Summer Lovin' in The Blueberry Patch.....

Week 15-

I admit it; I've been bitten by the homemaker bug that word on the street is hits all soon-to-be moms who are in the process of 'nesting'.  (and yes, nesting along with 'baby brain' have been scientifically proven phenomenons! True story!)  I have a love for fresh produce.  While our local organic delivery company Off the Vine is amazing, I felt the strong desire to pick fresh. This weeks adventure was to a local blueberry farm, A & N Blueberries, just north of Pensacola nestled back off the beaten path.  The experience was amazing!  While the heat was breaching 100 with humidity, we couldn't help ourselves from feasting off of the sun-kissed berries that had such a different taste than the ones that come cold and packaged at the store.  They were sweeter, plumper and without pesticides!  We picked til our hearts content (well at least until the cracks of thunder and lightening were just above us) and returned home with just over 18 lbs in berries!  Chris fully admits he would have had more except he just couldn't resist the temptation to fill his belly.  My guess is for every handful that was in his bucket, a handful went into his mouth. :-) The beauty of picking though is that it's totally expected!  I have fond memories of gorging myself on apples up in Washington in the fall~it's just part of the reward of U-Pick!

 

~Rows upon rows of blueberries!  And a storm rolling in....~

~What Chris did best! ;-)~

~Dare I say I picked 15 of the 17 pounds of blueberries?!? I was on a mission!~

My plan was to use part of the blueberries for our 4th of July BBQ~ fruit salad, cobbler, and Popsicles, freeze some, and then can the rest and make a divine blueberry jam.  I enlisted the assistance of my mom because after all, she is the professional when it comes to all things domestic!  We made a night out of it and got down to business boiling the fruit in a sugar mixture, sanitizing the jars and then filling them with yummy blueberry jam.  It was so rewarding and such a bonding experience, both picking and canning.  I can't believe of all the domestic creations that I have gotten my hands into that I had yet to can.  No more $4 jars of jam~ we now have our very own 'Premo Jam' for months to come!

 ~Mom helping with the prep~

 ~The finished product ready for the pantry!~

Next week, we have a pretty full plate.  Chris will be in the field, I will be packing for us both to head to North Carolina to finally see Leslee and Rhett make it official!  Its a double duty trip where I get to see Meg and Micah as well and of course get another glimpse at a city that Chris and I potentially have on our radar to move to post military. Keeping the options open of course!

 This Week In Review: 

• I have been eating blueberries with everything~surprised?!
• Post meals I have been feeling extra bloated~to be expected I know but none the less it keeps me from eating more I suppose!
• Sleeping on the belly is getting difficult.  While I start out on my side I somehow always turn face down~pretty soon the bump won't allow it!
• Surprisingly no new cravings or foods I have to have~I'm sure the weeks to follow will hold plenty of those
• The pool has been a wonderful break from lifting weights and running, and thanks to Chris I can still bring my Garmin and Heartrate monitor in the water and keep track of where i'm at! Lap swimming has definately brought back the days of triathlon training, but there won't be any races in this girls future as of now! 
• Weight gain: 7 lbs~just about on target!