Lately

Our week was full. I love that we are learning, together, to use our time to do things that cultivate peace and fullness. It's definitely a learning process. Learning to let go of some things that fill up time that are actually good....like reading (for me! I could easily spend a day devouring information)....or cleaning (for J! it's therapeutic to him to spend time cleaning up)....and also learning to get rid of habitual things that take up time and are not so good...like t.v. and unfruitful computer time.....to make room for things like spending time playing, making music, reading together, going for walks......

This week we've been pretty successful at spending our time wisely. Surprisingly, having baseball three nights a week really helps, because we are forced to stay active later into the evening than we normally would be. I usually hit a wall at about 7pm and feel my pjs calling me. Oh, don't worry, I do stay up later than 7:00. It's just that I feel like I need my jammies on and some time to blog or knit, which usually means I get lost in a movie or the computer and then "Wooosh!" out the window went the whole night! This week though, with baseball we didn't get home until after 8pm and by then I've gotten a second wind. We come home and J gets the boys ready for bed (isn't he a gem?) while I tidy up and get ready for the next day. I've even been able to take Millie out for some fun backyard time by myself at night and had some time to tend the chickens too. (by the way....Millie loves fireflies!!! she thinks they are delicious. heh.)

It's been a good week. Here are some highlights....

Hen loves books. He loves to "read". He layed on the couch reading this book for over 15 minutes. :)

Today we had grandma and grandpa D over for supper. We spent the day cleaning and creating in the kitchen. Little Owl loves cleaning windows. Here's a little "how to" from him.....

That window is really clean. I think he sprayed it at least twenty times. :)

Badger found a recipe he wanted to try in a book he read (about tree nuts). It was for walnut brownies. He made dessert for our dinner tonight. They were awesome! He was so excited for the supper guests and decided to make a menu on our chalkboard for them.

This week has also been the start of "berry season". Remember Bramblewood? Yes, well, we didn't name it so for no reason! The black raspberries are full swing and they are delicious this year thanks to all the rain and sun. We are making jam (honey sweetened), freezing raw berries for smoothies and such, and dehydrating them too. I'm very thankful for the bounty given us.

One berry

Two berry

Pick me a blueberry

Hatberry, Shoeberry

In my canoeberry

Under the bridge and over the dam

Looking for berries

Berries for jam

Three berry

Four berry

Hayberry, Stawberry

Finger and pawberry

My berry, your berry

Strawberry ponies

Strawberry lambs

Dancing in meadows of strawberry jam

Quickberry! Quackberry!

Pick me a blackberry!

Trainberry Trackberry

Clickety-clackberry

Rumble and ramble in blackberry bramble

Billions of berries for blackberry jamble

Raspberry Jazzberry

Razzamatazzberry

Berryband Merryband

Jamming in Berryland

Raspberry rabbits

Brassberry band

Elephants skating on raspberry jam

Moonberry Starberry

Cloudberry sky

Boomberry Zoomberry

Rockets shoot by

Mountains and fountains

Rain down on me

Buried in berries

What a jam jamboree!

from "Jamberry" by Bruce Degen