Summer is just rolling along for us. I can’t believe I am already seeing back-to-school stuff in the stores. It seems like we just finished. I thought summer might produce a slower pace for us, but it seems to just be flying by like the rest of the year.
One reason July is busy for us is that two of our girls have birthdays within 10 days of each other. This past Wednesday we celebrated Emily’s 10th birthday. She is so excited to be in the double digits now. In some ways it’s hard to believe that she is a whole decade, but in other ways, I can’t remember not having her around. She brings her own special blend of enthusiasm and encouragement to our family. She is always complementing someone on something. She also loves performing. She even has a character she likes to play. It’s a little 70ish-year-old woman named Mrs. Polish. Mrs. Polish is, well, polished. She is a proper lady and she always makes us laugh. She also loves cooking. On her birthday, she got to choose her birthday dinner. She thought a lot about her menu and after several revisions, this is what she came up with:
Fettuccine Alfredo “homemade sauce, not from a jar” Homemade fried okra Spinach (I know!) And cheesy bread For her dessert that night it was to be homemade strawberry icecream For her cake for her party, it was to be a strawberry cake (homemade, not store bought)
Do you detect the theme here? She was all about homemade and let me tell you, it was tricky timing homemade alfredo sauce and frying enough okra for our group! But we managed and she loved it, so it was totally worth it 
So Happy 10th Birthday, Emily! You’re an awesome part of our family!
On Thursday we met my mom to go blueberry pickin’. We’ve made an annual tradition out of it, although we missed last year because a late frost ruined the crops. A couple of weeks ago, a friend gave us some blueberries from her father’s garden. We made the most delicious pancakes with them and it made me really look forward to going pickin’ so that we could get enough to freeze for the year. It’s amazing that a little pint in the store costs $3 or $4, but you can pick a whole gallon for $10 and get to wear the kids out at the same time. What a bargain!
When we got home, we washed, dried and bagged the blueberries and then we made some scrumptious muffins. A very good day, indeed!
Pickin' Like a Pro
July 23, 2008 at 8:03 am
I love that kid. She is so funny! Never have I been around her that she didn’t make me laugh
Happy Birthday Emily!!!!!!!!
July 24, 2008 at 1:53 pm
She is such a sweet girl. She has something nice to say to me every time I see her. She made sure to thank me (one more time) for taking Peyton to the movie. She is so thoughtful… I think she takes after her mama
July 28, 2008 at 7:14 pm
So that is who was really visiting with me at your kitchen table at Katelyn’s B-Day party, Mrs. Polish! I did think she was such a proper young lady for a then 9 yr. old!