Do you ever feel like your heart is so full that it might actually burst out of your chest? Like you're so blessed that you don't deserve any of it?
I felt like that yesterday.
Not because I have a great husband and kid, but because these beauties are back in my life.
Oh free scavenged blackberries, how I've missed your beautiful faces. In my happiness I'm choosing to ignore the fact that some jackhole excavated 60% of my secret blackberry picking location. :sob:
Today, walking in the sunshine with my healthy, funny as hell, and smart as a whip kiddo, with buckets in our hands, I couldn't help but feel like I have everything a person needs in life. It made me sad that not everyone lives in Seattle; certainly it is paradise. We have rain and some cold yes, but there is free fruit ripe for the picking everywhere I turn. The summers are beautiful, and the people are friendly.
Yes my friends, my heart is full today.
And so is my stomach. Full of blackberries.
In other news, Jack and I started the seeds for our fall and winter garden yesterday morning. Yeah, about two months late, but who is counting?
You?
No, he doesn't have a black eye. I just take really shitty photos. You know how are it is to take a photo of a ghost white blonde child in the sunshine?
This was the first time Jack showed legit interest in helping, and I can only hope that translates to him maybe one day considering eating a tiny bit of a brussels sprout.
After a full two weeks of vacation, a fabulous trip to see my best friend Anne, and countless home projects completed, I'm headed back to work on Monday. There is so much of me that wants to just not go back, but the part of me that enjoys having groceries and health insurance is overruling that decision. These past two weeks showed me what can be accomplished if only I wasn't gone 50 hours a week. I'll dream tonight about that delicious thought.
Meal plan time! Reminder, I only plan dinners, because breakfast is always smoothies
or eggs with something, and lunches are always leftovers. We rarely
eat dessert during the week, and our dinner drink of choice is water kefir soda.
Monday:: Homemade pizza from the freezer. I have to work late on my first day back to work, so I need something quick and easy. It will be paired with grilled zukes and Walla Walla sweet onions. That is one of my favorite summer dishes and it tastes like sunshine. To quote Uncle Jesse, "have mercy".
Tuesday:: Tomato basil soup with grilled veg (same as above) and garlic bread. Before my tomatoes start ripening, I have to use up about 10 more quarts of tomato soup that I canned last year!
Wednesday:: Making Troy grill (more) zukes and Walla Walla sweets with sliced spicy chicken sausage. My friend Anne and I made this while visiting, and I'm crazy addicted to it.
Thursday:: This new Asian dish I saw in a two year old Bon Appetit that I bought from the library for $.25. If it is yummy, I'll share!
Friday:: Popcorn dinner. Yes, seriously we eat popcorn for
dinner. It's popcorn, leftovers, cheese slices, fruit, and cut up
veggies. Everyone gets as much as they want, and no one leaves hungry.
I adore Fridays because it is the easiest night of the week for making
everyone happy!
Saturday:: No flipping clue. We'll see what I feel like when the time comes. It might end up being waffles and bacon. Or maybe it will just be bacon.
Sunday:: Family dinner at my parent's.
This week I spent $3.50 on raw milk, $36.08 on local chicken breasts and a pound of grilled chicken (for Thursday's recipe), and $21 at the local produce stand. Everything else for this week will come from the pantry or freezer.
What delectable dishes are you having this week?*
*Every Thursday, my friends Angela, Elaina, and myself have an email conversation about meal planning. One week, an exhausted Elaina declared "I'm not cooking, therefore my family isn't eating". A totally legit response in my opinion!
