Apricot Jam

I am blessed to have in-laws that have apricot and pomegranet trees.

So during the summer time I get to make jam. Here is the first batch.

I won't go into great detail but you start first with the apricots


Then you chop them up, removing the pits and let them sit in a mixture of sugar and lemon juice. After you let them come to a boil and the foam starts.



After the foam starts you need to stir stir stir!




And then you transfer to jars and you have your jam!

Not me!!

Today is not me Monday. So.....


Today I did not text my husband how much I hate summer.

I also haven't had to put my 5 year old in time out 3 times in the past 20 minutes for talking back.

I didn't print out 30 plus pages....of the wrong forms that I need to apply for.

I am not procrastinating cleaning my house. Moving the daycare toys, folding laundry, making my bed......

And I will not enjoy going to work tonight just to get a little me time.

Finished

I think the mommy liked it!

Busy Busy

I know I have been missing but I have a good reason! I have been trying to finish a quilt for a girlfriends baby shower this Saturday. It is very adorable if I do say so!!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


~So far today I did not eat toast and soda for breakfast.

~I did not search in vain for some kind of chocolate only to settle for a spoonful of frosting.

~I did not want to yell at a child who was being mean to my child.

~I did not put off creating the final budget of the year while surfing the web.

~I did not secretly wish for my daughter to lose her softball game. But only because if she won I wouldn't be able to make the game. If she lost I would be able to make the championship.

So what about you? What did you NOT do today?

And baby makes 6?

Since I got pregnant very young and started my family so early I have been way ahead of my friends. While they were all partying it up, going on long vacations I was nursing or changing diapers or scrambling for a sitter. Don't get me wrong I love/loved every minute of it. But it was hard. Now that I my youngest is 5 all of my friends are pregnant!

Which means of course that my clock starts ticking. And baby fever starts to take over. But here is the thing, while of course I would love another little baby, do I really want another baby? Can I really support another baby? When you really start outlining the reasons not to have a baby it can be really daunting. And you actually start to ask how anyone affords a baby. But another soft cuddly baby? Ohhh my heart melts!

Urban Dictionary

I got nothin'

So lets look at Urban Dictionary and names.

Brian
Tiffany
Julia
Victoria
William

What does your name mean?

God, are you there? It's me Tiffany

Hi God,

I know you are busy but I have a question for you. Lately I have read numerous reports of mommies, daddies, and babies passing away. Now I realize we all die someday, but why does it seem that the bad guys are living and the good ones are leaving us? Sure I know "only the good die young..." but seriously? That isn't a great answer, heck it is not even a good answer.

Take this family, they lost their son. He was only a few months old, and it wasn't through any fault of their own. Or how about this family, they lost their baby girl. And look at how precious she was! What about this family, a mommy and a wife was taken. I know there are countless others, I just don't know them all.

I know it is not right to question You. I know everything is done for a reason. But it would sure be nice to know the reason for these. I would love to know why the guy who killed someone's daughter/son/wife/mother/husband/father is sitting in jail right now, while the ones who really wanted to stay....who were making a difference....who meant the world to their families....they are gone.

If you have a minute, I would love for you to shine some light on this. But I know your busy. Hopefully someday it will all make sense.

Thanks,

Tiffany

So Much More from BlogHer

Everyday I come onto my blog, think of something to write, forget what I was going to write and instead checkout the 4 blogs of the day. It is through these 4 blogs of the day that I get some excellent reading. Some are fun for the day, some I bookmark and check back regularly. A few are funny, sometimes too serious, other times heartbreaking.

In the past few days I have read about two precious babies who were taken from their loving mothers and fathers. Thalon Bruce Myers and Maddie Spohr. I don't know these families personally, and I can't feel their pain, but my heart breaks. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through and will endure.

I can't do much for them. Donate to help with costs, donate to their charities. But I can pray for them. I can think of them and lift them up. And if I hadn't taken the time to explore the blogs of the day I would have never known. And some might say that wouldn't be so bad because I wouldn't know of the pain, but I say it would have been terrible, because while my prayers may not be known about, they can't hurt. Hopefully in the dark of the night, or the quiet of the day, my prayer might reach them and they can feel a small hug, a small thought that someone, somewhere cares enough to try and help them, the only way they know how.

To the parents of Maddie and Thalon I am praying for you.

How did this happen?

