Baby it's cold outside....

We are deep in snow here and my bones are cold!  I can't think of a better way to keep warm then lots and lots of hot tea and spending time in my craft studio.  Since Christmas is a mere memory, I've moved on to Valentine's Day.  You can check out two tutorials I have posted over at CutCardStock, hopefully I will inspire you to make something special for your sweet one!

While I'm trying to stay warm, the boys don't mind the cold a bit!  In fact, they love living in this much snow. They've adjusted so quickly and now look forward to coming home from school and sledding down our long, steep driveway.  The other day they built a snowman; he was cute while he lasted but the deer got to him and knocked off his head, chewed up his twig arms and devoured his carrot nose!

Poor Snowman!

Road Trip

We are heading out on a little summer road trip. Off to Port Angeles, Washington to help my grandma celebrate her 85th birthday. The boys are watching a DVD with headphones in the back while hubby and I contemplate solutions to the world's problems in the front.
Should be a great visit for all. We are loaded down with cherries and raspberries to share and I baked a strawberry rhubarb pie too!

At the Farmers Market

This weekend I tried my hand at the Farmer's Market.  Though there are several to choose from in the area, I wanted to go for the big one in Kalispell, about 25 miles from where we live.
We didn't really have any idea how to best prepare for this, so there was a lot of "winging" it as we were getting all the fruit ready and deciding how I would run my stand.  We picked all the cherries fresh on Friday evening, hand washed all the fruit and then weighed/packaged them so things were ready for the market.

I would certainly call the day a success.  I sold out of fruit (cherries and raspberries) within the first 2 hours of the market and peddled several bottles of honey in the last 1 1/2 hrs.  I only came home with a few big jars of honey and one wilted bunch of kale.... not too shabby.

I did come with a lot more fruit & honey that is pictured here.  I kept things on ice in a cooler at the back of the booth.  It was fun to talk to people and be able to say that yes, I picked, washed and packaged it all by hand.

I think I could have easily sold another 100 pounds of cherries and another case of 1 lb jars of honey.  I'll know for next time..... there will certainly be a next time as we are facing tons of cherries in the next few weeks here.

While I was at the market, the rest of the clan was manning the yard sale.  It turned out to be a pretty good success as well.  I sent the boys with all they needed for a lemonade stand and they cleaned house!  They took my advice and kept their price low, just 10 cents per cup; but their cuteness factor kicked in and after sales, tips and donations, they walked away with $20 to add to their Walt Disney World savings fund.

Summer Memories

It's been a busy week here, but I wanted to check in and share a tutorial I just posted up on CutCardStock.  If you're like me, in your ideal world you would create a spectacular scrapbook for every year of your child's life.  I have the desire, and I have certainly collected enough supplies to get a good start on it, but I don't have the time and it feels like such an overwhelming task.  Sound familiar?  Well I am here to tell you that scrapbooking memories doesn't have to mean creating a 30 page 12x12 album documenting every event of the year.  A scrapbook is how you define it.... it could be a picture frame that you change out a couple of times a year, it could be a card that you fill with photos and send to the grandparents.... it's up to you!  Check out my tutorial and see how I created this cute frame for the boys to capture a memory from their time at camp.

Besides doing a little crafting, we visited Silverwood Theme park for a day of summer fun.  The park is in Coeur de'Alene, Idaho, just about 3 1/2 hrs from our little Montana paradise.  So we packed up the kids and enjoyed a day of thrilling rollercoasters and cooling waterslides.  The park is half amusement park, half waterpark and the boys earned free tickets through a reading program at school this year.

  

 

It was a blast and the boys both took on their first upside down rollercoaster rides.  I'm such a proud Mama!  I love those kind of rides and was so pleased that day finally came -- they were both tall enough and brave enough to give it a shot.  They've caught the bug, so they can't wait to go again!

Now we are taking on a yard sale tomorrow and I'm going to give a first attempt to selling produce at the Farmers Market.  I'll let you know how that goes.....

