Busy Weekend

I'm on the laptop and don't have access to pictures, so will just make this a "text" post.

We had a treat last night.  Kevin's sister and her daughter (our niece) came over for a few hours. They live in Texas so we see them rarely.  We had a lovely time together and I know our big girls were very happy to spend time with their only (?) female cousin. I put the question mark in because my brother and his wife are expecting their first child in December and I haven't heard whether the baby is a boy or a girl.

It may or may not be obvious so let me say I am SO excited for my brother and sister-in-law.  Kids are such a blessing and they've really wanted a child for a long time.  Yee haw, a little one is ON THE WAY. 

Our Texas niece is entering her senior year in high school and is looking into college options.  Since I've been thinking a lot about college (see previous post), I find the whole process interesting.  Texas has some good options; for example, Shannon will be earning college credit this year by taking online courses from her high school.

Kevin took the kids out back today and picked more blackberries. And made more blackberry jam. We have a LOT of blackberry jam now.  It is wonderful stuff.

The garden has been producing quite well too.  I froze a bunch of tomatoes today. The green bean bush plants are not bearing as well, but the vining green beans are just starting.  We've had a good year for green beans.  We also have lots of cucumbers and I truly appreciate cucumbers!  A few days ago, Kevin tried making refrigerator pickles.  We'll see how they turn out. 

  We had a bunch of kids with stuffy noses this morning. I THINK it is just allergies, thankfully.  I guess that's good.

Several kids have been attacked by chiggers and mosquitoes.  I loathe both of those insects but especially chiggers.  I am SO allergic to them.  Fortunately, a good scrub at night gets rid of most of them but I do miss them occasionally and get a big, puffy welt where the chigger was. They itch badly for days and I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes EXCEPT that I have a secret weapon ... ice packs.  Turns out that ice packs on the itchy areas numbs the itch right away, or at least so long as the pack is cold.

So that's our weekend.  Busy.  Mostly fun. Got some stuff done. Thankful to the Lord for His blessing of family.