Fun with your kids - go pick fruit!

So far this summer, I've taken Little Man strawberry picking (alone), Cherry Picking (with his Nana), and Blueberry Picking (with Daddy).  He's not even two yet, but he had a BLAST each time and enjoyed a ton of fruit while we picked (thank God they didn't weigh him before & after or my bill would have been a lot higher!). He even helped pick some to put in the buckets (although most went directly to his mouth).

Little Man picking blueberries.

I'd encourage anyone to take their kids to go pick fruit (or veggies). These have been great outings - both fun and productive (I've gotten plenty of fruit to eat, freeze, and can). I love that my little guy is getting an understanding at a very young age that food doesn't just appear in the grocery store.

Little Man & myself after a hilarious cherry picking adventure.

Suggestions for success:
1) Go early in the morning before it gets too hot. Nobody, your little ones included, wants to be out there in the heat of the day. That will zap the fun right out of you!
2) Wear old clothes & shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. Farm life is rarely pristine.
3) Take a snack & a drink. I never leave the house without these anyway! :)
4) Be patient and don't expect them to be perfect pickers immediately (or maybe even at all). I didn't think Little Man would know which berries to pick, but after  me repeatedly pointing out the ripe berries and taste testing a few that weren't ripe, he became a pro. It's also very important to teach them proper "etiquette" of walking up & down the rows and not trampling the plants.

Meal Plan Monday

I've been a bit MIA on the "Meal Plan Mondays" lately, but I've still been meal planning! I think I'd just go nuts if I didn't have a plan in place. While I've been gone, she came up with this great new logo. I just LOVE all the fresh fruit in that picture. My Little Man would probably try to eat the screen if he saw it!

This week is an easy week with only one item on the grocery list - yogurt for my Little Man! Now that's a grocery bill that I'm going to love! :)

Monday - Cookout with the in-laws
Tuesday - Grilled Pork Chops, Rice, Green Beans
Wednesday - Spaghetti
Thursday - Sandwich Night or Leftovers

This weekend we'll be celebrating my grandfather's 95th Birthday! No meal planning for the weekend, just enjoying my mama's cooking and good company!

Kids in the Kitchen

It's summertime, which means it's pickle time! I've spent many hours in the kitchen making pickles, but my little man doesn't want to be ignored during that time. He always wants to help me, but there's only so much an almost-two year old can do. This year, I have given him the job of cucumber washer. He LOVES this job, does a pretty good job of getting the dirt off, and makes an excellent mess!

Step 1: Fill the left side of the sink with water (cucumbers in the right side).

Step 2: He throws the cucumbers in the water washes the cucumbers neatly.

Step 3: Then hands them to me to slice on the mandolin.

He gets just a LITTLE wet in the process! He has fun and I get to be productive - a great combo!

Canning Count 2010

I decided to start a "Canning Count" for this season to keep an inventory of how much I've put away for the year. You can find it on the right side of this page.

Two reasons for doing this:
(1)I think this will be helpful next year to see how much we've used, given away, etc. to help me decide if I need to change the amount I can for next year.
(2)When I looked at my "inventory" from last summer, I was AMAZED at how much I'd actually canned. I just love to see how much was actually put up - it's good to know all that hard work over a hot stove in the summertime pays off!

As you can see, I've already done quite a bit of canning, which is why there has been so little posting. My house currently smells like Dill Pickles (my hub's preference), but tomorrow it should smell like Bread & Butter (my fav!!).

When we're 80...

My best friend sent me an email Saturday evening with the subject line, "When we're 80". I had no idea what to expect from this email, but this is what I hilariously found:

I was at a wedding reception this afternoon and overheard 2 little old ladies in the bathroom stalls. 

"Mary?" 
"Yes, Ruth?" 
"Do you think you'll be able to get off that short toilet over there?"

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation - I was so tickled I had to make a quick exit!!  That will be us one day when we are out our grandchildrens weddings :-)  

And that is reason #3508 why it is essential to have great girlfriends!!

