Our Relief Society has started a monthly enrichment group that suits me perfectly - recipes! Each month a different food type will be featured, and everyone brings one to three recipes to share. This month (tonight) we did breads. I brought the recipe for Southern Hoe Cake and Yeastless Focaccia. Some people chose to bring samples of their breads, and there was a demonstration of how to make two special bread recipes - cream-filled rolls and cranberry-orange scones. Those cream-filled rolls were so spectacular! Sweet roll dough filled with a cream cheese filling, rolled up really cute, baked, and topped with boysenberry jam and frosting - oh heaven! The idea is that eventually we will have enough recipes for a ward Relief Society cookbook. Sister Kener will compile all the recipes gathered and give out each section as it is completed. I'm really looking forward to getting all the bread recipes, so I can make and post them (especially those cream-filled rolls - I can't get over how good they were!) on my food blog.
I'm looking forward to next month's recipe enrichment activity - Candies! I think I'll bring the recipe for Jeff's Honey Roasted Peanut Brittle. That was some good stuff. We also have a favorite toffee recipe that we like to make. I can't believe I haven't posted that one on my food blog yet, seeing how often we actually make it.
Sorry, I didn't mean for this post to turn into a Link To My Food Blog fest. I'm just excited because I had a good time tonight; I love the idea of sharing recipes among all the Relief Society sisters.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
General Women's Broadcast
This evening was the General Women's Broadcast. Our stake had a luncheon beforehand, which I attended. As I was sitting at the empty table I had chosen, waiting for someone, anyone, to come and sit next to me (I was too shy to sit next to the many other women who were doing the exact same thing) in walked Ashley and Lisa, the wives of cousins Joseph and Jacob! They sat with me, saving me the embarrassment of eating my entire meal in solitude, or in the company of complete strangers, though of course they would have been friendly strangers.
I'm sure that Ashley and Lisa think that I think they are total weirdos and way too loud and obnoxious - they said as much several times. Actually, I had a great time getting to know them better and laughing at their antics. :-) I think it's great that they get along so well as sisters-in-law. I don't really know my sisters-in-law very well. I've talked with Becky a few times, stayed with Joy and her family on occasions, and I read Jackie's blog. But Ashley and Lisa seem to have a great and close relationship, they're such good friends. So girls, I'm glad I got to spend that time with you two, getting to know you better. I did have fun, and think you guys are so neat!
After dinner, we headed into the chapel for the broadcast. After chatting some more, it was announced that the satellite was not facing the correct direction, and we wouldn't be able to watch the broadcast. But we would still be able to get audio, so we could choose to stay if we liked. Ashley, Lisa, and I decided we were comfortable where we were, and so decided to stay put and listen. However, about 5 minutes after the broadcast was supposed to start, they announed that the sound system wasn't working either (this was a brand new stake center, and apparently they haven't worked out all the kinks yet). At this point, we decided to go ahead and leave.
I could have gone to the next closest stake center, but I couldn't remember where it is or how to get to it. So I just came home. I guess I'll have to read the talks in September's Ensign. I was pretty disappointed - I've been looking forward to the Women's Broadcast all week. But I checked the mail when I got home and found October's Ensign, so I spent some time this evening reading through that and got my spiritual uplift in spite of the previous technical difficulties.
I'm sure that Ashley and Lisa think that I think they are total weirdos and way too loud and obnoxious - they said as much several times. Actually, I had a great time getting to know them better and laughing at their antics. :-) I think it's great that they get along so well as sisters-in-law. I don't really know my sisters-in-law very well. I've talked with Becky a few times, stayed with Joy and her family on occasions, and I read Jackie's blog. But Ashley and Lisa seem to have a great and close relationship, they're such good friends. So girls, I'm glad I got to spend that time with you two, getting to know you better. I did have fun, and think you guys are so neat!
After dinner, we headed into the chapel for the broadcast. After chatting some more, it was announced that the satellite was not facing the correct direction, and we wouldn't be able to watch the broadcast. But we would still be able to get audio, so we could choose to stay if we liked. Ashley, Lisa, and I decided we were comfortable where we were, and so decided to stay put and listen. However, about 5 minutes after the broadcast was supposed to start, they announed that the sound system wasn't working either (this was a brand new stake center, and apparently they haven't worked out all the kinks yet). At this point, we decided to go ahead and leave.
I could have gone to the next closest stake center, but I couldn't remember where it is or how to get to it. So I just came home. I guess I'll have to read the talks in September's Ensign. I was pretty disappointed - I've been looking forward to the Women's Broadcast all week. But I checked the mail when I got home and found October's Ensign, so I spent some time this evening reading through that and got my spiritual uplift in spite of the previous technical difficulties.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Jeff's Work Trip
Jeff's work wanted him to learn how to use and maintenance a particular piece of equipment - the Coulter something-or-other. And so they sent him off to Coulter School - in Salt Lake City. This was an all-expenses-paid trip, and he got work hours for it too. The hospital paid for his round trip flight, his stay at the Marriott in Salt Lake, and all his meals. Cool, huh?
He left on Wednesday afternoon. I dropped him off at the hospital, then he and the other Coulter School students carpooled to the airport. The school was on Thursday, and he flew back Thursday night. The kids and I spent most of this time while he was gone hanging out with my family. I didn't really want to face the empty house for two days. It's kind of weird - he wasn't really gone from the house any more than he is on a normal work day. There's just something different when he's gone overnight.
In fact, when I got back from Mom's house on Wednesday evening, after putting the kids to bed I ended up staying up until 2 in the morning - I didn't want to go to bed all alone! I was bummed about Jeff not being around, and also was in a sad, pensive mood after finding a heartbreakingly beautiful blog that I stayed up reading. It really had me crying, and thinking a lot. Check it out if you want to shed some tears.
After I finally stopped reading, I needed serious chocolate therapy so I made a microwave chocolate cake. And when I finally went to bed and fell asleep, I dreamed that Thomas died and I was trying to work through my grief. Needless to say, Wednesday night was very hard for me!
