Blueberries anyone?

Susan asked me if blueberries are difficult to grow. I e-mailed her with some information and after I re-read it, I thought I would share it with you. With prices for everything going up these days, any thing we can grow ourselves is beneficial! So if you like blueberries:



"Blueberry bushes are surprisingly low maintenance. The only requirement they need is acidic soil, around pH 4.5-5.5. You can amend that pretty easily with aluminum sulfate and sphagnum peat mulch. I have 9 bushes now, and it's good to plant them in the fall. It's good to have more than one variety so they cross-pollinate and produce better. You have to prune them every year after the first couple years, but it's not hard to do. You just cut off dead parts and non-producing canes. Also, the first year, you don't let them make berries--you pick off the blooms, so they will concentrate on growing and establishing good roots. They are really resilient to pests. I've had a few aphids and Japanese beetles on them, but they never damage them badly. The only problem I've had with them is when we had that freeze last spring--it froze off all the blooms and I had NO berries at all last year. This year, I've got a ton of berries on the oldest ones, and they're just now getting ripe.

I bought mine online from Nourse Farms. They're a family owned company and are really nice about answering any questions you may have. Go to www.noursefarms.com to check them out!

I don't have the time or patience to mess with high-maintenance gardening right now, so that's why I like blueberries...and they're one of my favorite fruits too :)"

Mmmmmm....

I am finally getting ripe blueberries on my bushes. The girls and I picked enough to make the first blueberry pancakes of the season this morning. Let me tell you, nothing better than sleeping in, getting up and fixing blueberry pancakes for a late breakfast. Megan ate 4, Zoe had 3, and I think I had 5 :) Now some fresh coffee, and plans to play in the girls' new sprinkler outside in a little while.

I did have to wake up at 4 am when Zoe threw up a little and Zachary had to eat at the same time. Bryan handled Zoe, so I could nurse Zachary. But then I was able to sleep in til almost 8 today.

Now I just need some direction for the day. So far, I've been running in and out the last two days this week, so I've not exercised. Hoping to pick it back up soon, but I'm really so unmotivated and distracted with the "three". Trying to give myself grace and be patient with the process.

Kids are so funny!

This was taped on Zachary's bedroom door after we saw "Kung-Fu Panda" at the Sunday matinee this afternoon :D

Where did the quiet go??

My girls are back....*sigh* :) I'm really glad to have them home, but it was nice to have a quiet week with just Bryan and Zachary. We even went out last night to see "Don't Mess with the Zohan"--Zachary's first movie. He did really well. I put him in his sling and he slept most of the time and I nursed him in there when he got fussy. Good place to nurse in the dark :)

The septic guys finished up this afternoon. Bryan re-spliced the wires and gas line that was cut and now everything's covered back up. We have a lot of grass re-sowing to do now. But I'm so glad it's fixed. No more pumping smelly water into our backyard. No more worrying about it coming back up into the basement.

Bryan's folks were kind enough to bring the girls all the way back here so we could hang around until it got finished today. We grilled out for them and we all ate and visited a while, and now it's back to normal life.

I'm sleepy.

Lemonade and Septic Work

Those two things would not appear to go together, nor should they!

However, after months and months of having to pump out nasty water from our septic system into our backyard because our drainage lines are really old and have collapsed...well, the repair man finally came today! He had to wait until the ground dried out enough.

I was happy to see him arrive, but not 1/2 hour after he began digging with his backhoe, he came to the door to tell me he had dug up electrical and gas lines that ran to the garage. My hubby had just redone those a couple years ago to rewire old wiring and add the gas line.

*SIGH* Ok, so call Bryan (which I have to end up doing every time something's fixed around here--I don't know if it's myself or the repair people who are the most incompetent). Got the gas and electric turned off per his instructions.

Now, he's on his way home to assist in the situation.

I feel aggravated and helpless, so what to do? Oh, make fresh lemonade, of course! I had found this recipe online: http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1091/how-to-make-homemade-lemonade.asp I had already bought a bag of lemons and decided now's the time to mix it up. Looking back, I'm not sure $5 for the bag of lemons was a great deal for only getting one pitcher, but hey--it's GOOD!

I'll drink it while I'm watching men tear up my backyard.

Ow!

When you haven't officially exercised in over a year, it's really ouchy! I've made it three days in a row now...10 min on treadmill, 8 min arms, 8 min abs. My abs are so sore! And my pectoral muscles. I'm wondering if I should do the abs every other day to give the muscles a rest until they're not so sore?



