I got an award!! Carly, from Carly's Kitchen has graciously passed this award on to me. Her blog is too cute, and she always has the most delicious recipes posted, so go check it out!!



Here is the quote that goes along with the award:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

When I was a kid I remember going to my great-grandma's house for visits. Like most kids, great-grandma's house was not the most fun place to go....it was actually quite boring. Two things stick out in my memory from trips to her house: 1. She always thought it was funny to sneak up on you and start "counting your ribs." I think she was trying to tickle, but honestly it hurt really bad. Those were not tears of laughter, they were tears and screams of pain. 2. There was a dried up pond at the back of her property that my dad would always walk us down to pick wild blackberries. They grew everywhere (or so I thought), and I had the hardest time not eating every single one I picked.

I love the idea of growing your own fruit and vegetables, but not all of us have the knack to be a successful farmer. For those of us who were born without a green thumb or those who don't have space for a garden there are farmers who grow delicious fruits and vegetables, and graciously allow us (idiots) to pick their harvest for them!

There are picking farms all over the U.S. Here is a great site to find the ones closest to you! Berry picking season is usually May-July, so start planning your trip to the farm now!

Here are a few more great farms to check out:
Home Sweet Farm- grows over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs.
Yonder Way Farm- specializing in grass-fed beef, pastured pork, free-range eggs, and pastured poultry.
Chappell Hill Lavender Farm- cut your own fresh lavender, or visit the gift shop for pre-picked and packaged culinary lavender and bath products.

Pass me a slice of Ava pie!

I was looking through some pictures on my computer and came across this one. I'm not sure how old it is...maybe from around last October??? Anyhow, it is just too cute not to put up. Normally, to accompany a picture like this I would post a recipe for blueberry pie, but I felt more inspired to post something more simple, and more likely to prepare.

One of my favorite Spring and Summer snacks is berries!! Ever since I was a little kid I have had an obsession with freshly picked and then frozen blueberries; they are one of the best and most refreshing treats!

Although blueberries and blackberries have more than enough flavor on their own I love to pair these two with balls of honey dew melon and finish the mix off by squeezing fresh lime juice over the top and sprinkling it with fresh, chopped mint leaves. The measurements aren't specific, just add as much lime juice and mint as you like.

Here is another berry recipe I read in a magazine earlier today. It sounds pretty tasty, and looks easy to prepare!

3 cups water
1 lemon and 1 lime, peel removed and cut into strips
1 cup fresh mint leaves
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 cups fresh blueberries
3 cups fresh raspberries
3 cups fresh blackberries
a few springs of mint for garnishing


This is what the magazine says to do: 1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, lemon peel, and lime peel. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, and add mint leaves; cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain mixture discarding solids. Stir in sugar. Cook over medium high heat until mix reaches 224F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in lemon and lime juice. Cool for 15 minutes. 2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar mixture and berries. Cover, and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with mint and serve.


This is what I would do: Since the sugar mix is really just a basic simple syrup I would mix the sugar and water in a saucepan, boil until all sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. Throw in the lime and lemon peels, mint, and lime and lemon juices, cover, and steep for about 30 minutes. Proceed by following step 2 in the above directions. The flavor will still infuse into the syrup, and you will just take out a few steps. Seems to make sense to me, but you pick which directions you want to follow. If you want to experiment with both let me know how it goes!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Between the busyness of Easter weekend, starting occupational therapy, and the overall strenuous duties of things like getting dressed, showering, and the like I haven't had much time or energy to write anything. Really, those things haven't been too bad, but they still take a good bit of effort.

Therapy started yesterday. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or prepare for, but I think it will be fine. The first day was mostly spent completing an evaluation. This was my therapist's report: "Well, there is just so much to work on I'm not even sure where to start." Thanks, that is encouraging.

Today I felt like I did really well. It felt good to stretch my arm and shoulder muscles out; that does not mean that there was not a lot of pain, but overall it was good. It especially made me feel great when I looked over and saw 70 year old Joe doing the same workout as me. Nice. When I completed one of those "25 Things About Me" surveys on facebook I came to the conclusion that I am probably the youngest old lady ever. Now it is proven. I do "sit and be fit" with senior citizens 3 times a week. When I was in high school and college I lifeguarded and always laughed at the old ladies who would come into the pool to do water aerobics.... my therapist told me yesterday that I should start going to the pool in a few weeks to do arm exercizes..... what goes around comes around. I've just decided that I have to laugh at myself or I'm never going to get through this.

Thumper Rabbit did a great job being the Easter Bunny this past weekend :)

Well, I'm back (sort of)! Actually, I'm not sure how long it will be before I am back in the kitchen, and the general swing of things. I am slowly gaining the strength to do more things on my own like brush my teeth, use a fork, open a door, type with one finger.... mostly simple, small things, but all of those little things we don't think about and take for granted until we can't do them anymore.

I must admit that the shock of all of this really hasn't hit me yet. It still seems so unrealistic. Most traumatic situations usually take me a while to really absorb them. I didn't cry until I first layed down at my parents' home, and I'm sure the aftermath wont strike me until a few weeks from now. But, a few things I have realized is just how wonderful of a community of friends and family I am surrounded by. You guys have been truly amazing, and it makes me want to cry when I think about how full of love my heart is for each of you. I've also realized how much I really don't have it all together. You see, I had this plan, and I had it all figured out. Of course I should have known better, that my plans rarely line up with the plans that God has. I don't know where I'm headed now, and I'm going to do my best to keep traveling down His path without any self-made plans to hold on to. All I can keep thinking is that my plans must have been way off if I was stopped so abruptly. Who knows what is coming next or what He has in store, but I'm glad I'm where He wants me right now, and I'm glad I have my community to hold me together. Writing some of this out has been quite cathartic, so thanks for bearing my rambling. I can't promise that this will be the last.

Mostly I've been wasting my time away watching the food network, so my itch to get in the kitchen is growing by the day. Maybe I'll just post some of the interesting recipes I find, and you can tell me whether they are good or not! :) Well, this post has worn me out, so I'm off, hopefully for not long though!

This is Haley's Mom--we just wanted to give you an update on how she is doing.

We came home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. It was a long drive for someone in Haley's condition, but she did great. She hasn't really been able to do much more than sleep due to the pain medication she is on. "The Nazi" as she is fond of calling me, makes her do her physical therapy. She will love me for it later! As much as she would like to talk to everyone, she isn't able to hold a phone, so that doesn't work out too well. She has been able to check her email and the comments posted on the blog. That has been a great encouragement. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers---they mean so much. She was especially excited about the pink cookies Emilie delivered today! :) Her room is beginning to look like a florist with all of the beautiful flowers she has received---they have helped to cheer her up. We can't begin to thank everyone enough for the love that has been shown.

We will go back to Austin on Wednesday to see the doctor and then he will order "real" physical therapy---so glad someone else gets to be the meany! We will post more as we know what the next steps in this process will be. Until then, keep praying for her recovery and praising the Lord for His protection. She remains our miracle!