As I sit here tonight my eyes are heavy {and my hip is sore where I ran into my counter top full speed ahead today} and I’m thinking “If I could just blog in my sleep I’d update every night and I would never get behind.”
Here it is Tuesday eve and I’ve yet to update on our wonderful weekend and my mind is already occupied with the next post and the one after that. If you could just read my mind we’d be set.
I’ll probably be short on words tonight. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen all day and it was a lot of fun but wore me smack out. What I was doing in the kitchen is for a post to come so stay tuned.
On Saturday:
Early Saturday morning “Acorn-eater” helped me with my watering.
After I fished the dirt out of his mouth we had short stacks of silverdollar sized strawberry pancakes….!
My recipe is easy…
Then Justin loaded the kids up {and I stayed home with JM because if he misses his nap he goes from JM to Hornet} and drove them down to his parents property with more friends to pick…
And pick they did…
My friend Jill manned the camera and did an AWESOME job {especially with no instructions}! This is her husband Tim picking her some good berries…
And this is their son, William, with a “good one”…
They brought home over 5 quarts…
Jill and I talked about what we wanted to do with them. The guys wanted cobbler… we want jam. With jam the “blackberry” keeps on giving, a cobbler would be gobbled up in one night, jars of jam would last much longer! The berries are still in my frige so if I want jam I’ll be back in the kitchen tomorrow or Wednesday for sure.
I didn’t ask if they picked these but if our jam makes us act funny and we can’t stop eating it we’ll know why…
By the pictures she took, it looks like William was really excited about his finds…
They said they didn’t even get one mosquito bite, I feel quite confident that if I had been there that I would have brought them in by the thousands…
After they picked all they could {which I’ve been informed they didn’t even get 1/2} they all loaded up and headed this way for a very healthy lunch…
And followed their nutritious meal with swimming, wiffle ball, and ice cream.
Sunday brought:
Roses in the early morning. I planted my rose bushes last summer and really don’t know what I’m doing. I feed, water, prune, and mulch them but some have lost their leaves and look like they’re close to dying… any rose gardeners out there?
After chuch Sunday was spent much like our day on Saturday… lots of food, wiffle ball, swimming and ice cream.
That’s all I have the energy for tonight. My post got deleted when I finished it and I had to start all over… argh! That will really make you mad… especially when you’re super tired! Be back soon!
the sweet life with olives
June 1, 2009 at 11:30 pmsounds like a great weekend. i hear you on the rose thing. as i type i can see the climbing rose vines i planted at the front of our house last summer. i too had no clue what to do with roses, but just thought they were pretty. well, they creeped and crawled and now they almost cover the window but the leaves are covered in holes, look sickly and the roses are pretty but not very strong. all to say i can’t help, but if you learn good pointers make a post of it? wish i had made pancakes with our strawberries! we had so many that yesterday we broke down and made jam. another cold wet day here, going to drink my coffee in front of the fire, even though just a few days ago we were splashing in the sea! 🙂
Kendall Boggs
June 2, 2009 at 3:00 ammy mom made us pick blackberries every summer for jam and it is such a fond memory! We lived right by a railroad track in Dothan and there were SO many blackberry bushes over there. Beware!!! there were a lot of chiggers that went with those blackberries :0(. We would scratch for days. If you get some, put clear nail polish on them.
Tara
June 2, 2009 at 3:22 amBlackberry jam, yummy!!! That is one of my all time favorites! Kendall is right about the chiggers in Dothan. They’ll get you! And I am one of those that attracts mosquitoes/chiggers/anything that flies and bites. It must be our sweet blood. 🙂
painted.
June 2, 2009 at 3:59 amI would love a rose post as well. Mine is struggling!
susanv
June 2, 2009 at 4:31 amI have to vote for the cobbler! I just made Paula Deen’s recipe (for peach cobbler) with fresh blackberries and my hubby (who does not even like blackberries) cannot get enough! I remember picking berries on my grandparents’ farm growing up … what fun childhood memories!
duchess
June 2, 2009 at 4:51 amGlad you had a good weekend.
