Husbands are cool.

This was my little cabinet that I bought awhile back to display the china that my Grandma gave me for my wedding.  The china belonged to my Great-Grandmother Gilger.  I love it.  It was stored in boxes for years before I got this cabinet.  I really liked it but knew I would LOVE it if I could paint it.

My studly husband, who knows that I can't paint anything without making a huge mess, painted it for me!  And I do love it even more! 

Isn't the china sweet?  It reminds me of the women who have passed it down to me.

Here it is with the stuff all back in it.

I love these handles.

Look how manly he is!  Thanks honey.  You always do my little projects with excellence.  I love you!

This has nothing to do with my husband or my cabinet.  But I am so excited that I finally made some homemade ranch dressing mix, onion soup mix and chili seasoning.  So easy, cheap and much better than the store-bought stuff.

You know you're a mom of a girl when...

you have to say, several times a day, "Just take a deep breath."

you have resorted to hiding your  "important" jewelry.

there is a real fear that you will lose the opportunity parent your newest baby due to older sister ownership.

there was a period of time when pink and fluffy was the only acceptable state for any purchase. 

you still have to avoid the strong smells.  These just come in spray bottles.

you always check your lipstick before you use it.

you get that, "I totally disapprove of your behavior." look and it's not from your mom.

everything is better with sparkles

your sons won't fully believe you about anything until they have checked with their sister.

you frequently try to put on socks or underwear that are several sizes too small.

you cannot hide any emotion.

there has never been so much glitter in the world, EVER, until now.

you think you have had a private conversation only to find out she, somehow, has heard every word.

you have lost ownership of most of your high-heeled shoes.

you no longer have to ask your husband's opinion about an outfit or nail polish color.

there is inspiration for a real reflection of your own hormonal highs and lows.

you are amazed at how far eyes can actually roll back into a head.

there are brushes and hair things in every room of the house.

you have formed an alliance against stinky smells coming from the boys in the last post.

kitties and best friends are the most wonderful thing to happen to humanity.

you are so happy to see your husband give his and love attention to another female.

you are amazed that one human could be so sweet, silly, goofy, sassy and spunky all at the same time.

there is a friendship and a love that cannot be described that you know will be there forever.


I love you Jolie Kay.  We will have a new list of things to write when your baby sister gets here.

 

You might be a mom of boys when...

you carry Hot Wheels in your purse.

there is an acceptance of weird smells and an avoidance of knowing the source.

there are always bits of metal and random pieces of trash that show up in the laundry.

you have ever said, "Do I smell smoke?"

you know more about knives than you ever cared to know. 

the question, "Can I get on the roof?" doesn't shock you.

there is giggling coming from the bathroom and you know it's best to stay away.

you closely inspect your toothbrush before you use it. 

you have learned not to look directly at or inhale near dirty underwear.

there is a no wrestling in the living room policy enforced in your home.

your 8-year-old has asked, in all seriousness, "Can I drive?"

you check the oven and the grill for action figures, candles or sticks before you turn them on.

you have ever had to say, "Do not touch that!  It is dead."

the weeds in your alley have been removed by a machete and a samurai sword.

there are arrows stored under your bed.


any electronic gadget that breaks is immediately given over to the discection team.

fist fights are the solution to a problem, not the beginning of one. 

you frequently get the question, "Can we cut this up?" 

you would save money by purchasing tennis shoes in bulk. 

you no longer have to deal with anything gross because your sons are delighted to do it for you.

you always have an audience when changing a poopy diaper because...

poop is always entertaining.

And finally...

you have more love, sweet hugs and messy kisses than you know what to do with and your heart is happy and full! 

IT'S A...?

Precious Father we thank you for giving us the blessing of children.  Please make us good stewards of that blessing.  Keep us captivated by these little treasures so that we will never forget how important this time is or how fortunate we are.  Thank you most of all for hearing the prayers of a little girl who desperately wanted a baby sister.  You are truly a God who sees hearts.  

Whoo hoo!

