A Bit of Ketchup

My children are sleeping late this morning (I think I wore them out yesterday!) so I have a chance to at least try to get caught up on the blog with you all while I eat my breakfast. There has been so much going on, and so many ‘good things’ to share with you, and hardly any time to be on the computer!

Let’s start with my breakfast…
Homemade bread, scrambled eggs and a yogurt parfait with fresh picked strawberries. Trust me, my breakfast doesn’t usually look this good. This is because I got up before the kids. 🙂 I tried crock pot yogurt for the first time this week. Except for the fact that this is SO easy I forgot about it, this is my new favorite way to make yogurt!

Speaking of strawberries…
Yesterday I went and picked strawberries. We go to the same patch every year – it’s a nice, clean patch and the proprietors cheerfully encourage everyone to eat as much as they want as they pick. Mmmm. If they weighed me and my child before and after we spent an hour in the patch, they may re-think that policy! This was Jesse’s 4th year at the patch – I thought this would be the year he’d actually help his momma. Not quite. His clearly stated policy was, “You put them in the bucket, me take them out!” We managed to get 16 qts. despite him, thanks to help from Auntie and Grandma! Today I’ve got to hull them all and freeze them for smoothies this winter.

Of course, we ate some fresh last night with ginormous strawberry shortcakes! And Claire, who has finally started to do sign language (a full year later than brother) learned her fourth sign last night. To “Please”, “Milk”, and “More”, she added – you guessed it – “Strawberry”.

The Bedroom Project…
Is moving along. The jacuzzi tub got carried up last week – I could have used a soak in that after the long day yesterday! Jeremy has a friend coming out next week and they hope to make a lot of progress with the project. Every day we get closer to having an upstairs bathroom – hooray!

Outside…
the children love the outdoors and the warm weather as much as I imagined they would. By Jesse’s vote, we eat on the screen porch more than we eat in the dinning room when the weather is warm. They spend hours outside, digging in their dirt pile, swinging, and helping Daddy. Last week we took a chance and transplanted a 12 ft lilac that was in the middle of the backyard and suffering under the shade of the red maple, to a spot on the edge of the yard.

We have had some good rain almost every day since, and it seems to be doing well. I do hope it survives its move, ’cause it looks so good where we put it. As I chose the spot for Jeremy to dig its new hole, I changed my mind at the last minute and took two steps left. It was in that spot that Jeremy began digging and promptly hit a large rock!

What would have taken 20 min. turned into an 1 1/2 hour long project that involved the tractor and lots of digging for my husband, as he worked the boulder out of the ground right in the spot where I wanted the lilac bush. I felt kinda bad, but then, I do love rocks, and was delighted by our buried treasure. Now I have to decide where I want to put it in the yard. Jeremy said, “Choose wisely, ’cause it’s only gonna be moved ONCE!” LOL

As for mommy…
I’m feeling a lot better – more energy which results in good spirits, and if momma is happy, everyone is happy! ‘New Baby’ as Jesse calls him/her is growing and is a very lively kicker! We have just under two months to go, and I feel like I’m on the home stretch. Suddenly I have a huge, detailed list of things I want to get done Before Baby, and am very glad for some renewed energy. I have plans to finish decorating a few more rooms in the house and completing the virtual house tour I started last fall!

Plus, we have a dance recital to attend this weekend, as well as another square dance to call. The yard and garden keep Jeremy and I happily busy, and I look forward to having several batches of company in the coming weeks. Life is full and blessed!

Blessings to you – thanks for stopping by!
Trina