My Tuscan Birthday

This post is only a month and 4 days late!!!

 Knowing how much I adore the Los Pinos Winery in Pittsburg, my perfect husband booked a Tuscan Cottage for us to stay in on my birthday!  

I was so surprised!!!

This is what I saw when we walked in....

The sound of piano jazz filled the air, carrying me to a different world as I explored this heavenly birthday abode.

Everything was PERFECT!

Even this guy!

The only thing that could make this night sweeter

was to have a couple friends join us....  

Connor Redfearn and his beautiful wife Katherine arrived at about 6:30pm.

I felt like a celebrity arriving in an upscale, posh restaurant....

There was standing room only, except for....

OUR RESERVED TABLE!!!!!!!!!

Where I ate THIS!

And in the morning, I gazed out the window and saw...

Gorgeous grapes for miles! 

Thanks to our friends, we got a picture TOGETHER!  (A rare occurrence.)

And one of the Birthday Girl...

The night before my birthday, the kids bought me flowers!  One of my favorite things to do is to arrange them myself.

The result...

AND

In my new vase from my In-laws and younger brother and sister.  I love it!!!

The evidence of my fun...

In addition to all this fun, I had many wine-related gifts from family.

(I guess there was a "theme" this year.)  

My in-laws sent me 12 bottles!!!  

This was by far THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! 

Berry-Picking & Jam-Making Adventures

One of the things on our "Summer To-Do List" was to go berry picking.
I had no plan on what kind of berries we'd be picking, nor what we would do with them.  Turns out, that strawberries are out of season.

So then, what is in season???.....

BLACKBERRIES!!!

Workers for this 90 degree morning:  Taylor, his friend Caleb, Lexi, and myself.

Trying to cool off after picking berries by eating ice cream made by Effurd Farms themselves!

Random Pictures Taken by Lexi

Once we got the berries home, I dreamt of making all sorts of wonderful things with them.  First on the list:  Blackberry Smoothies!

They would have been tasty, had there been no seeds.  It was so, so, so crunchy!  Knowing how nutrient-dense this treat was, I managed to consume mine.
The kids, however, took only one sip.  Sigh....

I figured the only option for these little black morsels was to make jam out of them...  So on to the next project!!!

Making Jam for the Very First Time!

After reviewing a few recipes, I decided on making Blackberry-Apple Jam, as it contained only a fraction of the sugar of the other recipes.
This time, my extra little helper was Lexi's friend, Hailey.

Our fresh ingredients:  8 cups of fresh blackberries, 3 apples, and a few fresh lemons to juice.

My brand new canning supplies!

The kids were super excited to help, which honestly...  I was a bit nervous about.
They worked incredibly well together, and did such an amazing job!!!

The first step in cooking, was to place the lemon juice with the chopped apples in a pan to cook for 5 minutes, until soft.  Then add the mashed berries and boil for a few more minutes, add the pectin and sugar mixture and viola...
 Blackberry-Apple Jam!

I was surprised how simple this recipe was...

There was not even a need to boil the jars!

Simply spoon into jars while hot, put the lids on, and wait to cool.  

They seal themselves!!!

Kindergarten Graduation and Play

Taylor and one of his best friends Brooke kept each other occupied looking at the program for the big event.......

The play and graduation ceremony for the Kindergarten class of 2011!

Lexi was one of the 8 children chosen to play a part in the play.

(I am so proud of her!) 

The rest of the Kindergarten children sang beautifully!!! 

The organization and narration of the performance by the teachers was very impressive!

Are these not the SCARIEST chicken chicken feet you've ever seen??? 

 

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but they turned out really, really scary!  They went in the trash immediately after the show.  Next time I have to make a costume, I'm DEFINITELY not going to waste my time on such a crazy project!!!  

After the children's performance, the commencement of the graduation began....

When I was in Kindergarten, there was no such thing as "Kindergarten Graduation".  I thought the idea was really, really silly; however, I have to say.....

It was PRECIOUS!!! 

 Lexi loves Ms. Moore!

 This is Lexi's best friend Hailey.

They will get to be in the same class for 1st grade too (Ms. Kittle's class).

I'm so excited for her!!!

(Although, we will really miss Ms. Moore!)

Fun Day 2011

To celebrate all the children's hard work throughout the school year,

Chapel Hill Elementary provided a Fun Day for them!!!  

The entire playground was filled with fun things from playing games and tug-a-war, to all sorts of water activities and slides.

The water activities were a MUST, as it is already in the 90's!!!  

