strawberry picking

Well this week flew by!  Spring tends to do that around here.  We're enjoying delightful temperatures, sometimes in light jackets, sometimes in short sleeves.  Old friends are in town, visiting, and our school days are falling into a different rhythm with all three boys out of the house for three hours three mornings a week (how's that for a bunch of 3s?!?)

We are seriously winding down our home school year and filling the schedule with a few more field trips.  Last week it was a trip to the strawberry fields.  This Tuesday we will visit the Panda Research Base (with some ND friends arriving on Monday night) and then Friday the girls and I will help lead a few Easter activities at a small, private local school.  [These schools, most often established and run by believers who are looking for an alternative to the standard local public school environment, are cropping up quickly.  We even considered sending our girls to one, but the best option for us is still just too far away for a daily commute.  Still, we are excited to know these kiddos and invest in their endeavors.  I believe that what they are doing is hugely important!]

But back to the strawberry patch :)

The season is short, so we picked buckets and froze many.  We've also filled our bellies time and again.  And the fridge is still full of strawberries!

Extra fun to go with neighbors, and friends from long ago.

On a Thursday morning we were the only pickers in the fields.  Perfect.