Are you a fan?

Why do they insist on calling them season finales when there is nothing final about them? We watched the season finale of LOST last night. (We're about a week behind, but yeah for DVR!) We've been faithful fans for the whole length of the show. I love the show! And, I hate the show! Give me a break.....big cliffhanger season finale that ended with the annoucement of the new episodes starting in 2010. That's more than half a year away! Like I said, I hate the show, but I'll be watching again come February 2010, just like I always do.

So for any LOST fans out there, here is a picture we came across in a museum. The picture was taken in 1910 but there's an uncanny resemblence to a character from the show. Both Trevor and I were amazed when we saw it. Maybe Benjamin Linus really does travel in time! Any idea who it really is?????

Yes You Can Freezer Jam

Strawberries anyone? Superstition Ranch Market has them for 50 cents a pound. That's an amazing price and they are really good, too. I bought a cartful yesterday and went back again this morning for more. Here's a recipe I found for super-easy, low-sugar, no-cook freezer jam. It takes just minutes to make and you don't have to heat up your kitchen!

4 cups crushed strawberries (I toss them into my food processor, so quick. I used about 2 pounds of strawberries to make the 4 cups.
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 envelope pectin (use the kind pictured below--I got it at WalMart for about $1.50)


In a large bowl, combine sugar and pectin and blend well. Add 4 c. crushed strawberries and stir well. Keep stirring for 3 minutes. Spoon jam into freezer containers. I like to use the little Ziploc ones. They're only about 45 cents a piece. Stores in the freezer for up to 1 year. This recipe is from the back of the pectin envelope.

The Best

It was a busy afternoon. Nothing extraordinary going on, just the usual afternoon rush of dinner preparations, homework, practicing, neighborhood kids in and out, etc. You know the drill. In the middle of it was E. asking me to push him on the swings in the backyard. I'll admit that I turned him down at first, but after he asked a second time I said ok. I think it's one of my greatest weaknesses as a mom, not taking hte time to just play with my children. I love them to death and love spending time with them, but it is usually on my terms and not theirs. I've missed a lot of great opportunities in the past because of this and that really makes me sad. So I left what I was doing and followed him outside. I pushed him super high on the swings like he wanted to and then we rode together on the glider swing. In less than 10 minutes, he said he was done and wanted to go back in the house. Ok, that didn't take very long and I went back to what I was doing before. Later that evening at dinner we played "Best and Worst." Everyone around the dinner table takes turns telling about the best moment of their day along with the worst moment of their day. When E.s turn came he proudly reported that the best part of that day was when I pushed him on the swing. He didn't even hesitate to think of something. There it was in the forefront of his mind, the very best part of his day. I will admit to tearing up, because my next thought was, "What if I had said no." Sure he probably would have thought of something else that was the best. When you're 4 years old, life is pretty good. But I was grateful and privileged that I got to share the very best part of his day with him. My turn was next and you can guess what I reported as my very best part of the day. It was a good day for me and I got a lot of important things done, but swinging with E. really topped them all. Thanks, E.

What will be your best moment today?

What's in YOUR wallet?

Trevor and I got to go out of town last weekend. More on that later. As I was packing for the trip I decided to clean out my purse and my wallet. In doing so I found an old Costco Cash Card from a return that I had forgotten about. Fast forward to today. My printer toner was running low so I went on Costco.com to order a new one. I was really bummed about having to pay nearly $90.00 for a new one. I happened to remember that old Costco Cash Card and checked the remaining balance. You can imagine my delight to find that the card still had $86.23 left on it. You can also imagine how silly I felt knowing that I had $86.23 basically sitting in the bottom of my purse for the last few months! The good news was that I ended up paying $1.35 for the toner cartridge! Happy day! Reminds me of the first cold day in the fall when you pull your jacket out of the closet and reach in the pocket and find money that you didn't know about. Or money sitting in the bottom of the dryer. At my house it belongs to me if I find it in the laundry. Let's face it, finding money anywhere is just a dang good thing!

Watch Your Step!

Sunday night at 8:00....knock on the door...it's our next door neighbor's kids: "Have you guys seen our snake? We were playing with it in our front yard and now we can't find it."

EXCUSE ME...Did you just say SNAKE?? Somewhere loose in the front yard???

Monday morning at 8:00...talking with the same neighbor at the bus stop: "Yeah, just let us know if you run across the snake. We never did find it last night."

OH YEAH....you bet I'll let you know if I run across it!! Maybe I'll run across it with my car or the back of a shovel. :) Just kidding.....I think!

Happy Birthday T.!

Happy Birthday to T., my husband, best friend and man of my dreams! In honor of his 38th birthday, here are 38 things that I love about him (in no particular order, well except #1, that is definitely #1, but after that, no particular order!)
1. He is an awesome kisser!
2. He is infinitely patient, especially with me.
3. He is ambitious.
4. He is an incredible father.
5. He always holds my hand when we're walking together.
6. He notices when things need to be done around the house and pitches in.
7. He compliments me.
8. He is an incredible PA who is loved and appreciated by his patients.
9. He refuses to speak badly about anyone.
10. He looks hot wearing scrubs!
11. He spends a little extra time in the morning getting his hair just right.
12. He is most comfortable in a t-shirt.
13. He supports me in my own hobbies and interests.
14. He is always willing to get up with kids in the night.
15. He is not afraid of working hard.
16. He has a rock-solid testimony of the gospel.
17. You will never hear him whine and complain.
18. He is kind.
19. He loves working with the scouts.
20. He is a really good driver and is a pro at backing in a trailer.
21. He loves woodworking.
22. He is always willing to give home improvement projects a try.
23. He writes me love letters regularly.
24. He takes pride in a well-kept yard.
25. He is fiercely loyal.
26. He plays the guitar.
27. He will never make a major decision without discussing it with me first.
28. He can sit with each other without talking and be comfortable in the silence.
29. He is always willing to help a neighbor or a friend.
30. He does not like to be late to anything.
31. We enjoy traveling together.
32. He encourages me to sleep in when I've had a hard night.
33. He is usually the person to stay and help clean up.
34. He assumes the best about people and situations.
35. He loves the outdoors and enjoys camping comfortably.
36. He can be counted on to fulfill an assignment.
37. He is respectful of his parents and my parents.
38. He puts up with me on a daily basis.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Happy Birthday today to my Mom! We love you and are so grateful for you.