I'm hoping I can continue some routine exercise once the girls are back home next week. We'll see!

Be prepared to laugh your butt off

Why did that chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! That chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure - right from Day One! - that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

It's gonna be a quiet week

Let me set up the scenario:

Bryan's sister and her hubby just happened to take their anniversary vacation over the weekend at the Land Between the Lakes, which is somewhat close to our area. They also just happened to have to pass by here to get there and back.

Now, I had been wondering when the girls could come for a visit with Nana and Papa, who just happened to be on vacation this week. Uncle Bradley and Aunt Cheryl were also on vacation this week, so it just happened that we decided to pack the girls some suitcases and send them home with said Aunt and Uncle as they passed by here on the way home from Land Between the Lakes.

So, it's just me, Bryan, and Zachaboo for the week. We already went to Red Lobster last night to celebrate Bryan's birthday (his birthday was last Wed, but he had to work crazy hours last week). Zachary was so good. Didn't even cry. We even went to Cold Stone Creamery for some ice cream after dinner. Great night out.

Today, I officially exercised for the first time since Zachary was born. 10 min on the treadmill, 8 minute arms and 8 minute abs. Hoping I can do it all week and keep doing it. I'm tired of being "fluffy". Need to get rid of about 20 pounds of winter and pregnancy coat :)

But looking forward to a quiet week here with my little man and my big man when he's home.

Playtime

I met up with my friend Melissa and her two kiddos yesterday. They're the ones we do the babysitting exchange with. Anywho, we took the kids to the church playground and brought little picnic lunches and let the kids have some fun.

I'm thinking we might try to do that once a week just to get out and enjoy a change of scenery and enjoy some adult conversation. I think I will start posting each week about it and see if anyone wants to meet there. I like the city park, but there are no good bathrooms around and no fences. The church playground is nicely fenced, quiet, and you can use the bathrooms in the church.

The only thing I did badly yesterday was not putting sunscreen on Zachary. I kept him in the sling most of the time and thought I had him in the shade enough, but he ended up with a little burn on his face. I felt bad, but it didn't seem to bother him. I'll just have to be more vigilant, since I'm planning on hitting the kiddie pool at the city park next week, plus more playground time :)

Wierd Sunday

I can now empathize with all the single moms and moms with husbands who work swing shifts, who diligently get their kids up every Sunday morning and get them to church. I woke up at almost 8 AM, running a bit late, jumped in the shower, yelling at the girls to get their dresses on, then had to get everyone fed, combed, shoed, and out the door so we could get to Sunday school at 9:45. Luckily, it was running behind because we were too :)

Poor hubby had to work from 9pm last night until after 11am this morning. He went with us to the Mexican restaurant for lunch (I drove of course), and now he's sleeping soundly.

Actually he AND the girls are sleeping soundly. I was GOING to be sleeping soundly, but Zachary decided he wanted to munch on mommy milk all afternoon, so has not slept much at all. I've fed him here at the computer, drinking my green tea, and surfing blogs. At least it's quiet time.

On another note...Zachary is now officially a tummy sleeper. The chiropractic adjustments did relax him a bit, but he still does not like sleeping on his back. I broke out the Angel Care monitor and he slept with it Friday night. He slept soundly for 6 hours straight, then ate and slept again a few more hours. He slept fairly well last night too, so I feel slightly less like a zombie now.

I've also been reflecting a bit about church ministry. New summer ministries are starting up and the need is great. My needs here at home are greater though, this year, so I have to step back, but I felt a strong desire to rejoin some ministries and activities. I think next year, I'll jump back in. I can hear Team Kid, Bible School, The Great Banquet, and other great ministries calling to me. Something to look forward to.

It's Friday...*woo*

Since I'm about to fall asleep as I sit here, I'll keep it rather short and sweet.

Zachary and I have seen our chiropractor twice now this week. He claims to be able to fix my sinus/neck/back issues and to help Zachary sleep more comfortably on his back. He thought that Zachary tended to favor turning his head to his left and that the birth probably got his spine and neck out of alignment, so he wasn't comfortable lying with his head tilted back in the bed. Haven't noticed any significant changes yet, but my sinus drainage is better. If he doesn't sleep well tonight, I'm breaking open the Angel Care monitor I received and we're putting him back on his tummy. Hopefully I haven't spoiled him already by putting him by me in bed when he's been fussy. We'll see.

