berry pickin'

It has become a summer tradition.  Blueberry picking with the cousins.  After a Debbie breakfast on Sunday morning, we all met at a local blueberry patch [I think this is our 4th summer to pick here].

Everyone grabbed a bucket and practically ran to the blueberry bushes...



Everyone was excited to see ripe berries...



I think in another week, they will be prime.  But we got enough to satisfy our tummies.

Everyone quickly got to filling up their buckets...



Owen showed Leo [it was his first year to pick] how it is done...



I think he hate way more than he picked...



Once everyone got hot and enough berries in their buckets, we headed for shade...



A group shot of all 6 cousins...



Christmas was the last time they were all together...



Banks (8½), Carter (almost 4), Leo (almost 1), Mary Reese (6½), Callen (almost 2) & Owen (2)

What a crew!

Our goods...



We can't wait for blueberry pancakes!  I saw a recipe for a blueberry pie but can't remember where.  Hopefully it will come to me so we can try it out.

I also love freezing the berries [wonderful to have in your freezer during the winter when they are sky high].  Don't wash them.  Just put them in freezer bags.  When you are ready to use them...just rinse them and they are ready to go!  They are perfect to use in a Fresh Blueberry Strata or blueberry muffins [still searching for the perfect recipe].

We look forward to blueberry picking every year...always a fun time with family!

family favorite: grilled chicken w/ tomato salad & grilled veggies

I ♥ summertime grilling.  There is nothing better than throwing everything for a meal on the BGE...



It cuts down on the mess in my kitchen and keeps the house much cooler.  Plus eating off the grill just tastes like summer!

Grilled veggies are super easy.  I got some squash and zucchini from the farmer's market.  Threw in some carrots and vadalia onion.  Tossed it all with some olive oil, salt & pepper...



Threw it all on the grill for about 15 - 20 minutes.

We paired our veggies with grilled chicken topped with a tomato salad...



I tried a new recipe based on the recommendation of my brother. It is from Chris Lilly's Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book.  [You might have seen him on Food Network's Best in Smoke show.]  Delicious & delightful!



 
Grilled Chicken with Tomato Salad
 
Marinade
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil
¾ c. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. soy sauce
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 t. salt
1¾ t. gound white pepper
 
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 thick slices mozzarella cheese
 
Tomato Salad
3 plum tomatoes
1 yellow tomato
⅓ c. diced sweet onions, such as vidalia
1 T. coarsely chopped fresh basil
1½ T. extra-virgin olive oil
1½ T. balsamic vinegar
½ t. cider vinegar
salt & black pepper
 
Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow baking dish or a resealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat, and cover or seal the bag.  Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
 
To make the tomato salad:  Dice the plum and yellow tomatoes into medium-sized chunks and place in a small mixing bowl.  Add the diced onions and basil to the mixture.  Combine the olive oil & vinegars.  Pour over the tomato mixture, and toss lightly; season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again.  The tomato salad can be served at room temperature or refrigerated until ready to use [I like the cold salad on the warm grilled chicken personally.]
 
Grill the chicken directly over the heat at 400° for 5 to 6 minues on each side, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
 
Move the chicken breasts away from the fire and place a thick slice of mozzarella cheese on each one.  Close the lid and cook until the cheese starts to soften, about 1 minute.
 
To serve, top the grilled chicken with a generous amount of tomato salad.

Since Jody had the grill fired up...I threw on a few extra chicken breasts [there was plently of marinate for 6 chicken breasts].  I didn't top these with cheese.  They were great left over for sandwiches and salads for lunch.  Last night I used the last chicken breast for pizza...



I almost let it get too done!  Half the pizza was with a pesto sauce [made fresh with the basil from the garden] and the other half had tomato sauce.  Both sides were delicious!  Bet it would have tasted fabulous if I had cooked it on the BGE.

We dined on pizza enjoying our flower arrangement...



...sunflowers Banks planted.

We have also enjoyed a little arrangement of herbs & Mary Reese's zinnias...



Debbie had it waiting on us when we got back from the beach.

We picked up a few more packs of sunflowers and zinnias at Tar-jay last night.  Hopefully they will do just as well as the first round.

Hope you are having a happy summer...we sure are!

summer vacay :: destination beach

On Tuesday after the morning craft, we loaded our car back up and headed east towards Orange Beach...



Beautiful as always.  Our beaches are back!  I never saw one sign of oil or tar balls unlike last summer.  I never saw anyone dressed in orange t-shirts scooping up tar.  No smell of oil in the air.

We got checked in here...



...for the second year in a row.  We quickly got settled, made a grocery store run and got our toes in the sand...



Owen favorite sand toy was a red rake.  He raked the sand all week long...



He would get mad when the waves came up and messed up his design.

Mary Reese tested out the water...



...and Owen quickly followed...



He loved it...



Here is proof Banks was still with us...



It was Tuesday.  He had been on antibiotic since Sunday.  He didn't feel close to 100% until at least Wednesday.

As soon as he felt better, he finally mastered his skim board...



Thanks to a couple of other boys and some wax.