Sweet Freedom..... it tastes like Mountain Dew

We picked the boys up from camp early this weekend and I have to say, I couldn't wait to see them.  Leaving them at camp was the longest they had been away from me without being with their grandparents.  I wondered all week if they were struggling with feeling homesick.  I also wondered if they were just running so much that at the end of each day they were too tired to think about anything but going to sleep.

They were so happy to see us when we arrived at camp.  They were talking a thousand miles an hour to tell us about the friends they made, the activities they did and how they enjoyed camp and couldn't wait to go again next year.  In addition to all the activities they did, we also learned that they enjoyed the freedom of spending their money at the camp store.  They bought necessities, such as bandanas and flashlights, but they also indulged in daily treats such as snickers bars, slushies and pixie stix.  Connor quickly admitted that he didn't feel all "hyped up and crazy" after drinking a Mountain Dew, despite the warnings he's heard from us for a long time when we have denied him the opportunity to try it.  Nope, he didn't feel that way at all when he tried it the first time, second time, even the third and fourth time.  I just had to laugh and be thankful it was the two teenage cabin counselors that had to deal with him during this experimentation!

They seemed to come back 6 inches taller, with deeper voices, new words and expressions in their vocabulary and a strong sense of independence.  That's a good thing and I'm happy we sent them!  Along with all the fun, they learned a lot about faith, Jesus and being a part of the church community.  They both participated in bible drills and learned more about praying.  It was heart warming to hear them share how they feel about the experience and their faith!

So now we are back to as normal gets in our home.  Hubby and I managed to take full advantage of our time alone; it felt similar to our life about 11 years ago.  We went out on dates and enjoyed each others company without feeling the pull to get home or worry about how much the babysitter will cost.  We met friends for sushi one night, ate at a bar another night and even took in the production of "The Music Man" at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse.  It was really a nice time and we are glad the boys want to return to camp next year!

Summer Camp Send Off

It's so hard to believe how quickly kids grow up.... just yesterday it seems I was changing diapers and burping them and in no time they will be enlisting in the Navy or graduating from college, or something else very adult-like.  Today, unbelievably, we dropped them off at camp where they will be away from us for several nights.  I don't know where the time has gone, but as they were running away to meet their new friends in their cabins, I felt my heart sink a bit!

I've been glancing at the clock every hour or so, pausing to wonder what they are up to.  I am sure they are loving every second of it and having a fantastic time -- making wonderful summer time memories!

When we dropped them off, we walked them around to see where their cabins where, add money to their Camp Store account and check in with the Camp Nurse.  I could see they just wanted to go.... go and have fun and talk to the other kids.  So I kept the goodbye brief and happy, sent them off with a hug and kiss and they took off before I could think of anything wise to pass on to them.

So now I just have to figure out how to spend all my free time....

After one year in Montana....

So I guess if I were going to win any awards, I might be in the running for "Worst Blogger Ever" based on my frequency.  You may have been wondering if I were eaten by a bear by now, but I'm happy to report I am alive and well here in Big Sky Country!
It's been a crazy busy year, but I am rededicating myself to keeping in touch through blogging.  I hope some of you have stuck with me and are glad to get an update.  I have to admit, though, that this revisiting of the blog came with a bit of encouragement from a couple of my friends after a recent visit to California.

After so many months, I don't exactly know where to start, so I will keep it simple and to the point:

• Boys:  good, growing like weeds, loving Montana and all it has to offer, asking for a dog on a regular basis.  Jacob will be heading into 3rd grade, Connor will start his 5th and final grade in elementary school.  They both loved their first year at this school!

• Hubby: good, busy learning orchard and bee stuff, fixing everything that constantly breaks, loving Montana.  He's decided that maintaining the property is a full time job in itself.

• Me:  good, one semester left of school but already doing lots of graphic design/web work, doing lots of laundry (socks get extra dirty in Montana), sewing and papercrafting, warming up a lot to Montana and still trying to be a good sport about the whole thing!

