Huckleberry Harvest

Sandwiched between two lovely days at Bear Lake, we headed to the mountains to do a little huckleberry picking. Did you know huckleberries cannot be domesticated? Interesting. Have you ever seen a huckleberry? They look like this:

The more purple, the sweeter. The kids had a lovely time picking. I had a lovely time carrying Annie because she refused to walk after her cousins warned her about not stepping on any huckleberry bushes.
We picked enough berries to head back to the condo for homemade huckleberry ice cream. I really liked it. So did Ben. Maybe next year we'll set up huckleberry camp for a few days. They were quite delicious. I used the last of them for muffins this morning. Yum.

Bear Lake

You know the drill. We went to the lake. The kids had a blast. My car will have sand for the next three months.



This village had a name. I don't remember it. Something about sand. Sand City? Sand Village? Or maybe shells. Shellville?

Petunia Rose had a fabulous time, obviously. The girl would like nothing more than to live at the beach. I don't think she even talked to me the entire time we were there. She just played.

This little guy was a delight. Looks like he'll be a beach bun like his brother and sister.

A great way to end the summer. I hope we make it a tradition!

Laundry Mountain

A husband out-of-town for two consecutive weeks + two trips to Grandma's house + a long weekend at Bear Lake = lots of laundry.


The good news - there are lots of beach towels in there, so the pile should go down quickly since they are so big.

The bad news - there are also lots of teeny baby clothes in there.

I've got piles to go before I sleep.

The Threshing Crew

They are a little bit ragtag, but I don't think Grandpa wants to trade them in.

Ben's first try at farming. He liked it!

Annie in her "John Deere Pink." Doesn't quite care for "John Deere Green."

No Summertime Blues Around Here

I really love summer. So do my kids. We are hoping that somehow the start of the school year will be delayed until October this year so we can enjoy it a little longer.
Did you ever play with the hose? I did. For hours. It is so relaxing to watch the water.
When we move, the number one criteria for our new house will be whether it has a suitable spot for a hammock. This one is perfect and will be hard to duplicate.
Thank you to whoever installed the fire pit at our house. We have really enjoyed it. Also thank you to the makers of the ginormous roasting marshmallows. We have also really enjoyed them.


How do we know summer days are dwindling? That's the combine they are riding in, meaning the middle of harvest season. I love harvest, but a big boo for the end of summer.


How much fun can we cram into these last two weeks? I like fall but I'm sure not ready for summer to leave. I read a research article once that noted that statistics show people's favorite season tends to be the one in which they are born. I think it's true for me (although I'm only a summer baby meteorologically - astronomically I'm spring). I know it's true for Floyd (fall). I'm pretty sure it's going to be true for our swimsuit-loving, shoes-not-wearing July baby Miss Annie too.

All is Fair

A few weeks ago, my kids and I picked up a county fair booklet while we were at the library so we could see what events we wanted to attend. When we looked through it, we all got excited about the many different categories you could enter, so we decided to make some cookies for the fair. Annie and I spent last Monday evening making some cookies. Cole was all excited to take "our" cookies to the fair I was teasing him that they weren't his cookies since he didn't help. "Yes I did," he insisted. When I asked how, he thought for a minute and then replied in a sweet voice, "I smiled at you to make you happy." Little cheeser.

The next day we dropped them off at the fairgrounds and then I got a little nervous because Cole is nothing if not competitive. I had explained to him that there are three different colors of ribbons and that blue is the best. I knew if we didn't get a blue ribbon that we would be in for all kinds of questions and anger from him, but luckily, we pulled through!

Here is Annie and I with our blue ribbon effort, S'mores Cookies...

Cole was so proud, but now we have set a high precedence for next year and he figured out that one person wins a purple ribbon and goes to the state fair. He is really going to be wanting that purple ribbon next year!

It was a pretty random thing for us to do, but the kids thought it was great fun. Not that carnival rides and cotton candy aren't enough of a draw for them, but I think they liked the fair a little extra this year.

If you would like to try out the cookies, I posted the recipe here a few months ago.

A little note from Ben...