This weekend, a long holiday weekend. Usually spent out of town with the family. Not this year. I'm without a husband this time around. Anybody want to loan me theirs? ;) Bryan has been working very hard, long hours on the scheduled spring outage at the power plant to fix maintenance/programming issues before the big summer demand starts. As the plant engineer, he's got to be there all weekend long to do the debugging as they start back up. I do mean all weekend too. I may see him a few hours when he comes home to sleep a bit, but other than that, just me and the kiddos. I rebelled and bought burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, drinks, ice cream and snacks because I'm going to grill out whether he's here or not. I can't make it through a Memorial Day without some grilled food. Really, though, pray for his and his crew's safety, especially travelling safety as they'll be really tired when they do come home.

And the sad thing....I watched Megan get on the bus this morning for her last day as a Kindergartener. She's very excited. I'm sad to see it over so soon. It seems like she's growing up way too fast.

A load of laundry and a nap awaits me. Hope you all have a great weekend!

And now, a poem for your reading pleasure

From my sis-in-law Cheryl, who's been witness to this craziness for all 16 years of it (including dating time) :) Enjoy!

Bryan and Misty’s Poem


Bryan and Misty
Was a lovely pair
they mumble in words no one understands
but they don’t care

their eyes twinkle for one another
misty couldn’t be a better mother

their love has grown for many years
they have had blood sweat and tears

they have 3 kids
their wild little monkeys
but they wouldn’t give them back for a month of Sundays

Oh yes, they may be tired and they may be weak
But the future is bright and doesn’t look bleak

Misty works at home
Bryan works away
When he gets home they hit the hay

Now I tell the love they have it’s one of a kind
If you can’t see it then you might be blind

So here is my little poem I wrote for you
Stay together, hold each other tight, and love will see you through

THE END!!!

Whee!

*Edit--I forgot to add that Zachary slept the entire time he was there in his carseat, the little booger. I had pumped about 10 oz of milk for him and brought his bottle, warmer, and all that and didn't even need it. :) The milk is now in the freezer for future use.

Thanks to my dear friend "Maggie" and her fabulous family, we were able to catch a Sunday matinee showing of Iron Man for our 11th anniversary outing. Awesome movie. I ate so much popcorn, that some of the kernels cut my mouth and drank so much soda I couldn't blink for a while, but boy, was it nice to see an uninterrupted movie. Well, except for the couple making out in clear view of everyone (get a room--sheesh!), it was really great. Gearing up for the new Batman sequel later in the summer.

It's such a blessing to have friends nearby willing to watch our kiddos when we're so far from our family to easily have date nights. We have a couple in our church with the same situation as ourselves that we do babysitting exchanges with. That's really handy too when your family is far away, or even if they're close by, but not always available. I think we're finally ready to start babysitting for them again too.

Still waiting on my Angelcare monitoring system, so hopefully more sleep will be in my near future, and hopefully after that, more exercise! I'm ready to firm up this flabby mama body.

Confessions of a not-so-perfect mom

Zachary likes to sleep on his tummy. He hates sleeping on his back. I know all about the putting babies down on their backs thing to help prevent SIDS. His doc expressed concern at his 2 month checkup last week when I told her he was a tummy sleeper. So, since then, we've been laying him down on his back. And since then, I've been a walking zombie.

Last night he did a bit better, sleeping from 10 to 1:30, then he got restless and I put him in bed beside me and he slept until 4:30. I guess I should amend that first paragraph to say he hates sleeping on his back in his bed, but with me, lying beside me on my body pillow--that he's fine with :) I'm not so fine with it, but it's the only way I can get any sleep sometimes.

Anyway, we have ordered an "Angelcare" monitoring system that goes under his bassinet pad and detects movement and has an alarm if nothing is detected for 20 seconds. So, if he doesn't adjust to the back-sleeping thing by the time it gets here, we're going to let him tummy-sleep with that thing so I won't feel quite as worried about it. It may sound selfish, but y'all, I just got to have some sleep. I'm afraid I'm going to drop the baby or something if I don't.

And we've tried swaddling, propping, rocking, feeding him to sleep, etc. He just doesn't like the back thing. Hope you don't think I'm a bad mama, but with two other kids to raise, sleep is precious around here.

In other news, looks like we'll be going out for our anniversary on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully we'll catch a matinee.