The boys are out of school and in full Summer vacation mode.  As soon as school was out, we headed down South for a three week visit with Grandma and Papa.  The older folks around here go to AZ in the winter to escape the socked in snow and cold, but noooooo, we wait and head down when it's breaking 100 degrees on a daily basis!  While in AZ, hubby and I slipped away for a long weekend to Temecula.  We were able to check on our house we left (with renters in it of course), visit with friends, drink some wine with said friends and I also managed to incorporate some work into the visit.  I have continued working with my former boss in Temecula and have since rebuilt their website and continue to work on optimizing it -- if you want to see some of my work, check it out here.
After our getaway weekend, we celebrated Jacob's 8th birthday and headed for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.  It was as beautiful as it was 25 years ago when I last saw it, and hubby & the boys enjoyed their first look at the Natural Wonder!  The funniest part of the trip was on the way home we visited Bearzona - a Wild Life drive through park just outside of the Grand Canyon park; it's main attraction are black bears.  Yes, you read that right.... I left Montana to visit bears in Arizona!

It really is a beautiful sight!  If you haven't been, I highly recommend it.  You could actually spend several days adventuring through the park.  Jacob was quite disappointed we didn't ride the mules down.

Boy, do they look thrilled or what?  Jacob is still in the fake grin phase, but Connor has clearly moved on to the "really Mom, can we just get this over" phase!

We came back to reality and luckily the weather had improved with our return.  (It rained the entire time we were gone -- even a freak hail storm that broke all the vent covers on our camping trailer.)  Now it's sunny and warm, but not too warm.  The garden is starting to blossom, cherries will be ripe soon and there's a baby fawn that I can catch a glimpse of often from my master bedroom window.

For now, that's the update.  I'll be back soon as I prepare to send the boys for their first week of away Summer camp.  They are so excited..... I am freaking out a bit!  -Amber

And so the snow begins....

My Saint of a husband decided it would be a good idea to head out Sunday and find some snow to practice driving in.  Sure enough, we didn't have to travel far and we found ourselves in at least 4 inches of fresh snow, with more falling.  Being a first time snow driver, I was terrified, but soon enough came to appreciate my front wheel drive and brand new studded snow tires.  I was stressed though, but Ray kept his cool and was so patient with me.... hence his title of Saint. 

 

When I felt a little comfortable and was able to relax a bit, we pulled off to the side and let the boys play around a bit too.

The look on Connor's face sure makes me think he was planning on doing something unwise with that snowball.... luckily he changed his mind!

Thanks to hubby's good thinking because this is what we woke up to this morning.  I had one practice under my belt and headed out for the long drive to classes.

Even my favorite regular wildlife visitor came to see me off and wish me luck!

I'm happy to say I made it to classes and back with no problem, and no dents or insurance claims.  I am becoming a real Montana woman!

Quilting and Basketball

I thought the warmth of the laptop would feel nice now, so I decided an update was a good idea.
Things in Montana have been good.... cold and busy, but good.  I've discovered two activities that are really big around these parts.... quilting and basketball.
I joined the local quilt guild, and despite not have many members in my age bracket, it seems like a great group.  There are a lot of events and projects to participate in and it's good activity just for me that doesn't involve children, bookwork homework or cleaning.... so sign me up!  I joined up just in time to attend a weekend workshop where we learned one piecing design and made placemats.  Luckily my sewing machine was one of the items I thought of to move with me, rather that pack away in storage.  My heavy coats were packed away, but I kept my sewing machine and fabric.... you can certainly see where my  priorities were.
Anyway, here's a picture of one of the two placemat tops I've finished.  I have 4 placemats to go and then will quilt them to the back and finish them off.

Another activity that is huge around here is basketball.  People take is seriously and start them out young around here.  "Little Hoopsters" is a program for K-5 kids to teach them fundamentals of the game and get them out on the court.  The kids are coached by the high school basketball team, so it's a great opportunity for the teens too.  My boys are loving it and both are showing some real skills at the hoop!  Here's the photo that was shot of all the teams in the program.  Jacob is in the front row in Navy and Connor is in the third row in Orange.

So now Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  My parents will be coming up for a visit very soon.  Just in time to help hang the kitchen cabinets and get the appliances in.  We are so close to moving in I can almost taste it....
As soon as I can get some good shots of Ray installing the flooring, I will post them, along with some of the kitchen tips for handling Thanksgiving.  Until then, Happy Veterans Day to my fellow Veterans and military spouses! 

