Raspberries and Cherries and Dahlias.....OH MY!!

It's out of control!!!!!  (Ok, not REALLY!!)  Maybe I'm the one out of control?!  But, I am feeling quite overwhelmed with all the tasks and chores that need to be done outside in this huge yard, all the tasks and chores that need to be done inside the house, all the things I have to prepare and get ready for, for our new bambino,  along with having two toddlers and feeling the extreme strain of being ready to give birth to #3!!!!!  Not to mention, the sicknesses that the four of us have had and the fact that my leg swells up to the size of a tree trunk when I've only been on it for an hour!!!!  WHEW!!

Ok, so I know that most of what I'm saying is nothing that most of you have not already experienced or are experiencing right now!!  And, I know it  sounds like I'm complaining, but, really, I PROMISE I'm not!!   I just feel so bad and stressed out that some things have to take a backseat while other things get done.  Some things are suffering now, but honestly, I really have to be OK with it and know that it's the way it has to be.  There are priorities in life and I have to remember that.  We all face these types of challenges everyday, having to prioritize things and get done what we can get done......I guess today I just feel more overwhelmed than usual!!

The kids and I did have a great couple hours outside today, though, so I have to feel some sort of accomplishment!!  (Albeit, while we were outside, Ava and Luke got into a huge dirt fight and found it fun to eat it too, Ava pooped her pants (and didn't have a diaper on!) and had it coming down her legs while she was on the slide, Luke decided it was ok to pull out any and all vegetables he could get his hands on, and while I was trying to get the sprinkler to work, I got all of us drenched in the process!!!!!  But, if you don't count those things, it was a great time!!!)  :-)

We picked a HUGE bowl or raspberries, a HUGE bowl of cherries and I did some weeding out in the Dahlias.  It's just amazing, though, that there are still HUNDREDS of Raspberries to be picked, HUNDREDS of cherries to be picked, and weeds are starting to overtake our lives!!!!!!!  Again, I'm just venting, here, because I know we all face these challenges of getting "everything" done.  And, it's hard for me, because I truly enjoy this yard, harvesting all the fruit, tending to all the flowers, harvesting the veggies.....it's just with everything going on, sometimes I feel like my head is spinning!!!

I am constantly being reminded, though, (or maybe it's God reminding me!!), that it's COMPLETELY OK that there are weeds in my yard, and it's COMPLETELY OK that my house isn't 100% clean, and it's COMPLETELY OK that I can't get to every raspberry on the bush.........THIS IS LIFE.  I have a million other things going on (like we all do!!), and I will do what I can do!!!   Whew......OK, so that being said, I really meant for this post to be an encouragement to all of you dealing with the same sort of struggles that I am--to keep everything up!!  For one, YOU'RE NOT ALONE!!  And, secondly, don't sweat the small stuff.....keep things in perspective and DO WHAT YOU CAN DO!!!

Ok, so I'll leave you with a few shots of the Raspberries, Cherries and Dahlias.......OH MY!!  :-)