Mmmm Salsa!!!

There's a first time for everything. And this is one of them for us. Our family absolutely loves salsa. It seems we buy it every time we go to the store. So...Matt and I decided to take on the project of making our own. We made ten jars last Saturday and yesterday when he got off work we made fourteen more jars as well as five jars of stewed tomatoes. That is a total of twenty-four jars of salsa and (obviously) five jars of tomatoes. We were thinking about making more canned tomatoes but it's cheap to go to Aldi and buy them and we enjoyed making the salsa. So we went with more salsa. I'm always nervous about starting something new so I am so glad I have a husband who helps me do these things. I think he even enjoyed doing it. I know I sure enjoyed it. MAYBE NEXT YEAR WE CAN PLANT MORE TOMATOES!!!! Just kidding. I'm not sure I'm ready to do more next year than we did this year. I'm really not big on the BIG mess it makes. Maybe over time and practice the mess isn't as big. I don't know but this year we made quite a mess. Well this is one to those things I always wanted to do but never took the time. So it was rather exciting to do something new.

We thought for a while we wouldn't get very many tomatoes this year because while several others were already eating their tomatoes we had not one ripe yet. But as you can see we were blessed with many tomatoes. This definitely made me a happy camper. Nothing beats fresh from the garden tomatoes.

I'm glad I saved my baby scales. I don't know how old this thing is but I used it way back when Austin was a baby. I almost got rid of it a couple times. But I thought I might use it for something someday. And now that someday has arrived.

It looks and smells oh so good.
We obviously could not wait to try it. And believe me this stuff taste so much better then anything you can buy from a store. How many jars do you think we have left?

Mmm Good!

I'm Done!!!!!!

That's right everyone I am done. Done buying school supplies that is. I thought I already had most of it but when I went today to finish up I come to realize I wasn't as finished as I had thought I was. But now I know I am done. They were excited to have new things too!!! Sometimes I think I should make them reuse their things from last year. And some things they do reuse but I'm glad they get new stuff also. It seems they get to start out fresh every year when they get new things. I was also happy to get a few extra things that wasn't on their school supply list (calender, white erase board, etc.). I think this gives their office and locker a personal touch. I'm glad that I'm the mom when it comes to getting school supplies because I really enjoy doing it (not the money part but the fun part).

Cody with his school supplies!

Austin with his school supplies!

Katy's Horse and Isabelle's love for them

When Katy (Rynearson) called and asked if I would want to bring the kids over to the fair grounds to see her new horse I was very excited. My kids love horses (well Cody's a little scared but he likes to look at them.) We have got him to ride one at Dan and Rhonda's house but that is the only time so far. Anyway Austin and Isabelle love them a lot and so I was excited for them to get to see them. She has a pony and a full grown male horse. They are so cute. It was very sweet of her to invite us and I really appreciate it. Katy seemed to be doing very well. She loves being there taking care of the horses (feeding, bathing, and cleaning the stall, etc.) It sounded like she has learned a lot about them and now she wants to teach her new horse to barrel race. I'm excited that she has found something to keep her busy. I think it would be wonderful for every teen to have a hobby to keep them busy. I'm glad she found hers.
As to be expected Isabelle did not want to leave when it was time to go. And get this...now she has decided she wants a horse for Christmas. (So I guess you're not the only one starting your Christmas wish list Angie. I don't know if Santa will be able to carry your dishwasher and Isabelle's horse in his sleigh. I guess we will have to wait and see.) I'm guessing that if Santa brings a horse to our house for Christmas it will have to be for everyone not just Isabelle. But right now I don't see that happening. For now we just appreciate our friends who share their four legged friends with us.

Isabelle on Katy's new horse (I can't remember his name). As you can see she loves him too!

Katy and Isabelle in the horse barn on the fair grounds.

Summers Ending

We have been very busy the last couple of weeks. I will try to give you an extreme short version of what we have been doing. On July 28 we went to the Creation Museum. It was an experience to say the least. The museum itself was very interesting and educational. This is a wonderful opportunity for someone who doesn't know anything about God or about Creation. The only problem I had was how extremely crowded it was. There was so many people you couldn't even turn around without bumping into someone. I guess this is a good thing because people are learning about God's Creation but if you have plans to go I would encourage you to go during the week or next year sometime when it isn't so new. Matt heard someone mention 10,000 people being there. He said he wasn't sure they meant the day we were there or 10,000 for the whole week. It sure felt like there was 10,000 people there that day. Don't get me wrong it is a wonderful thing just too crowded.
For those of you who have children this is an excellent opportunity to discuss dinosaurs. At least it was for me. As we were walking through the dinosaur exhibit Cody had heard or been taught that dinosaurs lived on earth before man and they all died from an atomic boom. I got the opportunity to discuss the Biblical perspective on dinosaurs with him. I thought that because he was so young and we had him in a Christian school he wouldn't have heard that kind of stuff yet. I guess I thought wrong but this was a wonderful time to discuss it with him.

Camping

On August 3 we decided to go camping at France park with Andy, Kristi and the kids. That night we ate and sit around the camp fire. When you go camping you always have to have a camp fire even when it is 90 degrees outside. We figured since it was so hot outside we would need a fan in our tent to cool things down but we didn't have an extension cord that would reach the tent so we were little disappointed. We were wrong about needing the fan we about froze to death. We were cold all night, I didn't even sleep half the night because I was so cold. The next morning when we got in the back of our van we realized we had two more sleeping bags back there we could have used. (This did indeed make us oh so happy.)

