Put Up or Shut Up

Seriously.

Times are tough. Like everyone else we've been looking for ways to trim costs, save more and live well within our means. So when the garden produces more than expected, peaches arrive by the box load, neighbors offer trees of bounty, and friends unload ripening fruit you say thank you and get busy.

First, it was peppers. These I chop and freeze, dry or can. If canning you should use a pressure cooker since they have low acidity. I don't have one and I have just used a water bath, but it's not recommended.

Next there were peaches. What we didn't eat I simply cut up into slices, added a little sugar and froze in quart freezer bags. Growing up, Mom would always can LOADS of peaches....rows and rows of the peachy fruit lined our storage room shelves. It was pretty, but my kids don't really care for canned peaches; they do love peach smoothies, so I froze most of them with just a little sugar to keep them pretty. I also made peach jam, that turned out quite tasty, by following my apricot jam recipe.

Before I was even half way through the peaches, my neighbor offered her apple and plum trees. So we (and by we, I mean me and Laser Boy) made applesauce, plum applesauce, apple pie filling and plum jelly; still too many apples left on the tree....with such cute help, I'm sure I'll just have to make more.

In the middle of all this, another neighbor calls offering three large boxes of pears that are going rotten faster than she could get to them. Hmmm, let's see, wasn't that me just praying for solutions to lower the ol'e grocery bill.....

k, I'll take 'em.

Turns out they went rotten faster than I could get them to my house (Hubs said they smelled like hooch), not sure what my well intentioned neighbor had in mind, but they did make an excellent addition to my compost pile, and with all my extra time I was able to freeze my corn before it went too mushy.

Now, I think the rush is over and I'm just dilly dallying with more peppers, green beans, basil and tomatoes; hoping it doesn't freeze until I can stock up on canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

To be honest, I'm surprised by it all. Not that I am well taken care of, that I have come to trust, but the fact that I can.....um, can. All those Labor Day weekends spent in hard labor, helping my mom can everything you could imagine and in amounts that are now unimaginable, must have paid off.

Food on Fridays with Ann Kroeker

Continuing Transformation

I remember sitting on my couch, mind racing; wanting to giggle but managing to suppress because of the seriousness of her tone. Did she really just ask me if I had been saved?

Unrealized, the transformation had begun. With each conversation...and there were many....we learned more about each other, our beliefs and our God. There had to have been some chuckling going on in heaven, putting a God fearing Baptist right next door to a confidently, complacent Mormon; both so alone, now dependent on each other, both believing they had the whole truth, or at least the faith to make up for the questions. Thinking back I can almost hear the rumbling laughter.

In the beginning of our friendship, all I could see was this wonderful missionary opportunity, so of course I found it a little funny that she was worried about my salvation. As life happens, and it always does, I learned things from her I didn't know that I didn't know. Like what it really means to daily walk with Him, not to just meet casually at the end of day. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I've ever taken lightly my relationship with Christ, but I had never seen it so all consuming as it is in her life, and it began to rub off on me. It made me dig deeper in my studies, linger longer in prayer, and ultimately to be still and know.

It wasn't all perfect, frustration and dark prideful moments snuck in...casting shadows of doubt on truth; but not for long, because light always overcomes darkness as His glory became our only goal....you see, friendships that begin before life in this body don't go down easily.

The lessons learned in this short season of my life are too many to cover right now. In the end....well, I know it's not the end, but as we parted.....me still completely Mormon and she faithfully Baptist, I was consumed with gratitude for the new awareness I had gained of familiar truth; looking forward as I look upward to this continuing transformation.

Wordfull Wednesday @ Chocolateonmycranium

Off and Away

It's back to school week at iheartfaces...*tear, sniff* ....so if your missing your rug rats, (or celebrating the peace) take a minute and post a pic of the moment here.



No, I don't send my child to school in her pajamas, but I missed pictures of her first day of school.....heck, I was lucky to get her there on time, kind of......so, here is a symbolic gesture of my little one taking off on her own; ironically the same week school started.

Pesto, Pesto, Do Your Very Besto....

I have always wanted to make pesto, even before I knew what it was....just the sound of it sounds.....well, YUM. A few weeks ago my husband rented "House Boat" as an attempt at romance, and that lovely little ditty that Sophia Loren sings...

"Presto presto
Do your very besto
Don't hang back like a shy little kid
You'll be so glad that you did what you did
When you do it with a bing bang bong
A bing bang bong"

...goes through my mind (and sometimes even slips out of my mouth) as I spread my delicious homemade pesto on my bread. Although this is my first attempt at pesto, I don't think there are any hard rules as to what you can or can't put in it. The basics of course; basil, olive oil, and garlic are pretty standard, but I've heard of people leaving out the Parmesan cheese and nuts, and adding just about anything they desire. Mine went something like this:

2 cups fresh basil leaves (I used lemon, regular and cute little unknown kind)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (cheaper substitution for pine nuts)
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (use the good stuff if you have it)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

I guess the easy way is to processes the basil and oil in the food processor, which I don't have, but my blender worked pretty good. Then add the garlic, nuts, Parmesan and remaining oil. I also read here that you can toast and roast your nuts and garlic for a deeper flavor; I did and it turned out YUM (repetitive, I know).

Warning: Basil has a tendency to turn brown after it is cut up, oxygen being the enemy here. I found that pouring a nice thick layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto before storing it in the fridge helps to keep the lovely green color. I also read, and will try next time, that if you quickly blanch the basil leaves and then immediately immerse them in ice water, it helps to maintain the color.

My favorite way to eat the pesto is to spread it on toast and top with a fresh tomato and a little bit of pepper. I'll admit, Laser Boy is the only one of my kids (husband included) that has even ventured to taste it, so I'll just keep singing my slightly modified Sophia Loren song and maybe one day they won't be so shy and "bing, bang, bong" basil heaven.

Note to His Teacher

Dear Teacher,

As we went our separate way yesterday...me with a load of kids and a broken heart, and you with that look on your face that was put there by him....I had so much more I wanted to say, things I want you to know.

Like how smart he is. It's not the kind of smart you can write down on paper, or put a score on, but the kind that sees things from different angles and coordinates everything in his movements. The kind of smart that never stops wondering or building or checking things out.

Like how strong he is. Strength that comes from living every day completely. Having important things to do and doing them. Running and climbing and jumping; strength that comes from success.

Like how soft he is. I've seen him cry when I hurt and sacrifice to make my pain less. I've seen him forgive those he never should have to, and encourage the same to do better.

Like how he loves. He is the big brother every kid wishes they could have. You know, the one that doesn't just let you tag along, but really plays with you and cares for you, shares his snacks and his discoveries with you. He doesn't have to be told, he just is.

I know you may know some of this, and I know that none of this excuses his behavior, but on days when he has pushed me to the edge....pebbles tumbling down the cliff... I think of this and know that he's worth fighting for.

Thank you for all the time and love that you put into your work.

Sincerely,

His Mom