A Little Help From Her Friends

Our Hunkered Down, Super Unplugged Sunday

Hurricane Irene (though I think by the time she arrived here in New England she was actually downgraded to a tropical storm) made landfall in New England on Sunday.  We had spent the day before getting ready, charging batteries, buying candles and making jam ('cause isn't that what you do for a storm?!) and were looking forward a a fun-filled Unplugged Sunday spent doing all sorts of fun things. Here is some of how we spent our time:

Emma and Grace playing restaurant.

During a calm in the storm, Dave headed out to clear some debris out of the way.

We had a wonderful time on our Super Unplugged Sunday.  To be completely without power, living "off the grid" was something that was not nearly as challenging as we thought it might have been.  While we did miss having some background music (as we usually do on our Unplugged Sundays) there was something so refreshing and calming in the silence that resulted.  We took in the sounds of the wind and the rain.  We reveled in the sound of total peace, as well as the sounds that come from life being lived in our home.  We reflected on past families who would have lived in this home during a time where electronics and light was not nearly as plentiful as it is now.  We reconnected.  Chatted.  Shared our hopes and dreams for ourselves and our family.  We embraced this storm for the gifts that it gave us.  For those of you affected by this storm, we hope that you too were able to embrace the joy in the chaos.

Hurricane Prep

Our favorite farm to go berry picking at sent an email out saying that they had reduced the price of their pick your own raspberries in the hopes that people would come and pick them before the hurricane came up our way and potentially damaged the plants.  The girls and I decided to go and "save the raspberries".  After all, at $3.00 a pound you can't go wrong!  We would have stayed longer and picked even more, but poor Grace ended up getting her first bee sting while we were there.  We took that as a sign to gather our things and head home.  We decided to use the freezer jam recipe from Pomona's Universal Pectin (along with honey as the sweetner) for these berries.  The entire time we were making the jam, Grace kept saying: "Mama, this is going to be the best jam ever!"  Somehow, I think she may be right! 

{This Moment}

{This Moment} - A SouleMama Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Have a delightful weekend, friends!

Biker Chicks

They might not be the speediest bikers (yet!) but I imagine by the end of autumn they will be showing the road who's boss!

Flower Girls (and a sheep too!)

After all, it wouldn't be a trip to the farm without a visit with the sheep!