I woke the girls early this morning, met a friend at the coffee shop for some to-go treats and then we hit the berry patch.  The only blueberry picking I had done before was in Alaska on our honeymoon and those little gems were wild and everywhere in Denali National Park.  This experience was entirely different and so fun.  No bending over like with strawberries and no thorns like with raspberries.  The sun was shining and the temperature was in the low 70's.  Indeed, it was a glorious morning.  As soon as the first berries fell into my bucket, the girls said the plink sound reminded them of Blueberries for Sal, one of our favorite storybooks.  I love that book! I wish I could say that I was planning on canning these like Sal's mother.  I'll probably bake batch of muffins or scones, or maybe a coffee cake and the remaining majority of the 17 pounds will be frozen for Fatty, who likes a handful in his cereal every morning.

I was so flattered when Cindy asked me to contribute to her Summer Craft Camp.  She has compiled one great list of kids' crafts!

One of my kids' favorite crafts is embroidery.  They have both been stitching for a few years. This time, Kate was my very willing assistant and got to work on a cute flower embroidery from a drawing she did.  You can find our project here.

Kate and I made her flower into a sweet pillow with a rick racktrim.  You could also add it to a quilt or a bag.  Another great idea isto have your child embroider on flour sack tea towel for a gift. Whatever you choose, it's sure to be treasured by you and your childalike.

Good morning!

We arrived home from London on Saturday night, extremely happy and tired. We had a lovely trip - saw many sights, visited museums, met some lovely blog friends, ate wonderful meals, shopped a bit, walked and then walked some more.  We're still adjusting to the time difference (waking up at 4:30 a.m. is not so much fun), but as always, it is so nice to be home.  A few fruits in the garden made it extra sweet.

I have a huge desire to sew something - anything, really.  I imagine I'll be back here soon with something to show or tell.

Enjoy your day.

I expect things to be quiet around the blog for a few weeks.  Life is busy and full and crazy at times and I'm living it.  I'm driving my kids around town and watching swim practices and missing their golf for the second time in two weeks.  We've been hanging out with good friends, drinking beer and chasing fire flies.  I brought the sewing machine downstairs because it is too flipping hot on the third floor even with the AC.  And while I am happy stitching away, it's the secret kind of sewing which is fun and not fun at the same time.  What I'd really like to do is start a new quilt and see it through to the end.  I did get everything put back in the kitchen, but the house is still messy and there are huge piles of laundry mocking me at every turn.  I have found that plying my kids with the promise of a playdate gets them to clean their rooms so there's that.  I have a very large basket of peaches that needs dealing with. The garden is sprouting weeds and vegetables that need to be harvested. We did eat what was left of the peas on Saturday night, straight out of the colander before they even made their way in the house.  Kate even liked them and so maybe raw peas taste better to her than cooked ones? Who knows?  And we might be getting a dog.  Scratch that.  We are getting a dog.  Her name is Hazel.  We met her tonight and she is wonderful.  Then there are those martini glasses.  Keep or give away?  I'm on the fence, but I did put them away so I guess it's keep for now.

So yeah, quiet on the blog means never a dull moment around here.  I'm good with that.  See you soon.

I didn't think it was going to happen this year.  The kitchen is still not completely put back together.  Other deadlines loom and the girls seem to be busier this summer than in years past.  My time is so limited these days.  But on a whim Sunday afternoon, I called the berry farm for Monday's hours.  When they said that if I wanted to pick today, I'd have to be in the field by 4:30, I took a quick look at my watch.  3:00.  If we left right away, we'd be there by 3:30....oh, why not?  We went.

After 40 minutes of picking, the girls and I had amassed three gallons (14 pounds!) of berries.  So on Monday (and Tuesday) I made what had seemed impossible possible.  The kitchen is messier than when I started, but it doesn't matter.  We'll all be happier for the mess because I was able to squeeze it in this year.

I made jam.

(Last year's jam post is filled with information on how I make my jam.  I wrote about strawberry jam in 2008, too.)

I know I just said I'd be gone for awhile, but then something happened that I think is blog worthy, so here I am.  Are you all familiar with Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter, GOOP?  I don't remember how I was turned onto it, but I have been subscribing for awhile now.  Yesterday, this little gem landed in my inbox.  The timing could not have been more perfect:  I was just looking for something to make for dinner.  Shrimp tacos, anyone?

 

 

They were fantastically fresh, simple and easy - all things I like in a meal.  I didn't follow the recipe.  Instead, I watched the video and I enjoyed how Gwyneth just showed you what to do.  Really, nothing needed to be precise.  I opted out of the guacamole because the avocado I had wasn't ripe and substituted green for red with the jalapeno and red for white with the onion.  Otherwise, I just followed her lead.  It was a great meal for us because Jane, who is allergic to shellfish, could still make herself veggie tacos while us other three ate the shrimp.  We were all members of the clean plate club.  Thumbs up all around!

Have a great weekend.

I looked at the calendar today and it says Thursday.  I could swear it was Wednesday.  The telltale sign of a good long weekend, if you ask me.

The girls are out of school.  We've been busy.  Tennis lessons, swim team, an amusement park, kitchen organizing, house cleaning, more swim team, grocery shopping, and if all goes as planned, some berry picking tomorrow.

Did you notice there was no mention of sewing? Or cooking? Or gardening? And boy does the garden need some attention.

I am trying to get my summer rhythm going.  It's far from a nice melody, but we are slowly plucking out a tune.  I might be away for a little while during this transition.  In the meantime, please go read this post by Rachel. I love it. She is a constant source of inspiration for me.

Also, please enjoy these peonies.  I know I am.