He was so excited.  Little brother was taking it all in.  He decided he might need to try it out...



He thought he was big stuff!

Then he decided land boogie boarding was more his speed...



He borrowed these from the next tent over.  That is what I love about the beach.  Everyone becomes friends and shares their toys!

Owen stayed close to shore while the others ventured a little further out...



They made friends with the man in the straw hat.  He fished all week long.  By mid week, I looked up and...



...Banks had is own pole.  The man in the straw hat was nice enough to share!  Sister had to prank him...



...by dumping a little cold water down his suit.

We also caught a few zzz's under the tent with the ocean waves in the background...





Have you noticed Owen's new face...



Every time I point the camera his way, that is the look I get usually accompanied with a "Cheese".  He is such a mess!

I tried to get a group shot of my kids.  This is pretty typical of what I get these days...



...or this...



Maybe one day I will get a decent one of all three.  One where they are all looking at the camera with a normal smile on their face.

We spent the majority of our days on the beach.  On our way up for the day, we would enjoy the lazy river...



...and water slide...



Yes that is Owen leading the pack.  He pushed them away when they tried to help.  He wanted to do it himself...



Sometimes he came down feet first.  Other times head first...

...about a 100 times a day.  I would just reach for a limb and pull him up for a breath.  I had to force him off of it when it was time to go in for the day.

After a hard day on the beach, we would get cleaned up.  Sometimes we decided to dine out, other times we cook seafood in the condo.  The beach and the restaurants were way more packed than last summer.  I checked in at one restaurant and was told the kitchen was backed up an hour and a half.  No thank you!  Some nights we decided it wasn't worth it. 

I did tried to get one picture of the kids cleaned up in clothes.  This is what I got...

Then I got Peaced Out...



I should have known those naps on the beach were too good to be true.  By the last night I noticed Mary Reese wasn't herself.  She missed the annual Dental Meeting firework show on the beach.  I took her temp...



102.8  Nice!  By the time we got home on Sunday, both Mary Reese and Owen were running high fever.  I called the pediatrician's office first thing Monday.  Luckily since Banks tested positive for strep...he just called me in the same medicine to our local pharmacy!  Hopefully by the end of the week we will all be back to normal!

It was a fun time on the beach.  We can't wait for next time.

summer vacay :: destination grand

Last Sunday we loaded up the family truckster.  Summer vacation or bust...



About 3 hours down the road, my cell phone rings...



It was the pediatrician’s office letting us know that the fever virus they thought Banks had on Friday was actually strep.  Great.  What a nice start to our vacation.

I googled the nearest Publix Pharmacy to our final destination, called the nurse back to give her the number and broke the news to Banks.  What did we ever do without smart phones?

We picked up the antibiotic [which happened to be one of their free ones...did you know they did free antibiotics?], grabbed lunch at Battles Wharf Mini Mart and went to check in...



This year our vacay was broken into 2 parts.  Sunday through Tuesday were at The Grand [never a disappointment].  I requested to be on the bottom floor of the North Bay House again.  Same great view and conveniently located near the pool and the craft patio.

Owen and I took full advantage of the hammock close to our room [under that tree in the picture above] while everyone else snoozed...



Then everyone joined in on the fun...



We spent our days doing the morning crafts...



...sun catchers & keychains.

We spent lots of time at the pool...



...where every afternoon we got tats...



...and popsicles...



...which tasted delightful to a certain boy with strep throat!

At 4:00 the cannon firing parade came around the pool area...



While everyone else was listening to the cannon fire, my children did a bee line to the main lobby to avoid the long line for cookies!

The first night Aunt Stacey, Mary Reese, Owen and I took a blog readers advice for dinner...



Fly Creek Cafe

It did not disappoint.  They had indoor & outdoor seating.  We opted for outside.  It was wonderful.

They have a "LuLu's" like area for the kids...a huge sand pit where the kids can play while the adults wait on the food.

Mary Reese posed in one of their cut outs...



While Owen watched the boats coming in for the day...



While the kids were playing, Aunt Stacey and I listened to a reaggae band.

The food and atmosphere were delicious & delightful.

Mary Reese ordered mac & cheese.  Little did we know it was fried mac & cheese...



She turned up her nose at first...then she took a bite and was hooked.

Aunt Stacey and I shared The Original Fly Creek Fish Sandwich [blackened instead of fried] and an order of Fish Tacos...



Yum!  [It was so yum, we took the boys back the next night!]

Banks stayed in the "sick bed" with a room service order of mac & cheese...



[You can tell he looks a little pitiful in the picture above.]

When we got home, Jody went to dinner with one of his customers.  Banks said we wanted to get out for a little bit, so we strolled around the pond posing for pictures...





...and searching for ducks.  Luckily we found our friends...



...and Owen chased them all over...



I can't say it enough...I The ♥ Grand.  They change out their activities with the seasons.  During the summer on Friday nights they do a beach bon fire complete with S'mores...



...and on Saturday nights they show a movie in the pool area.  Too bad we missed those nights.  There is always the next trip!

On Tueday morning, we packed it in again and headed east...