summer flowers are nice

Lizzy must have picked up some kind of flower-arranging gene from my sister Betz, because she has a serious knack for it that didn't come from Richard or me. Give her free reign in the garden, and that girl will come up with something both gorgeous and inventive every single time. Tonight she streaked into the house hollering, "Mama! Mama! Come and see your surprise!" She'd carefully arranged marigolds, cosmos, dill, daisies, yarrow, and geraniums into a perfectly beautiful ring around the table, all ready for dinner.

The sunflowers are a happy reminder of last Friday, when I got a babysitter so I could go to my OB appointment solo, have lunch out at the inimitable Bombay Duck Pickle Cafe, and garner sideways glances (and some outright stares) while trundling out of the farmer's market, fully 9 months pregnant, with an enormous armload of sunflowers.

We're keeping busy. Trips to the beach, trips to the $1 kids' movies, endless kitchen experiments, playdates, OB appointments, on and on. Having fun plans makes me not mind waiting around for this kid a little longer. As in, he can't come today, I've got peaches to can! Thursday we're planning on visiting the farm where the Bombay Duck lady gets her produce, hoping to score some tasty grass-fed beef, so I really do hope baby boy can wait until after that.

squishy cheeks

Somehow I managed to convince the kids tonight that blackberry picking in the weeds at the park counted as dessert. They were jazzed. It was worth every scratch, poke, and insect bite. This one's a vision, ain't she? I felt so blessedly content tonight to waddle along after the girls as they scampered up and down the woodline, hollering out every new blackberry patch find, reaching out with juice-stained hands to pluck more, more, more. I thought about coming back with a basket to get enough to bake something with, but you just really can't beat fresh blackberries right from the bush, now, can you?

3 important things:

* This post is taking forever to write because I keep pausing to take mind-blowing bites of these muffins. 

* NPR's list of finalists for the best YA fiction ever.

* This girl is so nonchalant about stuff. Soundlessly makes a bunch of faces for the camera, then walks away without a word. 

See, I told you. Only the important stuff around here.

i won some honey

uhhm. i swear that glass is clean. 

You guys! I won a giveaway. 

If you don't know Whitney already, you really do need to go knock down her door.

Her blog is smart, pretty, modern, and inspiring...I love her photography.

Anyway, she was giving away a jar of her favorite Wyoming honey (how cool is that?),

and I won!

I feel like the dad on A Christmas Story.

Only I'd take this over a lousy old leg lamp any day.

Our honey had its maiden voyage in a dee-lee-cious smoothie at snacktime.

{frozen} blueberries, raspberries, banana + vanilla yogurt + oj + honey.

Maren and Lizzy are wondering why on earth Mommy is making them eat their smoothies outside on a 40-degree day.

{snow is in the forecast for the next 2 days. we scooted back inside after about 4 seconds.}

the pin-did link party didn't happen yesterday. what, you didn't cry yourself to sleep?? look ashamed.

we'll play catch-up next week.

preserves

It's been a while since I canned anything --

But the siren call of the local apples

(and the grapes, too)

was too much to resist.

That and I found a still of a dill on some brand-new jars on Craigslist.

Food storage is something I feel strongly about,

and for so many reasons --

celebrating the local harvest,

laying up in store for a day of need,

practicing self-sufficiency,

bringing the family together in the heart of the home,

preserving the skills of our mothers --

but most of all, to claim the blessing of peace:

“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

What have you been preserving lately -- edible or otherwise?

the sugaring :: part 1

:: neighbor's drilling sends us scurrying outside to see the long-awaited tapping ::



:: sugar shack, nearly ready to come to life ::



:: season's first sugar bush hike ::



:: syrup's first stop ::



:: little one along for the ride ::



:: free to roam outside again -- so beautifully free ::