According to Jeff, his Wednesday night wasn't all that great either. The hotel was nice, but I wasn't there with him!
Thursday was a bit better - I took the kids to Mom and Dad's house and we hung out there while I did laundry. I showed Janelle how to make that cake. She showed Marie. And now none of us will ever be the same - there's something about knowing that you can make a decadently rich chocolate cake in five minutes that makes you want to make it all the time!
Anyway, Jeff got back late last night. The carpool driver dropped him off at Mom's house, where I had already put the kids to bed - Thomas in the play pen in Mom's room, and Zaylee in Janelle's bed. We bundled them up and drove home. They were so sleepy! Zaylee never fully woke up - she slept as I carried her to the car, she slept during the drive home, and she slept when I lay her in her bed. She was so cute, and so sweet!
So now all is back to normal - Jeff's at work, and the kids and I are here at home. I'll try to get Jeff to post about his experiences (I'll especially encourage him to express his thoughts on flying in a plane!) and whatever pictures he took. I sent the camera with him, we'll see how he did at photographically documenting the trip.
Oh, and in case anyone wanted an update on the kitchen sink - the goop didn't work. The sinks still won't drain properly, so the manager will have to come back (hopefully soon) and do the whole snake-in-the-drain thing. And he has yet to repair the pantry door. Ah, I love renting.
He left on Wednesday afternoon. I dropped him off at the hospital, then he and the other Coulter School students carpooled to the airport. The school was on Thursday, and he flew back Thursday night. The kids and I spent most of this time while he was gone hanging out with my family. I didn't really want to face the empty house for two days. It's kind of weird - he wasn't really gone from the house any more than he is on a normal work day. There's just something different when he's gone overnight.
In fact, when I got back from Mom's house on Wednesday evening, after putting the kids to bed I ended up staying up until 2 in the morning - I didn't want to go to bed all alone! I was bummed about Jeff not being around, and also was in a sad, pensive mood after finding a heartbreakingly beautiful blog that I stayed up reading. It really had me crying, and thinking a lot. Check it out if you want to shed some tears.
After I finally stopped reading, I needed serious chocolate therapy so I made a microwave chocolate cake. And when I finally went to bed and fell asleep, I dreamed that Thomas died and I was trying to work through my grief. Needless to say, Wednesday night was very hard for me!
According to Jeff, his Wednesday night wasn't all that great either. The hotel was nice, but I wasn't there with him!
Thursday was a bit better - I took the kids to Mom and Dad's house and we hung out there while I did laundry. I showed Janelle how to make that cake. She showed Marie. And now none of us will ever be the same - there's something about knowing that you can make a decadently rich chocolate cake in five minutes that makes you want to make it all the time!
Anyway, Jeff got back late last night. The carpool driver dropped him off at Mom's house, where I had already put the kids to bed - Thomas in the play pen in Mom's room, and Zaylee in Janelle's bed. We bundled them up and drove home. They were so sleepy! Zaylee never fully woke up - she slept as I carried her to the car, she slept during the drive home, and she slept when I lay her in her bed. She was so cute, and so sweet!
So now all is back to normal - Jeff's at work, and the kids and I are here at home. I'll try to get Jeff to post about his experiences (I'll especially encourage him to express his thoughts on flying in a plane!) and whatever pictures he took. I sent the camera with him, we'll see how he did at photographically documenting the trip.
Oh, and in case anyone wanted an update on the kitchen sink - the goop didn't work. The sinks still won't drain properly, so the manager will have to come back (hopefully soon) and do the whole snake-in-the-drain thing. And he has yet to repair the pantry door. Ah, I love renting.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
What's His Temperature?
Zaylee wasn't feeling well yesterday, and we took her temperature a couple times. This morning she was playing in her room and I went to check on her. She was busy taking the temperature of her Mike Wizowsky toy with a play thermometer. She was holding the thermometer under his arm and looking at it, telling Mike "Don't move. Hold still."
After about a minute, she took the thermometer out and looked at it carefully. She then said very seriously, "Twenty-six pounds."
After about a minute, she took the thermometer out and looked at it carefully. She then said very seriously, "Twenty-six pounds."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Life without a kitchen sink
Okay, so we do still have our kitchen sink, but we're not allowed to use it until tomorrow evening. Here's the story: For weeks, I've been noticing our kitchen sinks draining more and more slowly. This made washing dishes difficult - we could only wash so many before the sinks would be full of several inches of gross water. When the sinks filled, gunk would rise up out of the drains and then that gunk would stay in the sink after the water (slowly) drained away. It's been a big inconvenience. I eventually pulled out some bins and have been using them to wash the dishes. Even so, it's still inconvenient - when it's time to drain the bins, I have to carry them to the bathroom and pour the soapy water into the toilet, because it just won't drain if I pour it into the sink!
I did try to clear the sinks by pouring in baking soda and vinegar. It made some fun fizzies, but the drains worked just as slowly as ever when I was done with that.
So we finally broke down and turned in a maintenance request (while we were at it, we also requested that they fix the pantry door, which is still leaning against a wall in my room). Today the manager came and looked at the track for the door. He said he'll come back tomorrow to fix it - he needed to get some equipment, probably a replacement track or something. In the meantime, he treated our sink drains with some sort of goo that will (hopefully) make them drain properly. But it needs to set for 24 hours - so we can't get any water in the sink until tomorrow evening.
It's been interesting tonight. When I rinsed off the potatoes for dinner, I had to do it in the bathroom sink. I filled the bins for tonight's dishes in the bathroom sink as well, and had to rig up the dish drainer to drain into the wash water instead of the sink itself. Plus I had to be extra careful while washing and rinsing, so that I wouldn't splash or drip any water out of the bins and into the sink.
I am proud of myself, though, that I did the dishes anyway. Sometimes I look for any excuse to not do any dishes at all - this would have fit perfectly with that mindset. But this time I was determined that the dishes would get done. I want to have clean dishes for tomorrow, and by golly - I'll have them!
I did try to clear the sinks by pouring in baking soda and vinegar. It made some fun fizzies, but the drains worked just as slowly as ever when I was done with that.
