i can can, can you?

If I knew how to put the "can-can" song here, I would. My husband is proud of me. I can can. Yes, I can! Enough of the "cans", well, enough of the bad puns. This past week was produce city at our house and I didn't want any of it to go to waste.
Mom brought me a TON of romas from a local farmer, a neighbor gave me tomatoes and I had some I had bought - so what's a girl to do? Well - how about put away some fresh summer salsa for the winter? So the divine Ms. Ang came over and our children entertained one another AND she helped me can some salsa....all done within three hours, which I found highly impressive. She taught me some of her neato tricks that her preserving lovin' Mama taught her.

(Don't worry ladies, this isn't a tool used for your yearly visit, it is a jar lifter thingy....to lift those hot jars from the hot pot of boiling water.)

Then on Friday, Mom and Marv-uh-lus Ms. Marion and her children arrived at our home for our second annual Peach Preserving Party. 5 kids 5 and under could at times spell disaster, but they played wonderfully. Hudson and Peter loved playing robots and dinosaurs together, and Sam and James tolerated Anna hanging out with them (in all actuality, they really enjoy playing all together.)We were able to preserve 25 quarts and 17 pints of peaches for the winter time. We decided to do diced peaches this year instead of slices because it makes for easier feeding of little people. Scoop and serve - no cutting up slices this year! :)

Now, I have a GI-NORMOUS bowl of tomatoes left and will be working on sauce for the winter...but for now I'm wiped. Praise the Lord for providing (in advance!) for some of our food this winter!

Long Beach Island Recap

Getting to be on vacation is a treat. Getting to be on a vacation with family, for us, is a delight. We were able to join in on the fun of the annual Smith/Weidner family fun on Long Beach Island. In August, a yearly migration to the Atlantic Ocean coast takes place where sand, sun and seafood are anticipated.
Where days are long & lazy and the sun is warm.

Where Big Dipper Ice Cream isn't a rare treat, it's an expected after dinner dessert.

When meals with family are long and leisurely.

Where smiles are abundant, and whining is rarely heard.

Where you feel like you may be saving the earth because you walk or ride your bike.

Where the allure of gentle waves and sand castles far outway the need for a TV.

Where you can run the boulevard and greet 75 others out for their morning run as well.

When Poppy always has a bag full of Tootsie Pops and Mom-Mom always has Baked Lays.

Where the simplicities of coppertone baby buns and the smell of salty air provide enough joy and happiness to last to the winter days when you think it may have been a dream....

That's LBI.

LBI: Cute Cousin Pics

Finally starting to get my act together with vacation pictures - and can't resist some cute pictures to share with you - here's some cute cousin pics...

a favorite activity - making cakes in the sand at our "beach bakery"

Aunt Beth with Ruby and Anna - Ruby's 3 days older than Anna

King Triton Caleb and his Mer"man" Hudson

on the bay at sunset

playing with Aunt Steph in the ocean

too precious...

25 quarts, 17 pints, 1 1/2 bushels

yup, that's a lot of peaches to can. 25 quarts, 17 pints, out of 1 1/2 bushels of locally grown peaches. Praise the Lord for his provision...

learning to love...

Learning to love this place more and more.....it is beautiful here, really, but I had gotten used to some of the "nice-ities" of year round warm weather. Well, yesterday our trip to a local park blew my mind and then we visited a great farmer's market orchard store. I am wiped from canning salsa today, but wanted to share some of these cute pics from my phone we took yesterday. (more to come on the trip to LBI ~ I've got to get the pictures up from that too!)


Angie and I loaded her boys and my two up for the trip to the nature preserve, anticipating the little museum would be open - lucky us, it was closed on Mondays. But that was fine, because we had a great time hiking the trails anyway!

A cool cicada

Needed a rest on our uphill hike!

stayin' cool

pictures from my phone of us staying cool Wednesday night while daddy was at worship practice...grandmom and uncle b met us to enjoy the waterpark.

Anna loves these slides!
That's Hudson - making waves - as usual.

Uncle B tortuing Anna to bite a piece of cheese that she wanted of his.

Note to all of you out there: she does give kisses freely, he just wanted to make her work for her prize - it's kinda fun ;)

(sigh) I'm for sure a mom

Yipppeeee, I got a new stove! The one that we've had here at the mission house since we arrived has always only had 2 functioning burners, and only one that boiled water. And I learned to readjust my oven cooking to 5-10 minutes less on a lower temperature. Well, finally the word got out and a new stove was brought to our door last week - and man, am I excited! It makes me want to cook even more. And this is it...

Really, that is exciting. (Sigh)....I must be a mom. But wait, there's more. I've been able to drive my mom's minivan around for the past 2 weeks, because she graciously let us borrow it when our Santa Fe was in the shop...well, it was in the shop for 2 days, and I've pilfered it for a few more days than that. (What a luxury to have two vehicles again!)

We've been a one family auto since we arrived in PA - I'll look at it as if we intentionally did it to save the planet. But not really.) This is the Quest I've been zooming around town in.
And now I have minivan envy. (sigh) I must be a mom. Man, never thought the day would come, but yes, let me shout it to the world, "I WANT A MINI VAN!" (ew, even typing it is slightly revolting to me...it's a learned response, I'll get better.) It doesn't matter, because the days of us having one are in a future that is far, far away.

But while we're on the topic of minivans, I like this one too. It's the new Hyundai version (yup, we like our Hyundais in this family - our santa fe has served us amazingly well.) I guess it is ok to say that I covet this one too - but not to the point of sinfulness - just to the point of,



"(Sigh), I must be a mom."
P.S. I should be grateful for this realization, right? And I do rejoice in the reason that I want a minivan - my beautiful babies...and for them, I will never ever be ungrateful....(sigh - with a smile - I love them!)