Canning

This week I have canned a ton! And my back is feeling the pain for sure. With Patti we made salsa and did a total of 24 quarts and 12 pints.

On my own I picked all the peppers out of my garden before our freezing temperatures and make 36 jars of pepper jelly and still had to freeze a bad full of green peppers and habenero peppers! Geez! I know I over did it on my garden. Next year it is going to be much smaller. Heck I should have set up a vegetable stand outside my house and made some money!

I also canned 20 quarts of peaches.

I'm so happy I did it though because I do like canning and I love the flavors of fresh peaches and homemade salsa. This winter we will enjoy it!

I am happy the summer is coming to an end because I was so tired of watering our dang yard and keeping up with it! I wish we got to enjoy fall more before it got so cold but that is just how it goes around here.

I kinda jumped the gun on decorating for Halloween this year. So far this is what I have for inspirations. I'm going to change it up a bit to make it my own but this has been a blast. I've made many trips to the DI to find old candle sticks and jars for potions. My hands and arms and grass have spray paint all over and my clothes are nasty and filthy but it has been a blast!

Gardening, house work, projects in general

I'm tired of our garden. I have a butt load of zucchini and tomatoes and don't know what to do with them. I have made salsa and zucchini bread but that is tiring and messy. My mother in law made zucchini relish, which is delicious and I might just have to find the recipe on my own if she won't hand it over! Anyways, I'm seriously debating tearing everything out of my back garden and planting grass seeds. Then in the big garden, I have a vision in my head to pour a patio with a awning and since it is next to the fence have a trellis with vines for privacy. I see the beauty of it in my mind.

Before I start any of that however, I need to find a way to get ride of a huge tree so I can have a driveway! Right now the west side of my house is so white trash. I let the grass die over there because I was tired of watering it. And because I was under the impression we would be getting a driveway. But we have had some car trouble and the funds just aren't where we planned. I'm sure the neighbors dislike looking at it too! We have to get rid of the tree for a number of reasons. My reasons are so the roots won't damage our new concrete. Plus the roots could clog and ruin our sewage pipe and the branches are destroying our roof/shingles etc..

Next project is our bathroom. Back in the day they didn't plumb a tub/shower. Adding the plumbing for a shower will be simple in our situation. However, there is a window right above the tub that if there is a shower the window trimming will rot and mold. So, our option is to take out the window and put in glass blocks and tile around the window so it is sealed. My problem with this is I think the blocks will still show my silhouette of my body while I'm showering and I don't want people to see me! But I do want a shower. So then I thought well what if I but a curtain rod that is a circle so it goes all the way around the tub for privacy, these are about $200 just for the rod. Not the curtain.

Peach Days

I was more excited for peach days this year because we live here in town and because Annika is one year older and I thought she would have a blast! Friday night Jake and I walked to main street and watched the Jr. Parade and Annika got some candy or (nummies) as she would say. Then we had some hot dogs for dinner and later peach cobbler. We looked around a little bit because I was determined to find Anni a fancy tutu or a really cute bow for her hair. But no such luck. Anyways, we then took Anni on rides. Oh the rides. Jake wanted to take her on all of them so I got the leisure of standing back and taking pictures. Jake forgot I already experienced taking Annika to Lagoon, so I was prepared for what unfolded and let Jake take care of it all. (he he) First of all, Annika is two. She doesn't understand that you wait in line then when it is your turn you can ride the ride. So she crys while in line. Probably for what seems like 15 minutes she is bawling. Then once on the ride, she just sits. Expressionless. She watches the machine hydraulics and how everything works. Once in a while she'll look up and give me a cheesy smile but then right back to watching everything else. On one ride a parent asked me if I would mind if his little girl sat with Anni together on the ride. I said, "Of coarse! that'll be fine!" I was excited for Annika to meet a new friend. Annika was surprising very nice to this little munchin which made mommy very happy! The little girl would raise her arms and shout "wee" so Annika copied her. It was so cute! I'm disappointed I couldn't get a picture.

We took her on probably 6 rides then Jake called it quit. He was tired of her crying in the line and fighting her. Which I totally understand because I did it at Lagoon and had to call it quit there too!

All day Saturday I went to the car show with my mom and dad. My dad has a Cuda, not sure of the year. He is so proud of it and enjoys having the car shows to go to. People come by and take pictures, talk to him about it, tell him how cool he is for having one. You know, all the good compliments and admiration a man needs haha.

Anni had fun there too. And so did I which is a plus!

Today I'm going to try and can some peaches so I'll let you know if I end up doing it!

Yard work

This is the first time in my life that I have done yard work. So to make it extra challenging (like I always seem to do) I decided to also take on a garden.

Luckily it is growing beautifully and I'm enjoying learning and working outside.

Jake and I hate trimming the yard with the weed whacker. So, we decided to spray the edges with weed killer and have it die off so we wouldn't have to do that task. well it looks horrible but I don't know what is better, having it look nice, or getting frustrated trimming it?

Our home

We bought our second home in October 2008. Here are some before and after pictures.

When we bought it everyone in our family thought it was the ugliest thing they have ever seen and they could NOT see my vision of what it could become. Plus, it was the cheapest home we could find so Jake and I snatched it before it was gone! Jake was working in Evanston Wyoming at the time so I had a ton of help (thankfully) from my husbands family. I will never forget the first day stripping wall paper with Patti (My wonderful mother in law) We tore through the whole house and had bags and bags and bags full of wall paper. Then the 2nd-10 layers or so left stuck on the walls. We tried pulling off piece, by piece scraping our fingernails underneath trying to pull SOMETHING. I kept thinking to myself "there HAS to be a better way! This is stupid!" All night long I had nightmares of staring at the wall and picking tiny pieces of paper off the wall with my fingernails and not making and progress. Next day at 7:00 a.m. Annika and I went to home depot and rented a steamer. I poured water in that thing, slapped it up next to the wall and hallelujah!! I wasn't ready to give up yet. It was like scraping wet soggy cardboard off the walls that is how much wall paper was layered. Patti rented a steamer also so we were working fast! I remember standing in the front room staring at the house and thinking it looked like a dungeon and wanted to cry. Our house was built in 1910 and they didn't use sheet rock instead they used plaster so it was pretty much concrete walls.

It was a ton of work but I believe it paid off. We still have work to do like finish the bathroom and downstairs & laundry room but we just take it one day at a time.

Annika

Here are a few things Annika is doing

She loves to play outside and our new neighbors all have children who are her same age. So occasionally they come over when we are outside and play with her. First she doesn't want to share and screams scaring the children. Then eventually she warms up and plays nice.

She finds a way to get on top of everything. One day Jake and I just sat and watched her climb onto everything in the room including a 5 foot dresser. She amazes me.

She is so like her dad. Jake understands why she does what she does because he was the same way.

She says something new everyday. Today she heard some music and started dancing then said, "shake boo-ty" I think Jen taught her that...

She loves naps and bedtime which I am so grateful for! She lets me know when she is done playing, wants her milk and go "Nigh-night"

When I was finishing school and Jake was working in California they helped me out a ton by watching Annika for 8 hours a day, 3 times a week, for seven months! And since then Annika and grandpa have a very unique and special bond. It is so cute to see him enjoy playing with her on the floor and she follows him everywhere. At family parties he is the only one she is interested in.

Our Family

Jake and I have been married for 3 years. We have a beautiful daughter named Annika. Jake works at R&O construction as a LEED certified project engineer. He is now working in south Salt Lake and I am staying home with Anni and occasionally work at a salon as a stylist.
We recently bought and remodeled a home.