A Canning Nightmare!!

I LOVE canning. It is one thing I will do anytime, anywhere. I look for things to can. I also LOVE Bountiful Baskets. They get amazing prices on bulk fruit and other items that can easily be canned. When they offered green chili's a couple of weeks ago, I immediately called Jill. I knew Jill had canned green chili's sitting on her shelf and so she would know how to can them. She called her friend who said they are SO EASY! We decided to each get a box and then Shireen said she wanted a box too.

The plan was for Jill and I to do ours and then can Shireen's too because she was out of town. Hey, if it was easy, why not! Jill and I finally started the process on Saturday and 5 hours later I had 8 half pints of green chili's. I was THRILLED to get 8 half pints!! Jill was able to get 11 pints so technically I should have gotten 22 half pints, but I accidentally (on purpose) burned some of my chili's so I wouldn't have to peel them. The roasting took about 20 minutes and then they have to "sweat" for 15 minutes and then you can peel them. This is the WORST part of the whole process. If the chili's weren't roasted enough, it was difficult to get the skin off and if they were too roasted you couldn't get the skin off. Obviously I didn't have the magic touch when it came to roasting so most of mine burned...... oh darn! ;o)

The process was so horrible that I didn't can Shireen's. I wouldn't have even done them for myself! I am excited to use the chili's I have, but I decided the next time, I will take my $10 and BUY as many cans as I can at the store!!

Tattling on Daddy.....

Today Olivia came upstairs and asked, "Mom, are you mad at Daddy?"

I was surprised at the question and replied, "No, why would I be mad at Daddy?"

She matter-of-factly said, "Because he spilled his Dr. Pepsi on the floor."

"Dr. Pepsi? On what floor Olivia?"

"On the carpet. Do you want me to show you mom?"

"Ok"

Olivia quickly grabbed my hand and we hurried down the stairs. She knew right where to go..... as we entered the den, she did one of those Vanna White poses with her hand and said, "SEE." Sal had indeed spilled Dr. Pepsi on the rug in the den.

When I met Sal in the hall he said, "It just exploded on me. How did you know?" I then explained to him that Olivia had told me about it.

We couldn't stop laughing, but now Sal knows I have a spies that SEE and TELL all!

Here is another story......

Last week Sal came home from work late and we had already finished dinner. I asked him if he wanted me to warm him some dinner. We had White Chicken Chili that night and I know it isn't his FAVORITE thing. He politely declined. Sal then offered to pick Hayden up from baseball practice. I was thrilled! I was quite surprised when they didn't walk in the door until 9:45 (practice was over at 9). I asked where they had been and Hayden said he had to run laps at practice. "Why?" I asked. He said, "I dunno we just did." "How many laps did you have to run?" "I can't remember" was Hayden's reply. I left it at that and asked once again if Sal wanted some dinner. Again the answer was no. So I washed my face and went to bed.

The next morning as I got in my car, what did I see?? A poorly hidden Burger King receipt.... time stamp 9:15pm from the night before. I quickly texted Sal that next time, he should find a better hiding spot for the receipt. He said Hayden asked to go there after practice and he practically threw a tantrum about it. I knew better but I went along with his story.

When Hayden got home from school I asked him about Burger King. He started laughing and confessed the ENTIRE story. How Dad had asked him if he wanted to go grab a burger and he said sure. Sal then proceeded to concoct a "story to tell Mom". It was pretty funny that night at dinner when I told Sal I knew the REAL story. We all laughed and Sal called Hayden Judas. Cole didn't know who that was so Sal started to tell Cole about Judas betraying Christ. Then Cole says to Hayden, "I can't tell what you are Hayden..... a Jew or a Chinese?" I have no idea where that came from but it was HILARIOUS!! I knew it was a story for the blog.

Olivia's Hair

Here is a funny story about Olivia's hair. It was sent to me by one of my friends....

