Blueberry picking!

Yesterday, we went blueberry picking! This is something we have enjoyed doing for the last four years. We love getting to do it, and the berries are fresher and so much cheaper when you pick them yourselves!

Emmi wore her little blueberry dress (she wore her strawberry dress to go strawberry picking in, too) and carried her own little berry pail, although she ate FAR more than she picked. She got free hand-outs from all pickers! I think she picked ONE (blue one, anyway. She picked more green ones then that) to eat!

Abbi started out carrying her own pail, but she ended by carrying mine. I filled a pail, set it in the stroller, and picked up another pail. Filled that pail, put it in the stroller... and found my first pail was half empty. I re-filled my first pail, put it in the stroller... and found an empty pail in the stroller in place of my full pail!!! Abbi is the only one who can reach in the stroller that would be to lazy to pick their own... She did this when we went strawberry picking, too. I got my basket half full, THEN she tasted one. My basket didn't fill up past half way for the next fifteen minutes... that is, until I firmly told her she had to work for what she ate, heehee. It's a good thing I like picking berries...

Tori's pail would have filled up quicker then it did, but she let somebody eat one of her's for every four she picked!

Bethi and Andrew really enjoyed themselves, too. Bethi waited until her pail was full to eat any... Andrew, on the other hand, ate half of what he picked! 

Don't worry, Miss Judy, who owns the blueberry farm (it is a family owned business), has said before that the berries are there to be eaten, and we don't have to pay for them of they aren't in the pail when we pay! Thanks, Miss Judy!

Great thoughts by Katie...

One of my friends just set up her own blog called "Katie's Thoughts", and I love it! I thought this post was especially good!

"Theo, The Big Brother" by I. T. Thurston

The sequel to "The Bishops Shadow", I give this book a 10 out of 10.
Theodore Bryan, the little "Tode" Bryan all grown up, believes his dearest dreams are coming true, as he graduates from the college that he worked and saved for years to be able to attend. But, an unexpected voice strain ruins the plans of all the years past. Theo Bryan finds this difficult to deal with, to the point of turning away from God. In God's own timing, Theo is brought back to the Lord, and, through the work of trying to re-claim the hearts of boys who have followed his example through both good and bad out of love for him, is given a new life mission. He embraces this mission, and is soon influencing people for good once again.
With amazing talent he uses his life to help young boys in such a way that they don't even know that he is changing them until they are eager to help others in the same way.
This book is one that will keep you eager to find out what happens next, and sure to have you sympathizing with Theo the entire way!

"The Bishop's Shadow" by I. T. Thurston

A friend from Canada gave this book to us, I LOVE it!!! It's so good, I give it an 11 out of 10, haha!
This book is a non-fiction book about a little street boy, and has snippets of the life of Phillips Brooks, the Author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem", woven into it.
Thirteen year old Tode Bryan is a big time thief, liar, and swearer*. Through the united influence of a sick baby, a young girl, a Bishop, and a Sunday school teacher, Tode is saved by the Mighty Grace of God.
Through extremely trying circumstances, Tode tries to find and fix the life of a sixteen year old boy he has made feel as if his life is ruined, and make himself good enough to be at least like "A shadow" of his beloved Bishop.
My whole family loved this book, from my four year old brother, to my Dad. This book is a great family book, and really keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next!
There is a sequel to this book, "Theo, The Big Brother".
*(No words used: in their place are things like 'Tode uttered an oath', etc.)

The day I shouldn't have cooked!

