Saturday, July 28, 2012

Tea, Popcorn, and some Late Night TV

 {the beginning of a spur-of-the-moment creation made during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics (though I was quite entranced most of the time!)}





Been watching the most TV I have in three years in this morning alone, and I must say it is refreshing when there is actually something worth watching on. I have been creatively pumped all day, and inspired by the amazing Olympians I see doing their thing and having fun with it. Makes me wish I could do something like them someday! (Maybe I shall!)

But for now I shall sit back and watch...and try to keep up with my goal of exercising at least thirty minutes a day every day of the Olympics because it is a worldwide reminder of how unfit some of us are. I'm only about 110 lbs, but, hey, I COULD HAVE ABS! Maybe it's silly, but this is the ultimate excuse for looking silly and getting to work out for a week or two. Just gotta keep up with it. Wish me luck!

GO TEAM USA! ♥

...Call me maybe~!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Hello, Little Mushrooms~



Aren't these little mushrooms just darling? They just popped right up out of the grass all over the place!

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! I have been insanely busy myself, going shopping and eating out with my grandma, so I haven't really had the time to blog. That and it has been raining every day for the past week, so taking pictures outside has been completely out of the question; it's hot, muggy, and mosquito infested out there!

These past few months have been so slow for me. I haven't been in the mood to write or read or do any of my usual favorite things. I call it educational withdrawal seeing as I got used to the busy life of college in the spring, then took summer off. My classes start next month, and then I will be busy for five hours a day, four days a week. Something tells me I won't be bored. But I really, really look forward to it. I adore having things to do, especially academic things. There's something thrilling about a deadline to me.

But for now, I'm struggling to even feel like reading. My mom bought some books the other day and I'm nicely forcing myself to read through it, and it's fabulous, but I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. My hopes are that when I read it, it will get me in the mood for writing, but I don't know. Nothing sounds appealing right now.

Maybe school will fuel my need to be creative.

Have a wonderful week everyone! ♥ 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wet Puppy: Beware of Flying Water!











What do you do on abnormally cool and perfectly clear summer days? Wash the dog, of course!

It was 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and the great outdoors were calling my name: "Come take pictures! It's so cool outside!" Such an enticing thing nature is. It just so happened that the dog was getting cleaned and brushed outside, and I was able to get some stunning shots of her adorable face.

This is Liesl, a purebred Saint Bernard, and she is my baby girl. She loves raising kittens, barking very, very loudly, and running around like the (gigantic) puppy she is. When she is sitting down beside me on the floor, she's taller than me. When she stands up on her hind legs, she's taller than my mom. She will take every chance to lean over in your face and kiss you, because she's sweet like that. Her tail wags no matter what, and you often have to raise your dinner plate up because it might happen to smear through whatever you're eating if you're not careful. She loves kids and squirrels. Especially squirrels. But she loves her kittens more. She shares her food with her kittens.

She and I actually look similar! It's kind of creepy.

P.S. If you happen to be taking pictures of a wet puppy that weighs more than you do, do not, I repeat, do not hang around when she randomly decides to shake. Shirts and glasses will get soaked. Just a word of advice....I speak from experience. ♥

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Honey, I'm Home!















My mom extracted some of our honey crop from the bees today. At least seven gallons, and there is a lot more where this comes from. Too much more to handle extracting in one day.

With plenty of frames full of honey and chunks of free floating comb threatening to be eaten on the spot, even the cats were gladly licking up stray drops that had hit the floor. Everything loves honey!



...Including me. ♥

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Plump Ol' Pumpkins






Pumpkins have invaded the garden!

We have pumpkins all over the place, even in the baby blueberry bushes ( that one must just be lonely!). We have four or five, if I remember correctly, and each one gets bigger every day. There might be some tiny ones I missed, but this is the first time we have been successful in growing pumpkins here, so I only went after the ones I could find easily. I can't wait to see how big they get!

And the air conditioner has been fixed! The house is cool again, especially since a thunderstorm is rolling overhead right now. I hope it rains a lot for the garden.

Have a wonderful week! ♥

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Blueberry Tuesday

{Moments after I began picking.}

 {My mom's bowl after her ten to fifteen minutes of picking.}
 {This one had a birdie snack on it!}
 {My bucket after a while of picking.}

When I woke up this morning, the house was void of all but us kids. My little brother ran out of my room (as usual) in his happy way in hopes of getting his sacred breakfast of oatmeal and milk (like he does every morning). Every room was quiet, though, but the kitchen window was open. 

I was just starting to drag myself out of bed when he burst back in through the door, screaming happily that Mommy was going to let him come outside and pick blueberries! Had he kept screaming with joy, surely his face would have looked like one, too! But he was so thrilled to go outside and pick, and before I even got out there with a bucket of my own, he was hastily snatching at berries saying, "Here's a big one! Come to papa!" 
(Honest, the things he comes up with sometimes. It's hilarious in its own right. He's so bubbly and happy all the time!)

When I got out there, my mom's bowl of berries was quite full, so I had to tote my square tub to another bush to start picking. I would move from one branch to another, and when I would go back, the previous branch would be full of blueberries so tender from the rain and heat that they would just fall right off into my hand. I had to be careful picking them, because if I yanked one off a bit too hard, I could send a whole shower of blueberries elsewhere plummeting to the ground, and that would be a waste!

They kept falling, though, and I kept picking, soon resulting in a rather full tub, especially when my dad dumped the contents of his bowl right into mine. Not that I minded....

We picked all of the berries we could reach, and must garb ourselves in bee suits just to avoid getting covered in ticks while we explore the depths if the inner branches. But we shall rest for now. It's starting to get a tad warm outside, and there are things to be done inside to prepare for the coming of my grandmother who will be staying with us for a while come next Monday!


My little sister just came in with her breakfast: a bowl of homegrown pears and blueberries slathered in our homegrown honey!

Have a wonderful Fourth of July, everyone! 
Enjoy those fireworks and classic slabs of angel food cake! ♥