I'm 28. Almost 29. Married, mother of three. Treasurer of our school PTF. So how did it happen that I fall in lust with Robert Pattinson? I think its getting to the creepy stage, the little bit obsessed stage. But dammit he is cute! I have now watched Twilight 2 times since Friday. This might not seem like a lot. But for me, someone who hasn't seen 90% of the movies out there, this is huge. I even convinced my husband to watch it with me. I had a small crush on him prior to the movie. However he is just so loving and tender as Edward Cullen I can't help it. He is six years my junior though. So does that make me a creepy older woman? He does share a birthday with my husband. Coincidence? Ah well, obvioulsy I'm happily married and not planning on stalking Robert. But I can still swoon when I see him. Somethings you are never to old for.

Hello Again

As luck would have it Kyle McLaren will not be leaving the Sharks to play for the Flyers. This pleases me greatly! However he is still not playing in the NHL because we cannot afford his salary. I was informed that his salary does not count against us during playoff time. So things might look up!

In other news I'm up to my eyeballs in activities. PTF, softball, work, horseback riding lessons and big company parties that are this Saturday. For which I still don't have a dress. Yay!

Good-Bye Kyle

Today is a sad day. Kyle McLaren has been traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. We will miss you Big Mac.

Too Much Time

Last night I'm laying in bed. Its around 12:30am. And my mind won't shut off. What am I thinking you ask? Well it should be really important things. Like where my daughter will go for Junior High, or will California make it through the mess of a budget we have. How about will the economy survive?

Nope, I'm laying there thinking I haven't blogged in a few days and I have nothing worthy to blog about. And as I lay there thinking I have nothing worthy to write about my mind finally drifts to sleep.

So here you go people. A very boring post.

Two years in the making

My son, William is going to be 5 on April 20th. For two years I have been working on a pirate quilt for him. His sisters each have one, and he wants his own. This weekend I went on a quilt retreat with my Mother-in-laws store, Prairie Queens Quilt Shop. We had a great time and I actually got a bunch done!

My goal is to finish it by his birthday this year, which means I really need to get on it!

Part of the reason it is taking my so long, I decided to do a compass as the center of the quilt. A compass that requires paper piecing. Which I have never done before. And I like my points to match, which is a big deal in this type of quilt.

The borders aren't done yet. And the top needs some work, I don't want such a big space between the borders and the compass. But anyways, this is my way of encouraging myself to finish this quilt. I will update regularly.

The big 10

My oldest Julia is now 10 years old. Double digits people. She was having a very hard time with this. Apparently when you hit double digits you are old! I tried to convince her that getting older was great, but she didn't believe me. But I was able to give her a killer birthday instead.

It started Saturday morning. She has wanted to do horseback riding lessons for the longest time, and has been on the waiting list since September. On Friday I decided to call and see if any Saturdays had open, and to my surprise one had, it is started on the 17th, which is her actual birthday. So that morning when she woke up I told her about her new lessons and she flipped! Over the moon happy. She was able to ride the horse for a full hour, and has at least 7 more classes.

Then after the lessons the family went to lunch at The Olive Garden. Julia got to pick and it is her favorite place to eat.

We came home and rested for a bit, then had to get ready for a Shark game. We had gotten four tickets, so we took our two girls, and William stayed home with grandma and papa. Julia is a huge Shark fan, but the biggest surprise......We paid to get a birthday message on the scoreboard for her, and a visit from Sharkie! The teams mascot. He came up to our seats and gave her a gift bag, and opened the gifts with her, for a good five minutes during the game. It was amazing, and the best $45 I have spend in a long time. Julia told me it was the best day of her life.

So Happy Birthday my big 10 year old. I love you so very much!

Good Bye 2008, Hello 2009!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Went to Hawaii

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No, not even CLOSE. But I will make new ones.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No thankfully

5. What countries did you visit?

This one.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Patience.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

First vacation kid free

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Being a wife and mom

9. What was your biggest failure?

Probably being a wife and mom

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No but my husband broke his collar bone

11. What was the best thing you bought?

The Wii is so much fun!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

........

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

........

14. Where did most of your money go?

Food, Clothes, Maui, Tuition

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Maui

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Probably Living on a Prayer, since I went to see Bon Jovi in concert


17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Neither.
b) thinner or fatter? Neither.
c) richer or poorer? poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Laughed.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Yelled.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Running all over town to be with the people we loved

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

I stayed in love

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Dexter

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don't hate anyone.

