Guess What I Canned!!!

BUTTER!!!!

I started with 4 lbs of butter.  Melted it down and brought it to a rolling boil for about 7-8min.  The minimum boil is 5 minutes.  I had 10 jelly jars in a 250 degree oven for about 35 minutes.  The minimum is 20 minutes.

I ladled the melted butter into the hot jars, wiped the rims and put the hot lids and rings on.  

You can see that the butter separates.  Once they start to cool down and you hear the lids pop and seal, pick each up and shake them.  You want it all to mix back together.  You're going to shake them every 5 minutes or so.  After they cool down quite and bit and you have it mostly mixed up, put them in the refrigerator and shake every 5 minutes.  You'll be surprised at how quickly they harden into a lovely creamy soft yellow jar o' love.

Properly sealed butter will keep a minimum of 3 years.  I've heard of them lasting much longer.  They are shelf stable and do NOT have to be refrigerated before or after opening.

You can also check out this link www.endtimesreport.com/canning_butter.html

This is where I got the instructions.

My Uniform

I'm embarrassed to say that I wear a uniform.  It has evolved over the years but I'm square in a clothing rut.

I would think that most of you mothers could understand the evolution.  I really wasn't expecting to have 3 children in 3 1/2 years.  With that said, I have had vomit, poop, pee, snot, spit up, blood, food goop, juice goop and other various goops slopped, slobbered and sloshed all over me during the years.

So, my uniform developed.  I quickly learned that as a stay-at-home mom, stay was the operative word.  With the first three little children, I went NO WHERE--EVER.  It was too much for me.  I was a wuss.  I was usually covered with one of the previous mentioned goops.  I started wearing old, stained clothes.  

As I started to venture out with the kids, I realized that I needed to be a little more presentable.  So, I started to buy nicer britches (that's what we call'em in the south).  The elastic waist was all about the fact that I seemed to be pregnant more often than I wasn't in the early years.  So, I was either getting bigger or getting smaller.  Seemed like a pretty good investment really.

I started buying white tshirts because white goes with everything.  Of course they also show stains much easier.  But, then of course that's what bleach if for. HA!  Now I have the hang-at-home tshirts and the be-seen-in-public tshirts.  I can quickly change my shirt if I need to run out. 

So, my uniform is black pants and white tshirts.  Here's the problem.  My 5 year old son noticed today.  Joey made a comment this evening while we were snuggling that I always wear black pants and white tshirts.  What a sad day.

My bigger problem is that I like what I wear.  I like that it's all so comfortable and so easy to clean.  But, I have created a dowdy housewife out of myself.  I have at least one friend that I know of who does her hair and makeup everyday.  I've tried that.  It just hasn't stuck for me.  You'd think I'd want a couple of extra minutes in the bathroom by myself.  Hmmm.....

So, I don't know if there's anything I need to do about it.  Maybe once Leah is potty-trained I'll feel a little more confident at dressing outside of my uniform.

I did it!

I've been starting to think I can't work technology anymore.  I mean I met my husband online before it there was eharmony.com or ldssingles.com  We met the hard way.  By chance.

Anyway, so I've been trying to learn a bunch of different new things offered online, but I haven't been very successful.  Some of my other friends' blogs have music playing and I've been jealous because I couldn't figure it out.  

Well, you can probably hear that I have been successful.  Yay for me!!

Memorial Day

I remember when I was much younger, probably around 8 years old, my family was out in Sugar City, Idaho visiting my mom's parents and family.  It was the end of May, we had gone out from Virginia to celebrate my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary.  It was an eventful trip.  We were there when the Teton Dam broke and destroyed my grandparents' home.  But before that, we celebrated their anniversary.  And before that, we remembered our ancestors.

I had never experienced a Memorial Day like that one.  I can still remember the day being sunny and beautiful and it was quite breezy.  My cousins and I ran around the backyard playing with one another and helped here and there the adults gathering and arranging the flowers to take to the cemeteries.  I remember it as a very good and loving memory.

That's all of the memory I retain.  I don't remember actually going to the cemeteries or any of the festivities that surely followed.  I remember the attitude of duty and love surrounding the preparations.

Today is Memorial Day.  I am thankful for those that serve and have served for my family.  So that my children can have a childhood.  I'm thankful that my children have sweet dreams and a feeling of contentment because of the great men and women and their wives,, husbands, mothers and fathers and children who are willing to sacrifice for my hopes and dreams.

I have a brother in law who serves in the Navy as a SEAL.  I love him.  I'm so grateful to him and his family for their sacrifice.  You couldn't meet a nicer guy.  He's being transferred to Guam here in a couple of months.  His wife and son are going with him this time because it'll be for 3 years instead of the normal 6 month deployment.  Such sacrifice.

We may not agree on the current political environment nor on the decisions made by the different branches of our great government, but I would hope we could all agree that we live in the greatest country on earth.  It's because of the sacrifices made by our forefathers and foremothers and by all of the sacrifices previous generations have made and the sacrifices we currently make.  We are a great nation.  How blessed we are to live here.

I'll keep rambling about my patriotism, so I'll just end.  But, it is with tears in my eyes that I declare my gratitude for all who serve this wonderful country.

"....a smidge."

Have you ever run across a word that you just over use?  I do it every once in a while.  Most people don't notice.  I can't hardly help myself when I'm in one of those grooves.

My new word is "smidge".  Is it even a word?  I don't know.  But it does convey the point.  Such as at the hairdresser.  "Are the bangs short enough?"  "No, will you take them up a smidge?"