A Vampire and a Zombie

Happy Halloween.... however you may celebrate, there's no getting around the fun of this candy filled holiday! We got to experience what trick or treating is all about here in Bigfork and I have to say, it was so much fun.

The boys got decked out in their costumes and we drove down to the village where all the shops are up and down the main little drag.

All the kids in town gathered and traveled up and down the street collecting candy from the local businesses. It was great and definitely the hot spot for the evening.

 

After about 45 minutes, the boys were loaded with a bag of loot and we headed home for pizza. Because we live off the beaten path, no trick or treaters made their way to our door. Lots of fun and a change from Halloween's in the past. I hope your Halloween was fun, a little scary and loaded with candy corn!

My dashboard says it all......

An Update and a Money Saver

Okay... so it's been a little while since I've posted.... here are a few of the things I've been up to, in no particular order...

• Corn harvest.... we had to pick, shuck and process all the corn in one day.... about 170 ears
• I turned 40
• Classes are crazy busy.... lots of projects to try to keep up with
• I got 10 new gray hairs
• Flew down for a weekend visit to Temecula and had a great time with my friends Teri and Suzy
• Laundry
• Suffering dissapointment with the news about remaking of the movie Footloose... some things just need to be left alone....
• Packing away my flip flops and capri pants
• Shopping for long underwear and snow boots
• Thinking about all the things I should be blogging about
• Getting ready for a visit from my friend Lauren

So, if you can imagine, I've been a little busy.  But I had a break in the action this afternoon so I thought I'd catch everyone up.  Actually, my break isn't long.... just long enough between loads of laundry, but I'm making the most of it.  Before the break, I was busy making sandwiches and I thought I'd share my strategy for saving time and money when it comes to lunches for school.

My boys love peanut butter sandwiches in their lunch box, whether they are made with honey or jelly, they love them.  They always ask for the Smuckers Uncrustables but it pains me to pay $5.00 for 10 little sandwiches, so I came up with an alternative.  Here's what I do:

Start with bargain bread.... either use a coupon or find a thrift store.  It just so happens I had a coupon for a free loaf of store brand wheat bread and was also able to pick up a loaf at the thrift store for .68 cents.  Each regular size loaf should make 10 sandwiches, more or less depending on the size of the loaf.

Spread half of the pieces with some peanut butter, then drizzle on honey (or spread jelly).

Top with the other piece of bread and squash it like a bug.  Then cut off the crusts and crimp the edges with a fork.

Put each sandwich in a ziploc baggy and then pack them all back in the loaf wrapper.  Since they are compacted, you should be able to get all 20 sandwiches into one wrapper.  Then put it in the freezer.  Each morning, just grab a sandwich for the lunchbox... it's thawed and ready to eat at lunch.

I figure each sandwich cost me .05 cents in peanut butter and nothing in honey and .03 cents in bread, so easily under 10 cents each.  It's a great deal and with about a half an hour on one Sunday to knock out 2 weeks worth of sandwiches for my boys, it's really a time and money saver!

This week I have some other good posts for you.... an update on the basement and some tummy-warming Fall recipes!

Honey.... Nature's Sweet Goodness!

Before I knew better, I never thought much of the work that goes into a jar of honey.  It was just something I sweetened my tea with or mixed with butter on a corn muffin.  Sounds good, doesn't it?
Although there is still a lot of the technical aspects of the process I don't know, I certainly do have a new appreciation for honey;  for the bees that make it and all the work that goes into collecting, preparing and bottling it.
Here on the property, we have 10 active bee hives.  I guess in his earlier years, my father in law had about 200 hives spread across the valley.  Just to give you some perspective, from our 10 hives, we extracted just about 500lbs of raw honey.

I have just a couple of pictures to share.  I really did want to get some more shots, but when I went down to the honey house I was immediately put to work.... pictures were not a priority, but my sitting on an upside down bucket in front of the pouring tank sure was!  I earned the title of "Head Bottle Filler" because I could get the jars evenly filled without making a mess.  They made the title sound like something exciting, but I think they were just preparing me for the years to come....

