Apricots, Apricots

Turns out that birds also like eating my apricots.

And so do squirrels!

(Yeah, we have all kinds of critters 'round these parts)

We did salvage two 5-gallon buckets full of apricots though.

So~ what's a gal to do with two buckets full of very ripe apricots???

 Well...

Jam, of course!

 11 Pints of Freezer Jam

5 Pints of cooked Jam (pain in the patootie to make!)

4 Quarts Nectar (or Chewy Juice as Rick's family calls it)

See anything unusual in this picture?

(Besides the really dry, hope-it doesn't-burn field?)

Here's a little bit closer look.

She was in the garden, by the apricot tree. She startled Shane, or he startled her...Or both.

He ran in the house, she ran to the back yard; for her photo shoot.

Shane thought it was a really big buck, but he turned out to be a she...with big ears!  



Odds & Ends June 2011 Edition

Holy cow!!! Is it July already?

In honor of it being almost a whole month since I last blogged...

And because Emily would like the picture of her swollen face to NOT be the first thing that pops up on my blog...I bring you another "Odds & Ends" post.

Emily is feeling much better~ finally!

She ended up getting dry socket in not one, but two of the tooth extraction sights! Dry socket hurts. A lot. And the treatment is altogether quite unpleasant. (Packing the socket with clove oil soaked gauze). Did I mention it was painful? And unpleasant? And she had to have one of the every-two-days treatments done on her 21st Birthday! What a way to celebrate!

We did go to the Parade of Homes once she was feeling a little better. We had a lot of fun! I wish I would have thought to take pictures. So many great ideas!!!

First trip to the lake.

Did I say first trip? Make that only trip (so far). 

 It was still beautiful and wonderful and relaxing.

We didn't catch a single fish.

Okay by me! (I don't care much for fish)

We did have fun! And someone (me) got a little sunburned!

We took a little evening trip down to Manti to see the

Mormon Miracle Pageant

It's been kind of a difficult few weeks.

We are dealing with an unpleasant situation (that I can't blog about right now).

We also had a death in the family.

My dad's youngest brother passed away & his funeral was this past Monday.

I think it's gonna be a little hard on my dad.

And this Sunday will mark one year since Amy's death.

I still miss her so much! 

Other than all that~ my life is just like yours:

A little crazy

A little busy

Just life.

Happy 4th of July!

Odds and Ends July Edition

First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kind words when Amy passed away.  Thanks for reading her blog...and for reading mine too! 

Next:  I am feeling much better after my 2 month bout with Labyrinthitis/Vertigo. I still have an "episode" of dizziness once in a while, but otherwise am finally pretty much back to normal.  I will say, it lasted much longer than I had hoped!!!  Nasty, nasty stuff.

Some more pictures of Summer Evening Fun at Strawberry

This time it was just Shane, Rick and me.  The guys caught 8 or so fish this trip.  They were all small, so no pictures.  They all were released back into the reservoir.

What I've Been Up To

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Un.Pack.Ing.

Need I say more?

Haven't we lived here for 6 months already? (Yes)

Then why are there so many boxes still left to unpack? Why? Why? Why?

Last week I made pretty good progress. 20+ boxes unpacked!

I am getting to the home stretch now (I've no idea what that means, exactly).

My current project is the office. I thought I could easily get most of it done today...NOT! I was way over confident on that one. :)

Really, I did get a lot done...now I just have to finish up with the "to be filed" boxes, which can't be unpacked until I get the file drawers cleaned and organized (all the stuff that's been accumulating the past 6 months).

Once the office is done, I have about 6 "odds and ends" boxes that need unpacking (there are probably more...but "6" doesn't cause me to hyperventilate and run around crying for my mommy!)

Then we'll (by we I mean me) be on to the project of unpacking the boxes in "storage". (Fancy word for basement and garage). Not looking forward to that part either...Maybe I'll put a section on my side bar showing how many boxes I've unpacked and how many I have left? Yeah, or not. Wonder how long it would take me to count all the remaining boxes...should I round up or down for the ones that are partially unpacked? Either way, would the resulting number finally push me over the edge?

Have I mentioned I hate moving?

If my husband mentions moving to me again, you will find me huddled in the corner in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and crying...Just sayin'.

What I've learned today:

We have too much stuff.

I am quickly running out of room to put all the stuff.

(Note to self: Summer project: Building shelves in the storage room and the garage).

I thought we had purged most of the junk already...today I found a box full of papers from when I was serving in the Relief Society presidency. Really? Do I really need to keep minutes from Presidency Meeting 5+ years ago? Really???

Did I mention we are running out of room?

Perhaps you missed the part where I said I hate moving/unpacking/blah/blah/blah?

I was going to post a picture of what I look like today...no makeup, hair flat and straight...(I hate my hair!)...It was to be titled, "Have I No Shame?"...and pretty well summed up how I'm feeling right about now...but after 20 minutes of taking self portraits that turned out with me looking either angry or stoned (of which I was neither). I gave up.

My work here is done.

Goodbye.

Odds and Ends, November Edition

First; I have added a "Followers" gadget in the sidebar to the right, for those who prefer this option.

Second; I did make Spook Popcorn for Halloween. Here's the proof! It was soooo, good! And really easy. The most difficult part was taking out all the un-popped kernels of popcorn. I cheated a little and used microwave popcorn, butter flavor. It takes about 2 1/2 bags. I also used cashews. Oh my, was it ever decadent and yummy. I want to make some more right now.
It also stays pretty soft and gooey, so no need to spread it out to cool. It made my huge Tupperware bowl full, so it makes a nice batch.

Third; After reading Cherie's post "This Month-Be Grateful",
I made this cute Gratitude Jar for Family Home Evening.

It turned out so cute, I decided they would be perfect for Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching gifts, so I made up a few more! I had to buy bottles, can you believe that? All my canning jars have mysteriously disappeared!

Here's a picture of the back of the jars. I think it's so cute, all laced up! I did it a couple of different ways, I like the laced up look the best. I also made personalized labels for the jar lid, with each family's name.


You can find the printable graphics kit here at Daisie Company.
There are also more pictures, showing everything that is included in this cute craft kit.

Next;

I finally dug out my small, slightly pathetic, collection of Thanksgiving decorations. I read a post recently (which I can't find to link back to!), and she shared her favorite Thanksgiving decor, which was mostly Indians. So, when I opened my boxes, I was looking for a theme...what do I like?

Here's a few pictures...can you pick up a theme here?

This is one of my favorites:

(Sorry for the glare on this one. The front of the block says "Be Thankful")

Almost all of these were made in Relief Society! Most are pretty old! :)

I wanted to get some new things this year, but haven't been able to find much. You know, the whole "Halloween-to-Christmas" phenomenon! HELLO! You skipped Thanksgiving!

I did get invited to a neighborhood craft boutique. I took only the cash I was willing to spend, and was determined to buy only fall/Thanksgiving items. No tempting me with cute snowmen, pine cones & holly berries, or Santas! (I looked, but I didn't buy!)

I did find this cute, quilted table runner, which I love.

But this...this was the first thing that caught my eye! Isn't he the cutest little feller? Yep, I must really have a thing for turkeys! I haven't decided where he'll go yet. (He's appliqued on a dish towel). I have already instructed everyone that this is for decoration only and is not to be used! We'll see how far that gets me.

What's coming up:

Favorite Things

A Yummy Holiday recipe

A Giveaway (yes, that's right!)

And more...so stay tuned.