As of June, the blueberries are turning a ripe blue. I even rejoiced for the birds as I love seeing them swoop into the bush to pluck a juicy treat and often tenderly feed one to its mate. It thrills me to watch their summer feasting as much as it thrills me to pick the berries too. So many experiences like this are gifts from God to be had and must be accepted by venturing outdoors, a willing recipient of these treasured pastimes.

Sweet Summer Harvest

Blueberry picking tops the list of my favorite childhood moments. Standing in the morning summer sun, I would dive my arms deep into the branches and as high as I could go to reach the best ones and excitedly show off the biggest berries to my fellow workers. Waiting all year to gather a bowl of fresh colorful berries from our own yard meant that not one was taken for granted. We had to dodge spider webs to gather them and work with vigor to find them and filter out the bug infested ones, and perhaps the effort made them that much sweeter.

An Easy Pick

Thornless and upright, blueberry bushes pose little difficulty for children to work with and around. This is a berry that is a great introduction to the joy of harvesting unlike raspberries with their sharp thorns and winding vines that require a more careful hand. But that never stopped me since I was willing to fight for my beloved raspberries too!

This is how a Country Wardrobe is Curated

These are the experiences I have in my mind when I pick out items for a well curated Country Wardrobe. I am thinking about the rich reddish purple berry juice that gets all over fingers and squished and wiped on a dress. In fact, I ordered a fabric in this very color to make the perfect berry proof summer dress and here is the fabric swatch in all its glory.

The dress turned out to be the perfect blueberry juice color. I made it less of a summer dress style by using a year-round friendly design with elbow length sleeves because this color is beautiful year-round. The fabric is light weight enough for this to be perfect in hot weather too or layered in cooler weather.

Happy Summer Garden

Enjoy your summer garden for all of the beauty it has for you to soak up. Go outside and feel the sun on your skin, put your hand to something to grow or harvest, and breathe in the fresh air given to you to breathe today.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow