What's a Girl (and her teens) To Do?

If you read my blog with any regularity, you may be thinking, "Wow!  Three posts in just 8 days?  That hasn't happened since....since maple season!"  Well.....when you have no wheels to get anywhere, you tend to have some extra time on your hands.  And, I much prefer taking photographs and writing than doing extra housework!

Sadly, our 1999 suburban did not survive the summer's travels - in fact, it drove it's last mile as we cruised north on Route 81, just before reaching Hazleton, PA on our way home last Sunday night....hauling the horse, no less!  The nasty thunderstorm that settled over us that evening just added insult to injury, but thanks to our terrific friend and fellow horse owner, Pat, we all made it home safely around 3:30 Monday morning....

So, what do we do around here to fill up our days? 

Since there is no rush and no real schedule for us at the moment, and not many "neighborhood kids" out here in the country, it is a challenge to keep my teens (and myself) off of the electronics and out of the refrigerator!


But, here are some of the things we've been doing lately:


                                                                         Take the dogs for a morning swim in the pond,

 Work in my flowerbeds,

Pick wild blackberries for our fruit smoothies and blackberry lemonade. (Plus they are my favorite ice cream topper - YUM!)

Don't they look delicious? 

We're harvesting veggies from our garden, and weeding it.....









Preparing the fresh veggies for meals keeps me busy and gives me an outlet for my creativity, as does experimenting with maple syrup recipes.





And, most afternoons, we let the chickens out of their yard to watch them forage and chase insects around the property.  (I think the kids are bored with this one, though, so its mostly for my entertainment!)

The boys pressure-wash equipment and newly-acquired maple syrup supplies.
















And, finally, my silly kids find creative ways to include the horses in their afternoon entertainment!

Most days, lately, I also get the sweet blessing of a lovely, quiet walk through the woods to my favorite spot....the place where I go to observe the changing seasons and gorgeous sky, to delight in my dogs running as fast as they can across the open field and playing with total abandon, and, most importantly, to converse with my God...

So, that about sums up my days since returning from Pennsylvania.  A restful time after several busy weeks!   Visit me here in a few days - I have another tasty recipe to share.... no baking involved this time, but you'll still need pure maple syrup!