Playing Hooky

It is officially summer time in Houston. School is out and it is HOT outside. Summer time also means the optional 9/80 schedule at work where employees can work an extra hour every day to get every other Friday off. I typically work longer hours anyway, so I try to take advantage of the Friday off when I can. I convinced Doug to play hooky from work today to spend some quality time with me and the boys. I planned a fun-filled family day starting with picking blueberries.

Andrew loves berries and he had so much fun at the blackberry farm. He did a great job of just picking the ripe berries. Doug and Tyler had fun too, but I sent them off to the shade after a bit because it was super hot outside and Tyler was sweating and getting really dirty trying to pick up all of the berries he saw on the ground.





2.5 pounds of blueberries(a half gallon) and $9.00 later we drove to Brenham, TX to visit the Bluebell factory. We took a tour and then we each got the biggest scoop of ice cream you can imagine. Strawberry (for Andrew), Pralienes and Cream (for Doug), Mint Chocolate Chip (for Anne) and Cookies and Cream (for Tyler -- that he ate with his hands). As we walked through the factory we passed the kitchen/break area and Doug noticed an ice cream freezer. They truly do "eat all they can and sell the rest" just like their ad says. I highly suggest that you finish reading my blog, close your internet browser and drive to the store to get your very own pint of your favorite flavor of Blue Bell icecream.

Did you know that Blue Bell was named after the flower of the same name that naturally grows near the factory? They make 50 flavors, 19 flavors are available year round and the remaining flavors are special editions. Homemade vanilla is the most popular flavor. Blue Bell uses milk from dairy farms within a 200 mile radius of Brenham to make its icecream and it takes milk from 50,000+ cows every single day to keep up with their production. Blue Bell is sold in 17 states, as far west as Arizona and as far East as North Carolina (sorry, Allie!).

After our tour and ice cream tasting we started the trek back to Houston, via Hempstead, where we stopped for lunch and a trip to the Farmer's Market. No good finds at the market, but I did find an awesome field of flowers that I took the opportunity to photograph. On the drive home I turned around to find both of my boys passed out in their car seats, sleeping in the exact same position with their mouths open. It was too sweet!









It was a wonderful family day and the best part is that we still have the whole weekend ahead of us!