HOPE

My sister spoke in church yesterday about hope.

She did an amazing job & got me thinking.

I found this quote that made me very happy.

"Hope is not knowledge,

but rather the abiding trust that the Lord

will fulfill His promise to us."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, Nov.2008, "The Infinite Power of Hope"

SALSA!

I conquered my fear of canning this weekend!

I had never canned before or had much of a desire to do so

- it seemed to be a lot of work and a big mess in the end.

I also told myself that I really wouldn't save that much money.

Boy was I wrong!

Since my kids are older we made it a family affair & had a lot of fun preparing all of the vegetables. Then, my friend, Jodi, came over to show me the ins and outs of water bath canning!

The end result:

-39 pints of salsa

-about $32 for all of the ingredients

-great family togetherness

It's begun

Well, it's all over.

They are safely tucked away in our little home town schools & I love it!

The best part of it-

they all wanted me to walk in with them!

Even my 7th grader needed a little reassurance.

Ashlyn walked in holding my hand,

Sam held my hand & giggled the whole time we walked.

Again, I loved it! They will all be amazing.

Ellie & I have good times ahead.

an end to summer

This morning at 6 a.m. I am gathering my thoughts on summer ending. It went all too soon & then this past week not soon enough. The kids are ready for friends and schedules. I am ready for a little down time with Ellie and the opportunity to whittle away my fun 'to do' list. We had lots of fun & enjoyed every minute of it from bbq's to marshmellow roasts

-gardening and weeding

-floating down canals & jumping into swimming pools

-picnics & ice cream treats

-sleeping in & staying up late

-drive-in theaters & walks in byu gardens

-reunions & marathons

-happy hour at sonic & skate parks

-bike rides & visits with friends.

You really can't get a lot better than that.

Great memories were had,

I love my kids & can't wait for more summers to come!

calling for the day

today my calling is-

laundry

(school starts tomorrow & the children need choices!)

summer catch-up

We have a had an amazing couple of weeks!

I need to play catch-up,

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

(jackson hole side)

standing in front of

Old Faithful-

we missed the eruption by minutes,

so this was at good as it got!

Isla Lake-

small lake at the side of the road

filled with amazing

water lillies!

a water lilly

swinging off a rope into

Cliff Lake-

Ashlyn was very brave,

it's a long drop!

the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone!

It was an amazing vacation

filled with a lot of beauty!

sumer favorites #6

raspberry freezer jam-

definitely something that is enjoyed

all winter long!

allergies

last night, Sam, was playing in the barn &

came out looking like this!

We had a friend over who happens to be an eye doctor.

He said, "This is an ACUTE allergic reaction."

So, he called in some eye drops,

even this morning he is pretty swollen,

but still cute!