Blackberries, Blackberries, Blackberries

Hello again, this is Sophie, and I want you to know about our blackberries.We have 2 big clusters of bushes of blackberries in the field and a few single ones scattered around. Right now we pick one side of field each day because it gets really hot (100 degrees)!  We've been getting a gallon each time we go out.

When we pick them we use our blackberry holders - milk gallon jugs that Daddy cut the top off of.  We tie the jugs to our belt loops so our hands are free for picking. We also have blackberry sticks. These are long sticks that my dad cut. They have a bit of a branch sticking out at the top, so they look like crochet hooks. We use the sticks to pull branches to us or to hold branches out of the way.

When we go blackberry picking it's fun because Jack, our dog, likes to sniff around.  When we get a lot of blackberries, Mom can make a crumble. Crumbles taste really good. Here's a link to the recipe our mom uses for blackberry crumble. Getting stuck by the blackberry thorns is worth it when our mom makes this! Thanks for reading!

A Haircut Meant to Be

Sophie got a new haircut, and my Mom and I think that it makes Sophie look smaller, and Sophie realized her neck was really long . I didn't get my hair cut because I want to grow it up to 18 inches long and cut off 10 inches and donate them to locks of love for cancer people. -- Laney

Jack, the Dog?

There are pigs who want to be dogs ,and then there is jack who is a dog but acts more like a pig. That would describe my dog. He grunts. He begs for food and eats just about anything. Jack was given to us by  a family friend.  She found him in the street on a hot summer day and took him in. He is sooooooo cute! We think he is a mixed breed.  He is the family's first dog because when we still lived in our old house there were NO pets allowed, so when we moved out into the country we made the decision to cope with a dog, and so that is our dog's life story for now.(P.S. he is seven in dog years).   ;)    - Laney

The Beginning

We're Elena and Sophia, ten-year-old twins.  About a year ago our family moved from a house in town to a home in the country with four acres of land.  Our mom and dad want to turn this place into a self-sufficient family farm, and they've been trying out new things like gardening and composting. They are learning a lot about homesteading, and we are learning a lot along the way too. This is a record of what we love and hate about living in the country and trying to become two girls and a farm.