Mere Pittance

I awoke this morning with glee, knowing that it was my first berry picking excursion of the year! The boys were filled with excitement, too. I purposely didn't give them fruit this morning, knowing how they would stuff themselves with the sweet red fruit once we arrived. I picked up my mom and we drove to the berry farm. The first thing we noticed was a sign stating, "$2.25 per level quart". Ack! I had visions of the woman standing there with a ruler, shaving off the top of the quart boxes, saying, "No, no, missy! These few will have to go into another quart! You have too many!" The berries were also pretty small and not too sweet. Maybe we went a bit too early in the season?

I don't think I plan on going back, though, because of the price! I am now left wondering what would be the proper utilization of my 5 quarts of berries. YES. I only picked 5. You can only squat so much in blazing sun when you're 32 weeks pregnant! :) (I probably fed another 5 to my sons, though... Shhhh...) Jam? Shortcake? Freezing some for the winter (*snort!*)? Eating fresh? So many possibilities!

It was nice to get out for a bit, though, and talk with other people and just enjoy the sun before it got too hot. It only got unbearable toward the end... Timothy stayed in the stroller very nicely and ate what berries we brought him. He would even have his hands folded when I looked at him. Everyone who passed by had to chat him up, so that helped him not to get too itchy sitting there. He didn't like it when I got too far away, though, and I didn't want to drive the stroller into the rows for fear of mowing over what good berries there were, so I stuck close by him.

This makes me want our own berry plants and bushes that much more!!

Taming the Chickens...

Our chickens are going to be so very tame! They put up with a lot from three active little boys. Witness the torture one particular chicken we've nicknamed "The Falcon" goes through within the span of a few minutes!

Petting Zoo

Stephen Resting with a Chicken

Birdy Update

I went to the lilac bush yesterday and saw the baby robin with its eyes open! I chugged back into the house as fast as I could and grabbed my camera to capture a few shots. I am glad I did, because this morning when I went to peek, the bird flew away! How quickly they grow up and "leave the nest"! I think of the every day frustrations I go through in raising my three boys, yet I am still glad they don't grow up and leave as fast as birds do...











This is what the robin did when I spooked it-it crouched down into its feathers to try to hide.

Newborn

It is that time of year again! All of my friends have photos of baby birds on their blogs, so when Matthew found a robin's nest in one of our lilac bushes, I took a few shots of the sleeping baby bird. The boys were all in a twitter about this find and wanted so badly to touch the bird. I explained how we cannot do that, for if the mama bird smelled our scent near the nest, she wouldn't return and the baby would die. Matthew decided if he couldn't touch the nest and bird, he'd climb high into the lilac bush for a better look!

Our Trip to MA

Here are a whole slew of photos from our recent whirlwind trip to Massachusetts. Dave enjoyed seeing all of his family, and the boys enjoyed being spoiled...a lot (*cough*)... This photo is of Dave, the boys, and Dave's grandpa. The boys are watching tv, which we don't usually do. That explains the "zoned" looks. ;)

Stephen and the Sumo Wrestler...

I mean, CAT. Isn't this the biggest cat you've seen in your life? It even has diabetes! How crazy is that?

Sweet Sleep

This is how I wish the boys were alllll the time! :)

Peek a Boo!

The quality isn't that great on this one, but who cares! It is cute! Timothy was so fast at opening and closing those doors, it was impossible to get a great shot.

He's a Strong One...

Timothy pushed Stephen in the wagon all around the yard... Notice the "license plate" on the back of the wagon?? Yes, that used to be Dave's wagon when he was that age. :)

Back to Back

This is how kids play best, right? Near each other, but not with each other...

Boy In a Bubble

The boys loved all the bubble making toys they got!

Hot, Sweaty and Clammy

Those are words I think describe how I have been feeling the past week or so. Here comes the heat! I am not a heat-lovin' gal by any means. In fact, when we were out in beautiful Monterey, CA, I think I found the perfect climate for me. It rarely went above 80 and being seaside provided those wonderful breezes.

God has us where we are now, though, so I had best make do with it! :) We hauled out the fans and I am trying not to pester my husband to get an air conditioner right yet...

The town we live in had our "all over town" yard sales this past Saturday. It was so steamy hot that day, but I was glad to see some of our "junk" go! We didn't make a huge killing off of it, but my best find was a handbag to resell on EBay. That is how our family yard sales, since we don't really NEED anything at the moment. Dave, especially, looks for the deals to resell. Dave stayed here, manning our sale with our oldest son, while I took the younger two and my mom and we buzzed around. I did find a few things I was on the hunt for: a metal spatula (mine broke) and a sprinkler for the kids to play in. Not terribly exciting, but it made me happy!

Things around here have been so busy lately, and the kitchen renovations have been put on hold for a while. Two weekends ago, we were up in MA, visiting relatives for a whirlwind tour. This past weekend was the yard sale, and now this coming Saturday, there is a presbytery meeting at our church that is very important for us to attend. Our cabinets come early July, so hopefully things slow down and Dave and my stepdad can get back to work on that kitchen!

Baby #4 has been baking wonderfully. My insidious pelvic pain has come back full force, however. :( This time I got smart. Actually, some friends of ours introduced us to a chiropractor about 40 minutes from us who only charges $35 per family! She has helped me so much with my carpal tunnel problems, and now I am seeing her for the pelvic pain. She not only adjusts, but also gives info as to how you can make things better yourself. It seems to be helping with the pelvic pain somewhat, so that is encouraging.

This past Thursday, I was out front putting down peat moss in our huge garden, when I saw a minivan slow somewhat on our road. I looked up, wondering what they were slowing for. They had hit one of our hens, and barely slowed (probably wondering what it was), saw it was only a chicken, and went speeding on! I ran across the road and scooped her up out of the ditch. She didn't have any blood, and it looked like she got bumped by the car, not hit head on. I put her into the coop with food and water. Guess what? She is still alive today! She seems to be getting better each day, too, and eats and drinks. I now know where the term "tough old bird" comes from! haha