it's raspberry pickin' time!

early saturday morning our family headed out to hand pick raspberries and boy was it fun! we did this 2 years ago, missed it last year, so this year we put mymichael in charge of getting us all there.

cedar bluff raspberries is located in sapulpa right off the creek turnpike {click here for directions...under creek county}. an adorable grandma and grandpa provide you with a bucket and show you to the raspberry bushes. they are $6 a quart and are the best raspberries you have ever had. they look & taste completely different from the ones you will find in the stores. they are only in season for a couple of weeks, so if you are interested you need to hurry! here are some pictures from our saturday morning harvest...

don't let the "keep out" sign scare you...the couple is as sweet as can be!

starbucks + raspberries = yummy!

this is what is left on the bush after you pick the berry

mymichael was a pickin' machine!

don't they look fake?

the ones in the grocery store look NOTHING like this

after you get done picking, they take you into their kitchen to measure how much you picked.  between 6 of us we picked 17 quarts {5 of those quarts are pictured above and they went home with mymichael and me}!  and if you are lucky you will get a homemade sugar cookie as you leave.  this would be a super fun time with some kiddos.  i would suggest going early in the morning b/c it did warm up fast!  also, these are super easy to freeze...you lay them out on a cookie sheet, put them in the freezer until they are individually frozen, then put them in baggies. 

another great way to eat them is with chocolate mousse:

1 container of ff cool whip

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1tsp. vanilla

stir together.

i served it in the individual graham cracker pie crusts and topped the chocolate mousse with a bunch of raspberries.  super yummy!

tulsa parade of homes

this weekend begins the tulsa parade of homes!  i have had the priviledge of helping out a friend and her husband {check out her blog}with their new house and it is making it into the parade.  now, this house was STARTED in MARCH....it is now JUNE and is pretty much complete.  that is INSANE!  it is a beautiful house and it has been so exciting seeing it come together.  what i loved about this job is that the client wanted something different than the typical new home in tulsa. 

many of the homes in tulsa have an "old world" feel, dark wood, heavily textured walls, tans/golds/browns, oil rubbed bronze, dark and heavily patterned granite, black iron, and very fancy light fixtures.  don't get me wrong, this style is beautiful, but there are so many more ways you can go with your house.  alot of times i think new home builders just go with what they have seen b/c it is comfortable. 

well, this couple {perhaps maybe the wife...a little more than the husband =) }was ready to step outside the box and try something new.  in this home you will see slate tile floors, wide plank wood flooring {won't be stained until after the parade, but they are still beautiful!}, white cabinets {in the kitchen} paired with dark espresso cabinets {in the restrooms}, blue/grey paint tones, dark espresso beams and cased openings, bright white crown mouldings and trim, satin nickel hardware, oil rubbed bronze light fixtures, lantern light fixtures, mosaic glass tile, light granite, and custom built-ins.  we have paired lights and darks with cool {paint colors} and warm {wood tones} colors to create a really welcoming feeling.  there is no typical "formal" dining room, but instead it is a "hearth" room that is open to the kitchen and features a custom window seat with display shelves framing it.   

here are some features that you will see...

so, if you are in tulsa and want to see a beautiful home, be sure and stop by the stonebrook addition...it's house number 655.  text or call me if you need more information!

a summer wedding

my cousin justin got married last saturday to his girlfriend of...a long time!  they were like mymichael and me in that we dated forever....6 1/2 years!  they were married in fort smith, arkansas in a little white church.  it was adorable.  i snapped a few pics throughout the evening.  unfortunately i didn't get any up close of the bride and groom.  wish i had.  sarah's dress was beautiful and she had some fabulous blue shoes!  it's always fun getting to be with the whole family!

mother of the groom...my aunt

the "caught-off-guard" minister...my dad

location of the reception...just a few houses down from the church

full of character both inside and out!

the cake, made by mama T....my mom.  it was delicious!  the middle layer had a raspberry filling and the bottom layer had a chocolate/strawberry filling.  yummy!  oh, and look at their cake topper...they are adorable little birds kissing!  she found them on etsy...gotta LOVE etsy.

the grooms cake.  one word.  chocolate.  yum.

the kiss

me and mymichael!  isn't he handsome?

congratulations justin & sarah.  you have many wonderful years ahead of you to make memories...starting with a honeymoon in hawaii!

more of the farm

i missed some pictures from memorial day weekend in my earlier post....

grandpa feeding the fish at the pond

grandpa's tractor that he just had painted

mak!

a few onions from their garden

oscar, the filthy farm dog

the mountains...so pretty!

on the farm

we have spent the past 3 weekends at the farm.  between my youngest cousins high school graduation, memorial day, and another cousins wedding, we have stayed busy.  here is what's going on, on the farm...

graduating seniors!

great-grandma with her great-grandbaby....they like each other a little!

one of grandpa's cows had twin calves!

dax, the farm dog, checking out one of the new additions

working on the 100 year old farmhouse, replacing the wood framing around the windows

country breakfasts at the farmhouse

mak and oscar playing with dax

lounging in the sun

getting too much sun

ouch! 

***health announcement***please remember to wear sunscreen!  mymichael got my back side sprayed, but somehow we missed my front side.  i have NEVER been this burnt before.

staring at beautiful scenery all around {sorry for the blurriness...}

how can you resist that face?

oscar had fun...but he was ready to go home!  the farm life is tough....

don't leave me, please! =)

our summer has been wonderfully relaxing so far...how about yours?