Lexi's big day!

We had a great day catching up on school and canning.

I only have those 10 tomatoes left.
I think I will roast them and freeze them for future use.
It's not really enough to can anything with.
I canned  7 quarts of spaghetti sauce today.

I filled the dehydrator again with pears.
We really love them, so I know they won't go to waste!
I made  6 1/2 quarts of sauce with them,
and the rest are cooking down to fill the dehydrator for fruit leather.
Can't have too much of it, can you???
I'll probably add some blueberries to some of it.
I was thinking pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to the other.
Is that too weird???
Kids might think so....  
I won't tell them what it is.

Lexi had her first violin lesson today.
She has wanted to learn for YEARS.
We finally decided we had enough time to really do it.
She couldn't stop grinning :)
Really, she loved it!

Dylan had to show his new song when we got home too.
He wouldn't let me take a video.
TEENAGERS!

Here's an idea from dinner last night,
everyone LOVED IT!
I took my big roasting pan and added about 4 big sliced chicken breasts,
3 big bell peppers,
3 big onions,
drizzled with olive oil,
seasoned with mexican spices
(cumin, chili powder, oregano, taco seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne...)
whatever your family likes.
I added a couple cans of diced tomatoes.
Popped it in the oven at 400 for about 45 minutes or so.
The kids ate on corn tortillas.
Jimmy and I just ate in a bowl with salsa and sour cream.
No complaints from anyone!

Our parenting lesson today.
Encourage them.  ALL.THE.TIME.
Be their cheer leader.
Who else will?
"What you speak into the ears of your children can impart love and build bridges of hope for them or it can poison their perceptions and crush their confidence."
LOVE THAT.

Baby's new shoes...   Her second pAir from ebooba on etsy.  Love them!

Teach those children!!!

Today's Lesson from the Love Dare for Parents is good.
It is reminding us that we are here to teach!
Our entire parenting life is like a long drawn out seminar.
If we don't use every teachable moment,
we are doing our kids a disservice.
Next time you watch a movie, talk afterward.
What would they have done in the movie situation?
Next time you make up your family's calendar,
do it with your kids!
Next time you work out your budget, involve them.
Don't wait until they are adults to have those bigger teaching moments.
Make it a part of every day life!

So bible study today was great.
I know you all were worried :)
Arabella did great in her class.
Didn't care when I left, and they said she fussed only a little in the 2 hours!
YAY!
Tonight we begin Awana and Youth group.
Onward Fall schedule.

Last week, I got a bunch of green chiles from Bountiful Baskets.
The kids were so happy.
We all love them.
I boil them for just a couple minutes and then seed them and split them on one side down the middle.
I mix up some cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and mexican spices.
Ones we like are chili powder, cumin, oregano, taco spices, paprika, onion powder, garlic....
whatever flavors you love.
Stuff the cheese into the peppers.
Wrap a slice of bacon around them and pop them in the oven.
I cook at 375 for about 30 - 40 minutes and they are perfect.
SO yummy - spicy and creamy.
I served with a pork roast I added spices to and put in the crock pot all day.
YUM!

Ok.  Confession time.

Yesterday I might have mentioned that I am a hoarder.
I am a minimalist in most things, but one area.
Fruit and Vegetables.
Every time I can get a case for a good price, I can't help myself.
I dry it, I can it, I freeze it....
So far this week, I have purchased about 60 pounds of tomatoes,
and about 90 pounds of pears.
Is that a problem?
:)
My family likes it -
      - I think....
So far, you've seen my dried pears.
Here is what else I've done so far.....

Fruit leather out of pear sauce.
I made 3 different kinds
- one mixed with a pound of strawberries, 
- one mixed with a ginormous mango,
- one mixed with plain yogurt and cinnamon
I usually cut each 12 x 12 sheet into four strips across and roll them with parchment and tape the end.
Today I was lazy and I just quartered and stacked them.
It made 36 fruit leathers.
I hope they don't stick together.

I made 6  little four ounce jars of tomato paste.
Tomato paste is the dumbest thing to make.
That will be my last.
It takes SO MANY tomatoes.
You have to cook it down for SO long.
It is really cheap at the store.
duh.

I made 9 pints of pizza sauce.
I just add a lot of Italian Seasoning, some extra oregano, some garlic and onion powders and some red pepper flakes.

 I have a huge pot, a medium pot and a meduim crockpot cooking down tomatoes and I still have about 10 softball sized ones left!
I'll let you know what they become!

What a weekend

Wow!
Fun and busy weekend here!
We started out bright and early getting our bountiful basket.
Can't go a week without our baskets!
Seriously, I miss it so much if I do!

Next, we headed to a huge neighborhood rummage.
Apparently, it is a BIG DEAL.
I've never head of it, but we figured we'd give it a go.
It was a gorgeous morning when we set out, but by ten or so, it was HOT.
We only made a few purchases...
    - a covered sandbox for the baby :)
    - an old suitcase for me (I LOVE old suitcases.  What should I do to it?  Cover in fabric?  Paint?)
    - a few random DVDs that Jimmy had to have
    - a couple cute tie-dye headscarves for the baby - SO CUTE!

We ended the night with the Dueling Pianos show!
They are phenomenal.
Great entertainers and great talent.

After church today, Lexi had to get ready for a birthday party a cute little friend.
She got all decked out for a tea party. 
SO CUTE!

Of course there is packer watching and we're ending the day with a welcome home party for a friend.
Great weekend of fellowship, friendship, and time with friends.

Day eight of our parenting lessons has us looking at who has the hearts of our kids.
Do they still want to be around you and hang on your every word?
What has pushed them away.
The only thing that reaches them is whatever has their heart.
Man, I need to get back there with Dylan and hang on to Lexi with all my might.
They can slip away so easily.
    - with our attitude
    - with our laziness
    - with our negligence

Here are some pics from the weekend....

Yummy tomatoes shared from a friend's garden!

My 18 or so pounds of dried pears.

Arabella getting crafty.

Cooking up a storm....

Began the day wit wheatgrass in my ginger shot.
I stopped growing wheatgrass before our trip,
and hadn't began any seeds again.
At the local co-op yesterday, Jimmy and I noticed they had beautiful stuff for $2!
How can you pass that up???
Got me in the mood to start soaking my seeds again :)
For the kiddos, I made a grain free apple cake.

I bought tomatoes and pears from bountiful baskets last week.
Today they are both ripe.
I jumped in right away with and started cutting up pears for the dehydrator.
I filled all nine trays up with slices - probably used 18 pounds total.
I'm hoping to get to the store and use some birthday money I have stashed on a food mill.
Assuming I will acually do that,
I saved all the extra parts of my pears and threw them in the crockpot to make pear butter. 
I added some quartered pears too, to fill it up.
I despise trying to get things through a strainer.
I have maybe 10 pounds left to figure out something.

I halved enough tomatoes to cover two cookies sheets.
They are in the oven roasting with olive oil and garlic.
YUM!
When I get to that store for that food mill,
I have a plan to cook it in the crockpot for 24 hours.
This should make a beautiful tomato paste.
Still have about half the tomatoes left.

No school today.
We were planning to do it,
but we have much more fun plans
in preparing a surprise for Jimmy's birthday next week.
More on that later :)

In our parenting lessons:
Don't be easily provoked.
Love isn't.
We shouldn't be surprised wen our children make mistakes.
You don't want them to feel insecure or scared to mess up.
Your reaction to them is usually more about some stress or selfishness going on with you
and less about what is actually going on with them.
Let it go.
Be aware.
DON'T take your stuff out on them.