So we finally broke down and turned in a maintenance request (while we were at it, we also requested that they fix the pantry door, which is still leaning against a wall in my room). Today the manager came and looked at the track for the door. He said he'll come back tomorrow to fix it - he needed to get some equipment, probably a replacement track or something. In the meantime, he treated our sink drains with some sort of goo that will (hopefully) make them drain properly. But it needs to set for 24 hours - so we can't get any water in the sink until tomorrow evening.
It's been interesting tonight. When I rinsed off the potatoes for dinner, I had to do it in the bathroom sink. I filled the bins for tonight's dishes in the bathroom sink as well, and had to rig up the dish drainer to drain into the wash water instead of the sink itself. Plus I had to be extra careful while washing and rinsing, so that I wouldn't splash or drip any water out of the bins and into the sink.
I am proud of myself, though, that I did the dishes anyway. Sometimes I look for any excuse to not do any dishes at all - this would have fit perfectly with that mindset. But this time I was determined that the dishes would get done. I want to have clean dishes for tomorrow, and by golly - I'll have them!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tag Time!
I was tagged by Michelle. I love doing tags - they make me think, but not too hard. :-)
Answer the questions and tag two people.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my mom said she knew my name was supposed to be Stephanie - it came to her while she was in labor with me, like that was what I wanted my name to be. Cool, huh?
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Actually, it's been long enough that I don't remember exactly when it was. Which is strange to me, because I'm a big cryer.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Usually. If I write fast it gets sloppy, and then I don't like it. But it's definitely much nicer and more legible than Jeff's!
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Honey ham.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yup - Zaylee(3) and Thomas(1).
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably not. I think I'd get on my nerves. I'm kinda passive-aggressive when things don't go my way. And I don't like it when other people are like that, so I don't think I'd like myself much.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends on my mood. Like I said, I'm passive-aggressive, so when I'm upset I'm more sarcastic.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I think I'd be too scared. But I'm sure if I did eventually try it, I'd probably love it.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like oatmeal cooked with raisins.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if they're just sneakers. Some other shoes I do.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ice creams with all the yummy extras all through them - I like caramel and fudge swirls, peanut butter and chocolate chunks, cookie dough, nuts, all that good stuff!
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I dunno, I guess how they look?
15. RED OR PINK? Probably pink. Though if I really had a choice, I'd choose a different color altogether, like green or blue.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The fact that I can never really be satisfied with the way I look.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Rexburg friends. We used to do everything together, even having Family Home Evening together as a group every Monday. I miss the closeness we all had.
18. FRUITS OR VEGETABLES? Depends on my mood. Right now, I'd have to say fruits - fresh fruit with a nice, creamy, sweet-tart dip.
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? None - I'm barefoot and have been all day.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Foccacia with chicken salad.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The sounds of Jeff giving Thomas a bath.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Teal.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Vanilla, bread or pie baking, Tangerine AromaTherapy.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? I don't remember, let me think ... Well, I added some minutes to the phone card yesterday morning - does the automated voice count?
25. WERE YOU A BAND GEEK, A DRAMA NERD, OR A SPORTS BUFF IN SCHOOL? Mostly drama nerd, though during my senior year I dabbled in band geekery as well.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Olympic Figure Skating.
27. HAIR COLOR? Plain medium brown. With occasional silver highlights.
28. EYE COLOR? Plain blue.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, wouldn't be caught without them - I'm far too blind and my glasses are far too old.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Anything homemade - usually whatever I just cooked at the moment.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. Scary movies are too scary and give me nightmares.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Lilo and Stitch.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black, with big pink flowers. Don't worry, it's not as tacky as it sounds.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I guess winter. But make it winter in Hawaii.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Anything homemade. Usually whatever I just cooked at the moment.
37. BURGER KING OR MCDONALDS? Actually, Wendy's. The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is the bomb!
38. DO YOU FOLLOW A LIST WHEN YOU SHOP OR DO YOU GO UP AND DOWN ALL THE AISLES? I follow a list, one that usually takes me through almost every aisle.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Confessions of a Happily Organized Family by Deniece Schofield - great book!
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The Coagulation Cascade. With pictures of red blood cells. And a gel wrist pad.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? We don't get TV reception. We usually just watch movies, but last night the TV was off. I was reading that organizing book, and Jeff was video gaming.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Water sounds - bubbling creek, falling rain, ocean waves, that type of thing.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither. I prefer classical music.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Japan - lived there for four years. So does that technically count as being away from home? If not, I went to Korea for a few days.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Music. I also draw really well, when I take the time.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Florida. I lived there for over nine years of my life, and haven't been back since.
I tag Rachel and Esther. :-)
Answer the questions and tag two people.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my mom said she knew my name was supposed to be Stephanie - it came to her while she was in labor with me, like that was what I wanted my name to be. Cool, huh?
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Actually, it's been long enough that I don't remember exactly when it was. Which is strange to me, because I'm a big cryer.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Usually. If I write fast it gets sloppy, and then I don't like it. But it's definitely much nicer and more legible than Jeff's!
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Honey ham.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yup - Zaylee(3) and Thomas(1).
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably not. I think I'd get on my nerves. I'm kinda passive-aggressive when things don't go my way. And I don't like it when other people are like that, so I don't think I'd like myself much.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends on my mood. Like I said, I'm passive-aggressive, so when I'm upset I'm more sarcastic.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I think I'd be too scared. But I'm sure if I did eventually try it, I'd probably love it.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like oatmeal cooked with raisins.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if they're just sneakers. Some other shoes I do.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ice creams with all the yummy extras all through them - I like caramel and fudge swirls, peanut butter and chocolate chunks, cookie dough, nuts, all that good stuff!
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I dunno, I guess how they look?
15. RED OR PINK? Probably pink. Though if I really had a choice, I'd choose a different color altogether, like green or blue.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The fact that I can never really be satisfied with the way I look.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Rexburg friends. We used to do everything together, even having Family Home Evening together as a group every Monday. I miss the closeness we all had.
