Been Busy!

Sweet Pepper Salsa

7 c. chopped tomatoes (about 5 lbs)
3 c. chopped peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs. cilantro
1/2 c. vinegar (5% acidity)
2 drops hot pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepot. Stir and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. Prepare canning jars as usual. Then ladle salsa into hot jars. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 min. (covering the tops of jars with approximately 1" of water. Yields 3 pints. I double the recipe to can more at a time.

So far I have canned about 7 pints and 10 1/2 pints. It is not at all hot, so if you want hot you will need to add some sort of hot pepper either before or after the processing. Enjoy!

A Teachable Moment

Teachable moments are priceless.

Teachable moments are valuable.

Teachable moments are important.

Yesterday's teachable moment was all of the above, but might not have been under other circumstances.

I was at soccer, about 45 minutes away from home. This is the norm for us on a Sunday. I play soccer and Jeff has the boys. It is my few hours of peace, quiet, sheer enjoyment.....without interruption. I am happy to make the drive if it means some "me time" and a bit of sanity.

Jeff took the boys to the yard, which is about 20 minutes through town. It's a truck yard. We keep our equipment there, my BIL and his business partner run their business from there, and we rent space to truckers who need a place to park their rigs. So when the rental spaces are full there could be any number of people on the premises. And it's any combination of people we either know personally or don't know at all.

I go to pick the boys up from the yard late afternoon and they are bursting in conversation. They all want to tell me about their day at the yard. What they did, who they saw, what they had for lunch. I'm listening and it all sounds good. They had a great day!

Later that evening I let Jeff know that none of the boys get dessert, they had quite a bit of "junk" at the yard. He proceeds to tell me that they didn't have anything dessert like at the yard. I told him that Bubba and Trevor went for a ride to get some Laffy Taffy and some Drumsticks to share with the dads and other boys. Jeff looks at me a bit perplexed.

Jeff: "Trevor didn't leave the property."

Me: "Ah, you didn't know about this?"

Jeff: "What do you mean he left? Trevor did you go with Bubba to the store?"

Trevor: "Dad, you knew!"

Jeff: "Uh....did you ask me if you could go?"

Trevor: "No, but you were right there when Bubba said we were going to the store."

Jeff: "Did you ask me?"

Trevor: (crying) "No!"

We have ALWAYS told them they need to make sure one of us knows where they are and who they are with before they are to go anywhere.

So the teachable moment for Trevor was that he needs to remember to ask before he goes. Another teachable moment for him was the realization that he could have left, without Jeff's knowledge, and never come back. We explained that someone with bad intentions could have taken him and we would never see him again. Fortunately we know Bubba and have know him for many years.

The teachable moment for Jeff? Keep better tabs on your kids! One of them left and he had no idea.

It could have been a very scary situation.

Thank goodness it wasn't.

More words from the Kids

I figure today of all days we all need a good laugh.
Enjoy!

All 3 boys:
"If you tickle my pickle, I'll give you a nickel."

~~~~~

A freind of Trevors:
"Hey have you ever been to Disneyland and gone on Space Mountain? Well when you go down really fast it makes my wrong spot fly."

~~~~~

Luke: Hey mom, look under there.
Me: Under where?
Luke: Ha ha ha, you said underwear!

~~~~~

Luke: Mom, what kind of bees like milk?
Me: I don't think any do.
Luke: Boo Bees. Get it? (Laughing uncontrollably)

~~~~~

Trevor: Mom can I watch a bit of TV?
Me: No, you had enough yesterday.
Trevor: What? There is nothing to do around here! I wish we had a bigger back yard!
Me: (laughing) You have 5 acres to run around on.
Trevor: 5 acres? We need a thousand!
Me: If you are bored on 5 acres you would be just as bored on a thousand.
***He doesn't know how good he has it. One day he will and think back to a time where he could be carefree.

~~~~~

We recently got a new puppy. She is a chocolate lab and her name is Scout. Ella, my niece, is playing with her and petting her and tells Luke and I this:

Ella: Her ears are softer than a bungee cord.

It's been a long time.....

.....since I've had a blond moment.
But today I did. It was/is a bit humiliating.

Life happens.

Chaos happens.

Frustrations happen.

Today, with many many things on my mind, I had a blond moment. This doesn't happen often, in fact I can't remember the last time I did something so STUPID.

So EMBARRASSING.

So PATHETIC.

Not to say blonds are any of the above mentioned derogatories.
So please don't take offense.

Today, I put GAS in my truck. What's wrong with that you ask? My truck takes DIESEL!

It's a Scary, Nerve Wracking Transition

I'm nervous, scared, worried, and terrified for my oldest.

He is no longer in the "younger kids" grouping. His now officially a 4th grader.

Do you know what that means? You don't? It means he officially gets LETTER GRADES!



Gone are the days of S, NA, O, NI, etc. He won't get those insignificant letters that are considered generalities and are completely subjective. He will get A's, B's, C's, D's, and F's (well hopefully not the D's and F's) and he is excited about it!

Why is that exciting? How can that be exciting? For me, knowing he struggles, it is terrifying. I know what he is capable of, I guess I just need to give him that push, encouragement, positive reinforcement to make him see that YES he CAN do it, he can do well.

I told him all that matters is if he tries his very best, he knows that is the most important thing.

Super Fantabulously Awesome

Do you see this beauty?

Oh wait, I meant this one. See what I'm talking about? Talk about being super fantabulously awesome!

I meant the one on the RIGHT! Got it? Oh good, so glad you aren't confused anymore.

Not too long ago I needed some mathematical help. I'm no accountant, so I needed some expertise help in understanding terms, numbers, and well.......a basic class in accounting (the short version). The first person I thought of was Pooba! She is, after all, an accounting whiz. She came to my rescue and helped me far beyond what I had imagined.

Thank you Pooba! You Rock!