Uuhhh...yyeeaahh....

So...I guess I've been MIA for a little while now.  We have been...ummm...well...busy.  We have been squeezing out those last little drips of summer like you squeeze out those little drips of wet in a washcloth.  There have been zoo trips a plenty, arboretum and garden trips, playing in the pool, and just plain ol' hanging out with friends and living the good life.  Our good life this summer has included enjoying our home grown goodness.  The kids and I are able to make our breakfast each morning from our own animals and plants - eggs from the chickens, tomatoes, peppers, and chives from the veggie gardens, and fresh flowers from our flower beds.  I think we need a goat or cow just to get some fresh milk from:) We have our own raspberry jam that was made at the beginning of summer from our raspberry patch, which we slather onto our homemade bread.  At night, we typically make some kind of soup or at least a veggie side from the fresh zucchinies, onions, garlics, or potatoes that Smoosh and I pick in the morning.  There is, of course, all the snacking on the cherry tomatoes during the day.  Nothing is quite as delicious as home grown and home made....even if it doesn't have the same flavor or consistency as the store bought stuff.  The deliciousness comes from knowing that we are eating tomatoes from plants that we first tucked into the dirt as tiny seeds back in February and eating eggs from chickens we have raised from chicks and that we water and feed every day, saying hello to them and giving them our own scraps of dinner to help make yummy eggs.  The deliciousness comes from the little hands (well washed before even beginning a cooking adventure) that help in the smashing of raspberries and the pouring of flour and yeast into the breadmaker.  The delicousness is the fantastic smell of bread that lingers in the kitchen a day after the bread has been made and the beautiful sunflowers that are in constant supply to adorn our table.  The deliciousness comes from all the moments spent each day with my kids making our meals and, even better, making our house a home together.