Friday Night Lights

Have you watched this show? I love it! High school football, a little bit of love & drama, likeable characters...what's not to enjoy!?!?! I actually watched some of the first season when it started coming on a few years ago, but stopped. I can't remember why but it probably had something to do with my husband ridiculing me for my TV choices...he always thinks I choose lame shows to watch (Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood is definitely not lame - ha!).

I caught a few of the new episodes and decided to ignore my husbands ridiculing. I had to catch up to see what had happened since I tuned in several seasons ago, so I'm doing a 1-month free trial on Netflix. I had intended to go longer than a month, but at the (shameful) rate I'm watching these shows, I may not need to.

Check it out!

National Donut Day!

National Donut Day is the first Friday in June, which is TODAY!

Don't forget to get a free donut at Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts (w/ beverage purchase) on National Donut Day! I'll be taking Little Man and his future wife tomorrow ;-)

Here's my Little Man last year celebrating at the KK!

Canning Season

Canning season is here. We've already finished up with strawberries and soon we'll be moving on to green beans, pickles, tomatoes, and maybe more. I'm ready. 

My canned good shelves are pretty bare...

And I have lots of empty jars!

But that probably still won't be enough...

So thankful my husband got everything organized for me!

Favorite Things - KITCHEN EDITION (part 3)

I've already told you about my favorite appliances, as well as my favorite gadgets. I'm going to round out my "Favorite Things - Kitchen Edition" posts by talking about what we actually eat on (& drink from).

1. Turvis Tumblers - I generally hate all plastic cups and much prefer glasses, but these are the best insulated cups! Just say no to cup sweat & yes to drinks that stay cold. They are a bit pricey (more so than many other insulated cups), but they work so much better, last longer, and are CUTE! We only have 4, but they are constantly being run through the dishwasher and are always on my gift wish list. We currently have NC State cups, because we love the Wolfpack! But I'd love to have some with sequin confetti or our monogram!

 

2. Vietri Dishes - Have you heard of Vietri? I love it! It's so unique. It's technically our "everyday" dishes, but we don't use them every day. They are really pretty, but I don't trust my toddler with them and I've had an issue with it chipping in the dishwasher sometimes. I'm not sure if that's because some of it has come from the outlet (I live semi-close to the ONLY one!!) or if it's just a bit fragile since it's Italian Pottery. Either case, I like to use it for nicer dinners at home or when we're entertaining. I have a place setting for 6 in the "Rosso Vecchio" color, as well as 6 of the "Bianco" dinner plates. In a dream world, I'll finish out my place setting for 6 in the "Bianco" because it is SO pretty to mix&match. See what I mean??

3. Corelle Plates - It has taken me a while to come to grips with this. I fought the Corelle for quite some time, but they are just so stinkin' handy! Resistant to breaking and chipping, which means I can give this to my toddler and don't need silly kiddy plates. Completely dishwasher safe. A better alternative to paper plates. We've been using a set handed down to us from my in-laws (that my hubby used as a bachelor), but I'm finally setting it free since it's not really my style (blue & gray ring around the edge - definitely not my colors). It's older than my husband, so I don't feel too bad about getting rid of it. I ordered a set of plain white Corelle dishes, setting for 6. (I'd actually love to order another set or at least more plates, but I think I'll just add that and some of the serving plates to my "gift wish list".)  I think this gives me a very functional everyday dish, but still looks nice and will go with all kinds of colors in a tablescape (you know - when I actually set a tablescape - ha!).

Decorating Bug - More Pictures!

I've already told you how I love to decorate with pictures. This love led to a small DIY project recently. 

A bunch of castoff frames

couple of cans of cheap, white spray paint

and my hubby's good spray painting skills (oh how I love him!).

We turned this plain set of steps to our basement,

into a walk down memory lane!

LOVE-LOVE-LOVE!!!