I am done with my blog book!  It was tedious but should be worth it.  The book is 210 pages and 630 pictures.  Wow!  That's a bunch of bloggin'.  I am happy to have another year of our lives documented.  My next project?  I have to get new portraits of the kids and a picture of all of them together.  We really need a family pic but my favorite photog lives all the way in Hobbs, NM!  I didn't plan that out very well.  Praying a blessed 2012 for everyone! 

 -Rachelle (The Little Wife)

Blog booking it with year #2 under my belt!

I am halfway through putting together my 2nd blog book .  It's not easy and takes some time so I will be doing that instead of blogging for a few weeks.  See you in the new year!

-Chelle

Jelly and you

Okay, so it's really jelly and me.  But it so easily could be jelly and you!  I want to show you how simple it is to make a batch of jelly.  The hardest part is getting the juice.  You can do that on your own by juicing your own fruit or you can buy 100% fruit juice from the store.  Jams are even easier because you can use frozen fruit if you don't have fresh. 

Today we are making jelly.  Apple jelly.  Remember this, trip to the apple orchard?  Well, the apple were so small that they were very hard to peel.  You know what they say, if you can't peel 'em, juice 'em!  Hahahaah...no?  Okay, well, we will move on. 

I used a steam juicer to get all of the goodness out of the apples, then I threw the remains to the chickens.  They were not appreciative of the sacrifice.  Dumb things. 

After I had that liquid gold! I decided to do what any busy mother would do.  I stored it in the fridge until I could find time to make some jelly.

The time came today!  Hooray!  I had my waterbath canner on the stove for a week.  It was calling to me.  So I decided to do it.  Jelly used to be a big process for me.  Now it's something I can do, juice to jelly, in less than an hour.  And that's two batches!  If you can get a system going, it makes it easier.  Here is my system.

I bring the measured amount of juice plus the box of pectin to a boil (measurement will depend on the juice and will be listed on the instructions in the pectin box.)  Then I add the measured amount of sugar (this too will be listed on the instructions.) 

While I am waiting for the second boil, I set a timer for one minute. 

Here is the part where you have to be patient.  The mixture must come to a rolling boil before you start your time, not a soft boil!  A rolling boil should not be able to be stirred down and should look foamy.  Keep stirring during your minute boil.  When the minute is up, take the jelly off of the heat.

Oh yeah, I need to tell you an important part. FAVORITE CANNING TIP EVER!   Before you begin, stick you clean jars on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven on 210 degrees for at least 20 minutes.  This will steralize the jars without the mess and time of boiling them.  Then when you are ready to fill them, the jars are hot and ready to go.  Brilliant!

Fill the hot jars with jelly.  Leave a 1/4 of an inch of headspace.

I keep a small pan of water almost at a boil.  Then I can steralize and heat my lids before they go on the jars.

Wipe your rims clean.  (I use a wet paper towel or a clean rag.) Then place the lid on the jar and apply your rings.  Do not over-tighten.

Place them in the warming waterbath canner.  Let them come to a boil and then start your time.  The instructions will tell you how long to process them.  Mine processed at 5 minutes for the pints, 10 minutes for the quarts.  Some people will say that jelly doesn't need to be processed but I always do!

After the time is up, I let the jars cool for a few minutes on the canner rack.

Then I pull them out to cool on the counter and listen for the ping of victory! ( that means your jars are sealed!)  Remember to tighten your lids again after they have been processed so that you get a good seal.

It will take a few hours or a few days for the jelly to set.  It just depends on the fruit.  Don't get discouraged if it doesn't set right away.  If it doesn't set after two weeks, you can remake it (which is easy but kind of annoying) or you can use it as syrup.  We have had some delicious pancakes that way!

I really hope some of you get inspired to try this.  It's easy!  You can do it!  Homemade jelly is just one of those things that can't be duplicated in the the store.  Plus, they make great gifts.  We gave jalapeno jelly, a block of cream cheese and a box of Wheat Thins as teacher gifts this week.  Last year I was able to give grape jelly to several of the school staff at the end of the year.  It's a fun thing to give and it makes you look like you are a master in the kitchen even if all you can do is boil water!  Let me know if you give it a try!

I have linked to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop!