{ Blackberry picking }

Imagine if you will, a Saturday morning, wide open spaces, fields of green, cows out on the pasture and blue skies as far as the eye can see.

We set off in the morning.  Me, my husband and daughter.  The 17 year old boy as always, would rather just stay home and sleep.  You know how teenagers are.

We weren't quite sure what to expect at the little farm, we had never been there before and heard about it through one of Jasmine's customers.  What we did know was that we needed some fresh air, some time out of the house where for at least an hour or so, we didn't have to think about our situation.

I will talk about it at a later date.  I want to jot it all down, to have another testimony of God's blessings and lessons, on my blog.  To have it recorded as part of our lives, as another difficult blip we encountered.

But I can't right now, I just can't seem to find the strength or energy to talk about it any longer.

All I will tell you is that he is being recommended for termination, but that a final decision has not yet been made.  He will have his say, his time to explain his side of things, on the 13th of July.  So is this all over?  Not yet.  We know that God can do whatever He chooses to, and it's not over until HE deems it so.

We are prepared as best as we can, but everything else is in God's control, after all it is HIS battle and not ours.

So we wanted out of the house for a little, just to clear our heads.







I wish I could describe the feeling of being out surrounded by rows and rows of beautiful berries, with birds chirping above, a little breeze blowing and nothing but land around us.

There is something magical that takes place when you ground yourself in nature, hand it to God and just let go.

We walked the rows and rows, looking for the best looking berries.  Many were not yet ripe, so we dug around under the leaves and in between bushes, to find the bunches of big blackberries.   And when I say big, I mean big.  We found some that were almost the size of the palm of our hand.















We came home with 8 pounds of blackberries and some raw local honey which I have been looking for, since the doctor suggested it for my allergies.

Not only did we have a peaceful wonderful morning, but it helped to put things in perspective and to give us ideas on what to do with our own land.  We have 3 acres, one of which is a huge field that is not being used for anything, other than mowing.  Let's not talk about that, it makes my husband cringe each time he looks over and sees that it needs mowing  LOL

One thing we talked about during this outing, was the need to do more things like this.  We get so caught up in the daily life, work, school, homemaking and so forth, that we let life just slip on by and don't enjoy it as much as we should.

When we were stationed in Arizona, we did things like this ALL.THE.TIME.   It felt like we lived life to the fullest, enjoyed every weekend, always found something to do as a family.  Then Curt retired, we moved to Idaho and from there, kids got big, life got busy and chaotic and we just stopped having fun.

It's time to get back on that saddle.

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend, I will be back tomorrow morning with my Happy Homemaker Monday.

Blessings to you all.
xoxoxoxo

{ Saturday Outing }

I don't know about you all, but as much as I enjoy going out with the family and having fun, there is nothing like the minute I return home, kick off my shoes and sit on my couch.

It feels so very good, especially when it's hot outside.

Last night we had the family over for dinner, and then my niece and nephew slept over.

It's always fun when that happens, all the kids have fun and we tend to do things that we wouldn't usually do.......like take a walk to McDonald's at 11:30pm.  Crazy!!!

As usual though, the kids try to make an all nighter of their sleep overs, but it never really lasts as by 3am they're all fast asleep...well except for my Jasmine, who has her father's sleep patterns and can stay up all night, which she did.

This morning though, she jumped right into the kitchen and decided to make breakfast for everyone.  Scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes and bacon.  It makes this mama's heart proud to see her enjoying cooking as much as I do.

She did so well, and breakfast was enjoyed by all.

Some housework was done, and then around lunch time, we all headed to the county fair. I had heard that it was a big one, that it was one of the best in the area etc. Truth be told, it wasn't anything like we expected.

But we all still ended up having fun, you know it's always a good time when you can go somewhere with the family, walk around, laugh, talk and just kick back for a couple of hours.

I always have so much fun watching the kids on the rides. It truly takes me back to when I was their age, and the thrill of going on these fast rides was all I looked forward to.

Nowadays, I'm much happier with my feet firmly planted on the ground.

The boys wanted to try rock climbing, and did quite well, but they both quickly realized that it is not as easy as it looks.

And then of course they quickly moved on to the next thing....some boxing with these huge gloves. It was hilarious watching them try to punch each other out while on a bouncy castle. HA!!

Ooopssss!!!! Needless to say, Nicholas was done after this shot. LOL

It was quite hot too and I think the boys were feeling really hot in those gloves and helmets.

We didn't stay for very long, there wasn't much to see, and we didn't want to wait until 8pm for the rodeo to start, so we said our goodbyes and headed home.

Nothing like walking in the door to an air conditioned house, is there?

Tonight I'm going to find a nice movie to watch, work on my niece's crochet blanket and just take it easy. Tomorrow I plan on pulling my kitchen table apart so that I can finish painting it, and I'm also painting the chairs. Want to get it all finished by tomorrow night. Of course, there's laundry, and the daily housework, and I'm planning on some pool time.

Do hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday.