Canning Bust

I couldn't sweat a smile if I tried, but I was smiling when the yard work was done! So was Melanie, "Can we go now?" (my mom's house).




Look! No indentations to indicate a properly sealed jar. A canning bust! I think I know what I did wrong. Will try again with a smaller batch.

White Chili with the beans I opted not to freeze. Brownies with the black beans (I know, but I'll give it a try).


Moriah got home after a week at Canyon Lake with our neighbors. They went to Schlitterbahn and the Natural Bridge Caverns. She also climbed a rock climbing tower at the cave site. She came home sunburned heavily on her shoulders. Glad to have her home.


A great way to end the day. Look at her form. What a pro!

13 Bottles of Beans

So I tried canning today. Recipe asked for 3 1/4 lbs. of beans, dried. It was supposed to produce 9 cans of beans but I got 13 out of it. Took most of the day but it was my first time. Was going to can pinto tomorrow but my jars don't look like they are sealed. I don't know why, I followed the directions to the tee. If they still look unsealed tomorrow morning, they are going to have to go in the freezer. Yikes, I don't have the room for them there.

I went to the local thrift store since it was half off day. I found a cute pot and semi matching plate to put my basil and oregano in. I love the orange and yellow colors!

In the spirit of food storage I tried a new recipe. Made a chicken enchilada casserole. It was delicious! Ryan and Melanie didn't think so, though. What is wrong with them? Creamy sauce, green chilis, chicken, cheese and wallah, a perfect blend of flavors! Will test on the older kids this weekend when they get back. Got the recipe here. There is also a shoping list for 12 days worth on the site.

Also made quinoa. It was good, probably better mixed with vegetables though. I also was craving a Greek salad, which I saw at the Mediterranean store earlier this week. So I made it. Yummmm! Here is the recipe. All the more reason to plant a garden. My Greek friend's mom whipped up a Greek salad from her garden while I was there during highschool. I didn't appreciate it back then.

Bought chocolate chips today. Melanie got her hands on them. She came back for more (into the kitchen) and she had chocolate chip smeared across her face. I grabbed my camera but she ran and hid her face and put up a good, fun fight. Didn't get the picture. Then, while we played "Scrambled States of America" tonight, I saw chocolate chips (yes, more than one) on the couch, melted. Ugh.

Well I kept my word. I blogged 2 days in a row. WooHoo!! Couldn't find our camera though. Used my cell phone camera. Hope to find the cameras soon.

Project 365

Okay, so blogging hasn't been a strong point of mine. But I have been inspired. I will hold on to that inspiration as long as it lasts.

I've been reading many blogs lately. I came across one where she had a goal called "project 365." Her goal was to put something on her blog 365 days a year. Yes, that is every day of the year. And to take a picture of something from the day. Of course her blog was much more interesting. I don't care, I am going to plow through with my own thoughts of the day.

Okay, so for day 1 I have no picture because I am acting on my inspiration late at night. Tomorrow is a new day, new goals.

Events of the day - went to Rave Theatre to watch Madagascar: Return 2 Africa for free, Melanie brought her friend Miranda. Read many blogs on food storage. Learning a lot, but need to act. Will can beans tomorrow. Soaked white and black beans for tomorrow. Practiced violin, thought I had a lesson but guess not. Should practice like that more often. But I do get bored with it. I can only do the same piece so many times before I get fatiqued. Maybe that is why we are supposed to practice everyday and not only when you think you have a lesson? Huhmmmmmm. Spent too much time on the computer. Wrote to do list for tomorrow so I don't spend too much time on computer again tomorrow.

Spring 2009 Accomplishments

Jaren made region and All-State band this year. He made 3rd chair at All-State! Way to go! He was the only Junior. We expect him to be 1st chair next year! Keep up the good work!

Ryan earned his Arrow of Light in May. I will post a video of it shortly. We are so proud of him. Boy Scouts here he comes!

