than it's name lets on.  At that news, I started brainstorming new ways to make the lemonade.  And, by substituting honey for the agave nectar,  I came up with something that Levi has deemed "wonderful and beautiful."  To tell you the truth, I like this new recipe way better than the old one.  I've edited the old post to include the new changes.  So, if you're looking for a great summer treat, try this out!

Blueberry Lemonade

Our new favorite summer drink is Blueberry Lemonade.  It's been a hit around here.  And, I'll tell you a secret....as far as summer yum goes, this one is pretty healthy.  It's also begging to be made into popsicles.  Oh, and it's super easy.

Ingredients:

2 pints blueberries
Enough water to just cover the blueberries
1 cup honey*
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 quart cold water
Ice

Put blueberries in a pot and just cover with water.  Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 2 minutes.  Place honey in a large bowl.  Strain the berries into the bowl through a fine mesh strainer, mashing the berries to get all the juice.  Set aside mashed berry leftovers.** Stir the hot berry juice and honey until the honey has dissolved. In a large pitcher, combine the fresh berry juice, honey, lemon juice, and a quart of cold water.  Stir.  Serve over ice, and enjoy!***

*I originally used agave nectar, but since then I've realized how highly processed it is.  I got the idea to substitute honey, and oh, my is it good!

**You can add a touch of honey to the mashed berry goodness leftover and have a yummy blueberry jam of sorts.

***Warning:  It is not advised to wear white while drinking this concoction.  ;)

P.S. Excuse the background clutter.  Renovations are still under way.

Today...

Today was beautiful. It smelled like Summer, but felt like Autumn. Of course, we spent large portions of the day lazing around outside...because really...Autumn weather in August...so not something we get to enjoy very often. Still looks like summer, but, oh, my, Autumn is seriously just around the corner. Personally, I can't wait. The cool crispness is already beckoning. And, well, the blueberries and tomatoes of summer are pretty much spent, so it must be time to move along now. How are y'all spending the end of your summer?

Who Needs A Zoo When You've Got A Backyard?

As we were walking home a few nights ago we spotted this....
I know it looks like just a turtle, but do you see that hole in the ground that she's sitting on? She's laying eggs right next to my house! It was getting dark, and my camera is none too spiffy in the evening, so this was the best photo I could get. But, how terrifically cool is that?!! We put up a little fence around her eggs to prevent lawnmower damage. Now every time we pass the fence Levi says, "Ecks, ecks, turle, turle." (Eggs, eggs, turtle, turtle) And, yes he generally repeats everything twice.
The great Google tells me that land turtle eggs can take anywhere between 45 and 90 days to hatch. The amount of time is dependent on weather conditions, species, etc. That's a stinkin' long time to wait to see little munchkin turtles. Hope nothing digs them up first. That would be a real letdown. I'm kind of looking forward to the little critters emerging one fine day. Oooo...I so hope I'm there with camera in hand.

Fresh and Ripe

Aunt Annie came into town this weekend, so of course we had to pick blueberries for her to take home. Despite the fact that we can't possibly pick all of the blueberries on our bushes, her suggestion was to plant more. She said that in all seriousness too. Like we need more.
There are so many of them we're swimming in a sea of blue.
And there not even all ripe yet!
Levi loves them. This makes a momma very happy....except, of course, during dirty diaper time. Yuck!
And, since it was HOT as hot can be we opted for outdoor air conditioning while picking.
Levi finally just plopped himself in front of the fan and called it a day.
Hope y'all are having a smashing summer.
Oooo...guess what? It's been raining lots and lots. With that icky awful drought, we were beginning to think rain was a thing of the past. The pitter patter of rain on the tin roof just makes my day.

Birthday Weekend...Fabulous

I'm a pretty lucky gal. My birthday is only a couple of days away from Independence Day, so lots of celebrating and good food happen all in a row. This year was no exception.
Of course, I got to do lots of hanging out with this little munchkin...
And, on my actual birthday, we celebrated with sushi. Levi has a new found love of chopsticks.
And, Aunt Annie even graced us with her presence. We took approximately 25 photos of the three of us, and this is the best one. Hmmm....we weren't at our most photogenic apparently.
Levi licked the ice cream bowls. He's still undecided on which he likes best green tea or red bean. My personal favorite is green tea. Sushi would probably count as healthy eats except that I ALWAYS follow it with a big bowl of green tea ice cream.
Of course the boys at the table just had to turn their chopsticks into swords. I mean really what would dinner be without transforming eating utensils into weapons?
That's about the extent of the celebratory pics. I was a tad lazy with the camera this weekend. Probably because I was too busy eating. Saturday we scored some awesome fresh shrimp from the farmer's market. We already had plans for brick-oven pizzas that night, so we went with boiled shrimp for lunch. That evening we chased the pizzas with homemade blueberry pie. Shhh...don't tell anyone, but I might have had blueberry pie and ice cream for breakfast this morning. And, Levi might possibly have had the same thing. There's a reason I don't make pies very often...It's called zero self control. Oh. my. This evening I thought it was going to be a fend for yourself kind of deal. But, when I got home my dad met me in the driveway and told me dinner was on the grill. The biggest surprise, he was grilling VEGETABLES!!! Y'all, I've spent my entire existence believing that my dad was extremely limited in his culinary skills....bread, steak, and grits were about the extent of it. So, when we chowed down on out of this world good grilled portabellos and eggplant then finished it off with mouthwateringly fabulous grilled peaches, I was floored. I just love yummy weekends. Sigh.
Oh...and, I just have to add that when I told my dad that I didn't know he could cook vegetables, he actually tried to convince me that grits were vegetables because they were made of corn. Oh. me. oh. my. See why the real veggies were such a stunner?!

Happy Fourth of July!!! A huge thank you to all the men and women who make freedom possible!!

A Little Too Much Blue

We have cascades of very blue blueberries. More are ripening as I type. It's absolutely heavenly around here...or, it would be if Levi would quit eating them by the bucketful. He stands by the bushes and picks and eats, picks and eats. Then we get inside and he wants more. It's not that we don't have enough, it's just that when they come out the other end of this kid...oh. my. stars. Eeeeww! Gross! After two blowouts this morning I stuck him in a disposable. I hate to break it to him, but his blueberry eating is about to be seriously rationed. Mommy's ick-ometer is nearing overload.
So, while I kept him indoors (i.e. away from the blueberry bushes) he found other adorable ways of entertaining himself...the spinny chair is always a favorite...
And, the ever cute "Ay-O" (translation: "Hello.")
Side note: Tomorrow's my birthday and this weekend is the 4th of July, so I reserve the right to be scarce around these parts...or not. I'm undecided. Just thought I'd give sufficient warning, in case I drop off the face of the planet for a few days. Never fear...I'll be back! ;) Hope y'all have a happy weekend!!

Everyone Needs A Little "Dur"

Summer is in full swing around these parts. And, Levi is loving every minute of it. This is pretty much what he looks like 24/7 now:
The boy just can't get enough of the outdoors...especially the dirt or "dur" as he likes to call it. Has the heat picked up in your neck of the woods? The temps are skirting and surpassing 100 around here. And, oh, that rain sit hasn't worked so far. Hmmm...we might just have to pull out the dancing shoes. My garden is languishing. I've even had a few fatalities. Oh. my.

Parched

We
.
.
.
Need
.
.
.
Rain!!!

You know it's bad when even the succulents are looking parched. Despite lots of sprinkler action, my garden is unhappy and wilty. There's really no substitute for what God pours down from the sky. I've considered collecting rainwater to use in the garden, but that would require me to put my thinking cap on. In this heat, my thinking cap doesn't work so well. Oh, yeah, and I'd have to build stuff and move heavy objects, and when the temps hit this high, I feel no desire to do anything but sit...inside...where there's air conditioning. Thank the good Lord for giving us the brains to invent air conditioning.

Hmmmm....

Maybe a rain dance is in order.

Oh, wait. I nearly forgot, It's way to hot to dance. Maybe a rain sit would work....

The Chase Is On

Levi has been busy lately perfecting his bug chasing skills. He giggles as he chases daddy long legs, moths, and ants around the porch. I giggle just watching him. The little speck he's after in these pics is a carpenter ant. Poor thing had a few narrow escapes. We're working on learning the art of gentle bug chasing. So far, we've only had a few insect fatalities.
When the ant finally ran out of sight, Levi decided that bumblebee chasing was next up on the agenda.
There are no more pictures after this because, well, I had to put an end to the chasing of stinging critters.

Bugged Out

Around here, in the Spring and Summer we're up to our eyeballs in bugs. Some of them good; some of them bad. Sorry, God, but I just don't get it. Why mosquitoes???? And, horseflies, deer flies, red bugs, and ticks???
Other than the Summer villains, the bug world is pretty spectacular. This beauty landed on my screen porch. He was none to keen on me invading his space with my camera. Sorry, little fella!
Can you believe this is the same butterfly? Just with wings shut.

This critter has taken up residence on my screen door. Sadly, my screened in porch is really perfect for spiders. Instead of keeping the bugs out it seems to just trap them. I'm torn between thinking this spider is stunning and being creeped out by his rather monster like "face".
This leggy fella' is what we call a daddy long legs. Levi is in love. He chases these things all over the place, giggling the whole way!
Not so secretly, while pregnant I was dying to have a little boy. I'm quite girly enough as it is. I like that with a little boy, I get to let the tomboy in me out. I can chase bugs and blame it on him. ;)
Are y'all up to any bug chasing adventures?