at the end of the day...

when you just want to get the kids to bed and watch a movie something like this will happen...
Breanna had a mishap with my display case for Salt City Candles. She was trying to help me out and keep little man out of our deep freezer and put the heavy case on top so he could not open it to get Popsicles. Well she dropped it right on her little toe and it split the darn thing right open. She was so concerned about getting her Dora band-aid right after it happened. She walked all the way from the back room to the computer saying "I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding". She was so brave while we were at the ER. She did not move a muscle as the doctor numbed the cut and then stitched it up. She now only complains in the morning when she wakes up and says that it hurts a little. But once I get the medicine in her she is fine, she is a bit to fine all day and I have to make her sit down and put her foot up. She is just too busy!

Outdoor Fun!

David came home from his 2 and 1/2 weeks of working away and what do we do? Go camping of course! We found a great campground that is small so there are not tons of people, level camper spots, a small beach area for swimming, and clean bathrooms w/ showers! And it is also cheaper than the other place we went. All over a great place! So before we left David got his fishing licence so he could take the kids. Well we spent quite a bit of time fishing and caught about 6 bass and a couple of other fish. But the problem was that none of them were big enough to eat! It was fine though, the kids had a great time and we would put a couple in the bucket so the kids could watch them swim around. Breanna was quite the little fisher, she caught 3! Everyone had a chance to catch one. Ethan was even getting pretty good at casting. So now you are thinking...where are all the pictures of this fun they had? Well there are not any since my camera was safe at home next to the computer! I totally forgot it and I am sad about that, but there is next time! And then we will get some fish that we can actually eat! We had a great weekend and are excited to go again in a couple of weeks!

Teacher Gifts

For teachers gifts this year I made them these notebooks and clipboards (thanks Angie for the idea!). I had made some clipboards for my kids at the beginning of the year and had forgotten about them. But when I saw Angie's blogg, she made these for the teacher appreciation week, it reminded me of them. I love the notebook idea though.

It was very easy, I picked out the coordinating paper and covered the board and composition notebook with modge podge and then let it dry. I used an exato knife to cut off the excess. Then I added the embellishments to the note book and the quotes on the clipboards. I covered the clipboards with the glue to seal it but I left the notebooks plain.
Here is the finished product with the note cards that I had the kids sign, tied with some ribbon I had, and added a pen. I hope they like it! The kids were very excited to give them to their teachers this morning.

Strawberries!

Fun at the strawberry patch!

Yesterday I took the kids to go and pick strawberries at a farm close to us. Breanna of course was the most excited about the whole adventure. Emma was great at picking the best berries. Ethan was board with the whole thing and wanted to go home. David just followed close to Breanna and picked and ate. I had fun and loved the thought of what I could do with these great tasting berries when I got home. So after picking and eating we went home with 8.25 lbs. of fresh strawberries! Now I have to definitely do something before the berries spoil, what to do...Freezer Jam of course!
So after running a few errands, Home Depot to pick up some things for my garden and Walmart to purchase some of the pectin and the great plastic freezer jars, I was on my way home. I worked in the garden, pictures to come. Then after getting the kids cleaned up and fed I was able to start on the jam. Breanna was my little strawberry masher and a great help. But unfortunately it was getting late and I had to put the kids to bed. So then I was able to finish the jam. The recipe is at the bottom of the post. I am going to give one to each of the kids teachers for end of year gifts. I am debating about baking bread for the teachers too.

Freezer Jam
3-1/4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 2 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 box MCP Pectin

1 cup corn syrup

4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Directions:
RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.
CRUSH strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 3-1/4 cups crushed strawberries into large bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Stir in pectin; let stand 30 min., stirring every 5 min. Stir in corn syrup. Gradually add sugar, stirring until well blended. Stir an additional 3 min. or until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using. Makes 8 cups.

Field Trips and Fun!

The past 2 weeks we have had some fun. All the kids have had their year end field trips and we also had a primary activity. I was able to go with Ethan and Emma on their field trips but not Breanna since hers was on the same day as Emma's. But Breanna did have a great time visiting the Cardinals Stadium and walking around the field. Then they were able to eat lunch at a park before they went back to the school.
I went with Emma on her field trip to the Botanical Gardens. We were able to go out on our own and see what we wanted for 2 hours. So off we went to walk the maze and feed the fish. We had a small accident while feeding the fish, the other girl that was in my group was pushed into the lake by a boy from some other school. I was very relieved that she could swim! The teachers from the boys group had an extra shirt that they gave her along with many apologies. So with that adventure we finished looking at things in the gardens and then met up with the rest of the school to go to lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I have not been in years and I thought of my mom the whole time because that was here favorite restaurant while we were growing up.

As for Ethan's field trip. His was actually before Emma's but this is how the pictures loaded. His class went to the Children's Museum. They learned about the different branches of the judicial system. We visited a court room where his teacher was the judge. And Ethan sat at the desk in the Oval Office. We had a great time!

These last pictures were from our Primary activity where we visited the St. Louis Temple and learned about the temple and why they are so important to our families.