Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Mulberries (Pinterest Poser Challenge Fail)


Me and berry picking? Yeah, we hate each other.  Last year, I took my kids on a lovely, peaceful outing to pick strawberries and my kid breaks his arm.
In happier times, minutes before the broken arm incident
last summer.

This year, we discovered a lovely mulberry tree in our backyard and it has ended up being the bane of our existence.  I didn't think this was going to be another berry picking sucks story, but well....

Last year, after the arm breaking incident, I was able to make the best of it.  Well actually I made jam.  And it was good.  Sure, JT had to wear a cast all summer long, but he had homemade strawberry jam on his gluten free toast.  And I felt less guilty and my relationship with strawberries wasn't ruined forever.

"Do you want to go strawberry picking?," I asked the kids a few weeks ago.

"I never want to pick berries ever again, ever," JT said firmly.  "Not blueberries, strawberries or any berries."

Mmmm-kay.  Got it no berry picking.  In a cruel twist of fate, enter the mulberries in our backyard.  For a kid that didn't want to be reminded of berries it's just not a good thing.  Those f#&ing berries are everywhere.  Don't worry about picking because they fall like rain all day long.  But no worries, I thought, I will show my little guy how to turn this berry situation into a good thing (again). 


Once I discovered what the berries were (thank you Google and Pinterest), I was going to write a post about making mulberry jam and giving it away to my neighbors just like Bree on Desperate Housewives

I was going to write a post about how to be inspired by a mulberry tree and use it for my art, just like Vincent Van Gogh.  But sadly, I am no Bree or  Van Gogh.  I am an overwhelmed, overtired mom of four who is just trying to make this whole summertime season fabulous and make sure no one is afraid of berries.
Van Gogh's Mulberry Tree: Source

Right now, our backyard is like a sad urban park that has been deserted.  The bases are overgrown, the pitcher's mound is covered in berries, mulberries.  Bats and balls lay around where they were dropped before the berry invasion.

When the kids do venture into the backyard they come back with stained clothes, flip flops and feet.  My kids and my house look like a berry f&#*ing crime scene.

The puppy is only allowed to go on a leash in the backyard because she is addicted to mulberries.  It's like crack.  She Joneses for the berries.  She obsesses over the berries.  When she gets a chance, she eats and eats the berries and then well, she poops nonstop and it's incredibly gross.

We tried to pick the mulberries, we tried to romanticize the mulberries, but we just hate the damn mulberries.  And the last thing I want to do is make a stupid pie out of the mulberries.
During our Fourth of July family soccer game Tim fell and his shirt got a little stained from the mulberries.

The end.  This week, I'm officially a Pinterest Failure.

**In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   
*My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.


So, there's none of this:
Source

Or this:
Mulberry ice cream--Source


Or this:
Source

Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  Had any great successes? Or advice?  Or warning about a project that's a total waste of time? Do you like mulberries?  Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.  Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.


Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:


Front Porch Kid Art Display- click here
Door turned into Table- click here
Summer Wish List Chalkboard-click here
Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Sandwiches-click here
Painted Mason Jar Vases-click here
Cinco de Mayo Paper Flowersclick here
Earth Day CupcakesClick here
Nail Art-click here
Homemade Photo Booth Funclick here
Fake Bangs- click here
DIY Subway Art- click here
Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here
Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here
The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here
The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here


Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.

6 comments:

  1. Is THAT what those pesky berries in my yard are? They fall from a tree behind our privacy fence that may or may not be mine. I guess I will not have to freak out if one of my kids eats one :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will wholeheartedly join you in your mulberry hatred. We cut ours down after our patio was covered with purple bird poop and my kitchen floor was covered with purple dog barf one too many times.

    Seriously.
    The worst.

    And they don't even taste that good!
    Stupid mulberries.

    That was a whole house ago, but I'm mad all over about it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stupid mulberries indeed!
      I so wish we could cut down our tree, but we live in a stupid rental. Grrrr. Sorry, I didn't mean to make both of us grumpy about those damn berries. Thanks for letting me vent and being understanding about those mulberries, yet another thing we have in common!

      Delete
  3. Oh, I feel your pain. At our last house (where my parents live now), there was a pear tree. I LOVE pears, but these never got very ripe before falling, so we had rock hard pears covering the driveway and then stinking the whole yard up like a brewery. My mom called it the "welcoming smell." And there was a guy down the road that would just show up and start filling his car with them for his horses, because the old owners told him he was welcome to....but this home alone with four kids mom wasn't feeling that.

    The tree has since been cut down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right, the smells are the worst!!! Our backyard smells like a cheap winery. And I would totally feel uncomfortable with the guy just coming into my yard and filling his car with my pears whenever he wanted. I wish we could cut down our tree, but since we're renting we have to clear it w/the landlord so we'll see.

      Delete
  4. Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally? Taking time and actual effort to make a very good article? But what can I say? I procrastinate a lot and by no means seem to get something done.
    downloaddrasticdsemulatorapk.com

    ReplyDelete