Been cannin' a little...

I have been waiting for our black raspberries to get ripe for about two weeks now. Last year they were ready a bit earlier, but with more rain and cooler temps for longer this spring, I wasn't too surprised we had to wait until after the 4th of July.

The boys and I wandered to the "back 40" yesterday afternoon while Otis napped. We started slowly, enjoying the cool breeze and sun (and lack of mosquitoes) and ended up picking nearly three quarts...which translated into 10 half-pint jars of black raspberry jam!

My friends Melissa and Heather and I and all our kids (nine total) picked strawberries a few weeks ago at a local farm. I froze my 23 pounds of berries hoping to make jam later....

...and this morning I found myself with only one child (Sam and Arlo were at a friend's house after a sleep-over) and with mid-morning temps around 60 degrees, I knew it was the perfect morning to continue my canning binge. I added 10 more half-pints of strawberry jam to my pantry shelf.

After gifting 2 half-pints to family and friends and losing one jar in the hot water bath, I canned a total of 18 half-pints of jam for our family...and it feels so good.

July 4th

Once again we celebrated the 4th of July with many of our friends and family here at the homestead. With over 60 people mingling, the food, stories, laughter, sparklers and sweet goodbyes were amazing (our friends leaving the state stopped by for a solid hug and fair well). There was a bluegrass band this year and late night music around the campfire. 

Although I had an amazing time at the party, the morning after was simply beautiful.

A small group of overnight friends gathered for a delightful potluck breakfast on the patio and after we dined....we relaxed in the shade of our generous sycamore tree.

I cuddled on a blanket with one of my most favorite little girls, Ada. She fell asleep in my lap and it was the highlight of my weekend.