My Latest Canning Project

17 quarts of dill pickles!! They were fairly easy to do--I had fun with my first attempt with them. Of course, after they are canned, they have to "pickle" for at least 3 weeks before they're good to eat, so...we'll see. I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch. (I am a little nervous--you're supposed to put a red serrano pepper in for a little pizazz, but I got the only kind of red pepper I could find (fresno pepper), so I hope they don't have TOO much pizazz.)

I know people keep saying, "Wow, you're doing a lot of canning." Well, there are a few explanations for that--
1- How can I resist free stuff? My mom has been saving canning jars for years, my grandpa didn't want the brand new lids and rings that my late grandma had cases of, and people just have a lot of surplus--7 gallons of cucumbers, 4 gallons of apricots, and I think there are still apples and grapes on the way.
2- Tis the season!! I would probably spread my projects out a bit more throughout the year, because this summer has been hectic, but when they're ripe and ready, they're ripe and ready. Plus, I caught the raspberries and strawberries and blueberries on sale--they'll be quadruple the price in a few months (a vast difference between Idaho and Florida.)
3- I'm obsessed with food storage
4- Home canned stuff just tastes better

Florida Friends!!

THE PROWS FAMILY WAS HERE!!

Yay! Someone from Florida actually came like they said they would to visit us (you know how it is--"ya, we'll let you know if we get out to Idaho--okay, you're always welcome to stay with us--we fly free, so there's no reason not to come--ya, we'll have to get together soon"--and then good intentions and years go passing by).

Well, it was so fun and it reminded me how much I miss all of you! And there's just something different about being face to face, and hearing their voice, remembering their mannerisms, and watching them laugh. It's nice that someone knows that we still exist--that we didn't fall off the planet. It's just fun to show people your own world. (Though you'll have to excuse the part of my world where I got caught on camera in PJ's with bed-head hair and no makeup!)

We didn't do anything fancy, just talked and enjoyed each other. We went out and visited my family--Carmelite and Dione were ecstatic, to say the least! Fun times, but like always, it all ended too soon.

My Cute Kindergartener On Her First Day of School

Well, it's one of those bittersweet times--my oldest child is starting school. I admit my voice cracked saying goodbye while my little girl climbed on that big school bus and went to school. As soon as she was out of waving distance, I raced to her school to meet her there. We were both relieved to see each other when she disembarked. I shamelessly snapped pictures of the whole thing. This is a big day to remember, after all!!

So the day started out at 6 a.m. when Marissa woke me up--"Mom, I'm dressed already, and my bed's made and my alarm hasn't even gone off yet." Now, you may think this is abnormal (well, it is abnormal for most people) and that after a few days or weeks she'll be hard to get up. Not so, she has always been an early bird (which is really nice now that she's in school).

Anyway, she wore her favorite outfit--pink and butterflies are the 2 essential features. Butterfly backpack, butterfly pants, butterfly jacket; pink vest, pink jacket, pink backpack, pink hairthings, sparkly pink belt. She's pure, sweet girl all the way through.

Chandler wanted to be in on every minute of it--he really loved waiting at the bus stop with her and waving at her--"Goodbye Miss, have a good day, see ya later, I love you". Chandler and I had fun making cookies for Missy while she was at school. All growing up, my mom would always make cookies for us on the first day of school. I always loved it, so we are carrying on the tradition.

The time slowly ticked by as I nervously watched the clock--no mom wants to ba late picking up their kindergartener on the first day of school. I was relieved to see her smiling face and be reunited with her, and upon inspection decided that she was whole and well and happy, and that this school stuff is gonna be alright.

Twin Falls Temple

We have a new temple 45 minutes away from us! We are sooo excited about it. It is so beautiful. We got to attend the open house and I got to work in the open house. It was such a great experience. When we were getting ready for the open house, Marissa was all eyes and ears. I told her we needed to dress in Sunday clothes for the open house and she thought for a minute, then determined, "I want to wear my white dress so I'll match the temple." Also, she told us, "This is the temple I'm going to get married in." On the tour, when you reach the Celestial room, they ask everyone to be silent. I couldn't believe how strong the spirit was there. Then, in the sealing room, I cried as I showed Marissa and Chandler the special mirrors that go on forever just like our family can. After we exited into the hallway, I asked Marissa how she felt when she was in that special room. She tenderly replied, "I feel like I really love everyone." It was joyful to be in the temple with my husband and my two sweet kids. Made me want to do better. It was also fun to be a part of serving in the open house. I was the cookie hander-outer at the end. The church did a fabulous job in the stake house for the reception after--everything was gorgeous, and the cookies were to die for. There have been over 400 referals to the missionaries and 4baptisms so far and there is 70 more taking discussions right now, and the temple isn't even dedicated yet! It's amazing.

Our new house

We've been in our house since the last week in June. Can I just say that I love it?!? It has been soooo exciting to finally (after almost 8 years of marriage and apartments)have a place all our own. We have really enjoyed customizing it during construction and landscaping it from scratch. It keeps changing slowly but surely. When we first moved in, our yard was uneven dirt. Step by step we've done several projects over the last 2 months. First, we got a sprinkler system installed and everything smoothed out. Then we had cement curbing done. Then we added perennial plants (bushes, trees, and a few flowers). Next was planting grass, and call us crazy, but we did that part ourselves. Most people do sod or hydroseed. It's easier, but costly. It would have been about $2500 for sod, and about $650 for hydroseed. Instead, we got a bag of seed and a spreader for $90. We weren't sure about how it would turn out, but we are very pleased. There is a picture of our grass at one week old, 2 weeks old, and today, at 3 weeks old. There were a few places we've replanted--there were a few dry spots where we adjusted the sprinklers, and a few spots that were puddling, so we had to put more dirt, then more seed. We have plans for more plants in the flower bed by the house--my dad owns some nurseries, and we traded labor (before Ty got his dental license) for plants. There are a few things we can't get till fall--they have to be dug up from the ground when they are dormant. I also plan on doing bulbs and annuals in the flower beds beneath the tree, and in the empty rectangular bed, but it's too late in the season this year, so next year.