24. What was the best book you read?

The Twilight series

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Indie music

26. What did you want and get?

A blue plate. I desperately wanted that. And a new wedding ring.

27. What did you want and not get?

A new coffee table

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I haven't seen any new movies!!!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 28. And sadly I cannot remember what I did!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Sleep.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Same as always. Jeans, hoodies, flipflops.

32. What kept you sane?

Trips shopping with my sister

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Well there is my beautiful vampire Edward. I think he has a real name, I just don't know it.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election in general.

35. Who did you miss?

My mom

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I didn't meet anyone new. But all of my friends are pretty great.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

You can only trust yourself.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"So for those of you falling in love, keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right. Through yourself in the midst of danger, but keep one eye open at night."

Stitches and Broken Bones

Happy Late Thanksgiving and with the way I'm getting around to blogging I might as well say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Things are crazy. Brian fell at work and broke his collar bone in three places a few weeks back. So he will be off of work for about a month. At Christmas. Which is bittersweet. I also have two weeks of at Christmas, but darn if the money wouldn't have been nice!

And last weekend my William who is four, decided to split his lip open and get four stitches. He took it like a champ though. I was totally amazed!

I am done with my Christmas shopping. Wrapping is 90% done, decorations are all up. But baking hasn't even started!

So until next time.....Stay busy!

And the winner is

The winner for the photo contest entry is Victoria and her cake! Thanks to everyone who voted.

Photo Fun

Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking of entering a "Fun with Food" contest I saw at 5 minutes for mom.

Can you help me pick your favorite shot? Just leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks!

If I Only Had a....Pen

So its been awhile, 3 months, but who is counting right? Well that just shows you how uneventful my life has been. But on to my story.

Its September, and that means Hockey is back. My family loves hockey, and we are Shark Pass Holders. Which means we love our team and buy 10 games before the season opens, but can't afford to buy season tickets.

Season ticket holders get a lot of perks that us Shark Pak holders don't. For instance, the are invited to the Teal and White game. What is that you ask? It is a night where the players on the Sharks sign autographs for an hour, and then play a scrimmage game. Which means, the team breaks in half and plays each other.

There is free food, free drinks, free face painting, pictures etc.

I was fortunate enough to get invited by my daughters old 3rd grade teacher. He is also a huge Sharks fan and we talk often about the team. Well at first he only had two tickets. Which left me in a tight spot. See my husband and I usually go to the games. I do take Julia, but it has to be on a weekend or a night when she isn't getting up at 6:30 the next morning. But her favorite players were going to be there signing autographs, so I wanted to take her. Well about 2 hours before we were supposed to go, Dustin (3rd grade teacher) informs me he has 3 extre tickets, and would love if I used the thrid ticket for Julia. Awesome!

So we all head to the arena, Julia is beyond excited. We meet up with Dustin, Stacy, and her son Hunter. Since the lines are so very long, we must pick who we want to see. Julia has two favorites, Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. She picked Joe Thornton. Mostly because she already has a signed stick from Cheechoo. So we get inline. And we wait, and wait, and wait. For about an hour.

Well down the long line of people, I notice an usher walking. He is informing everyone, that since the players need to get ready for the game, there will be no more autographs. Huge disappointment. So I start walking to the front of the line, since everyone is leaving, hoping I might get to sneak up with Julia. But nope, there weren't letting anyone through.

So we decide to just hang out around the area he was signing, waiting for the game. And what do you know. I turn around and there is Joe walking down the stairs. Well I'm not the only one who noticed this, and people start running towards him, ushers are pushing people back, women are screaming, it was a mad house.

Well Stacy and I scramble to get Hunter and Julia and we shove them into this mess of people and yell to Joe, "Joe will you sign their jerseys?!" Well he stopped and said "Sure, do you have a pen?" And this folks, is where I win the Mother of the Year award. A pen? Stacy? Nope, and the ushers whisk him away.

It was awful. Thats the only way to describe it. Stacy and I both felt horrible. Oh and to rub it in, Brian says, "I told you to bring a pen!" Which in his defense, he did. He asked me before we left, but I was so sure they would have pens at the table where they were signing autographs!!!! And they did. At the table.

Bring on the awards people, it doesn't get any better than this!