I so want a pool.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
annek
June 2, 2009 at 4:53 amJam is good…maybe with the remaining berries waiting to be picked…because cobbler wins every time!
andi
June 2, 2009 at 5:19 amLooks like a fun weekend!
The roses are so pretty!!!
Becky
June 2, 2009 at 5:29 amsuper fun!!
Kellie
June 2, 2009 at 5:31 amLooks like ya’ll are enjoying this early summer as much as we are – oh how I would LOVE to find a place to pick some blackberries – instead, I’ve been buying them 2 at a time from Publix – and eating them all in about a day!!!! I’ve got to head to our farmer’s market soon! So glad ya’ll didn’t fill in that pool – it’s such a blessing to so many people!!!! Maybe one day, I can actually meet you, dear friend, and I can jump in your pool too!
Dianne
June 2, 2009 at 5:34 amLoving the colors of your roses! They are so much work…gave up on mine years ago.
Bet you’re glad you kept the pool and didn’t fill it with dirt. Looks like lots of memories being made there.
I so enjoy your blog!!
julie
June 2, 2009 at 5:43 amwhat a fun weekend!! the blackberries look deliciousss…if the remaining ones go missing at the farm?? I went and picked them 🙂
Jill
June 2, 2009 at 5:58 amWish I had some of those Yummy blackberries……..sounds like a fun weekend, much like ours….lots of swimming.
The Gentrys
June 2, 2009 at 6:16 amWe just bought a new home in the country complete with thousands of mosquitos, chiggers, ticks, poison ivy and snakes! One of your previous posts about your dream to live in the country, but all the reasons why you may not made me laugh…it is our life now exactly! We are 45 minutes away from the closest Walmart, I too worry that friends won’t come to visit (but my family is actually coming today for the week!) and all of the previously mentioned pests! But despite the inconveniences of living in the country, it was always my dream and I wouldn’t trade it for anything (we’ve only been here a month though so I may feel differently in a year or more!) It is so peaceful and beautiful. Anyway, the home came with a rose garden so I have been slowly learning how to take care of them. The biggest problems I have are aphids and brown spot. That could be what is killing some of your bushes (although your roses look beautiful!) I am having to spray mine every 2 weeks or so with Ortho spray for roses.
Erin
June 2, 2009 at 6:18 amsounds like a great weekend! love blackberries!! ohhh,cobbler does sound good with a little vanilla ice cream:)
Gray Matters
June 2, 2009 at 6:21 amI planted double knock out roses, which even I haven’t been able to kill yet!
bella grace photography
June 2, 2009 at 6:31 amWow what a fun weekend..glad you guys had a great time picking the berries.
Jennifer
June 2, 2009 at 6:44 amI have a couple of pink knockout rose bushes and besides the insects mine do great. I have had to start spraying though because they get little holes in their leaves. They really do good though and actually don’t even need to be watered everyday. My hydrangeas are a different story. The pruning is very important for the rose bushes and mine tend to get a lot of sun. Would love to know how you make your jam!
Melody
June 2, 2009 at 6:47 amThat sounds like so much fun! Those are just the kind of weekends I like. By the way…I have a GREAT pancake recipe and it is not that hard to make! I have wonderful memories of picking blueberries with my grandparents. I would vote for the jam. : )
Elizabeth
June 2, 2009 at 6:50 amWe had some leftover blackberries and I gave them a whirl in the food processor with a little sugar, put them in little containers and froze them. I can use them for ice cream topping!
The Carrolls
June 2, 2009 at 6:54 amYour roses are gorgeous. I had a problem with beetles eating them. I spray an insect spray for roses to help keep the bugs away. I do think that I read that the leaves can be toxic after they fall off so I try to keep the leaves away. I will look into it and let you know if I find anything out. I love rose bushes and plan to pass them down to my children one day.