...5-months and the livin' is easy. I can smile, laugh, make my wants known, roll-over, coo, eat my feet, reach and grab anything I want, and give my mom the best hugs ever. Seriously. I reach my chubby little hands around her neck and squeeze like crazy. I think she likes it.

Did you know I have dimples? I do. And I've heard they are quite handsome and/or adorable (depending on who is describing them). Have you seen my smile? It's pretty awesome. Come visit and I'll flash you a good one.

There's just one thing I need a little help with. I'm over rice cereal and ready for the good stuff - and I don't mean squash or carrots. Anybody know how to convince my mom to feed me a hamburger or lasagna or something that is not pureed?

Solids

The rest of the family ganged up on me and declared it was time for Ben to start eating solids. I fought a good battle to hold him off a bit longer, but once Dad started sneaking him bites of whatever he was eating, I figured I might as well surrender and just buy some rice cereal so at least he would be eating appropriate solids and not ice cream.
The verdict - he likes it and would like to also eat whatever else he can get his hands on or convince us to feed him.

Welcome Home!

Dear Aunt Kar-

Sorry we didn't make it down to the airport last night to see you. Mom said your plane got in a little too late for us. Well, some of us. Not too late for Mr. Nocturnal Cole, but he can't drive. We sure missed you while you were gone and we can't wait to hear about Haiti.

Love,
Cole, Annie, and Ben

P.S. - We are totally mad at our mom for writing just "Kar" on the poster and not "Aunt Kar." She's such a "silly gil."

We had to give up on the shot - Ben just wanted to eat the prop. He ended up with a bit of a purple toe.

July's Curse and August's Joy

I have a little garden at my house. Sometime in January when the excitement of the holidays is over and the winter doldrums set in, I start planning what I will plant in the spring. I can hardly wait for the snow to melt before I start tossing in my seeds. Peas! Lettuce! Beans! Broccoli! Cauliflower! And I don't even like cauliflower! Or Peas! A trip to Andersen's for seeds and starts is an early birthday treat. May flies by and each week I add a new row of plants or two to the garden. I drag the kids out to the garden every morning to see what's sprouted. June comes and I still haven't lost my steam. Weeds pop up, but I quickly pull them right out. I have an absurd pleasure in uprooting weeds. Must be a hold-over from my many years of rye-pulling. In June, my first harvests are ready. Strawberries, lettuce, and peas. I even eat a few peas just for the joy of eating my own harvest.

And then July hits with a vengeance. We have this little family tradition of heading off to Yellowstone in between first and second crop hay season, which is all fine and good...except for when I come home. What a pitiful sight my garden is year after year when we return. Amazonian strength weeds have overtaken. I think someone must sneak in and plant them while I am away - or at least sneak them a heavy dose of fertilizer. I start the battle right away, but it seems like I will never win. I start rattling off the story of "The Little Red Hen," in the hopes it will inspire my children to help, but let's be honest. How much help is it for a 3- and 5-year-old to help weed the garden? And the heat. Oh the insufferable heat! I'm a morning person, but not a start-weeding-at-5:00 morning person. It's a bit discouraging, to put it mildly.

But then, just when I am ready to call it quits, August rolls around. Finally! Fresh vegetables every day. I can't pick them fast enough. I can't preserve them fast enough. I just can't keep up and quickly fall behind, but I don't mind a bit.

How can you mind when you get to eat a fresh tomato & basil sandwich for lunch every day? And have your pick of fresh beans or broccoli for dinner at night?

The best part of all - the squash and pumpkin vines are flourishing, which means no room for weeds to grow! Hooray! The heat is so much more tolerable when you are harvesting in it rather than weeding in it.

I love my little garden. I'm a farm girl at heart and while my dad and brother roll out their combines for harvest time, I put myself to work in my own little patch of earth. Sometimes I miss harvest time on the farm. There is great joy in reaping the rewards of what was sown. I'm glad I get a little taste of it. Anyone want to come for lunch? It's all fresh.

P.S.- If you are wondering, yes Floyd helps with the garden. He runs the tiller. Loves his powerful tiller. He usually helps with the planting - makes much straighter rows than I do. Sometimes he pulls a few weeds too. And he never misses out on the eating.