Today we were driving past the park and Olivia was sitting at the table and Sawyer says "mom, she is in my class at church." And I said "yeah, that's Olivia!" And he said "yes, I love her circles on her hair, how does she do that, mine is straight." And I said "you mean her curls?" and he said "Is that what you call them, I love them!" And then I told him that that is just how her hair is and she is lucky to have such beautiful hair. And he thought that was so neat that he had never seen anyone with "circles in their hair."

How does a Sunbeam.... and a BOY for that matter notice a girls hair? I was quite impressed. Thanks Cris for sharing this very funny story!

Hayden's 4th Pinewood Derby...

I am trying to catch up my blog..... Hayden had his 4th Pinewood Derby last month. His 11th birthday was the day before the Derby this year so he was able to race a 4th time. Sal and Hayden always have a great time coming up with the design for his car. The car is usually started the week BEFORE the derby... hey why hurry right?? Sal and Mark then spend sleepless nights completing the cars for the boys. I thought I would have one year off, but Cole will be 8 just in time to do a car next year.

Hayden in lane #1..... Bro. Scott making sure they are all lined up straight.....

Tata and Papa both came to cheer Hayden on!

Here are a few pictures of his semi-truck this year.....

Last year they did a roadster......

His second year they did a military Hummer.....

The first year the car fell apart half way through the Derby. Not good but it was a "learning year" for both Sal and Hayden. I can't wait to see what Sal and Cole come up with next year. Maybe we should start today!

Trials - Lesson's from Liberty Jail

I have spent alot of time this week thinking about trials..... Sal's step-nephew Alex died this week at the tender age of 7. He had been struggling with leukemia for many years. It breaks my heart to think about Alex's parents and family and the sadness that fills their life now. As I was blog stalking I found this and I thought I would share. I know every one's life is full of trials right now, maybe it isn't losing a child, but these trials are more than any of us have been asked to bear in the past. I was encouraged by these words by Elder Holland an Apostle in the LDS church.

Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk to the young adults at a Church Educational System Fireside. It was titled "Lessons learned from Liberty Jail" He talked about Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail. He stated "Everyone of us, in one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, are going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail--spiritually speaking." Blessings that came from Liberty Jail include the revelations received by Joseph Smith that are now Doctrine and Covenants 121-123.

He discussed three lessons from Liberty Jail:
1. The first, he said, "is that everyone, including (and perhaps especially) the righteous, will be called upon to face trying times." Elder Holland said: "Whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us.....We must continue to believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray and plead with heaven even if we feel, for a time, our prayers are not heard and that God has somehow gone away. He is there. Our prayers are heard, and when we weep, He and the angels of heaven weep with us....... "When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we have ever been in our entire lives. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple.

2. The second lesson, according to Elder Holland, is that we are not alone in going through trials. "We need to realize that just because difficult things happen--sometimes unfair and seemingly unjustified things--it does not mean that we are unrighteous or that we are unworthy of blessings or that God is disappointed with us," Elder Holland said. "Of course sinfulness does bring suffering and the only answer to that behavior is repentance. But sometimes suffering comes to the righteous, too." Through the Atonement, the Savior "experienced all of the heartache and sorrow, all of the disappointments and injustices that the entire family of man has experienced from Adam and Eve to the end of the world in order that we would not have to face them so severely or so deeply," Elder Holland said.

3. The third lesson of Liberty Jail, he said, is that in times of difficult feelings, "the Lord reminds us from the Liberty Jail prison-temple that 'the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only (or "except") upon the principles of righteousness." (D&C 121:36) We learn from the Savior and His prophets, Elder Holland said, "that the real test of our faith and our Christian discipleship is when things are not going smoothly. That is when we get to see what we are made of and how strong our commitment to the gospel really is." Counseling further, Elder Holland referred to D&C 123:17, written during cold, lonely hours in jail, and then stated, "Joseph says, let us do all we can do and do it cheerfully. Then we can justifiably turn to the Lord, wait upon His mercy, and see His arm revealed in our behalf. What a magnificent attitude to maintain in good times or bad, in sorrow or joy."

After leaving a blessing on the congregation, Elder Holland concluded saying, "I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs and that heavenly promises are always kept."