If you plan on blueberry picking...

...you'll want to take my mom.

The kids and I brought water bottles, my mom showed up with a little red wagon. In the wagon was a cooler of water and iced tea. SHE ALSO BROUGHT CAKE!

Yes we ate cake while picking blueberries. It can't get much better than that.

The kids and I filled this giant bowl. 14 pounds in all.

I washed and packed nine 4 cup bags of berries for the freezer.

I made 2 blueberry pies and have about 3 cups left in the frige for eating fresh.

I love the blueberries.

I also finished 2 more skull bags.

I trapped raccoon #3 last night, I find it funny that the chickens are very curious when they see a coon in daylight.

Hubbie usually checks before going off to work, not today though. I called my dad to come over since I am not an expert with weapons. Thanks Dad.

Todays plans are finishing things for the show, loading the Monster Truck and picking and processing all that I can out of the garden since I won't be around the next couple of days.

Fun busy :-)

What ever happened...

...to that mellow summer I thought I'd have this year. Not that I'm complaining, I like being busy.

Over the weekend we were invited to a fishing party, I caught the biggest fish but the other competition were kids and men, they didn't stand a chance. I hooked this one bass, it stole my rubber worm (my fav of lures) the line was a bit brittle, so I caught this other bass with a new rubber worm and guess what was inside, my original rubber worm. So I actually caught the biggest twice! Hubbie knows my fishing addiction and brought a plate of food to me because he knew I wasn't coming in, not when fishing is involved. I love that man.

Then Sunday was my hubbies family reunion. It was nice seeing everyone, the kids saw cousins and swam, I ate half a plate of lemon bars. Delish.

We drove my "new" neon and on the way home it was overheating, the fan went out, so we drove the last 45 mins with the heat blaring and the windows down. We have frequent adventures like that.

My next show is this Friday & Saturday, Saline Summerfest. I loved being in this show last year and am looking forward to seeing the other artists and the gals who run the event couldn't be nicer.

I sold most of my skull bags at the last show so today I worked on some new ones.

It is fun playing dress up with skull heads.

I finished this one.

It's ok with me if they aren't your kind of thing. It is usually teens that buy them.

I have been spending about 2 hours every other day picking veggies out of the garden. I have been canning dilly beans. I love them. We have also been enjoying fresh pickles every day.

Fresh pickle recipe

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon mustard seed

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

heat in a pot

add 6 or so cukes sliced thin

I use my salad shooter

onions are optional

stir and chill

The girl and I eat them as a snack.

We are heading to Dexter in the morning for blueberry picking. Grandfolks, Sister and her kids, me and mine. I hope to get all we need in this one trip.

I guess it has been fun busy.

Hi there!

Hi, my name is Sweet Little Mama. It used to be Bratty, I was hard to get along with in my teen years, but the nice lady who cares for me changed my name to fit my new personality.

(She says I'm her favorite)

You have heard of the problems we have been having around here and I wanted to let you know we are feeling much better mostly because of your kind words and friendship.

You got a problem with that!

Just kidding, I'm sweet now.

Bad to worse...

A raccoon family found a way into my little coop fortress (It was safe for 3 years). Bandit is gone and all the baby chicks too. Not just hers but Brattys also. Bratty is wandering around lost without her little brood. I feel sickened and sad.

I got some traps from my Dad and plan to stop them DEAD in their tracks tonight.

Farm life can harden your heart.

Trying to shake the funk

This whole friendship fiasco has gotten me in a bit of a funk. Reading blogs helps, just not motivated to write much, forgive me please. I have been feeling so blah, I have taken a nap everyday since the Art Fair, twice on Sunday. Feeling not like myself.

Good news, I finished the mountain of laundry from our cabin trip and the week I was away.

I did some canning this morning.

I did a bit of sewing. That always helps.

I had bought some fabric panels last fall and finally brought one out to play with yesterday. (Picked veggies in the morn, then retreated from the heat to my cool basement)

The nice thing about the panels, the artwork is already there, no extra thought process. I just had to add the quilting.

Luckily I had enough thread color choices to make it work.

This bag is huge! Meant for traveling. It looks like a pillow could fit inside.

It can!

I used size 15 wooden knitting needles for the handles.

I need to make a few more new things for my show next weekend.

Quite a few skull bags sold at the last show, and I'm in need of a couple more llamas.

I'm off to the library with the kids.

The latest gossip from Michigan

A woman in her pajamas was spotted taking pictures of the wildflowers surrounding her mailbox, the neighbors had no comment.

Some delicious spuds were unearthed and consumed by a local family.

Weeds have taken over gardens everywhere...

...in spite of that the green beans are about a week away from feeding the masses.

Giant Dill is popping up everywhere. Luckily it is a harmless giant, its only goal is to make homemade pickles taste better.

The bees are doing what bees do best...

...while the cukes just hang around and watch.

The local garden security officer chased a couple of teenage rabbits off the premises before any real damage was done.

A local woman bought her kids a new playstation.

Not the kind you plug in but the kind you plug up.

We were informed she did not win the lotto but used some of her earnings from a recent business adventure to thank her family for all their help.

She then was seen napping in a hammock.

This reporter has the inside scoop on major celebrity news.

This Monday actress Drew Barrymore will begin filming her latest picture in our little town.

Other actors include Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Zoe Bell and Kristen Wigg.

It is a roller derby movie and the only extras they needed were very old people or teenagers with lots of piercings and tattoos.

This reporter did not fit any of those requirements, drats!

In other news...

sugarcreekstuff was paid a very big honor.

I would like to thank Children in the Corn http://childreninthecorn.blogspot.com/ for this Awesome Site Award, coming from you sure means a lot!

I would like to pass this Award along to some other sites I love.

Twinnville at http://laughingorcaranch.blogspot.com/ , I love her funny take on all things chicken, goat, sheep, llama, cat, dog, guinea pig, desert and family.

Ceecee over at http://undertexasskies.blogspot.com/ who likes to take photos of all things creepie crawlie and thinks I'm funny.

Frugalmom at http://everydayhappeningsofafrugalmom.blogspot.com/ for her frugal blog and also because she loves my llama bags.

ga_farmwoman at http://georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/ , her young dreamers stories are a wonderful read.

And last but not least

Danni over at http://critterfarmgirl.blogspot.com/ , for whom I wouldn't have even been able to accept this award (literally) if it wasn't for her help and computer knowledge. Thank you for helping this gal with practically no computer skill on more than one occasion and for your friendship.

Well that pretty much sums up the news in this little corner of the world.

Better Things

Back to things around here that make me smile

Bratty and her brood.

Bratty has been an amazing mama. The thing I love is that she totally trusts me around her babies and not the other chickens as seen in the video.

The cukes are starting.

I see pickles in my future.