July 4th, 2010

Happy 4th of July (a little late...)



We headed to Mom and Dad Smith's house for the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.



There was relaxation, fun, food, family, and many wonderful moments!



I may have mentioned this before, but I have the most precious niece ever...
Turns out, her new little brother is just as adorable! I was so glad I had the chance to snuggle and play over the weekend :)



I also took tons of pictures! SO, I thought it'd be kind of fun to share my top 6. I was going to do a top 5, but I just couldn't cut any of these from the list :)



Without further ado, I bring ....







#6 - Bradley, Muffin Baker



I *love* when my husband gets in the kitchen because I know good things are on the way! This time, it was blueberry muffins featuring OUR berries from last weekend :) They were DE-VINE! :)











#5 - Brad and Jenn, Roll Makers



I know this is very similar to the previous photo's theme, but I can't help it! Not only did I enjoy Brad's return to the kitchen, I *loved* seeing him and his sister bonding and enjoying time together :) With Jenn living so far away, I don't get enough opportunities like this one.











#4 - Macy, Splash Machine!



Well, you knew the Macy pics were coming, right? Here she is laughing out loud as her mom splashed in her pool! She's a big water fan, just like Wesley :)









#3 - Wesley, Giggle Maker



Speaking of Wesley, he was a complete ACE Cousin Extraordinaire! I was so proud of him and how he spent time with both Macy and Steven. Not many 9 year olds would be interested in a small baby or even a toddler, but Wes said he liked to "get to know little kids to figure out what makes them laugh!" Now he's a pro at entertaining both of his younger cousins :)

#2 - Macy, Heart Melter

This photo was dangerously close to being in the #1 spot as you can imagine. Macy was a complete doll in her patriotic dress and grinning ear to ear! I enjoyed the excuse to follow her around making her giggle :)

#1 -

This photo needs no title and no caption...

It was Grandmother Kay's birthday party and I think she enjoyed this gift.

I did, too.

Blueberry Pickin Time

Last Saturday, we went to pick more blueberries. It was picture-perfect weather and we had a wonderful time!

Wes and Brad were old pros, but this was my first trip - Wes enjoyed showing me around the picturesque rows of blueberries




In some places, massive clumps hung down like clusters of grapes! In other places, it was difficult to find any large, yummy blueberries.




When we chose our buckets, Wesley wanted to "make Pappaw jealous" by using a Coca-Cola bucket.



Then, he impressed us with how many blueberries he put into the bucket... TWICE!



I filled my bucket and left room to add Wes's berries to mine.

Same for Brad

After a productive morning, we strolled the grounds to see the rest of the gardens - I spotted my favorite plants right away :)

With so much to see, and so many delicious blueberry recipes available, I forsee a return trip before the end of the summer...

Yes, I'm sure we'll agree with everything we found on their sign:

Corn Pickin Time

All of our corn became ripe at the same time so we are now up to our ears in corn!!! Pun intended ;)

Here is Wes learning how to pull the ears off the stalk





He loves the Tickly Hairs




We had corn with our dinner the other night and it was delicious!!




Good thing, too, because we have tons!




I have a feeling the next Harvest blog I post will feature TOMATOES!!!

Father's Day for Brad

This year Wesley really wanted to make Father's Day special for Brad. So first thing in the morning we made brownies and by brownies, I mean, Festive Brownies!

Wesley also set up an itenerary for the day. We had to eat brownies and open gifts and take a walk at the Reservoir and play Uno...

Wes chose a really cool gift for Brad - and that requires Extra Special Wrapping :) *be sure to notice the curly cues on each corner :)





He couldn't wait for Brad to open it and was climbing all over him and pacing around excitedly waiting for the big reveal!





It's a new WWII wii game that is right up Brad's alley. You can see what it's like by clicking here.

As you can tell by the smiles - It was a wonderful day!

Fun with Food

To me, nothing could taste better than food seasoned with pride. It could be something you proudly grew in your own garden or something new you are proud you prepared... So, that's what we have this week.

I'm impressed with our pizza tonight - I made it on our pizza stone then topped it with mozzarella and five-cheese blend, pepperoni, tomatoes, and green peppers. Brad decalred it to be my best pizza yet :)

Next up - Wesley is SUPER proud of...

Learning to make Jello

Oh and Wes is also proud of

His... First Ear of CORN!

Brad and Wesley went blueberry picking last weekend and Brad created these Awesome Monster Muffins! They're huge and delicious!

Speaking of food that's huge (and delicious) - Have you seen our Humongous Burgers?

We cut them up and everyone gets a slice :)

And now for the sweetest food I've seen all week.

Wesley made his very own Special Breakfast this morning - Cinnamon Toast.

I distinctly remember learning how to make that when I was little so it was sweet to see him making it today :)

And, amid all the sweetness, there's always room for the Real Wesley to shine through!

Recital Shirts

I'm so proud of my latest design project that I thought it was worth posting :)



These shirts are for 2 local dance studios who team up for recitals each year - Love the verse they chose and how it all came together - Enjoy!

Original Image:

Shirt:

Our Little Cornfield :)

As you can see the corn is getting nice and tall these days :) And Wesley is quite proud of himself :)

Even more exciting was the new discovery Brad made tonight:




The corn isn't the only impressive thing in the garden though. Our tomatoes have gone crazy! One is all of a sudden too big for its cage:


And the others won't fit in a cage!