18. FRUITS OR VEGETABLES? Depends on my mood. Right now, I'd have to say fruits - fresh fruit with a nice, creamy, sweet-tart dip.
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? None - I'm barefoot and have been all day.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Foccacia with chicken salad.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The sounds of Jeff giving Thomas a bath.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Teal.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Vanilla, bread or pie baking, Tangerine AromaTherapy.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? I don't remember, let me think ... Well, I added some minutes to the phone card yesterday morning - does the automated voice count?
25. WERE YOU A BAND GEEK, A DRAMA NERD, OR A SPORTS BUFF IN SCHOOL? Mostly drama nerd, though during my senior year I dabbled in band geekery as well.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Olympic Figure Skating.
27. HAIR COLOR? Plain medium brown. With occasional silver highlights.
28. EYE COLOR? Plain blue.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, wouldn't be caught without them - I'm far too blind and my glasses are far too old.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Anything homemade - usually whatever I just cooked at the moment.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. Scary movies are too scary and give me nightmares.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Lilo and Stitch.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black, with big pink flowers. Don't worry, it's not as tacky as it sounds.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I guess winter. But make it winter in Hawaii.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Anything homemade. Usually whatever I just cooked at the moment.
37. BURGER KING OR MCDONALDS? Actually, Wendy's. The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is the bomb!
38. DO YOU FOLLOW A LIST WHEN YOU SHOP OR DO YOU GO UP AND DOWN ALL THE AISLES? I follow a list, one that usually takes me through almost every aisle.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Confessions of a Happily Organized Family by Deniece Schofield - great book!
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The Coagulation Cascade. With pictures of red blood cells. And a gel wrist pad.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? We don't get TV reception. We usually just watch movies, but last night the TV was off. I was reading that organizing book, and Jeff was video gaming.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Water sounds - bubbling creek, falling rain, ocean waves, that type of thing.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither. I prefer classical music.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Japan - lived there for four years. So does that technically count as being away from home? If not, I went to Korea for a few days.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Music. I also draw really well, when I take the time.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Florida. I lived there for over nine years of my life, and haven't been back since.
I tag Rachel and Esther. :-)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Zaylee and the short end of the stick
Zaylee seems to have drawn the short end of the luck stick the past couple of days. Yesterday it was that big ole bonk on the head (which has resulted in an enormous goose egg on her forehead, poor thing). Today it was her foot.
One of the shutter-style doors to our pantry has been giving us trouble since the day we moved in. It would get stuck, and not slide properly, and occasionally the top end would pop out of the track and we'd have to maneuver it back on. Today the whole door just fell off. I leaned the door to the side of the pantry, and made a mental note to get Jeff to turn in a maintenance request to have it fixed.
Later, along comes Zaylee, ever the curious little child, who decides to push the door down. Luckily, though the door fell on the trash can and the fridge, neither was damaged. Unluckily, the other end of the door fell on Zaylee's foot. Now there's a large scrape and the beginnings of a bruise. Painful!
I decided to move the door to our room and keep it shut away behind the child-locked door after Thomas also managed to knock the door down. He didn't get hurt, but it scared him pretty bad.
I guess I was wrong yesterday. I said that everything fun happens at Grandma's house, but the kids have made it apparent that they're willing to have plenty of fun at home as well.
One of the shutter-style doors to our pantry has been giving us trouble since the day we moved in. It would get stuck, and not slide properly, and occasionally the top end would pop out of the track and we'd have to maneuver it back on. Today the whole door just fell off. I leaned the door to the side of the pantry, and made a mental note to get Jeff to turn in a maintenance request to have it fixed.
Later, along comes Zaylee, ever the curious little child, who decides to push the door down. Luckily, though the door fell on the trash can and the fridge, neither was damaged. Unluckily, the other end of the door fell on Zaylee's foot. Now there's a large scrape and the beginnings of a bruise. Painful!
I decided to move the door to our room and keep it shut away behind the child-locked door after Thomas also managed to knock the door down. He didn't get hurt, but it scared him pretty bad.
I guess I was wrong yesterday. I said that everything fun happens at Grandma's house, but the kids have made it apparent that they're willing to have plenty of fun at home as well.
Monday, September 15, 2008
What a day!
I guess I'll just start at the beginning of the day, and work my way through. It's easier that way.
Jeff needed new shoes. His old ones were basically falling apart. He's on his feet all day at work, and that takes a toll! His feet and back have been bothering him, so long story short, we went to Wal-Mart and bought him some new shoes. The plan was originally to buy him some new everyday shoes, and he could use his old ones(with a new pair of insoles) as work shoes. But as he was trying on new shoes, I looked at his old, ratty pair next to all those new pairs, and decided that the old pair was just too beaten up. So we got Jeff two new pairs of shoes today: one for work, and one for everyday living. He needs a work pair because of the nature of his work - running tests on various bodily fluids, it's only to be expected that sometimes a lab tech will get blood or something on his shoes or scrubs, and those specimens are usually infected with something or other. So it's best to keep work wear separate from daily wear.
After shopping, we had to rush to get a bit of lunch for Jeff and drop him off to work. Long story as to why we dropped him off instead of having him ride his bike: Yesterday was stake conference, from 10 to noon. But Jeff had work at noon. So he took his bike to work before conference, I picked him up and we went to conference. We left early from conference to drop Jeff off, and planned on him riding his bike home. But he had forgotten his bike key, so had to walk home without the bike last night. So today, his bike was still up at the hospital. So we dropped him off, and he'll bike home.
Anyway, after dropping Jeff off at work, the kids and I headed over to Mom's house. She's taking a math course this next semester, and I offered to let her borrow one of our TI-86's. I just found it this morning, and decided to take it over. Of course, we never really have just a short visit at Mom's house - it always turns into an all-day thing! So I gave Mom the calculator, and proceeded to thoroughly confuse her by showing her all the fancy-schmancy functions it can do. She learns more by doing though, so she'll be able to figure out all she needs by practicing.
A lady from Mom's ward came over to can some pears with Mom, so I took over putting together some lunch. I just did some mac and cheese with chili. I considered it a great success when I had the following conversation with Samuel, aka The Picky Eater King:
Samuel: What are these green things?
