Life's a Bowl of Cherries

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Dsc_0551 Our cherry picking day is long gone; I love these photos and couldn't share them because I was having trouble uploading, so I just waited on the whole post. It was a beautiful Virginia summer day, not at all typical weather-wise. There was almost no humidity and it wasn't terribly hot. I think the folks at the orchard easily could have opened the groves for picking about five days eariler. We arrived to find far too many cherries molding on the trees. We were careful to instruct our little pickers (and the pbig ones too) about which cherries to pick and which to leave alone.  The toddlers were indiscriminate and Marisa and I found ourselves devoting most of our time to pitting cherries for increasingly stained one-year-old girls.It was interesting to see how the children's personalities emerged in the cherry trees. Gracie stooDsc_0565_2d timidly in front of a tree and was helpless to do much of anything unless Katie did it first and then pushed Gracie along. Katie scrambled up trees fearlessly (a little too fearlessly) and was much more interested in the challenge of the climb than filling her bag. Ever the fashionista, she was pleased with her cherry-printed shirt and more than happy to pose for picture after picture. She did her fair share of eating ,too.
Nicholas was all seriousness and filled his bag with methodical precision. KnowingDsc_0541 him, he probably counted cherries as he went.  Stephen and Sam made it a friendly competition. They climbed tree after tree and filled bags until they literally burst. The big girls wandered off to find a single tree of their own, climbed up with ease, and happily spent the entire time picking and chatting. Chatting and picking. Ever so happy to be outside on a glorious day, happy the cherries were ripe and sweet, happiest of all to have time in a tree with a kindred spirit. And the teenaged boys--they were all business. They helped Gracie in and out of trees and picked her cherries for her. And they managed to fill some bags of their own. I picked a fair number of cherries, but my favorite time of all was sitting beneath a tree, chatting with my own kindred spirit friend and snuggling a sweet, sticky wee girl who couldn't get enough of the whole experience.

Simple Woman's Daybook~July 5

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~ Do stop by Peggy's for all the links entered in this week's Simple Woman's Daybook ~

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Outside My Window ...I see the first green tomatoes on my tomato plants.
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I am thinking ...how complex teenaged boys are and how challenging the "summer of three young men" has been.
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I am thankful for ...Michael, who painted the basement this summer.
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From the kitchen ... lots of leftovers from yesterday's party.
Tortilla rollup  pinwheels from the Susan Branch Summer Book
Fresh Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Hamburgers and Hot dogs for the kids
Cajun-rubbed steak for the adults
Roasted Corn from the Summer Book
Spiced Pineapple Rice from Vegetable Heaven
Gene's Baked Beans
Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese
Fruit Salad of Watermelon, Canteloupe, and Blueberries
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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I am wearing ... Khaki capris, a crisp white blouse, crocs and a ponytail.
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I am creating ...more lesson plans (sneak preview at Serendipity in a couple days).
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I am going ...to finish up my curriculum shopping and hang out with friends at the Northern Virginia conference this weekend. Great speakers lineup only five minutes from home--I'm looking very forward to soaking in some wisdom.
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I am hoping ...for a second VBAC and I'm a little nervous about a very stretched out uterus and a kind of low placenta(would you say a quick prayer please?).
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I am hearing ... lots of birds who are happy we filled the feeders yesterday.
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Around the house ... we need to rearrange some furniture and adapt to our changing family.

One of my favorite things ...a day that begins bright and sunny after a good night's sleep. This elusive night has become my almost incessant prayer.

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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: a day with just my girls today (shh...I'm taking them for "real" haircuts!); a visit with my friend Martha; a new, improved exercise routine.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing~

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Karoline tells her "baby" about the birds at the feeder

Of course, it's about the clothes...

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A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to commentary on FOXNews about the pregnancy pact. I have lots of thoughts about this particular phenomenon, most of which are expressed very well by Stef. But one expert in Gloucester truly connected some dots for me. She surmised that one of the big draws for these teenaged girls--young teenaged girls--was that maternity clothes had become so chic, so totally hip. Let me re-phrase that: high school freshmen and sophomores are eager to get pregnant becuae they know they'll look pretty darn cute in today's maternity fashions.

And that explains a lot.

It explains why my maternity clothes left from pregnancies with Michael and Christian (20 and 17 years ago) still fit better than clothes of the same brand and size purchased recently. It explains why there is no room in these new shirts for matronly breasts. There isn't even room for full-grown breasts. The shirts are cut so low that a regular,  normal, mature bra shows above the neckline. The skirts are cut so high that one cannot reach up and lift a frightened five-year-old out of a tree. These clothes are cut for a fifteen-year-old.

So, what are grown up moms who aren't built like either Angelina Jolie or a high school cheerleader wearing these days? I'll tell you one thing, my old, old maternity clothes are priceless.