On Saturday we ate a yummy breakfast (eggs and sausage). Matt, Austin, Austin G., Libby, Kristi, and I played a couple games of bocce ball and then took the kids down to go swimming. Later that day we ate a late lunch sit around the camp fire some more and then came home. This may not sound like very much fun to you all but nothing beats a peaceful night away and our kids love to go camping. So we both win they go camping and we get away. We hope to go again sometime before it gets to cold out.

Chuck E Cheese

Some kids are so easy to please!!! Cathy and I told the kids we would take them somewhere fun before they went back to school. The problem was that we couldn't find available rooms for the weekend we wanted to go. We informed the kids of this sad news and they suggested we go to Chuck E Cheese instead. We jumped all over that opportunity. I mean Chuck E Cheese is expensive but not near as expensive as renting a room, paying for gas, buying food, and paying to get in anywhere we would have decided to go. The kids really did have a good time but I'm sure some day they will figure out that they got the bad end of this deal. (Don't anyone tell them please.) I'm sure we will have to make it up to them sometime but for now this worked out just wonderfully for us.

Indiana Beach

The kids earned a free pass into Indiana Beach from the library for reading books and doing book reports. There are only certain weekends that you can use these passes. This last weekend was the only weekend we would be able to go. So our already exhausted family goes on what seemed like the hottest day of summer. We get there and they only except cash not debit cards so Matt has to go in to the ATM while I wait out in the hot sun at the gate for him to get back. That was fun (not). For those of you who know me you know I don't do well in new environments. So to stand out on display for everyone who passes to stare at me made me a little uncomfortable. Although I should not have felt too terribly bad at least I was clothed. I think those poor people were paying so much to get in they couldn't afford to buy any clothes. This is no joke I truly believe that this place is reserved for people who are (how do I say this....) not too classy? I was not too impressed with the dress code at this place or lack of a dress code. I think anything goes. Men if you're married and a Christian please close your eyes as you enter and please do not open them until you leave. Ladies this may be good advise for you too!!! It may not be quite that bad but really you do have to turn your head quite a bit to avoid seeing things you really don't care to see. I was happy to see there was a church group there though. The reason I know they were a church group was because the ladies were wearing dresses and the guy were wearing jeans. Several of them were wearing long sleeves also so I was assuming they were probably Holiness or Pentecostal. I'm not assertive enough to ask. Anyway my intention was not to get on here and talk about modesty. I was really writing about my kids doing a wonderful job this summer on their book reports.

Each one of them did enough book reports this summer that we only had to pay for me to ride the rides. (Matt hates to ride rides. Makes for a long day for him.) The kids truly did have good time though. Austin rode one of the big roller coasters and enjoyed getting me on it too. Now I HATE roller coasters. Every since I was a girl and rode one that went upside down and the very next year that same roller coaster fell apart with people on it. Several people died and mind you this was a much bigger amusement park then Indiana Beach. Anyway he laughed at me and said you had fun mom! And I replied no I didn't. But we lived to tell about it, for that I do thank Jesus. No more roller coasters for me for a while. Cody said his favorite part was the pirate show that is performed on the water. I'm guessing that was Matt's favorite too since THAT IS ALL he got to enjoy for the day. (Except for breakfast at McDonald's that morning.)

Isabelle said she liked the train ride but I don't know how anyone can enjoy that. The train moves slower then a baby walks. I thought we would never get back to where we started from. But oh well if she enjoyed it that is all that matters. My favorite ride was the submarine ride. Because.....you get wet. You ride this submarine around that sprays water. When you get to the front the spectators can spray you and spray they did. I was sop and wet when I got off that one. It felt so good after being so hot all day.

This is what we've been doing the last few weeks. And as we all know here in the next couple weeks we will all be busy WITH SCHOOL STUFF. Matt and I are taking some much needed couple time the weekend after the kids start school. I can not wait. Don't get me wrong I love and miss my kids. I'll worry about them the whole time I'm gone but we need the time together. Anyway I will have to let you know more later.

Summer Family Photo Time

Okay, I know I am completely overwhelming you with these pictures and believe it or not I have more I want to put on here. Heather took our family pictures for us this year. It is forty-five dollars but the pictures are beautiful and the kids do so much better without having to be in a studio. I think it's the more relaxed environment that makes them cooperate more. I like that she gives you a CD so you can get as many made as you want to without worrying about copy rights. The women in Heathers church are raising money because they are going on a trip together. This is Heathers fund raiser for her part and if I know her she is raising money for others as well. I was thrilled with our pictures as you can tell. I had seventy-nine pictures to choose from so I really did narrow it down. It just doesn't look like it. Anyway, hope you enjoy them.

More Family Photos

White Castles Anyone

So many of our friends are so not into getting White Castle hamburgers. But we just can't help it we love the slimy little things. We realize they are not really all that healthy but they taste oh so good. More often then not we get the crave case. We used to have left overs but since our boys are growing (or maybe they're just acquiring a taste for them) we generally don't have left overs anymore. I'm starting to think that maybe we're just a bunch of pigs.

White Castles bring back good memories for me. When we were kids we hardly ever got to go out to eat at ANY restaurant. But when we would go out of town especially Indy my mom and dad would get us White Castles. At the time we thought they were doing it because they liked them so much (which they did) but now I realize it's probably more because they were so cheap. What ever the reason we sure did appreciate it and now I just can't help myself every once in a while I just want some good old greasy White Castles. Last night was one of those nights. It nice when little things like this bring back good memories, I only hope my kids get the same memories about the little things we do with them. I sometimes think we remember the little day to day things better then the "big" things our parents tried to do for us. Anyway for anyone who doesn't like White Castles I'm sorry for you. You're sure missing out!!!

PS: Sorry dad if you're reading this I know you can't have them anymore. Whatever you say White Castles is just not healthy for you.