Strawberry Fields Forever

Between rainstorms Saturday, we made a mad splash dash to the strawberry patch. I was beginning to think we wouldn't make it before all the strawberries were gone.

The ground was muddy from all the recent rain, so it was a good thing Anna Claire and Mallory wore their rain boots. There were plenty of strawberries, and we quickly figured out the best rows were the muddiest ~ the rows other people wouldn't dare pick from! The girls did a really great job picking at first and filled almost an entire bucket by themselves before splashing in the mud became more fun!

Our Sweet Strawberry Pie ~

I really wanted a strawberry pie recipe that didn't call for Jell-o, and I found one here. It was super~easy to make and most importantly yummy! I froze plenty of strawberries, so we'll definitely make this pie again!

In Search of Strawberry Recipes

Today was perfect for strawberry picking ~ cool and cloudy. We ended up with about a bucket and a half of fresh~picked strawberries and probably could have left with more had my helpers not ran off in search of Strawberry Shortcake and friends. Speaking of...I am now in search of strawberry cake recipes, but the girls and I bought groceries for the week yesterday, and I really don't want to go back. So far, I'm having trouble finding a recipe that doesn't call for cream, sour cream or cream cheese ~ three ingredients I don't have one hand. So, the search continues...

Blueberry Picking and Puddle Jumping

Yesterday after breakfast we picked blueberries. Both girls were very excited at the start but it was hot even in the morning, and they both eventually lost interest. About that time our bucket was full. Not bad for maybe forty~five minutes of picking which included two false~alarm trips to the potty for Mallory which eventually resulted in poopy panties. Lovely.

Don't be fooled by Anna Claire sitting down on the job. While Mallory and Dylan ran around playing their three~year~old version of freeze tag, Anna Claire was right there beside me {most of the time} trying her best to fill her bucket.

I love this picture of Connor and Mallory.

Now, I am looking for some inspiration on what to do with a gallon of blueberries. Any good recipes out there? I am leaning towards these blueberry cheesecake bars.

While the girls were napping a good old~fashioned summer thunderstorm started up. Great napping weather for the girls who both slept beyond their usual one~and~a~half hours. Once the thunder finally woke them up and the rain stopped, we went outside to jump in some puddles and burn off some energy.

The Easter Bunny brought them these rain boots for Easter 2010...and they finally fit!

I love this picture because it shows how long Mallory's hair is...and how short Anna Claire's is. I am thinking they may need their first haircuts before school starts. Mallory...just and inch or two to even up the bottom which will probably mean the loss of those sweet baby curls still hanging on to the tip ends of her hair. And Anna Claire... to try and give some shape to her thick, wavy mop.

Strawberry Pickin'

Over Spring Break the girls and I went with Granny to our local strawberry field {which happens to be just down the road from Granny and Papa’s} to pick some strawberries. The girls were quite helpful once they understood they should leave the green ones and only pick the big red ones {and there were some BIG red ones!}. We filled two baskets in no time, so we decided to fill two more!

Anna Claire and Mallory kept looking for mice and bears…

We love this book and I highly recommend it {whether you’re going strawberry picking or not} as well as anything by Audrey and Don Wood. {Quick as a Cricket and The Napping House are also big hits.}

Blueberry Muffins

After picking blueberries yesterday morning, Connor came home with me and the girls so Michelle could take Dylan to a doctor's appointment. Since we had all those blueberries just begging us to eat them, I decided it would be a great idea to use a recipe in my new Edisto cookbook to make homemade blueberry muffins with the help of a six year old and two two~year~olds!

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking since I'm still stuffing muffins in my mouth

Here we go...
Sprinkling in the blueberries...

Licking the beaters...

Ready for the oven...

Tasting the fruits of our labor...

Yummy!

Blueberry Pickin'

There is no food this summer that Anna Claire and Mallory love more than blueberries, so this morning we went to pick some!

Anna Claire was quite the blueberry picker. She happily picked blueberries pretty much the entire time we were there.

Except when she stopped for a snack...

Mallory did pretty well in the beginning, but the fun eventually wore off and she was ready to play!

When it was all said and done, I think both girls may have eaten more blueberries than they picked.
Anna Claire insisted on holding Dylan's hand when it was time to leave.Dylan was soaked from running under the blueberry bushes which were still dripping wet from yesterday's rain and this morning's dew.

And what did we do with all these blueberries? Stay tuned...