Up for trade with the Peeps

Now doesn't it figure that I would get the pictures this far without noticing I forget to flip them. I hope you can get an idea from these rather sad pictures. I have these up for trade with the farmgirls. Dr. Joe calls them the peeps. Katie wants to know why I don't share.

SHE PLACED!!!!

Katie got Second Place. She is going to Nationals!! She smoked 'em! Until the girl with the purple boots (a.k.a. Brooke) got up there and beat her by 5inches. 5INCHES!!! I think they pumped her up with B-12 or something... Katie says she is going to Disneyworld. She took off when they called her name, she didn't want the trophy they had, she was going to pick her oun from the table. We had a great time. Daddy and Dr. Joe came with to cheer her on. We had a very good Labor Day. Its too bad Brendon has a broken collarbone, he can't do anything for the next THREE WEEKS! He has to learn to take it easy.

Look at all of This...

Look at all of this! I now have pickles coming out of my ears. I have made Peach Conserve, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Dill Pickles. I don't like Sweet Pickles, so I don't make them. No one has complained in our house, so I don't mention the absence. The Peach Conserve is a fancy way of saying the jam didn't firm up yet. So until it does, its conserve. I still have another pot of tomato juice waiting for a few more tomatoes to ripen for the pasta sauce. I don't like spagetti sauce from the store in my lasagne. Cuz' them it tastes like funny spagetti with weird cheese. Take a look at the rest of it below...

Fruits of My Labor

Here is the other half. Not in any particular order...Crab Apple Jam (made with honey so even diabetics can enjoy), Tomato Juice (two batches), Pasta Sauce, More Tomato Juice, and Caramel Apple Butter. I tell ya that apple butter is the best recipe I have ever had. I think I had to fight Katie for the spoon to lick.

How Very Helpful...

Don't you love getting help? It rained all morning, so Katie and I did the laundry and finished the tomatoes and the pickles. It took her about three minutes to get up the side of the washing machine. Don't cha love our creepy basement? You look up and see tons of cobwebs...CREEPY!

Mike is actually a great help in the kitchen. He runs the sieve for juicing the tomatoes. The canning process doesn't take all that long, its the prep work that takes forever.

Is there a untensil or gadget you just love? The one you reach for every time when you are working on a meal or cake. I love my crinkle cutter. I got it from pampered chef. I use it for anything thats firm enough to cut. I have had mixed results with pampered chef. Some of the stuff I love, and some is junk. You could get the same thing at the dollar store for a quarter of the price. I have to stop at the flea market and check out any new arrivals, hmmm...

What a Weekend!

I spent the entire weekend out to the Ikes serving fish, steak and pancakes. We do this for Prairie Village Jamboree every year. I am exausted. You do all the duties of the sous chef, Exec. chef, front of the house, bus boy and cleanup.

Brendon gave us a shock on Friday. He and Mike got home at the same time, Brendon rushes to his dad's. Mike rushes out to the Ikes. I get a call couple hours later, Brendon has a broken collar bone! He fell at lunch time playing 500 at school. He didn't tell anyone how bad it hurt. His dad noticed at 7:30ish. They went and did an xray-BROKEN!

Katie was also with her dad. She went to the Pedal Tractor Pull. She got Second Place at this one. She already Qualifies for the regionals at the Corn Palace this weekend. She now has TWO-first place trophies and one-second place ribbon. We'll see how she does this weekend.

The tomato profusion has not dissapated here is a sample we did Thursday.

The Furtile Garden

Here is the infamous garden. Thirty tomato plants. Every fall I say NOT AGAIN! Then every spring I buy two more. We are enlarging it this fall. Looks like two more will be going in next year. I grow things every year and every year I plant something I have never had. I can tell you I don't like brussel sprouts.

My First Day of Retiement...

Well...I have completely packed up shop and called it quits. My store has closed. I don't have the foggiest what I am going to do. Today, I decided to stay busy. I weeded the garden, mowed the yard, weeded the borders and chatted with the chilluns.
I'm canning. WOW do I have the tomatoes. I've been giving them to walkers at night. People are going to stop walking down our street. I'm looking for cukes. I want to try making bread and butters. I have to make supper for the fam.