I volunteered to help from 8am-3pm, which I really enjoyed!

The children's excitement is contagious, and I simultaneously acquired an awesome tan/burn. 

 

Here is Lexi going down the slide/jumpy house that I manned for the day.

This is her best friend Hailey sliding with her.  I'm so grateful to her Nanna for sharing these pictures with me!

Such pretty girls!  (Check out the boy on the far left.)  Lol.... 

Snakes!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan found this very poisonous, Copperhead snake

in our backyard today.

On the walkway...  

On the pathway to the shed....

Precisely where the kids play..... INNOCENTLY!!!!!!!!

Aaaaahhhhh! 

What are we going to do???!

In the 5 years that we have lived in this house, we have found (and KILLED) approximately 10-15 baby snakes, 

(one of which meandered into the house).

  

This one was almost 2 feet long!!!

(Ohhhh....  I sure hope it didn't reproduce.)

Thank God for our dog, Dixie!

She must have killed it for us, as there was a large section missing from it's body, and it was clearly no longer alive.

What a great protector, she is!!! 

Taylor was not at all happy about posing for this picture with our newfound foe!

Things I love..........

Aside from the obvious things I love, such as

my family, God, his son Jesus,

air, food, and shelter....  

There are some things that literally seem

to feed my soul.

Here are some, (but certainly not all), of these things I love:

The smell of a newborn baby's hair;

The sound of a young child's uncontrollable giggles;

My hands in the soil as I garden;

Cooking an elaborately "fancy" meal;

A really good glass of wine

(to go with the meal... dry, red only);

To spend time in nature, soaking in God's artistry;

I love physical exercise, particularly if I'm outside, someplace remote; 

Working on a project with my husband,

(We are such an awesome team!);

Cleaning....  I know, that's weird...  I love the results;

Decorating, which usually happens

at the very same time as cleaning; 

Watching my kids connect with each other;

Shopping...  I really hate this one...

it's so cliche, and seems materialistic, but I just love to look at,

(and sometimes purchase), beautiful things;

Art...  museums, symphony, performances, ect.... 

I appreciate and soak in any kind of art;

Watching my kids develop and grow into

who they will become...

(I'm not one of those moms that wish

they'd stay little forever);

Volunteering... it makes me happy

to help other people;

I cherish the way it sounds outside

when there is freshly fallen snow on the ground...

when all the hustle and bustle ceases, and all is still;

I am honored that God trusted us to raise a child with Down Syndrome...

she uniquely, and wonderfully feeds my soul; 

To cuddle up in our over-sized chair with my son,

and read separately...  silently...  side-by-side;

I melt when my daughter grabs my head, pulls it down, and kisses my forehead;

I adore the friends I have made throughout the years...

the true ones...  the REAL ones...

the ones that love me no matter what;

I love learning, growing and becoming "better"...

a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, a better daughter, a better housekeeper, a better gardener, a better cook, a better person.

I have so many things to love!!!

So.......  What feeds YOUR soul?

Baking Party!

For Lexi's 6th Birthday party, she wanted a baking party.
On the menu to prepare: Cupcakes and Sugar Cookies!

 
The girls helped mix the frosting (all 5 colors!), mix the cupcake batter, pour it into the pans, roll and cut the cookies,
and of course....
decorate them all!!!

 
Can you see the frosting ring around her mouth? 
She just couldn't refrain from sampling the goods.

 
Lexi's Kindergarten teacher Ms. Moore joined in on the fun.
It was amazing.... She never left Lexi's side. 
They have built such an incredible relationship, that she offered to tutor Lexi after school next year,
because "she would miss her so much".
I think it's very sweet!!!

SPRINKLES!!!

 
All the girls were able to decorate 6 cupcakes and as many cookies as they wanted.
4 of the cupcakes were placed in a take-home bakery box,
complete with a bow to take home.
The other 2 were added to a cake board to become Lexi's birthday cake.
In my opinion...
It turned out adorable!!!

 
As something extra to do, the kids played 
"Pin the Candle on the Cake".
I love watching their excitement over being blindfolded to paste something on a sign.
I wish we could bottle that kind of simple joy!

 
Party favors: A personalized apron, a baker's hat, their own cake bag with various decorating tips, a recipe, a set of mini spatulas, their decorated cupcakes and cookies, and finally...
A baking box filled with baking themed favors such as:
a blank "recipe book", stickers, lip gloss, and body glitter.

(What more does a girl need???)

I was surprised about one thing though...
After decorating all these treats, 
they hardly wanted to eat any!!!