Deep Blueberries

As Jeff mentioned, we went blueberry picking at a farm not too far east of Dallas. It's a summer tradition for us now, as we've been going there for several years. We loved being outside, it really wasn't too roasting hot. Very peaceful with birds chirping and the whole country bit. If you've never harvested your own food, you're really missing out. For kids, it shows them that food doesn't just come from grocery store shelves. We had a good time competing with one another as to who could find the biggest berry, the best bush (I mean that in the most G-rated sense) and fill their basket the quickest. It gets mesmerizing...you'll think you're done picking and then as you pass another plant, a branch just calls out to you...then you're sure that the sweetest, prettiest berries are on THAT plant and on and on. The farmer's picking advice to us was "when you find a good plant, look up, look down and in the middle. You'll miss good berries if you only pick at eye-level". What a metaphor for life! If you don't take the time to look around you, or to try and view a problem from another angle, you might just be missing out on the sweetest parts!

in other news, Jeff and I have renewed our quest to lead a healthier lifestyle....and of course lose weight too! We each picked a challenge for this week. Jeff's challenge for us is to get a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity on at least 5 days this week. My challenge is for us to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables for 5 days. Daily would be better, but I want us to be realistic! the activity I think won't be too terribly hard....the vegetables is another story. I'll be scouring websites for new ideas. Feel free to send veggie recipes or serving ideas.