Snow day!

Finally the real snow has made it to Eagle Mountain. Jared, just back from warm California, and Nicolas went out and enjoyed it. Fortunately, it is the perfect snow for a snowman! Jared informed me after this picture that this is the very first snowman he has ever made! I am usually the snowman maker with the kids, but I never make them this big. They had a ball! When they completed their snow friend, Nicolas said, "Okay, now he needs a friend or a child." Jared was done though. Snow is still falling so maybe Nicolas can talk someone into making another later . . . .

All I want for Christmas . . .

you can fill in the rest . . .

Absence

Yes, for anyone that may look at my blog at all, you may have noticed that I have gone almost 3 months without posting. Well, we experienced a terrible computer crash and lost all of our pictures. We were able to retrieve all the pictures up until this year and my pictures from NuSkin Convention. That's it. The rest, lost. And then Jared was laid off and he spends a good bit of time on the computer so I never have the opportunity to sit down for lengths of time to update my blog. So. There are my excuses . . . I mean, reasons, for not posting. I will try to make him schedule time for me to get the computer, or, even better, we will all hope and pray that he GETS A JOB!!!

Hair with its own zip code

He's threatening to do it. After almost a year and a half, he sounds really serious. He wants to cut his hair. NNNOOOOOO!!!!!
I have to say, there were many times over the last year that I did ask him to cut his hair but, "No, I'm not ready." I didn't push him - though many did, causing him to be more and more stubborn about keeping it. But then I fell in love with it - maybe I am just jealous of the beautiful thick curls. It's funny to watch his hair bob as runs cross country - but we can always pick him out of the crowd! People know him now by his hair; it has just become Peter.
And now he wants it gone. I am already going through the grieving process. I ask him every day though, "Do you want to go now to get your hair cut?" "Nah, not right now," is his reply every time. So I have reprieve after reprieve. But for how long? Here is a visual montage of his hair growth for the past year - starting in July (I believe his last hair cut was end of May or beginning of June).

Okay, so the phase he went through where he straightened his hair every day was not my favorite and I was ready for him to cut it as this point . . .

but then he realized his folly and went back to curly . . .

Fall

So it must be fall. Kids are back in school, weather is getting cooler, and I suddenly have more projects than time. Yup, fall. I love it though, in spite of the full calendar. Peter's cross country meets, Erik's lacrosse games, gardening, NuSkin convention, harvesting, school community council meetings, canning, PTA book fair, did I mention gardening, harvesting and canning? Yeah, that's about it. I love our supersized garden, but I forget year after year how much work it is in the fall. My counter is constantly overflowing with zucchini and ripening tomatoes and this year we have added boxes of peaches and baskets of pears. Our fruit trees have never done so well - always good, but not like this. But that is for another post . . .

I love that my kids have become involved in athletics because I love the excitement of the meets and games. No, they will never be the top athletes as I have nurtured out the competitive spirit (I just didn't want them to fight!), but they enjoy what they do and I enjoy watching them. Peter has been really committted to cross country this year and has even kind of set goals for himself. Erik is finally out of the elementary lacrosse leagues and it is much more fun to watch the junior league games. He's pretty scrappy out on the field, too - poor little shorty. Markee has her hip hop dance and Marin has her tennis. Unfortunately her teacher cancelled the fall tennis season this year, so she has to wait til spring to play again, but at least it's one less thing on the calendar.

I have really taken a back seat in the PTA volunteering - only doing book fair again this year - and, guess what!, I am not the room mom for any of my kids!!! I have been saying for years, "I am not going to be room mom this year." And every year, I either end up volunteering because no one else stepped up or because the PTA called and said, "will you please?" It is halfway through September and no call . . . I think I am safe! First time in 12 years! I love volunteering in each of their classrooms, but planning and pulling off the parties? Let someone else have that fun. :-)

All in all, it is shaping up to be a beautiful fall - weather is glorious, sports are going well, garden is rockin' and I have some free time between work and the kids getting home to do projects like knitting and maybe some sewing.

Harvest pictures

Sample of one day's harvest. The apples are still windfall apples, but they are getting sweeter and sweeter. Zucchini anyone? I have almost a dozen . . .

Jars and jars of green beans and applesauce. With more to come . . . I have never canned before. I don't own the tools to do so. Last year I froze bags and bags of beans, corn, and tomato sauce, but the frozen beans weren't so good and I figured with a bountiful garden like ours - and the size of ours - I really needed to bite the bullet and learn how to can. I bought a Ball Canning Book and read it almost cover to cover before borrowing a pressure canner from a neighbor and a boiling water canner from Alison. My first batch of beans was nervewracking because the neighbor didn't give me the instruction manual with the pressure canner and I was worried the whole time. I discovered that canning beans takes an entire afternoon with washing the beans, cutting the beans, cooking the beans, washing the jars, boiling the jars and putting them all together. But in spite of the time it took, it was easy! The apples took just as long because I had to peel, core and cut them all up before cooking and jarring them. But what a sense of accomplishment. I just stood, looking at my jars thinking, "I did that!" I have to admit, I was proud of myself. I am excited to can more fruits and vegetables in the very near future! Now, I sure hope the finished product tastes good! :-)

Bounty

We are enjoying a plentiful harvest this year. I haven't updated pictures - I will - but I just had to post how wonderful it's been. I have canned 16 jars of green beans and 16 jars of applesauce (just from windfall apples). We have eaten handfuls and handfuls of peas; we have had zucchini bread and zucchini cake and sauteed zucchini. We have had salsa and pasta sauce and 2 strawberries. In spite of the grasshoppers, earwigs, squash bugs and heavy winds, we are reaping a bountiful harvest. The Lord truly provides for those that put forth the effort! Pictures to come . . .