The funny part is when she repeated me and said "...a smidge."  She knew exactly what I was talking about.

I usually include "just" in my description.  ie..."just a smidge".  That seems to work quite well. 

So, if you talk to me on the phone or in person and you hear me say "smidge", just smile to yourself and know that the phase won't last long. 

Five Dead Birds

Well, now you know the punchline of my day yesterday.

I do need to ask before I go on that no one reading this calls DYFS on me.

Yesterday morning (it's kinda rainy and damp) Lucy asks if I like birds. I said, "yeh, I guess". Nothing much more was said at that point. A little bit later they're asking to go outside. "After your work is done," I reply. Man---I should've known something was up because they moved on through their chores like wildfire.

They go outside. They come inside. Then they break the news. They have caught a little bird. They actually caught it the day before and just kept it. Remember, please don't involve the government. Supposedly, Joey had found the little bird (it had most of it's feathers) and I'm ashamend to admit that he smacked it with a stick because he "wanted a pet bird." So, it was unable to fly. There's more to the story, but really, you don't need to know.

I call around trying to find a wildlife reserve to take it. We were about to leave when Robbie went out to get it and came back saying that he thought it was dead. It was laying on its back with it's legs in the air.

One dead bird.

Ok, one of the reserve places I had left a message at finally called back. She told me to try and put the bird back in the nest if possible. (You needed to know that for the next half of the story)

Life gets back to normal the sun comes out an its a lovely day.

I'm eating lunch and just kinda resting. Robbie comes running in the house. They were by the trees in the back and all of a sudden four little baby birds just fell out of a nest. (Ok, I know I should've been more aware, but my spidey-senses just weren't working yesterday AT ALL!!!) I told them I'd be out in a minute. I assumed that these birds were the same size as the last one and they would be fine if the kids left them alone.

I finally make it outside to discover FOUR brand new just hatched baby robins. Only one was still breathing.

Four dead birds.

I gently scoop up the little living one in a towel and start to figure out what to do. I'm a short fat girl. I cannot climb a tree. The nest was on the end of a branch about 10 feet above me. I ain't Michael Jordan so there was no chance of a jump. We only had an extension ladder. I must warn you at this point that ALL of my senses left me and must have gone to a bar down the street, not to return until much later.

We drag the ladder to the area. My bright idea was for me to be the "wall" to hold the ladder and have one of the kids climb the ladder up to the nest. Robbie evidently was in full possession of his senses. He would have nothing to do with my idea. Joey however is my daredevil and started to climb.

It was going really well until the weight of the little boy nearly 10 feet in the air shifted the balance on the fulcrum (me). Talk about a teeter-totter. The ladder teetered and we all tottered. Joey went down pretty dang hard. The Lord was aware of the loss of my senses and did protect my son. He came away with a small bump on the head. Amazing really.

I quickly sweep him up and carry him in the house apologizing to him that I didn't mean for him to get hurt. He didn't really believe me. This is where the story gets really good. I'm rushing around getting him bags of ice for his various bumps and bruises along with some Tylenol, when Robbie starts bawling hysterically. I assumed he was just upset at what happned to his brother. No. Not really.

He stops me to tell me that I'm going to be mad at him. Ok. Keep talking. He then tells me that it was all his fault that the birds fell out of their nest. He had thrown a big stick at the nest and they all just fell out. Both Lucy AND Joey knew Robbie had done this. They were accomplices. Only because I injured Joey did he not get in trouble at that moment.

So now Robbie, Lucy and Joey are crying uncontrollably. I got Joey taken care of and went about figuring out what to do with the other little bird. I was going to have to create some type of an incubator until Sam got home to help me get it back in the nest. Lucy had been holding it in the towel while all of this had been going on. I open up the littel towel to talk to the little bird and reassure it that we were trying to help him/her. I opened the towel and the bird was gone. I ask Lucy where the bird was. She didn't know. That sent her into another fit of crying.

I walk through the kitchen to see if it had fallen out. Not in the kitchen. I start out the back door and there it lay, on the cement right under the door. Dead.

FIVE dead birds.

I took it out back to bury it. The mama or papa robin was in its nest. It acted as if there were more babies. It had a worm in its mouth and settled down in the nest as if it was keeping its babies warm. I cried. I said I was sorryand I begged for forgiveness for my children and for myself.

Later in the day Robbie came downstairs to talk to me. I told him to back to his room. He started to cry and said that he needed help repenting because he had never done it before. That night during scripture study, we just happened to read a verse that talked about God's creations--including the fowl of the air. After explaining what fowl is/are, we continued to teach them about the sanctity of life and of God's love for us all. We also taught them their first real-life lesson on how to repent. And they did.

I never wish to relive that day. I would probably make the same mistakes. I'm a slow learner. I'm so sorry for all of the birds that gave their lives that my children could learn priceless lessons about repentance, life and the Father's great love. I am grateful for the adventures we all get to experience during our sojourn on earth. Some are pretty fun and super exciting. Some are not so fun but they teach us valuable lessons that we'll NEVER forget.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

The 5th of May. What a wonderful day for a fun spur of the moment celebration. I'm cooking up some Lime & Tequila marianated chicken tenderloins I found at Sam's Club last week.

My newest obsession is homefried corn tortillas. I could eat those until I drop. I have done that in the past. Geesh!!! That's just good eatin'.

I made brownies already but I cooked them too long so they're a bit dried out. The kids ate most of them anyway. Maybe I'll make another batch and add a little cinnamon for Mexican Brownies with vanilla (pronounced va-nee-ya today) ice cream and yummy hot fudge sauce.