Images from around our home.. tomatoes (beefsteak, heirloom and grape), grasshoppers, spiders, apples, corn, zucchini, and beans. Not in that order.

xoxo~

Abbie

When we cleared our land six years ago to build our home, all along the edge of our woods grew blackberry brambles. Everywhere.  

 They are just now starting to ripen.. and if you look (not too hard), you can find some sweet, juicy berries.

  We still have about a two week wait for the real windfall to happen.

The kids and I eat what we pick right away. The berries don't even make it inside!   

I'm always amazed at the variety of sizes.. we have jumbo goliaths (my name) and teeny weenies.

Nothing can quite match the sweetness of the itty bitty ones, but when you find one the size of your thumb, it's amazing! The large one is the biggest we could find the other day, but we have some almost twice that not quite ripe yet.

Blackberry facts:

 If there is even one red/pink tiny fruit on the berry, it's not quite ripe yet. Don't pick it unless you are looking for a tart, snappy taste.  It won't ripen after being picked. the softer and plump it is, the sweeter the berry.

Each tiny ball is a single, individual fruit with it's own seed. Hence all the seeds when you eat them. Think of them like teeny weenie grape clusters.

They are filled with anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants and are said to help prevent cancer.

You can use them in any recipe calling for berries, like muffins, jams, jellies, tarts, etc...

They make fun ammunition in Berry Wars.. yesterday my children fired them off at each other and smeared them everywhere!

Just thought you'd like to know...

xoxo~

Abbie

I had a friend share this on facebook and I thought it was worth sharing here.. just lovely.

xoxo~

Abbie

We went to the ocean. That is my husband and son. Waaaaaaaay out there where the waves were breaking. Isn't the sparkle fabulous? We had the most gorgeous weather, it was so warm the ocean was almost tolerable. Almost.

xoxo~

Abbie

I love our pansies.. unfortunately so do the chickens, and the moles. Oh, and also the chipmunks. 

I took these photos a few short days before all of my pansies were decimated. Completely destroyed by edible flower loving critters. But, as a consolation.. I have set the Have a Heart trap and caught two moles thus far.  Something else they love? My lillies. :(

Hoping you and yours have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo~

Abbie 

Can you tell what I have been up to? I took the kids strawberry picking the other day. We picked 15 pounds of berries in about 20 minutes. Phhffeww! That was a lot of berries! After a lot of boiling we ended up with 25 +/- pints of jam. Mind you, 15 pounds of berries didn't yield all of the jam, there were ohter berries from other days. We have already gone through 2 jars.. jam doesn't last long in this house. A staple breakfast for the girls is organic peanut butter on organic whole wheat bread with jam. PB&J. My mother used to say I was going to turn into a PB&J sandwich when I was a child, I ate them so much. That and jelly filled donuts. I could slam down a six pack of jellied filled donuts in one sitting. Yum. Ooo... I also love jam on my pancakes, with lots of butter. Hhhmm.. and on Brötchen with a bit of cream cheese.  Time to go see what I can now dig out of the pantry as I have made myself hungry.

xoxo~

Abbie

Have you been looking for me? Nope, I'm not in there...

You might catch me brief amidst my threads as I did get enough creative mojo to sew two skirts up for my daughters the other day.

Although my mind is here.. in the soft grey sand searching for starfish. Our destination this July for a week. I can. not. wait.

I am trying to wait patiently, but it's just not happenin'.. my mind is all over the place.

honest to Pete, I think I have Creative ADHD. Seriously. Sometimes I jump in with both feet and am completely lost in the process of making things, and other times, like right now, I have absolutely no interest in any of it. Crochet, knitting, photography, sewing, painting, collage, digital work.. bah! right now I have no need for it. No need for it? Hhhmm.... it is almost as if my creative endeavours are my counselor, therapist, and that I suffer from sort of seasonal issue. When the sun is shining and the warmth calls me out, well.. I just don't need to be here anymore.

Soo... for now I am hangin' with my peeps.. relaxing and trying to enjoy this very fleeting summer we are having here in New Hampshire. Once school ends in a few weeks I think every week is scheduled. Good scheduled, but scheduled none the less.

Isn't that photo sooooo cute??? those baby robins are hilarious! lol! I love their laid back, relaxed look.

Hhhmm.. sewing photos, Maine ocean photos and baby robins all in one post. Yay.. it has to be Creative ADHD. Has to be.... 

xoxo~

Abbie

I have been quite lost in the everyday to-dos lately.

Three of these shots are from the Enfield Shaker Village in Enfield, NH. The collapsing barn is located in Rumney, NH.

I love stone. Stone that has been carved, formed, either by hand or foot. Especially cobble stone streets. I love wood.. inparticular melting buildings. The kind that are slowly falling back into the earth.

If you need me I'll be planting our veggies, off on field trips and sitting in my folding chair at baseball games.

xoxo~

Abbie

Although, the tall one with the looking glass says 'Violet' and not 'Alice'. That is exacatily what I was thinking.. wrong movie.

 Was anything she drank grape flavored? Perhaps it was put in this tiny bottle of glass grapes.

Whichever she used, I think she would have kept them had she been able. They are all so tiny and precious... but when you are only 3 inches (it is such a dreadful height after all) it would have been quite difficult to carry one.

I feel as if I have fallen into a tiny bottle and am floating off into life somewhere. Perhaps when I wake I'll rejoin you..

xoxo~

Abbie