Me: Green chilies. They add a little bit of flavor and only a tiny bit of spice.
Samuel: Oh. I love this!
Samuel actually loved something with green chilies in it, after learning that it had green chilies! I'm good!
After lunch we thoroughly enjoyed some pumpkin pie make by Janelle, then got everyone settled in front of the TV to watch Zaylee's new Barbie movie, which I had brought over. Lots of fun. I then spent a good portion of the afternoon drooling over some of Mom's decorating magazines, and taking a very long nap.
When I woke up, Thomas was waking up from a nap as well, and was grumpy grumpy grumpy! Mom and I spent a few minutes trying to soothe him. He was thirsty but wouldn't drink, wouldn't take his pacifier, wouldn't take a cracker, all that fun stuff. Finally he stopped crying long enough to put his binky in his mouth, but was upset to realize that he couldn't eat the cracker without spitting out the binky.
In the midst of all this fussing over Thomas, Rheanna suddenly burst in through the back door shreaking, "She's bleeding!! She's bleeding!!! She's bleeding!!!!!" Zaylee's screams were in the background and my heart skipped a beat or two. I started to calm down when I remembered that Rheanna has the tendency to overreact and dramatize things quite a bit. Then I saw Zaylee.
There was blood all over her face, coming from somewhere on her forehead. It was pulsing out, covering her forhead, her cheek, her shirt. She was crying and Rheanna was sputtering out that Zaylee had slipped by the pond and hit her head on the rocks, and my heart was in my throat. I could feel the blood draining from my face. Janelle, next to me, was reacting just the same way.
After a couple seconds, the two of us were able to calm down enough to whisk Zaylee to the bathroom where we wet a cloth and started cleaning her up. After wiping the blood away, we learned that there were only two small wounds on her forehead. I had been expecting a huge gash, so the fact that it wasn't more serious was a big relief.
We got her all cleaned up (my hands were shaking the whole time), applied Neosporin and a band-aid, and got her changed out of her bloodied clothes. Since Janelle and I were able to act calm and cheerful while working on her, Zaylee soon calmed down as well. I gave her some Tylenol to ease the pain, and then she was back in business.
But I made her spend the rest of the evening inside the house!
On a more lighthearted note, Thomas had an adventure of his own. As Mom and I were in the kitchen working on dinner, he came toddling out of the laundry room / bathroom with a big wad of white goo in his mouth. Upon inspection of the goo and the bathroom, here's what I found: the goo was toilet paper. The floor was wet around the toilet. The toilet water was yellow. Apparently someone had used the bathroom without flushing, and Thomas had fished out the toilet paper and was happily chewing on it! Ewwwww!
Ahhh, everything fun happens at Grandma's house.
Jeff needed new shoes. His old ones were basically falling apart. He's on his feet all day at work, and that takes a toll! His feet and back have been bothering him, so long story short, we went to Wal-Mart and bought him some new shoes. The plan was originally to buy him some new everyday shoes, and he could use his old ones(with a new pair of insoles) as work shoes. But as he was trying on new shoes, I looked at his old, ratty pair next to all those new pairs, and decided that the old pair was just too beaten up. So we got Jeff two new pairs of shoes today: one for work, and one for everyday living. He needs a work pair because of the nature of his work - running tests on various bodily fluids, it's only to be expected that sometimes a lab tech will get blood or something on his shoes or scrubs, and those specimens are usually infected with something or other. So it's best to keep work wear separate from daily wear.
After shopping, we had to rush to get a bit of lunch for Jeff and drop him off to work. Long story as to why we dropped him off instead of having him ride his bike: Yesterday was stake conference, from 10 to noon. But Jeff had work at noon. So he took his bike to work before conference, I picked him up and we went to conference. We left early from conference to drop Jeff off, and planned on him riding his bike home. But he had forgotten his bike key, so had to walk home without the bike last night. So today, his bike was still up at the hospital. So we dropped him off, and he'll bike home.
Anyway, after dropping Jeff off at work, the kids and I headed over to Mom's house. She's taking a math course this next semester, and I offered to let her borrow one of our TI-86's. I just found it this morning, and decided to take it over. Of course, we never really have just a short visit at Mom's house - it always turns into an all-day thing! So I gave Mom the calculator, and proceeded to thoroughly confuse her by showing her all the fancy-schmancy functions it can do. She learns more by doing though, so she'll be able to figure out all she needs by practicing.
A lady from Mom's ward came over to can some pears with Mom, so I took over putting together some lunch. I just did some mac and cheese with chili. I considered it a great success when I had the following conversation with Samuel, aka The Picky Eater King:
Samuel: What are these green things?
Me: Green chilies. They add a little bit of flavor and only a tiny bit of spice.
Samuel: Oh. I love this!
Samuel actually loved something with green chilies in it, after learning that it had green chilies! I'm good!
After lunch we thoroughly enjoyed some pumpkin pie make by Janelle, then got everyone settled in front of the TV to watch Zaylee's new Barbie movie, which I had brought over. Lots of fun. I then spent a good portion of the afternoon drooling over some of Mom's decorating magazines, and taking a very long nap.
When I woke up, Thomas was waking up from a nap as well, and was grumpy grumpy grumpy! Mom and I spent a few minutes trying to soothe him. He was thirsty but wouldn't drink, wouldn't take his pacifier, wouldn't take a cracker, all that fun stuff. Finally he stopped crying long enough to put his binky in his mouth, but was upset to realize that he couldn't eat the cracker without spitting out the binky.
In the midst of all this fussing over Thomas, Rheanna suddenly burst in through the back door shreaking, "She's bleeding!! She's bleeding!!! She's bleeding!!!!!" Zaylee's screams were in the background and my heart skipped a beat or two. I started to calm down when I remembered that Rheanna has the tendency to overreact and dramatize things quite a bit. Then I saw Zaylee.
