Blueberry Picking

Today, we picked 2 gallons of fresh, organic blueberries from a U-pick farm near our home! At least, we had 2 gallons on top of the ones in our stomachs! This is a yearly tradition for us, and fortunately, hubby was able to be off work so he could come with us. The munchkin got a little over-heated about halfway through, but actually, it wasn't nearly as hot as it could have been here in Georgia. Oh well, we survived!

So, what do you do with 2 gallons of blueberries? Freeze them, of course!

Spread dry, unwashed blueberries in a single layer on a baking sheet and put 'em in the freezer for 3-4 hours. This is when I pick through to remove the little stems and bad ones. Once they're frozen, put them in freezer bags. You'll be able to remove just the amount you want from the bag and they won't all stick together. Rinse 'em in a colander, and they're good to go!

Bring on the blueberry recipes!

Thursday - The New Monday

My day did not start well.

When I opened the door to the garage this morning, I found this:

Shelf hanging from wall

Contents of shelf - yes, those are paint cans. The ones in the back are swimming in spilled paint.

My Honda Pilot

The pictures don't really show the extent of the mess. There were pinpoint to dime-sized splatters completely all over the front area, the hood, the windshield, the passenger door and window, the side panel, the roof, and some had apparently splashed OVER the roof onto the driver door and window as well.

The good news:  it was latex paint and it all came off, although it took a fair bit of time to get it all off. It had dried. I'm not sure the garage floor will fare so well.

Teaching Children Self-Control

One of the hardest things for parents to teach their children is self-discipline, but it may be even more important to their future success than IQ. I've been thinking a lot about it lately as I'm working on a post at my other blog, The Piano Studio, about parental discipline and piano practice. Watch for it on Wednesday. In the meantime, take 5 minutes and watch this great video that explains just how critical this skill is to your child's well-being and success.

If you have a child who takes piano lessons, you might be interested in my most recent post, What Do Kids Do When They Practice Piano? It's an interesting look at how piano practice differs from practicing in other arenas of life.

'Twas the Night Before Halloween

What a busy day! MB's new school has a huge halloween carnival, so we spent the morning having fun there. Afterwards, my piano students had a costume party, and then we headed down the street for a neighborhood party. Whew, I'm pooped. And, there's more tomorrow!

Mary Beth's BIG birthday present!

The last swingset was a kit from Wal*art. The wood rotted inside of the vinyl cladding and turned the swingset into a kid death trap. But, the new one is going to be awesome!

We got the plans here. We didn't realize how much bigger this structure would be than the last one until we stood up the fort. It's huge! Mary Beth is beside herself.