After leaving Seth’s family we headed on to see my family in Ft. Worth. My brother and sister-in-law had just welcomed our new niece Grace into the world the week before so we arrived just in time for some great cuddles! Graham and Tina are wonderful parents and seem to be taking parenthood in stride! Grace is a sweetie pie and loved to be held and admired! I didn’t get nearly enough pictures of Grace since I was normally trying to hold her.  The weather was HOT while we were there so we made the most of indoor activities for the most part, aside from a few pool outings!  At the end of the week my grandmother flew in from Florida to meet Grace! We lucked out and got to see her as well.

Lots of my pictures are still on my phone but here are a few to get started!

We spent the first week of July with Seth’s family having a reunion with the whole gang. It had been years since we had all been together so it was fun to catch up!  We have added kids and continents. We packed the week with lots of fun at the beach, family farm and in between.

The thing our little family needed to do differently throughout the week was to find some balance with some times just as a family, removing the boys from the crowd and helping them to have some quiet! Even an extrovert like me was in need of some down time in a clan of 16 around the clock! You live and you learn.

Here are some picture highlights from the fun trip!

Like the rest of the garden I had very little hope that our blueberry bushes would actually produce many blueberries. Around Memorial Day they were both looking hopeful so we decided to wrap them in netting to protect them from the birds. Turns out the only birds endangering the crop were little boys. They came in one afternoon (the day before I planned to pick) with blue stained teeth and sheepish looks. Once we made a batch of blueberry muffins I decided it was time to set them free on the bushes. They now have permission to eat them as they ripen.  Sweet snacks in the midst of backyard adventures. And they taste much better now that they aren’t forbidden.

I thought this week I would share my mom’s Blueberry Muffin Recipe. These muffins are more dense than some, less cakey and more sconey almost. I made a batch this week and added 1/4 tsp baking powder which helped them to fluff up and lighten a bit.  The secret to their yumminess I think it that you soak the oats in the orange juice while you mix the other ingredients. The orange zestiness combined with the blueberries is a great combo.  Enough “ness”‘s. Here’s the recipe…

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Judy Seckinger

1/2 c rolled oats

1/2 cup orange juice

(pour juice into oats and set aside, allowing the oats to soak up the juice before mixing them into the batter)

Mix together the following in a big mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp soda

{1/4 tsp baking powder- I added this, it’s optional}

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup oil

1 egg, beaten

Stir in the oats and orange juice, fold in the blueberries:

1 cup blueberries

Do not over mix or they will not be light and fluffy.

Mix 2 T sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the muffins.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Thanks mom for another yummy recipe in the family collection! These don’t last more than a day in our house!

Up next for Garden Eats is homemade salsa! Stay tuned!

Jackson’s birthday happens to roll around each year in the midst of a move, summer break and in this year’s case..morning sickness/just being big pregnant. I wasn’t up for a big bash. We normally do extended family and a bunch of friends. This year I let Jackson invite 5 friends for a simple pizza and cupcake “pirate party”. I really tried to resist the mom guilt that went along with down-sizing but after our big Texas trip this year I just was not up for a big shindig. We filled some water balloons, did a mini scavenger hunt, put on pirate tattoos, ate pizza and called it a party! The absolute best thing that happened was that my friend Annie’s flight got cancelled (good for us not for her so an hour before the party we landed ourselves Annie and 4 teenage girls to help with the party. They made it so much more of a party than I could of and Jackson felt so special!!

on the day of his real birthday we had cake as a family and he got to pick dinner!  I can’t get over how big he is! We love him so much. Happy Birthday, Jackson!!