Christen
June 2, 2009 at 7:14 amHi, I’ve been reading your blog for about 6 months, but just started my own about a month ago, and I didn’t realize that you could leave comments without having your own blog. You’re kids are adorable, and I love reading about all your crafty projects and delicious recipes…I tried the fudge pie recipe and it was a huge hit with my Bible Study group!
Shelly Powers
June 2, 2009 at 7:47 ami would love to know if you know how to get blackberry juice out of clothes… my daughter got some on a pair of pink and white shorts and i can’t get it out and obviously bleach is out b/c it is colored… thanks for your help… or hed this as a warning not to wear anything good while eating them! 🙂
Shauna
June 2, 2009 at 7:59 amIf that’s how your wilting roses look, you can come kill mine anytime! 🙂
Enjoying the blog immensely Darby.
Julie Wolfe
June 2, 2009 at 8:10 amDarby – I totally relate to you with the mosquitoes! If it weren’t for them, I could be outside all summer. Maybe it’s the dark skin…I don’t know; but they’ve always swarmed to me too!
Amanda @ Serenity Now
June 2, 2009 at 8:35 amWhat a sweet weekend! 🙂 Your roses look beautiful. I wish I knew something about gardening for you…we just started our first vegetable garden, and I am getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. They love the girls and especially ME! I vote for jam too. 🙂
JMW
June 2, 2009 at 9:41 amWhat a delightful weekend! Mmm, blackberries. They look wonderful. Have a great week!
Meredith
June 2, 2009 at 10:12 amThe June issue of Southern Living has a whole section about dishes that you can make with fresh blackberries (and peaches). I love both cobbler and jam so it would be a tough choice!
Jessica Ranjbari
June 2, 2009 at 11:09 amI have great memories of picking blackberries when I was a child – looks like a wonderful way to spend the weekend! Now I’m craving strawberry pancakes – thanks Darby!! 😉
Rachel
June 2, 2009 at 12:36 pmI was able to get 2 blooms thus far on the rose bush – so whatever you’re doing, it’s MUCH better than what I’m doing (or lack thereof).
Now if I could only get my pancakes to look like yours. Mine tend to look burnt almost everytime even when they’re not.
Love Being a Nonny
June 2, 2009 at 12:39 pmThese are a few of my favorite things: blackberries, roses, swimming pools and cute children. You have them all!!!
kt
June 2, 2009 at 12:51 pmsorry i’m such a quiet reader, darby. know that i am always reading and processing all you share with us. we miss you dearly! glad the rain finally cleared up in time for the southern summer heat! 🙂 enjoy!!
The Harris Family
June 2, 2009 at 1:08 pmYou think it’s bad when your POST get’s deleted!? Read my blog for today and you’ll be happy all you lost was your post! 🙂
Maggie Dickinson
June 2, 2009 at 2:18 pmOur son is a big fan of acorns as well and beach sand. My Nana always said that you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die. Well Little Mac is working on it. I love the pancakes!
karlene
June 2, 2009 at 6:40 pmI LOVE the red boots!!!, my favorite.
kristine hammons
June 2, 2009 at 10:35 pmYou are to cute! I have enjoyed reading about you and finding your blog.. you are a mother of my own heart.. food, family, and the simple pleasures!! Thanks for being a wonderful & positive blogger to visit!
Purple Flowers
June 3, 2009 at 4:02 amI have enjoyed reading your blog; it has made me chuckle abit.
The best roses for me are Knock out roses. You don't need to maintain them at all through the summer, and they keep on blooming –
they're the best rose around. You won't have a problem w/aphids or any bugs. Good Luck!
MyLittleHappyPlace
June 3, 2009 at 12:17 pmSO fantastic! I grew up "dewberry" picking, and every early summer, ask my Dad if any have shown up on his fence line…Alas,none this year b/c of the lack of rain – Boo!
What a wonderful, and memorable thing for your kiddos to do!
LeslieJeff1102
June 29, 2009 at 7:21 pmThe best thing my father did for his roses was absolutely nothing. Cut them all the way down to the ground at the end of the summer and just watch them go wild the next year. He can't control them anymore, they grow like crazy and its gorgeous!