My First Canning Experience

I figured it was about time that I learned how to can. I have always watched my Mom do it, and I now know why I would see her start in the morning, and still be hard at work into the evening. It is a long day's work. So the other day, my Mom came out and gave me a demonstration on how to do it. We did a couple jars just so I could get the hang of it, and I thought...'that wasn't so bad.' So a couple days, and two bushels of fruit later...my sisters and I went to work canning peaches and tomatoes.

That is one huge tomato...

My darling sisters Candace and Cassie... Hard at work pealing peaches.

The kids stayed entertained. Our thoughts were, "By any means necessary."

Halli enjoying her 'usgetti'...

Kade worked all day on this awesome lego ship.

funny story of the day:

The girls had been outside playing in the backyard. They came in and said they needed to get their swimsuits on. We explained that summer was over, it was a tiny bit chilly, and there was no water to swim in. Well, they persisted. And we, being in the middle of a canning mess said, "fine, if it will keep you happy, go get your suits on." So they adorned their cute little bodies with swim gear and went back outside. A few minutes later we could hear the sound of running water. We looked at each other, and rushed out the back door to find this...

They had drug the little ladybug sand box down from the deck to the grass, turned on the hose, and drug it over to fill their 'pool'. What can I say, these two are very independent. At one point we even attempted a "group nap"... Ha Ha. Fat chance!! That's a lot of cute littles in one big bed.

The day was a great success, and a great party. The kids had a blast, we Mom's had a blast, and in the end...we had around 50 quarts of beautiful, yummy peaches and tomatoes. Thanks girls for the great day... I'm already looking forward to next year!!

Kiddo Tag

Parker has been tagged. Now I have had the chance to highlight each of my children, what a fun idea. Well for starters, I can't believe our babiest boy is almost 6 months old. It amazes and saddens me to think how fast time really goes. In the last month Parke has really blossomed from an infant to an interactive, playful, smiley big boy. Here are 5 things about him you may not know:

1- He is really enjoying playing with his toys. He hasn't shown a whole lot of interest in them until the last month or so. It is so fun to see him get excited and over-stimulated, to which he bobbles and gasps in sheer joy.

2- Everyone knows this already, but he still loves the bath. I had to throw a little video of his bath time in to see just how happy it makes him. I love the sound of his little heels kicking the tub, combined with his sweet little voice it is music to my ears.

3- He loves to be outside, and especially loves rides in the stroller (usually given by Rylie). He will sit there for hours (well, at least an hour and a half), happy as a little clown while we walk around. Parke is just a happy guy.

4- He loves hims binky...but not the bottle. This has caused us a little grief. Poor Daddy has to resort to using a syringe to pump at least a couple of ounces in him while Mommy's at work. Luckily that is not very often. Also, the baby food is helping take the edge off. What a stubborn boy! But how could you be mad at that face...I mean, look at those eyes. He's gonna get me with those when he gets older- I just know it!

5- He is learning all sorts of new tricks such as, rolling over, grabbing his piggies... and sticking his legs out of the bars of his craddle (yes, he is still in his craddle). I'm having a hard time letting go, ya think?
There is nothing more savory than his snuggles. Moments like this when he is snuggled up sleeping on my shoulder are ones that I wish would go on and on forever.
Oh, and he smells so good...

Parker you are our precious baby boy. We couldn't love you any more than we do. Thank you for being a special part of our family.

Kiddo Tag

It has taken me a while, but Rylie has been tagged. So here are 5 things you may not know about our Ry-bug:

1- She is the greatest little mommy. She loves playing with her dolls, and especially loves helping me take care of Parker. She loves to hold him, feed him, dress him, change his diaper (of course I help a little), and snuggle him. She talks to Parke in the sweetest little voice. I just love to see them interact. Parker really loves her. Her latest favorite is taking Parker for walks in the stroller. She says, "I hab a good idea...why don't we push Parker in the stroller."

2- She loves to try on clothes. She will change her outfit at least 3 or 4 times a day. Usually her selections do not match, and sometimes even include items borrowed from her two brothers (ya, she even tries on Parker's clothes). When we are just hanging out at home it doesn't bother me, and I enjoy seeing her creative juice's in action. It is when we have somewhere to go, and she wants to wear this... or even this...that I struggle. Rylie is also a very strong-willed little girl, so trying to talk her into a different wardrobe selection is pretty much out of the question. So if you see us somewhere and my daughter is dressed a little crazy...just know that yes, I lost the argument.