11 years and counting

Saturday, May 17 will mark 11 years of marriage to my soul mate, Bryan. The first couple years we spent working hard and going to college. The last 6 years we've spent working and very tiredly raising 3 kids. We've braved the journey together and I want to brave it for another few decades :) I love you babe!

Now, we have to figure out how to get out Saturday night. Thinking dinner and the Iron Man movie. I'm going to try to pump enough milk for Zachary if we can get some volunteers to babysit. Since we have three now, we may have to split them up if they're too much to handle. Ok, any takers?

What to do, what to do...

Have you ever had so much to do that you didn't know where to start first? I have that issue all the time. I could literally stay busy with housework 24/7. My problem is that I have so much that needs to be done, I tend to shut down and not do anything for a few days, so it just builds up and gets worse. I'd rather stare at the computer or go to the grocery than look at the mess.

So, here's my present goal:

Pick a room. Start in one area. Get that area cleared out/cleaned. Move on to other areas in the room, cleaning each one, until the room is clean. Go on to another room. Take breaks when I get overwhelmed. Feed the baby, Zoe, and me when needed. Do laundry and dishes in the meantime as well.

I could fill up most of my day just doing laundry and dishes. The house gets very neglected. It's time it had a little more attention.

Sounds good. Let's see if it works. After my coffee...

My NOT mother's day weekend

Yesterday was not Mother's Day. Well, that's what hubby says. He had to work most of the day, apart from having Zachary's baby dedication at church (forgot to take pics) and eating lunch afterward. So, he says next Sunday is Mother's Day for me. Next Saturday is also our 11th wedding anniversary, so it will be an interesting weekend. Hopefully we can squeeze a date in there. Hubby is dying to see Iron Man in the theater.

This past Saturday, Bryan's sister, Cheryl graduated from Lindsey Wilson College. We were able to come in late Friday night and make it to the ceremony, then left Saturday evening. We're very proud of her. She worked at the college while taking classes there too. Not an easy thing to do (I remember!) but she did it and we're happy for her. Now, no excuses on making us a new niece or nephew soon :)




Aunt Cheryl with our youngins. No, they don't substitute for kids of your own, so get busy ;)

Meg tries on the graduate hat. I'll see that again on her in too short a time. *sigh*

Zoe not really interested but obligingly tried it on. She was too busy thinking about plucking up the flowers from the landscaping.

Zachary had had enough of the bright sun and people hootin and hollerin.

My niece (17) and nephew (14) from Tennessee. He's grown a foot, I swear, since the last time I saw him. They're putting Miracle Gro in his food, I think. My niece will be graduating from high school next year *sniff*

Thoughts from a morning grump

Would someone please tell the baby not to fill his diaper between the hours of 12-5 am? Not fun.

Birds chirping much too happily just outside my bedroom window at 5:30 am when I've been up with the baby twice is not cute.

Waking up with a sinus headache after taking two naproxen the night before can't be a good sign.

Do you ever...

Have envy?

I sure do. Sometimes it crops up more than others.

I envy those local families who have family nearby so their kids can easily stay with grandparents for a night out. I envy being able to just drop in at "mom's" house for dinner or family get-togethers without having to drive 2 1/2 hours.

I envy just having a normal family. Bryan's side of the family is more like the Cleavers (well, some of you are kinda crazy ;) ) but mine...more like the Addams family. I see blog posts or hear about great family get-togethers, with all the siblings being so close, parents and grandparents who've been married for a gazillion years and I can't help but give a little *sigh*.

I suppose envy hits us all at times, yet I think the Holy Spirit reminds me each time it starts that I'm so lucky and blessed to have this little family that I have. A family of 5 now. Sounds funny when we go to restaurants. I love them so much and I almost bet there might be someone who would envy what I have too. I really am a lucky girl.

Zachary's first bottle

This morning, I pumped a little over 4 ounces from my left side. I was quite proud of just doing that! I decided to try a Dr. Brown's bottle this time. It's supposed to work more like real nursing, with positive pressure to reduce colic. Whatever. Anyway, he loved it. Drank like an old pro and finished the whole thing tonight. Bryan enjoyed feeding him too. I'm glad he liked it. Zoe never would take a bottle and Megan didn't care for them much. By the way, I'm not planning on stopping nursing, just getting him accustomed to the occasional bottle so we can be able to leave him with someone else eventually.

Zoe and Zachary this afternoon, after naps.

Zachary the other day, trying to catch some of his chubby-cheeked smiles.