There was blood all over her face, coming from somewhere on her forehead. It was pulsing out, covering her forhead, her cheek, her shirt. She was crying and Rheanna was sputtering out that Zaylee had slipped by the pond and hit her head on the rocks, and my heart was in my throat. I could feel the blood draining from my face. Janelle, next to me, was reacting just the same way.
After a couple seconds, the two of us were able to calm down enough to whisk Zaylee to the bathroom where we wet a cloth and started cleaning her up. After wiping the blood away, we learned that there were only two small wounds on her forehead. I had been expecting a huge gash, so the fact that it wasn't more serious was a big relief.
We got her all cleaned up (my hands were shaking the whole time), applied Neosporin and a band-aid, and got her changed out of her bloodied clothes. Since Janelle and I were able to act calm and cheerful while working on her, Zaylee soon calmed down as well. I gave her some Tylenol to ease the pain, and then she was back in business.
But I made her spend the rest of the evening inside the house!
On a more lighthearted note, Thomas had an adventure of his own. As Mom and I were in the kitchen working on dinner, he came toddling out of the laundry room / bathroom with a big wad of white goo in his mouth. Upon inspection of the goo and the bathroom, here's what I found: the goo was toilet paper. The floor was wet around the toilet. The toilet water was yellow. Apparently someone had used the bathroom without flushing, and Thomas had fished out the toilet paper and was happily chewing on it! Ewwwww!
Ahhh, everything fun happens at Grandma's house.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Doing Hair
Yesterday was such a fun day. Michelle brought her boys out to visit Mom and co. and help Mom with some gardening stuff. Naturally, I tossed the kids in the car and went to join them! I try to never miss a chance to hang out with my sister. :-)
We had a great time - I made a really yummy apple cake (recipe posted on my food blog); Michelle and I perused through decorating magazines; Michelle cut hair for Samuel, Janelle, Mom, and Rheanna, and did a great job. The kids all played together really well, we ate lots of yummy food, and it was just a really nice day.
Here's a picture of the delicious apple cake. It didn't end up looking the way it was supposed to be, but boy did it taste incredible!
I found a really neat blog a couple days ago. She Does Hair is a mother who does her daughters' hair up really cute - pretty much every day! She posts pictures of her really cute girls, and instructions on how to do the various hair styles she gives them.
You've all seen Zaylee's hair in pictures on this blog - I never do anything more than brushing it. But after perusing through that blog for a while (a very long while) I decided to get ambitious. And here's what I came up with:
Isn't she sweet! I did this on Saturday morning, so she looked adorable for our visit with Michelle.
Feeling totally on a roll, I decided to do Rheanna's hair too. Lots of braid-y fun!
This really wasn't that difficult. I think I may try to do Zaylee's hair more often, like for Church and stuff, now that I know I can manage it.
We had a great time - I made a really yummy apple cake (recipe posted on my food blog); Michelle and I perused through decorating magazines; Michelle cut hair for Samuel, Janelle, Mom, and Rheanna, and did a great job. The kids all played together really well, we ate lots of yummy food, and it was just a really nice day.
Here's a picture of the delicious apple cake. It didn't end up looking the way it was supposed to be, but boy did it taste incredible!
I found a really neat blog a couple days ago. She Does Hair is a mother who does her daughters' hair up really cute - pretty much every day! She posts pictures of her really cute girls, and instructions on how to do the various hair styles she gives them.
You've all seen Zaylee's hair in pictures on this blog - I never do anything more than brushing it. But after perusing through that blog for a while (a very long while) I decided to get ambitious. And here's what I came up with:
Isn't she sweet! I did this on Saturday morning, so she looked adorable for our visit with Michelle.
Feeling totally on a roll, I decided to do Rheanna's hair too. Lots of braid-y fun!
This really wasn't that difficult. I think I may try to do Zaylee's hair more often, like for Church and stuff, now that I know I can manage it.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thank you Grandma Jean!
This post is a great big thank you to Jeff's mom, Jean, for the lovely gifts she gave to Zaylee. Zaylee opened the first gifts on her birthday - this sweet little dress and sweater (and Care Bears card, which she loves!):
I set aside one of the gifts for Zaylee to open at her party, but silly mommy-brain made me forget it at home. Zaylee opened it this morning, and has been playing with the beautiful crocheted purse, yellow flower bag, and lovely rose tissues every since!
Thank you, Grandma Jean, for the wonderful gifts!
I set aside one of the gifts for Zaylee to open at her party, but silly mommy-brain made me forget it at home. Zaylee opened it this morning, and has been playing with the beautiful crocheted purse, yellow flower bag, and lovely rose tissues every since!
Thank you, Grandma Jean, for the wonderful gifts!
Zaylee's Birthday Party
We had a great little party for Zaylee last night. Since we got Candy Land for Zaylee's gift, I made her a Candy Land cake. She was so excited about it.
Covered in candy, this was every child's dream cake! We used airheads, peppermints, gumdrops, Nutter Butters, licorice, lollipops, ice cream cones, and big globs of frosting! Sweet little Birthday Girl was happy happy happy!
Zaylee got the big castle turret as her piece.
As for me, I cut myself the Chocolate Swamp!
It was pretty funny to cut up this cake - everyone chose the type of candy they wanted on their piece, and I cut it out for them. Here's what the cake looked like when we were finished with it!
Zaylee got some wonderful gifts - she fell in love with each of them as soon as she opened them! Janelle and Lloyd gave her the new Barbie movie - Diamond Castle. She's watching it as I type this now! She was thrilled when she opened it. She wouldn't take her eyes off it for at least two minutes. From Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) she got a cute little color and shape sorting game. She had so much fun stacking the foam disks over and over again. And we gave her Candy Land, which we played together after the cake and ice cream.
All in all, we had a fun time, and Zaylee thoroughly enjoyed her gifts and her party.
One more picture I wanted to post - Janelle bought this really funny shirt today, and we put it on Thomas to pose. We all thought it was cute!
Covered in candy, this was every child's dream cake! We used airheads, peppermints, gumdrops, Nutter Butters, licorice, lollipops, ice cream cones, and big globs of frosting! Sweet little Birthday Girl was happy happy happy!
Zaylee got the big castle turret as her piece.