3- She absolutely loves to read books. After we read stories and say prayers, she will sit up at night and read her books by the light of her night light until she fall's asleep. Her favorite right now is 'Hop on Pop' by Dr. Seuss. She pretty much has it memorized now, so she can 'read' it to me. Her favorite part is when Pat is going to sit on the cactus and it reads, "No Pat No, don't sit on that!" She gets such a kick out of it. I love to see her laugh. 4- She loves food. Anytime me or Nic are eating something, she goes over to the silverware drawer, gets herself a fork, and comes to join in the eating. I don't think there is anyone I would rather share my food with. 5- She has the cutest little chip in her left front tooth. She slipped and fell in the bath tub when she was just little, and it left the cutest little chip.

I could go on and on...

Rylie is our angel girl. She loves to sing, play, talk in silly voices, help me set the table, color and cut paper, swing on the swing set, do everything her big brother does, snuggle her Mommy & Daddy, play with her cousins, unload the dishwasher, load clothes into the washer, tickle, and be tickled, be outside, play with Koda, negotiate, and wear bandaids. She is adventurous and opinionated. She is sweet and sassy. She is so special to us.

We love you Rylie more than you'll ever know!!

My Sweet Grandma

We went to visit my sweet Grandma the other day. She had a fall last year on Thanksgiving morning and had to be moved from her home to an assisted living shortly after that. She has been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe it is the time of year which makes me remember back to the days when the leaves on her trees would be falling and we would make huge piles of them to jump into. We would spend hours swinging on her old swing set and riding her old tricycle around. Maybe it is that I have been canning and working on my food storage which makes me remember her cold room in her basement stocked full of canned food, and her discussing the importance of food storage. Maybe it is that Halloween is approaching and the last memory I have of her at her house was my sisters and I taking our kids over in their costumes last Halloween for donuts and hot apple cider. Maybe it is that the other night when I got home Nic for some reason had been online looking at genealogy (no, I don't know why), and my Grandma LOVED to do her genealogy, and is always trying to teach me how to continue the work. Or maybe it is just that I miss her so. I am craving to go to her house. I want to go lay on her fold-out bed, with her crisp sheets (maybe find one of those old blue dryer sheets), lay on her feather pillows, and fall asleep to the sound of the CNN news report and her rocking in her chair. My Grandma has taught me so much. She was always either in the kitchen cooking or baking with us, letting us pick some fabric from the beautiful scraps she had in her basement and sewing pillows, or letting us take all of her blankets, chairs, and tables to build the most amazing forts ever. She would take us to the video store and let us rent a video when we were little. My favorite was Anne of Green Gables, and I think I have seen every one ever made numerous times. She would have all of us and our cousins over for big sleepovers in which there would always be a little drama. Somehow she managed to keep us all under control, and we would have such a great time. We would tear all of the cushions off of her couches and make huge beds all over the floor. Such fun times. She is a firm believer in the idea that 'Grandma's should always have cookie's in the cookie jar.' It is difficult for her now, but her favorite thing is to buy everyone treats, usually a baked good of some kind. She loves to pass on recipes, and I agree. Recipes are to be shared. Grandma's favorite places to eat are Maple Gardens, The Greenery, Sandy's, and The Cracker Barrel. Candace and I keep saying we need to get her a Sandy's peach tart before they are out of season. I could go on and on. What an amazing woman she is. She has taught me so much and I am so thankful to have her. I hope I can be as great of a grandmother as she has been to me, and great-grandmother as she has been to my kids. We all love her so much.

Who Knew...

Little boys would love to cook? Well, I guess bake. The other day the kids had a couple friends over and were running around being wild and crazy. They all came in and said they were getting hungry... hmmm... I thought. There staring at me were 3 VERY ripe bananas. Problem solved... let's make banana muffins!! I started whipping them up when all of a sudden, the boys were up on the counter surrounding the bowl, and wanting to help. I decided maybe this was not such a bad idea... maybe if I teach them to do it, one day they can make ME something to eat. Good plan, huh. The hardest part was they were a little impatient while waiting for the muffins to bake. Davis kept saying, "They smell good, that means they're going to taste good." I thought that was so cute. Well it turned out to be a lot of fun, and they especially loved eating them when they came out of the oven!

Rylie, Stockton, Kaden, and Davis... my little helpers.

These banana muffins by the way are super easy, and super yummy!! Here is the recipe for anyone interested:

Tracy's Banana Muffins

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup veggie oil

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and mashed bananas and beat. Add flour, soda, and salt. Pour into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes 18 to 24 muffins. Also fun to make for kids in mini-muffin tins.

I like to make the little mini-sized muffins, and I only bake them about 15 minutes. Enjoy!!

