A Really Tasty Treat

I think I mentioned that blackberries are in season here. Yum!! Peaches are also in season. The kids and I went up to Carter Mountain Orchard on Monday and picked some peaches. Except for all the bug bites, Jon's fear of heights, and the huge bee that surprised him when he was helping me pick, it was a GREAT time.

I went to the farmer's market to get some fresh blackberries yesterday and then attempted this recipe for Peach Blackberry Cobbler. It was very very yummy. Ashley doesn't like it because of the blackberry seeds. I had a couple of people over for a RS activity last night, and they all liked it, so I wouldn't take Ashley's dislike as a deterent.

One note though: The recipe calls for 3Tbs. lemon juice. I only used 1. I think the blackberries are plenty tart as it is.

New Little Something

We have a small farmer's market here on Tuesday afternoons. It is fun to go right now, because you can get some really good stuff for a good price. Blackberries are in season, and I can get a quart for $4 instead of a pint for the same price at the grocery store. Also, tomatoes are coming into season, and we can get some great tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes for less than $2 a lb.

There are a couple of Menonite ladies who come most weeks. They often have bread and cookies for sale. My kids love that, and it is perfect, because a bag of 3 cookies costs $1. Right now, one of the Menonite ladies is selling handmade rag rugs. They are really well made and very attractive. The pictures don't do them justice to be honest. I have been eyeing them for a week or two. This week I bought one. $25. I am very pleased, and I like it in my kitchen.

They are Back

By they, I mean underoos. Remember underoos? I had Wonder Woman underoos when I was little. I thought my mom was so great for getting those for me, and I loved them. Trent had Superman underoos. When running errands this week, I noticed that they are back and on sale at Walmart. I had to buy Jon a pair. He chose Batman. I am not favoring. I couldn't find any girl ones.

He wasn't sure about them at first, because the bottoms are boxer briefs. He wanted to put them on over his other underpants initially. After convincing him that they were underwear, we now have to fight the battle of him not wearing them all day everyday. He was very upset that he had to put shorts on over the bottoms to go to the Farmer's Market. Yes, underoos are back, and my child loves them as much as I remember loving them myself. Somethings are just always good.

Lists Part Two

As promised, here is our list of things we like about living here in Virginia. Again, they are in no particular order as I am too lazy to rank them.

1. Charlottesville is a cute town with a great history.

2. Monticello is 15 miles away. Need I say more?

3. We are close to some really great places: Busch Gardens, (which we have visited twice), Jamestown, Yorktown (o.k. Williamsburg is just amazing in general), Virginia Beach/Atlantic Ocean, Washington D.C.

4. There are a lot of military bases around. When we travel we get to go to the exchange, the commissary, barber, etc.

5. The trees/ the green is really beautiful. It makes it difficult to see where you are, but it is beautiful

6. Speaking of trees, 4 seasons. We get to have all four seasons here, and the fall is BEAUTIFUL!

7. The historical sites. We are so close to (in the middle of really) so many Civil War and Revolutionary War sites.

8. The fireflies.

9. Our backyard. Our kids can really play outside with full imagination here. They have the room to do so. Too bad there are so many bugs.

Location Lists

We have been here in Virginia for almost a year now, and this Sunday we were reflecting again on all the things we miss about living in California and the things we like about living here. I would make them top ten lists for you, but I am too lazy to rank them. However, since I personally love such lists, I thought I would share.

Things We Miss About California

1. The Beach. It was nice to be able to take a 45 minute drive and wade in the ocean and watch the sunset. We did it often, and the kids loved it as well. It is cold to be sure, but it was still wonderful.

2. San Francisco. O.k., I admit that I avoided driving in the city if at all possible, and it has plenty of issues to be sure. Still, it is a really beautiful place, and there are so many things to see and do.

3. Yosemite/Muir Woods/Sierra Nevadas/The Jelly Belly Factory. It would probably be better to label this proximity to cool places to visit. The kids insisted on adding the Jelly Belly Factory. It is really fun though. Trent added the Yosemite. I wouldn't know how great it is or isn't. The Sierra Nevadas were added mainly because Trent swears the skiing there was good. (Not as good as Utah though.)

4. The weather. It was rarely super hot. The weather is just generally quite nice. It is probably some of the best all around weather anywhere.

5. Schools. Specifically, I miss Independent Elementary. It was a very good school with very good teachers and goals and organization etc. etc. etc. AND it had half day kindergarten!

6. Miss Lorrie. I suppose this could fall under schools. Ashley and Jon both learned so much from Miss Lorrie at pre-school. She is amazing and understanding and wonderful. I wish Jon could have had a second year there and that Samantha could go.

7. My utility bills. What?!?!?!? you might respond. No really, my water bill was MUCH less than it is here, and since we didn't have air conditioning, the electric/gas bill was only high in the winter. The phone bill was much better as well because we had more choices for service. We can't get AT&T where we are now. We are a bit stuck options wise.

8. 75 MPH. That is something I miss about the West in general. You NEVER see speed limits like that out here, and, quite frankly, with a few brief exceptions, there is nowhere you could open up to 75 MPH anyhow. Sigh.

9. Proximity to Utah. It was nice to be able to drive 12 hours and be home.

10. This would be ranked number 1 if I were ranking them of course. Our friends. We made some of the best friends you could in California. I haven't had good girlfriends like that in awhile. I am talking lifelong friends here. I miss my friends.

I will post the Virginia list later. For now, I am back to work and all that fun stuff.

Hair cut

Ashley has just gotten her much desired summer hair cut. It is shorter than I intended, but she is absolutely in love with it and has insisted on doing her own hair every day since she got it cut. The head band in the after pictures don't really show it off that well, but as my camera is currently as scout camp, these pictures will have to do.

BEFORE: (I guess you could just look at the July 4 pictures for the before)

AFTER:

Happy 4th

Hope you all had a great 4th of July. Ours was quiet, but we still had a great time. I do hope that if you went for fireworks, yours were better than in the rain and through the trees though. A couple of quotes for the occassion:

(To the tune of My Country Tis of Thee or God Save the Queen/King):

King George, he had a date.

He stayed out very late.

He was the king.

Queen Mary paced the floor.

King George stayed out 'till four.

She met him at the door.

God save the King.

And a little more um reverent I suppose:

"No, posterity, you will never know how much it cost us to preserve your freedom. I hope that you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it." -John Adams

Again, Happy 4th of July, the 232nd anniversary of the birth of this nation, and the 182nd anniversary of the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.