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!

Where Have We Been?!

Alot has been happening since I last posted! Let's see...

Wesley got glasses -




And then he turned nine!!!




We had a huge end of the year party for AWANA




And, Wesley had a successful sinus surgery.



May was a very busy month, to say the least!

Now that June is practically here, how about I post a few garden updates :)

The petunias I planted are blooming like mad - I think I just found my new summer favorite :)




And yes, those are pansies you see in the background. That's a complete surprise since we've had temps in the 90s lately! Most of them have died off, but the two patches near the front door are still alive and kickin. I'm curious to see how long they survive :)

Even though Kim convinced it to bloom pink, I'm officially in love with my hydrangea (special thanks to Mom Smith!)





And the white rose bush outdid itself earlier in the month - It had close to 20 blooms all at once and they were gorgeous! It is resting up now so I am anxious to see when the blooms return if there will be another explosion like this one:




Brad's blueberry bushes are humming along nicely, too. He has enjoyed having handfuls of blueberries on his cereal lately :)

Oh - and have you SEEN the corn lately?

Maybe we can relax and enjoy our gardens for a while now. I'm so glad May is almost over and that summer has arrived. Nothing but blessings and sunshine spreading out before us! *sigh*

AWANA Grand Prix

The city of Collinsville was overcome by a terrible storm as Orange Lightning lit up the night! Ok... the weather was clear, but Orange Lightning was still out in force tonight!

I'm talking, of course, about Wesley's pine car :) Brad spent countless hours getting the Block of Wood into a perfectly aerodynamic shape. Then, Wesley worked to get the color scheme just right. In the end, the car looked fast even when sitting still.

We headed to the church where the car was weighed and checked in. The weight limit is 5 oz. - Orange Lightning weighed in at 4.93 oz. :) Before the races, I was asked to man the AWANA camera and act as paparazzi for each racer - Meanwhile, Brad was a design judge. Needless to say, we were busy well before the races began.... And once the races were underway, the pace only picked up!



The younger children got to race first. By the time the older kids got their turns, the crowd was on the edge of their seats!



Finally, it was Wes's turn. He was placed with 2 other cars and they all 3 whooshed down to the finish line - Wesley's car WON! And in the following rounds as Wesley's car was sent down the ramp with the remaining T&T kids, he knocked them all out of the running... Here's one example of the anhiliation:







And here is Wes, playing it cool after his first victory:







Throughout the rounds in Wes's division, only one car racked up as many victories as his. In the end, it came down to Wesley versus Lauren (from down the street)


Boy vs Girl


Orange vs Pink


First Place was on the line....


It was a photo finish....




Sadly, Lauren beat Wesley in the final round! It was ok though because it was a close race and ...

There's Always Next Year!!






In the weeks leading up to the big race, our chairman of the deacons was often seen bragging about his car. He would be racing anyone willing to go up against his maroon race car - He claimed it had never been beaten in 42 years. Needless to say, we all eagerly awaited the unveiling of The Legend!!


True to his word, Mr. Billy beat out the competition left and right!


After the races were over, a few kids wanted to pit their cars against his - even though they weren't in the same division as The Legend!


In the last race of the evening - Orange Lightning went up against The Legend....


It wasn't even a photo finish, but I had my camera ready just in case...


See for yourself:




It was Wesley by a MILE!!! The crowd went wild! Mr. Billy stared in disbelief!


Naturally, a proud mom was waiting to grab Wes in the Winner's Circle!! You can tell that he's proud of his trophy - I am, too!


Second place for a first timer isn't too shabby ;)

Wesley already has plans to bring Orange Lightning back next year for a grudge match.

Watch out Lauren!