Happy 18th Birthday, Darek

Darek, my youngest little brother (or should I say my biggest brother who is the youngest brother) turned 18 on July 30th. I should've posted this before our Oregon trip--oops. Well, Darek is a cool brother to me, and a fun Uncle for my kids. They love him. He is the one standing up, holding Marissa. We went to Twin Falls and ate a delicious dinner and Italian sodas at Johnny Carino's. We always have fun together. So you know what Darek spent the entire afternoon doing? Helping us landscape our yard--planting trees and shrubs, and planting grass. He also brought me a delicious Canteloupe that he grew--he and my other brother grow several acres of watermelons and canteloupes. Their business is growing quickly, and their melons are vine-ripened sweet, and fresh. He's a great kid (and an awesome catch, I might add, to those friends of mine around that age!) Happy Birthday!

OUR TRIP TO THE OREGON COAST

We had such a fun trip with Ty's family touring around the Oregon Coast. It was a long and grueling drive of 12 hours, so we drove the entire first day, then the second day, we stopped at different sights the last couple of hours before the coast.

I took over 250 pictures and ran out of memory on my camera, so I didn't get any pictures of the outlet mall--not quite Sawgrass Mall (maybe one fifth of the size, but awesome compared to the mall in Burley or Twin (which are one fifth the size of the Oregon outlets.) That, and there aren't any outlets here in Burley or Twin, just regular stores, so my shopping withdrawals since moving from Florida were somewhat quenched.

The other awesome thing was the Aquarium. The petting zoo part was the coolest--we got to pet rays, starfish, sea cucumbers, abalone, and all kinds of other sea creatures that I don't know the names of. My favorite was the jellyfish--they are breathtaking in their intricate, delicate detail. They seem so graceful and feminine. There were tiny ones, huge ones, bright ones, and transparent ones.

One thing that was amazing about Oregon was the wild flowers strewn all up and down the roadways. The one I loved was the Queen Anne's Lace (the white flowers). I had no idea it just grew wild like that. It was gorgeous. I could've taken hundreds of pix of all the different colors and kinds.

The first place we stopped to eat on the second day was a quaint hometown burger place. Their food was awesome, but they did live up to their sign posted that said something to the effect of this--Thanks for your patience, we know our food takes longer to cook than other places, but it's fresh, and we think YOU'RE worth it.

Just want to throw out a thank-you to Ty's parents for the fun trip and memories--we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and appreciate the generosity. Keep reading below for a recap of the whole trip.

Bonneville Fish Hatchery

We had quite the educational (and sometimes graphic) experience at the hatchery. We especially loved feeding the fish and watching them under water.

Bonneville Navigation Locke and Swing Bridge

This is one of 2 swing bridges in the entire world. It was tremendously huge. It allows river traffic through the dam. We got to watch boats as they passed through. They come in the locke, then it fills high enough to be level with the river, then the boat sails though the other side, and then the water is let out again.

Tillamook Cheese Factory

My very favorite part of the Cheese factory was the ice cream at the end--it was to die for!! The scoops were huge, creamy and tantalizingly fresh. I tasted fresh peach, caramel pecan, Oregon strawberry, chocolate french silk, and Oregon Boysenberry. YUMMMMY. As you can see, Marissa enjoyed her chocolate ice cream. She is a chocolate girl--and she gets it from both sides! The cheese was good too, and the tour was educational and interesting. The scenic view going home from there was breathtaking. We live in such a beautiful world. God's creations are truly the most majestic things of all.

The Big Blue

There were a few crazy people who actually got IN the freezing cold water. Not MY idea of fun, but to each his own!

Sand and Surf

The beach was FRIGID (maybe I just have thin Florida blood now). The high was like 73degrees, so the water was painfully cold. The kids didn't seem to mind--even when their lips were purplish blue. They especially had fun chasing waves, and being buried in the sand. Some were buried standing up, and some laying down. Marissa loved it, but I think Chandler is clostrophobic, like me. The kids sure had fun burying Uncle Jon--just look at his poor ear. To top it off, Grandpa built a sand castle on top.

Sea Creatures on the Rocks

When the tides would go out enough, we could go explore the life on the rocks. There were gorgeous orange and purple star fish, thousands of barnacles (I think that's what they're called), and these squishy green things. The green things were closed up, but we found some open in puddles. I touched one, and the little green fingers were really sticky. We later found out that if you put your finger in them, they could eat your finger to the bone in 15 minutes--oops. won't touch those again!!

Driftwood on the Beach

There were some amazing pieces of wood and trunks of trees on the beach. The kids had a blast climbing on them and jumping off them. I think the picture of Megan is hilarious--I totally chopped off her head. I didn't expect her to jump that high. Eli started the whole jumping thing. I'm not sure where Chad and Annie were--we missed them in this part.