As for me, I cut myself the Chocolate Swamp!
It was pretty funny to cut up this cake - everyone chose the type of candy they wanted on their piece, and I cut it out for them. Here's what the cake looked like when we were finished with it!
Zaylee got some wonderful gifts - she fell in love with each of them as soon as she opened them! Janelle and Lloyd gave her the new Barbie movie - Diamond Castle. She's watching it as I type this now! She was thrilled when she opened it. She wouldn't take her eyes off it for at least two minutes. From Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) she got a cute little color and shape sorting game. She had so much fun stacking the foam disks over and over again. And we gave her Candy Land, which we played together after the cake and ice cream.
All in all, we had a fun time, and Zaylee thoroughly enjoyed her gifts and her party.
One more picture I wanted to post - Janelle bought this really funny shirt today, and we put it on Thomas to pose. We all thought it was cute!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Giveaway on The American Homemaker
Angie over at The American Homemaker is having this sweet giveaway - a basket full of Halloween decor goodies! Head over and leave a comment on why you think you should win! If you post about her giveaway on your blog, you get a chance to win a Mystery Grab Bag. Yippee!
New Haircut
I took the plunge on Friday and cut my hair.
All by myself.
The next morning I went back and fixed it, again all by myself.
After fixing it, I was so pleased (and intensely relieved) that my new haircut works wonderfully with my hair and my face. It allows me to take advantage of my naturally wavy hair, in that it sets up perfectly without me having to really do anything. It takes only a couple minutes to blow-dry while running my fingers through it, then a quick spritz of hairspray and I'm good for the next couple days!
And now I'm sure everyone wants to see this fabulous new homemade haircut, so here it is!
I don't know if I would do this again (it was rather nerve-wracking to take scissors to my own hair) but it was neat to learn that I can cut my own hair if I need to, or just want to have a change without spending any money!
All by myself.
The next morning I went back and fixed it, again all by myself.
After fixing it, I was so pleased (and intensely relieved) that my new haircut works wonderfully with my hair and my face. It allows me to take advantage of my naturally wavy hair, in that it sets up perfectly without me having to really do anything. It takes only a couple minutes to blow-dry while running my fingers through it, then a quick spritz of hairspray and I'm good for the next couple days!
And now I'm sure everyone wants to see this fabulous new homemade haircut, so here it is!
I don't know if I would do this again (it was rather nerve-wracking to take scissors to my own hair) but it was neat to learn that I can cut my own hair if I need to, or just want to have a change without spending any money!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Happy Birthday Zaylee!
Three years ago today our little Zaylee-girl was born - our first child.
Zaylee has been such a bright light in our lives. She is smart and inquisitive, cheerful and spunky. A true girly-girl, Zaylee loves dresses (this little outfit is from her Grandma Jean - she loves it!), hats, shoes, and smelling good.
Zaylee enjoys helping Mommy and Daddy, and has a sweet and infectious laugh. I'm so excited to continue getting to know this precious spirit as she grows and develops into the wonderful person she is meant to be. It is a privilege to be her mother.
Zaylee has been such a bright light in our lives. She is smart and inquisitive, cheerful and spunky. A true girly-girl, Zaylee loves dresses (this little outfit is from her Grandma Jean - she loves it!), hats, shoes, and smelling good.
Zaylee enjoys helping Mommy and Daddy, and has a sweet and infectious laugh. I'm so excited to continue getting to know this precious spirit as she grows and develops into the wonderful person she is meant to be. It is a privilege to be her mother.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
ABC tag
I was tagged by Jeanette of The Hen House for this cute tag.
A is for age: 25 (almost).
B is for burger of choice: I have two - junior bacon cheeseburger, and any homemade burger.
C is for the car I drive: A Dodge Neon that Jeff's parents gave us.
D is for your dog's name: Don't have a dog, never have.
E is for essential item you use every day: My contacts!
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: We don't get television reception. So mostly I just watch movies.
G is for favorite game: I like Uno, and a strange game called Ubi. It has to be played with a slightly twisted sense of humor - just the kind of humor that my siblings and I possess.
H is for home state: I spent the first many years of my life living in various places - Florida, Oklahoma, Japan, California, and now Idaho.
I is for instruments you play: Piano, organ, and pennywhistle!
J is for favorite juice: It's a toss-up between apple juice and pineapple juice. I fell in love with Juicy Juice apple juice when I was pregnant with Thomas.
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: Usually my own - I can never keep my house as clean and nice as I want it, I lose my temper too easily, and I spend too much time on the computer.
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Olive Garden - Jeff took me on a date a couple weeks ago. It was so yummy!
M is for your favorite Muppet: I don't think I really have a favorite. If I did, I guess it would be Miss Piggy.
N is for number of piercings: Just my ears - one piercing in each. I like to wear my real gold earrings mostly, because the lower quality ones irritate my ears.
O is for overnight hospital stays: I stayed overnight with both of my babies. Other than that, none.
P is for people you were with today: Jeff and the kids.
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: I like blogging, cooking (especially trying new recipes), watching movies, reading.
R is for biggest regret: I have several, but would rather not post them...
S is for status: Married since 2004.
T is for time you woke up today: Around 8:00. The kids usually wake me up.
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: Well, I lived in Japan for four years.
V is for vegetable you love: Pumpkin, for now. I think it changes throughout the year, but I'm so excited for the coming of autumn!
W is for worst habit: Nail biting.
X is for x-rays you've had: I've had plenty of X-rays done on my teeth, and one on my arm when I broke it at age eleven.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Just about everything I ate! Malt-O-Meal with brown sugar for breakfast, Welsh Rarebit and fried green tomatoes for lunch, a peach for snack, homemade turkey burgers for dinner, and Jeff's homemade toffee for dessert!
Z is for zodiac: Sagittarius
I tag Michelle, Rachel, and Melinda!
A is for age: 25 (almost).
B is for burger of choice: I have two - junior bacon cheeseburger, and any homemade burger.
C is for the car I drive: A Dodge Neon that Jeff's parents gave us.
D is for your dog's name: Don't have a dog, never have.