Here's Ray, carrying the frames from the hives to the honey house.  The guys know when the timing is right for this process and everyone pitches in to collect the frames.  The frames are brought into the honey house and the "cap" is cut off the comb with a hot knife.  The cap keeps everything in tact, so when it's cut, the honey is allowed to flow out.  The frames are then put into the centrifuge and spun so that all the honey is thrown out of the frame.  It gets collected, strained and then sits in the tank for a few days to settle and let any impurities rise to the top.
After those few days, we then bottle the honey.  Our honey is raw because it never exceeds 90 degrees, which is the temperature that the bees maintain in the hives.  We don't add anything or process it in any way, we just simply let it run through some mesh so there's nothing yucky in it, but all the goodness stays.  Sounds like I know what I'm doing, doesn't it?

Here are some interesting facts I found that I wanted to share:

• Honey bees' wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
• Honeybees are the only insect that produce food for humans.
• Honeybees are responsible for pollinating approx 80% of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops in the U.S.
• Honey is 80% sugars and 20% water.
• To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 300 bees.
• A single honeybee will only produce approximately 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
• Honey is the ONLY food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.
• Honey never spoils.
• Bees maintain a temperature of 92-93 degrees Fahrenheit in their central brood nest regardless of whether the outside temperature is 110 or -40 degrees.**

Pretty amazing, isn't it?  I tell ya, I have a whole new perspective and appreciation.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with all this honey....

**(Info gathered from Utah County Beekeepers Association)

A few things I'm loving right now....

Things have been a little busy here lately.... the boys are back in school and loving it, I am in school and feeling very challenged, Ray is making huge progress on the basement and there's always so much to do on the property.  So, this weekend I am spending some time, when I'm not catching up on homework, to take some pictures, bake and maybe make something a little crafty and post them for all of you.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share a glimpse of a few things that are making my life just a little easier right now....

Onion Goggles.... seriously, not the most beautiful things, but man are they great!  They come in pink too, but then no man in your house will ever be willing to try them, let alone chop onions for you....

Tresseme Dry Shampoo.... love it!  If I am running behind and don't have time to wash and dry my hair, this stuff is the bomb!

My Job Chart... this is a free, online chore tracking system.  It's great - you assign chores for each kid and set reward amounts for each chore.  Then, when they collect enough in their little account, they can cash it in for something you allow them to purchase or a special reward you've established.  It's really easy to use and kids love the high-tech aspect of it.

Nesco Dehydrator.... this is great for all the fresh garden goodies I have to figure out something to do with.  Sure, you can dry stuff in your oven, but this dehydrator goes to lower temperatures so you can dry without actually cooking the goods.

OK, so stay tuned for some goodies from the weekend.  You won't believe the progress in the basement.....

My Birthday Boy!

Today my big boy turns 9 years old.  It's hard to believe..... it seems like just yesterday he was my little chunky-monkey that I strolled around the mall, day in and day out, because most of the time it was just he and I. (Ray was stationed on the ship and unfortunately, gone a lot.)  Now he's almost as tall as I am, his feet are the same size as mine and he's read more Harry Potter books and knows more about the solar system than I ever will.  It's amazing how time flies and before you know it, your babies aren't babies anymore.

We are enjoying the day as a family, still adjusting to this big move of ours.  Sometimes I question this move.... I know logically it was a great choice, but I struggle some days with all the changes.  Then I look at my big boy.  One look at him and I am reassured that this is exactly where we need to be.  He has adapted better than I could have hoped.  He's grown close to his GrandPop; quickly learning his sense of humor and is great at dishing it out to him.  He loves to try many new things around the property.... he jumps at the chance to get in the bee suit and get up close to the honey boxes.  Most days he is down in the basement with the guys, lending a hand with clean-up or practicing his tool skills.  He can't wait to start school and meet all the new kids!

So, I'm doing my best to make this a great birthday for him.... serving up his favorite meatloaf for dinner and following it with vanilla cake filled with strawberry whipped cream frosting.  And after he's showered with Nerf guns, Legos and other things a 9 year old boy loves, I hope what he most remembers about his day is how much he's loved, appreciated and enjoyed by his mommy... OK, make that mom because he gets grossed out when I refer to myself as mommy!