I'm not sure why, but Friday was not a great cooking day for me!
First I made bread, left it kneading in the mixer too long, and then let it raise too long. It burst after I put it in the oven, and it came out a hill-and-valley looking mess!
Then Mommy suggested that I make some brownies* for a treat during the time Tori and I were going to spend with her during the younger ones quiet time. We didn't have eggs, so I used mayonnaise instead. We checked those brownies when they were suppose to be done... and knew that we were not having brownies for our snack! Those brownies were BOILING in the oven!!!
When we finally gave up cooking them, they were burnt and STILL sliding all over the pan!
We settled on popcorn and coffee drinks** for a substitute treat. The fire alarms went off (for no reason whatsoever) while I was popping the popcorn. Then I bring the drinks into Mommy's room, hand Mommy her drink, and she asked "You put the sugar in it, right?". "Yes," I answered. "It would have been funny if you didn't," Mommy stated, referring to the fact that some thing had gone wrong with all the rest of my baking, cooking and mixing that day. Tori comes into the room to get her drink and asks- "Did you put sugar in it?" (Is anyone noticing that I must have forgotten the sugar a time or two?... Or three or four?...). Mommy giggles (she just asked the same question!) as I answer "Yes!". Tori then says "Wouldn't it have been funny if you forgot it TODAY!... What's funny?" She asks Mommy, who's rolling with laughter. I bet you can guess what was funny...
So, I learned two things. Mayonnaise does NOT do well in brownies for eggs... and it's REALLY time I start remembering the sugar in our coffee drinks.


*The recipe for the brownies can be found here (we leave off the cream cheese mixture), and the recipe for the chocolate sauce that we drizzle on top is:

1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Stir together.
2. Boil 5 minutes, or more, until close to the consistency that you want, stirring rapidly. This will thicken slightly as it cools.
3. Store in the refrigerator.

Watch closely! This stuff boils over easy! Ask me how I know...

** Our coffee drinks:

1. In blender, shave two cups of ice,
2. Add one cup of milk, one cup of chilled prepared coffee, one cup of coffee ice cream, one-third cup of sugar, and mix in blender. Pour and serve.

Emmi's birthday present...

Emmi Joy turned one on the first of June!

She loves baby dolls, and has been having to borrow some dolls from her sisters the last little while since she didn't own one, so I decided to knit her one. I found the pattern here. Although the instructions are a little vague as to finishing it up, it is pretty easy (just make sure that you don't make two right feet!), and very cute! I didn't sew the bottle onto the doll, and I added a mouth to my doll, but other then that I made no changes.
Mommy and Daddy gave her a baby doll too, but two is fine with her. In fact, when she didn't own one, she usually carried around two or three at a time! She's so cute, giving them kisses, and tight little squishes!

A common buckeye butterfly with an interesting story

We had a family work night on May 23d. Tori mowed the lawn, Daddy got the edges of the yard with the weed eater and watered plants, Mommy and Bethi worked on cleaning the car, and Andrew, Abbi and I worked on preparing a bed for planting in. Emmi watched.
Tori called me to come pull up a plant with a Caterpillar on it so she could mow over that spot without killing him. I pulled up the plant, showed the Caterpillar to my helpers, and set him in the lettuce bed, thinking I would take him to the woods behind our house when we were done.
Daddy told me to leave him, he would be fine in the lettuce bed for now. We went inside.
The next day the Caterpillar was not on the Plantain plant it was the night before. No big deal, he moved to another one, I thought.
A few days later, Mommy asked me to get some Lettuce out of the garden so she could make a salad.
I bring her the lettuce. A few minutes later she gasps and starts talking about a Cocoon on her lettuce! She was really grossed out!
I put the Cocoon in a jar, and put the jar in our screened in porch (I love the screened in porch!!!). On Emmi's birthday I went out to check on it, and we had a Common Buckeye butterfly!
Then I started thinking...
I got out my butterfly book that had pictures of all stages of the Common Buckeye, and started some "detective" work...
It was my fault. (At least, it would be REALLY strange if it wasn't.) The Caterpillar that I put in the lettuce bed was a Common Buckeye Caterpillar... The cocoon that Mommy found on her lettuce was a Common Buckeye Butterfly... he must have spun a cocoon early the day after we found it, and I happened to bring in the lettuce he used as the base.
Always lots of excitement around here!

Happy Birthday to Emmi!!!

Emmi Joy is one!!!
It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since this little girl entered our lives. She is such a sweetheart! From her chubby little toes to the top of her head (with that adorable smile framed by chubby cheeks) she is a blessing.
During the past year she has grown bigger (and, chubbier!), and seems even more sweet then when she first arrived. She loves baby dolls, and does such a good job "mothering" them. She also loves to "cook" in the little ones kitchen play set. Hmm... I think we have another homemaker in the making!

~Behold, Children are a gift from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of ones youth.
How Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them: They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5~