E is for essential item you use every day: My contacts!
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: We don't get television reception. So mostly I just watch movies.
G is for favorite game: I like Uno, and a strange game called Ubi. It has to be played with a slightly twisted sense of humor - just the kind of humor that my siblings and I possess.
H is for home state: I spent the first many years of my life living in various places - Florida, Oklahoma, Japan, California, and now Idaho.
I is for instruments you play: Piano, organ, and pennywhistle!
J is for favorite juice: It's a toss-up between apple juice and pineapple juice. I fell in love with Juicy Juice apple juice when I was pregnant with Thomas.
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: Usually my own - I can never keep my house as clean and nice as I want it, I lose my temper too easily, and I spend too much time on the computer.
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Olive Garden - Jeff took me on a date a couple weeks ago. It was so yummy!
M is for your favorite Muppet: I don't think I really have a favorite. If I did, I guess it would be Miss Piggy.
N is for number of piercings: Just my ears - one piercing in each. I like to wear my real gold earrings mostly, because the lower quality ones irritate my ears.
O is for overnight hospital stays: I stayed overnight with both of my babies. Other than that, none.
P is for people you were with today: Jeff and the kids.
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: I like blogging, cooking (especially trying new recipes), watching movies, reading.
R is for biggest regret: I have several, but would rather not post them...
S is for status: Married since 2004.
T is for time you woke up today: Around 8:00. The kids usually wake me up.
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: Well, I lived in Japan for four years.
V is for vegetable you love: Pumpkin, for now. I think it changes throughout the year, but I'm so excited for the coming of autumn!
W is for worst habit: Nail biting.
X is for x-rays you've had: I've had plenty of X-rays done on my teeth, and one on my arm when I broke it at age eleven.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Just about everything I ate! Malt-O-Meal with brown sugar for breakfast, Welsh Rarebit and fried green tomatoes for lunch, a peach for snack, homemade turkey burgers for dinner, and Jeff's homemade toffee for dessert!
Z is for zodiac: Sagittarius
I tag Michelle, Rachel, and Melinda!
Monday, September 1, 2008
What did we do today? Well, it had to do with...
Peaches.
Lots and lots of peaches.
And even more peaches.
Peaches being cleaned.
Peaches being packed.
Peaches with syrup.
Peaches being canned.
And underneath this blanket in the garage...
Even more peaches!
Mom and the kids went peach-picking this morning, and were a little over-zealous. They picked so many peaches! Mom called this morning and asked if I would come over and help to can them, so I spent the day there, working on peaches. Marie, Janelle, and I peeled and chopped the peaches, and stuffed them into jars. Mom scalded the peaches so we could peel them more easily, and poured the syrup into the jars. Dad ran the canner out in the backyard.
And Zaylee and Thomas were just really cute the whole time. Thomas found a baseball-sized jawbreaker, and had a great time with it before Janelle and Marie finally took it away.
Zaylee being cheerful and cute. Actually, she and Rheanna are laughing at Thomas' yellow mouth.
After working on peaches all day, I am very tired. My back hurts. My hands and forearms are sore from the repetitive and unfamiliar movement of peeling peaches. My feet are aching. I can't get mental images of peaches out of my head. But here is the fruit of our labors of the day:
And we're going back tomorrow to do the rest of them.
Peaches.
Lots and lots of peaches.
And even more peaches.
Peaches being cleaned.
Peaches being packed.
Peaches with syrup.
Peaches being canned.
And underneath this blanket in the garage...
Even more peaches!
Mom and the kids went peach-picking this morning, and were a little over-zealous. They picked so many peaches! Mom called this morning and asked if I would come over and help to can them, so I spent the day there, working on peaches. Marie, Janelle, and I peeled and chopped the peaches, and stuffed them into jars. Mom scalded the peaches so we could peel them more easily, and poured the syrup into the jars. Dad ran the canner out in the backyard.
And Zaylee and Thomas were just really cute the whole time. Thomas found a baseball-sized jawbreaker, and had a great time with it before Janelle and Marie finally took it away.
Zaylee being cheerful and cute. Actually, she and Rheanna are laughing at Thomas' yellow mouth.
After working on peaches all day, I am very tired. My back hurts. My hands and forearms are sore from the repetitive and unfamiliar movement of peeling peaches. My feet are aching. I can't get mental images of peaches out of my head. But here is the fruit of our labors of the day:
And we're going back tomorrow to do the rest of them.
Dad's Afghan
Here are the promised pics of the afghan I'm crocheting for my dad. He asked me last year if I would do an afghan for him in camouflage, which is significant to him because he spent so many years in the military. We decided that it would be part green camo and part desert camo.
Here is the pattern detail:
Here is an idea of how big this blanket will be. It's worked from the side, so it's already as long as it's going to be. Now I work on making it wider. I didn't plan on it being this long, but it just ended up like this - it's longer than my couch! When I lay down on the floor, with my legs stretched down, my toes pointed, and my hands held straight over my head, the afghan reaches just beyond my fingers and toes. That's one big afghan.
In this picture you can also see some other things I've crocheted in the past - I'm a crochet maniac! On the couch are two coordinating pillows I made, one of which I finished quite recently. To the left of the couch you can make out Jeff's blue and white striped afghan that I did a year or two ago, and on top of that the splash of red is from the one I just did for Samuel. Yeah, I like to crochet.
Here is the pattern detail:
Here is an idea of how big this blanket will be. It's worked from the side, so it's already as long as it's going to be. Now I work on making it wider. I didn't plan on it being this long, but it just ended up like this - it's longer than my couch! When I lay down on the floor, with my legs stretched down, my toes pointed, and my hands held straight over my head, the afghan reaches just beyond my fingers and toes. That's one big afghan.
In this picture you can also see some other things I've crocheted in the past - I'm a crochet maniac! On the couch are two coordinating pillows I made, one of which I finished quite recently. To the left of the couch you can make out Jeff's blue and white striped afghan that I did a year or two ago, and on top of that the splash of red is from the one I just did for Samuel. Yeah, I like to crochet.
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