Seth is no longer a middle schooler. He is advancing to High School.

Ryan is no longer an elementary school student either. He is advancing to middle school.

Sure wish my children would stop growing up!

Here are some family photos we took while Jaren was rehearsing for All-State.

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike came through Houston Friday night, September 12, 2008. It is the first hurricane I ever experienced.

Wednesday Hurricane Ike was projected to hit Corpus Christi. No panic here, we went about our lives as we normally do.

Thursday morning we woke up to find that it was expected to make landfall at Surfside beach, 1 hour south of Houston. The eye was projected to go right over my house, still at hurricane strength. I made immediate plans go fill up the gas tank, take out some cash and top off my hurricane survival supplies, not to mention buy ingredients for smores, the ultimate camping food. I expected to be out of electricity for 5-7 days and made appropriate preparations.

Friday I spent the day preparing for the worst. The day started out bright and sunny. The winds picked up gradually, but ever so gradually. There still was no evidence that a major hurricane was approaching. By the afternoon the sky was grey, but like a Michigan grey sky, not a stormy grey sky. By 8:30pm the winds started to get gusty. I then knew it was on its way. I made sure I took advantage of all the electricity I could use prior to the power outage ie. last load of laundry in the dryer and dishwasher running, airmattresses inflated, cameras and cell phones charged. Then we just waited. The winds kept increasing, some gusts would get your attention. I had the kids sleep in the hallway on twin mattresses.

The power had flickered on and off all night long. At 2:50am I turned on the tv to check on the storm. The front of the eye was just entering downtown Houston and the back of the eye was just approaching Galveston Island. I knew I had 1 hour before the front of the eye got to my house and 4 hours before the back of the eye got to my house (I live 20 miles west of houston). I turned off the tv at 3:00 and went back to bed. The power turned off at about 3:05. I am so thankful I caught the news just before it went out so I knew what to expect. Well, 4:00 came and the winds were very strong and they stayed strong for hours, without any relief. So it became apparent the eye never went over our house, thankfully. At 6am I looked out the back window to find our back fence and redbud tree knocked over and the winds still very strong. In time the winds started to weaken and by 1pm Saturday the rain almost stopped. The rest of the day was a stagnant, hot and humid day, like a tropical rain forest. When we went to bed, with no air conditioning, we were wondering why we didn't evacuate. We planned to go to Dallas the next day but that night we had an unexpected surprise, our electricity turned back on. YEAH!! We went back to bed, felt the cool air blowing on us and went, "aaaaahhhhhhh." We have been very fortunate throughout the storm. We didn't have major damage, everyone is well and fine and we got our electricity back within 24 hours. For that I am very thankful. Plus our neighbors still had gas when our electric was out and they cooked us our hotdogs (no need for our camping supplies after all). We love our neighbors.

Here are some before and after pictures of the storm:

House before and after.

Back fence before and after.

Redbud tree before and after.

Back gate before and after.

View from our front door, left and right.

Couple more backyard views.

Bulk of our water supply.

Anita's mission farewell

Jonathan's mom, Anita, is going on a mission to Taiwan. On Sunday she bore her testimony in Chinese. Here is a family picture after church.

Carina planned a farewell party for her. Here are a few pictures from the party. (Thanks Andrew for the pictures!)

Melanie eating with chopsticks.

Anita enjoying herself.

Introducing the family.

Singing "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission"

Martin's Cove

In July I went to Martin's Cove, Wyoming to see where my parents are serving a mission. I went there with Mark, Emily and Andrew, and Jill, Trevor, Reece and Abby. We had a really good time. We went on a trek out to Martin's cove. It was an opportunity for us to appreciate the struggles the pioneers suffered for us.

Trevor, Reece, Abby and Andrew enjoying the free ride.

Martin's Cove

Devil's Gate

Photo op but notice the desert behind them. Those pioneers had to have had a lot of faith and courage.

It was hard work for just a quarter of a mile.