Fun and Busy times for our Family

I told you how last week we were missing Mara and Ken. Well on Friday of last week the other kids and I drove up to Flaming Pine Youth Camp to join in activities for a day, spend the night and bring Mara home. It had been a very wet and chilly week at camp but Mara had thoroughly enjoyed it. Friday night they had awards and Mara and many of the other campers got the Master Camper award. Mara was pretty pleased about that.

Christy (holding Kade) and Anna were up there too and I had fun visiting and spending time with them.

The Campground is beautiful and I enjoyed taking some pictures. On Saturday morning Christy and I and our kids went out on the lake in one of the row boats there at camp.

After a picnic lunch we headed home on rather back woods roads in Northern MN and we enjoyed looking at all the scenery.

We made it home at around 3 pm and Ken made it home from the Twin Cities just about 20 minutes after us.

Ken and Jonathan got right to work on the tree fort (with some help from some of the rest of us too). It is so nice to all be home together again!
I missed Mara quite a lot while she was gone at camp and realized some of the reasons why when she came back. Saturday evening I went down by my bed to find a pretty little arrangement of wild flowers on my night stand compliments of Mara. She loves beauty and loves to find ways to share it with others.
This week we have been busy picking berries (and then of course- the big task of cleaning and caring for them all!).

On Tuesday morning some friends were going early and I decided to join them. The older kids wanted to go too so I told them that would be fine as long as they got up and ready quickly when I touched their shoulder and told them it was time to go in the morning. At 6 am I quietly told them it was time and all 3 older ones (I didn't try to wake Megan at all, she was staying with Ken.) hopped out of bed and were ready to go in about 2 minutes. We left the house at 6:15 and were able to get home in time for Ken to be to work. We came home with 4 heaping ice cream pails full.


One of the fruits of our labor was a yummy (and good for you!) fresh strawberry pie. I will try to share the recipe later when I have more time.

Tuesday evening we went Raspberry picking at my parents and were able to get around 3 gallons. It was fun to pick together as a family though at the end the kids all drifter off and it was just Ken and I picking. The kids have started to become pretty good pickers, it is just that the draw of doing other things at Grandpa and Grandma's is pretty strong.



This week the boys had their last baseball games. They had a lot of fun at them, and I even enjoyed it some but I am sure glad it is over. I am so happy to be able to stay home most days again!

Life is still busy however, we have the County Fair starting next weekend. Ken has a booth for his Agency (which I will be helping him at), we have a Republican booth which we are helping to get ready and set up (and I will be overseeing volunteers but thank-fully other people will be manning it) and the kids and I are entering a bunch of stuff it the fair.

Along with the fair, music students, flower business, Church classes and everything that needs to be done in being a homemaker I had started to feel a little overwhelmed. I have been praying about it and I feel at peace but I also decided that I had better take a little break from blogging for a bit. So unless I get a bunch of extra time on my hands or decide I can't manage without writing, I will see you again sometime in August. :-) There are tons of projects I want to tell you about but it will have to wait until then!

Meanwhile I would love to hear what is going on in your homes and I hope you are having a wonderful summer!