Just Another Day in Paradise

I added a new song to my playlist, and there is a story behind it so I had to explain.

The other morning Nic was getting ready for work and I was visiting with him in our bathroom. This is pretty much the only time we get to talk to each other, besides maybe an hour or so after the kids go to bed while I am straightening the house, and Nic is planning his work schedule for the next morning. So anyways, we are talking and Nic asks, "So what is on your agenda for today?" I simply replied, "Just another day in paradise." After a few seconds that song popped into my head, you know the one by Phil Vassar... Just Another Day in Paradise. I looked at Nic and I knew he had had the same thought. We both started singing the chorus... which lead to us trying to remember all of the words. We began laughing...and the more we remembered... the more we laughed. Pretty soon we were all out belly laughing!! I have always liked that song, but now I can relate to it which makes me LOVE it all the more. So I had to look up the words and post them... I'm sure we are not the only ones who could get a kick out of it. Nic's favorite was "Somebody had a bad dream, Mama and Daddy, can me and my teddy come in to sleep in between." Ha Ha Ha... I'm laughing again. My particular favorite line is, "There goes the washing machine, Baby don't kick it, promise I'll fix it, along with bout a million other things." Ha Ha Ha...Nic knows I'm abusive to things that frustrate me (for example I've been known to throw golf clubs and tennis rackets), so I can totally hear him saying this to me. THIS SONG IS SO OUR LIFE right now!! I LOVE it!! Okay, scroll down to the bottom of my playlist and have a listen. And then invision me running chaotically through my house while the phone rings, and the kids are screaming... happens EVERY day!! And I would not change it for anything. It is so true, every night I am just thanking Heavenly Father for my craziness, and praying for more!!

The kids screaming, phone ringing
Dog barking at the mailman bringing
That stack of bills - overdue
Good morning baby, how are you?
Got a half hour, quick shower
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour
My funny face makes you laugh
Twist the top on and I put it back
There goes the washing machine
Baby, don't kick it. I promise I'll fix it
Along with about a million other things

Well, it's ok. It's so nice It's just another day in paradise
Well, there's no place that I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Friday, you're late
Guess we'll never make our dinner date
At the restaurant you start to cry
Baby, we'll just improvise
Well, plan B looks like Dominoes' pizza in the candle light
Then we'll tippy toe to our room
Make a little love that's overdue
But somebody had a bad dream
Mama and daddy
Can me and my teddy
Come in to sleep in between?

Yeah it's ok. It's so nice. It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place thatI'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Well, it's ok. It's so nice. It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place that I'd rather be
Two heartsAnd one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise For just another day in paradise

Well, it's the kids screaming. The phone ringing
Just another day Well, it's Friday. You're late
Oh yeah, it's just another day in paradise

Zac's Mission Report

Well a few posts ago was the return of Nic's youngest brother Zac from his mission to Paraguay. It has taken me a few weeks, but I am finally getting to posting his mission report. He gave an amazing talk and had so many awesome stories to share about the people in Paraguay. One that particularly stuck out in my mind (forgive me, I don't remember all of the details) was that of a mother who had just recently had a baby, and journeyed by bus and foot a very long distance just to get to church on Sunday. Here I sit, with our beautiful church building right around the corner...and inside air conditioning, carpet, nice soft chairs (well when I'm on time, which is pretty much NEVER), and I come up with lame excuses why I am late or can't make it. It is so unbelievable the sacrifices so many make to be a part of this wonderful gospel. I am so thankful for their example to me, and for Zac's reminder that I take a lot for granted. What a great meeting it was.

After sacrament meeting, we all came over to Gramy & Papa's for some yummy dinner.

Nic and his Dad

Gramy stocking drinks

Zac working the crowd

Gage and Missy...Thanks Mis for the YUMMY Oreo's!!

Kaden hovering the dessert table...I'm pretty sure that is ALL he ate that entire night.

The girls chatting up their phones and being darling.

The boys just being plain silly... too much sugar I'm sure.

Zac, Ben, Grandma Sparrow (90 years young), and Deb.

Parker Frett, Me, and Steph.

The BIG boys just hanging out... such a fun sight after two whole years!!

Ring-around-the-rosie's on the tramp... Yay!! No injuries!!

Beautiful Soph just having a good time. Look at those blue eyes!!

Ty, Gramy, and Parke

At the end of the night we had some VERY tired kiddies, but Wow! They had a great time! The day was wonderful and what better way to spend a day than with family. Rylie was loving her Papa, he was getting some pretty good snuggles (which Rylie does not always give). So he was taking FULL advantage... gotta love that. It was a great day.