Please Take Your Seat

Bow. Bow to the Yard Sale King. I have a whole post's worth of the treasures we've found this summer. By the end of July, the King had me hooked. And this is what he brought home this week for THREE dollars. Three. Three dollars.

Five perfect chairs for the five kiddos I'll have in my home for preschool every other month. I know, hold back your excitement. But don't hold back on the creative input: what colors do I paint them? Two are a dark shade of red that I'm kinda loving since the paint is old and chipping a bit ( i love that look ). But the other three are royal blue and forest green. I don't really go for primary colors. So what would you do? Red and light blue? Browns? The girls' room is going to be robin egg blue and deep oranges, so I keep going back to that, but the chairs wouldn't be in there. So do tell, what are the trendy colors these days?

{In other news, they chopped down the weeds in my backyard that were making for some great photo taking the last few months. Pffft.}

just wanted to say...

Been Farming Long?

Every Barlow should know where that title comes from :) Farming. It's in their blood. But at this moment, Abbey was taunting the hens with her belly and Hayden was feeding them rocks.

I think our work here is done. Plus it started raining pretty hard.

So It's Been Six Years

Six years ago today I was a blushing bride, jetting off to a beautiful honeymoon suite in paradise. Life was good. I was happy. Tonight, I'll cook up the best meal I can for my love, put the kids down early, drive out in our old minivan that sounds like a thousand crickets are at war, find a new favorite spot in this fun, new city, and talk and talk with the man I call 'J'. Life is good, and I am happy to share it with that beautiful soul.

People Who Pick Berries Are Nicer

...claims the lady who owns our local raspberry patch.

I, uh...yell, er, I...was not...so nice to my kids that night.
So. Maybe we should go back.

La la, catch a few pics, then it was down to business. I'm not going to lie, I was there for the cheap produce. Hayden kept signing for 'more' until she figured out how to just pick it herself. That girl went to town. Abbey insisted on her outfit. I wouldn't wear wedges to work in the fields, but what do I know.

Ah...the bounteous supply. I also grabbed some local honey--have you heard the theory that it helps with allergies? I'll give it a shot.

I have too many plans for the two quarts of berries we picked. But the fan favorite has to be pairing it with delicious, homemade lemon ice cream. {Or for The Ville folk, Erin's Lemon Ice Cream :) }

Combine whole milk and sugar and heat over medium heat. Heat until hot but not simmering. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Slowly pour half of the heated milk into the egg mixture, rapidly stirring the eggs with a wire whisk as you pour (like you would make pudding). Add the egg mixture into the remaining milk, slowly pouring and whisking the milk as you pour. Heat and stir mixture on medium-high heat until it reaches 160°. This should only take 4-5 minutes.
Cool and pour into a metal ice-cream maker canister. Chill in the fridge. Then stir in creams, vanilla, and lemon extract.

*The secret to good homemade icecream is the ratio between salt and ice. For every 2 inches of ice, add a layer of 1/4 c. rock salt. (A ratio of about 5 cups ice to 1 cup salt.)

*It's important to heat the icecream mixture to 160° like the recipe outlines. Heating an egg mixture to 160° will kill all salmonella that might be present in the eggs. This process doesn't change the taste or texture of this delicious icecream.

I make this recipe differently. But I'm giving you Erin's directions because she's the lemon ice cream queen.

In other news, it must be noted that The Abster learned how to swim this week. Not the "I can throw you in the deep end and you'll make it safely to the edge so the lifeguards at the club will let you go off the diving board" sort of swimming, mind you. But she'll jump a few feet out, sink like a rock, and furiously kick those little legs until she gets back to the steps. It makes me so, so happy to see her trying.

Also note: I think I can open my own pumpkin patch this fall!
Also. I think if I'm not careful, it will take over my yard and eat my children.

The Summer Post

The sun peeked out the last three days and we've been taking full advantage. Thursday, I was in need of a Melody-pick-me-up. A failed plan to go to the splash pad was salvaged by an impromptu playdate in the talented and welcoming, Charyce's, backyard. I have a better idea of my dream yard than my dream home, and this is it! Thanks for letting us hang out, it was great to chat.

Friday, my adorable next-door neighbor invited me to another splash pad (they're all over out here!). My kids just wanted to eat the gummy snacks she brought along. Seriously. They ate the whole time.

And today, a friend down the street treated us to a day at the zoo. Can I tell you how much I love my neighborhood?

We randomly ran into these goons there :) :

I love that we bumped into them--especially since Melody saved me from a heart attack when she noticed Abbey wander away.


Abbey and Ms. Allie Raye could have sat here all day. Abbey and Allie clicked right away. The first time they met was at Allie's birthday party where Abbey was practically opening her presents and blowing out her candles. Good friends for me, good friends for my kids. I'm a happy lady.