EKjourney Backup

...Pick 40 pounds of huge, delicious, sweet cherries in between rain storms for half price!  Eat until we are sick.  Choose to laugh at the craziness of picking cherries with 4 small children - babies falling off ladders (I only let him climb to the first step so it wasn't that far of a fall!), children climbing trees, 3 year olds peeing their pants, cherry bark in the eyes with lots of crying, cherry juice EVERYWHERE, fresh quarts of cherries dumped repeatedly, babies climbing into boxes.  I remember when I thought backpacking Europe was a giant adventure.  LOL! ...Support SIL in her upcoming triathlon.  Do we really live less than 2 miles from a reservoir and never go there???  Anxiously watch as your husband swims to the far side of the reservoir and back to join in the open swim.  Laugh when he buys fins the next day.  Small children wearing life jackets at the waters edge = peace! ...Be surprised by a visit from MIL!  Feel relieved ...

Is it Saturday already?  The week seemed to fly by. We had some rain this week so I was able to start some inside work. Monday, My brother and SIL came for dinner.  It was a great excuse for me to clean like a crazy person and do laundry!!  We spent so much time outside lately that the inside has been terribly neglected.  I got out the swing, carseat, and little bouncy seat and washed all the covers.  It felt good to be so productive. Tuesday and Wednesday, I finished washing baby clothes, blankets, and carriers.  I tackled homeschooling plans. Last year, I planned weekly and it felt like it loomed over my head every weekend.  This year, I decided to plan and set up so thoroughly that I wouldn't have to do anything to prep except for look over plans and make sure I have supplies and library books for the month.  I set up my year long plan, aligning it with Phil's school year and vacation schedule.  I then figured out how many lessons needed t...

Here is the new garden bed...work in progress!!!  This section was all bamboo and most of it has been dug out except for this small remaining section in the back. Phil spent hours in this position, cutting out the sunken metal (meant to contain the bamboo) piece by piece.  By the time he got all the metal out and pickaxed out the chunks of roots, he had a big sunken "hole" to fill in.  He spent an entire day rototilling down the hillside and dumping wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of fill dirt into the space.   Here it is, bamboo gone, and fill dirt leveled out! I pieced together this rock border with the remaining pile of rock chunks while Phil hauled mulch to rototill into the fill dirt.  It isn't a true "after" picture but we are so close!  We have a little more mulch to add and then mound more fill dirt on the top.  This fall, I will transplant my gooseberry bushes and a blueberry so the East side of the bed (the already established part) wi...

Silverton hosts a fireworks show at the Oregon Gardens on the 3rd of July.  Our secret is to park in the Safeway parking lot, get ice cream bars, and watch from the roof of the van.  This year, Phil took the children up and I stayed home with B.  (I enjoy snatching little bits of quiet time whenever I can!) On the 4th of July, my brother and sister-in-law hosted a get together at their house.  The children played and swam in the pool and the Dad's put on a big firework show.  It was LOTS of fun!! Poor Sawyer, he was not in the water for more than a minute before he was a shivering!  Here they are warming up in the greenhouse. They have such a lovely yard.  It is so neat and organized and a perfect place for hosting a summer party!   Setting up for fireworks.   Sparklers! Jubilee can be very outgoing, especially with women and is always striking up conversations with people whenever we are out and about.  I thought it was so sweet t...

We have been so busy these past 2 weeks that I haven't even had time journal! We went strawberry picking at the beginning of last week on a nice overcast morning and came home with 44 pounds of strawberries that I dried, froze, made regular(cooked) jam and freezer jam with.  I was hoping to head out once more for another 40 pounds or so but I think the season is coming to a close.  Cherries should be ready shortly!  Those and peaches are my most favorite fresh fruit! Besides multiple appointments (chiropractor, midwife, insurance, hair cuts), we have been working outside trying to finish up those projects!!  Phil has been amazing (although, he did admit this kind of pacing and intensity is better left to "younger" men LOL).  He has pick axed and sawsalled all the sunken metal barriers out that we put up to contain the bamboo and cut out/rototilled the roots.  (I was told we are never having bamboo again!!).  He has organized his outside storage area, w...