Two DAYS!

Two days can seem like a long time or it can go by quickly. I'm hoping it goes by quickly because THEN I'll be finished working in a call center for 10+ hours a day, 4 days a week. For what it's been, it isn't the worst job.

I've been calling America.
I have spoken to every different person you can imagine: sweet old ladies who appreciate what we're doing, young couples wanting to make sure they've been counted along with their newborn baby, college students, immigrants who don't speak English, empty nesters, snow birds who juggle two residences. Those are the nice ones.
Then we have the anti-government people who would rather stay on the phone and yell at me (for things out of my control) rather than hang up. Or the people who make lewd comments throughout the call. They're a joy.
America is paranoid, but overall, very nice. Well, sometimes. Mostly just cordial. Needless to say, I'm not too sad for this job to be finished.

What am I going to do with all my free time afterwards? HA.

My month is so packed that I'll have just a few days downtime before it gets busy again.

In those few days, I'm going to empty my freezer of all the frozen (fresh) fruit and make all sorts of canned goods. Then I'm going to start cleaning my sewing room/craft studio in the hopes of finding my camera. And also to clean it.

Before I know it I'll be on the road with Heidi and our new friend Rebecca on our way to CHA! in Chicago.

So my weeks might be full still, but they're definitely things I'll WANT to be doing instead of HAVE to be doing.

Like planning what to do in Chicago.

Anyone have suggestions on Must-See's in Chicago area?

Also, if you haven't seen the video below, watch it. Pretty darn funny.

If it's not funny to you, watch the original they're spoofing here. And also here.
I love BYU even more.

Berry Picking: Blueberries

On Thursday I got the idea that I wanted to drive 2 hours to a pick-your-own fruit farm.

First, a little back story.
I've been stocking up my freezer with fresh fruit for the last two weeks. The grocery store has had some awesome sales on fresh fruit lately and I took full advantage: blackberries and raspberries for $1 for the 6oz containers they come in, which are normally $2+.

Side note - I wash and hull (if necessary) the berries and dry them and then lay them on a cookie sheet covered in saran wrap and then wrap the whole thing up in more plastic wrap (to avoid the funky garlic smell that lives in my freezer). Then the next day I pull them all off the cookie sheet and pack them into freezer storage bags to be used at a later date.

I have been using Pick Your Own to look for farms in my area and to pay attention to the ready-to-pick fruits.

This week is blueberries!

So I called up one of my great friends and she and her little boy and I drove to Grimm's Gardens yesterday and I ended up with over 6 lbs of blueberries! At only $2.35/lb! What a BARGAIN.

What does 6 lbs of blueberries look like? This, my friends.
That's a nice big jelly roll sheet pan. I ended up dividing it all between two cookie sheets and using paper towels to absorb excess water and so I could use multiple layers.

The taste? SO fresh. So sweet. So worth the sun poisoning I think I got.

I'm going back next weekend for more blueberries and maybe some red raspberries and apricots. This time, I'll be sure to drink water along the way and bring more sunscreen (mine all sweat off).

If you have the opportunity to do something like this, I highly recommend taking advantage!

Summer 2010

I always set lofty goals for myself. There's this curse in my family about trying to fit too many things into a too short time-frame. I'm getting better, but I'm not cured.

My plans for this Summer have included the following:

• Watch movies downtown in Lawrence - dude, it's Cary Grant this year
• Work 40 hrs/week
• Plant a garden
• Learn how to can food
• Use all the tomatoes and strawberries from my garden to practice canning
• Travel
• Clean the house (ha!)
• Paint all the trim in the house
• Clean up my craft room
• Paint the other two bedrooms
• Find contractors in the area to get bids for a second bathroom
• Lose a million pounds
• Clean out the garage
• Make curtains for our bedroom
• Sort through all the dishes in our kitchen
• Have a yard sale
• Be happy

Guess which ones I've finished? (crossed out)

• Watch movies downtown in Lawrence - dude, it's Cary Grant this year
• Work 40 hrs/week
• Plant a garden
• Learn how to can food
• Use all the tomatoes and strawberries from my garden to practice canning
• Travel
• Clean the house (ha!)
• Paint all the trim in the house
• Clean up my craft room
• Paint the other two bedrooms
• Find contractors in the area to get bids for a second bathroom
• Lose a million pounds
• Clean out the garage
• Make curtains for our bedroom
• Sort through all the dishes in our kitchen
• Have a yard sale
• Be happy

I think I've gotten the most important ones taken care of, though!

What I DO have to look forward to still:

• Work ending 1 week early (July 24th can't get here soon enough!)
• with a sweet bonus just for staying until the end of the project.
• TWO of my sisters-in-law will wed in August
• which means we will be travelling off and on (yippee!)
• Girls' camp is this week. I'm doing the crafts again. I'm a little worried about some of the projects but I have faith it will all work out and the girls will be JUST fine.
• A new opportunity that has come around because of my involvement with GC and putting everything together while I've been working 40 hrs/wk
• Visiting my family
• Oh, and did I mention Utah yet?
• Ryan will only be there for part of the time and then I get to head to AZ
• Family birthdays - July is a busy month
• Cooler weather
• Being a housewife!
• Did I mention my job is ending?
  
• Spending even more time with my beautiful little family.
  
• Possibly finishing school (....?)

Plus, everything from the list above that's not crossed out.

I'm in such a great place right now.

If Only There was a Fence

I've decided I'd like chickens.

We had little chickens when I was growing up. From ages 13-15, or round about there, we had chickens illegally in our backyard, alongside my 4-H goat and my bunnies.

{This is kind of what my bunnies looked like. Google Jersey Wooley Rabbit and look at the babies. ADORABLE}

But look how cute these are! I want chickens. No rooster, just a few egg-laying chicks.

Here's the problem. Our pot-smoking, beer-loving neighbors have two dogs. Two HUGE dogs. One is a doberman and the other is something else. But they're huge and they would kill chickens with one bite.

So, I think we need a fence.

Chickens would be minimal care, eat all the bugs for some great protein, and I'd even let them have a strawberry or two. And just think of all the fabulously fresh eggs!

The city of Lawrence now allows 5 chickens per household. Awesome, right? So, as long as there aren't any roosters I don't think any neighbors would mind.

Obviously not this year, since we'd do a vinyl fence and those are $$$, but maybe next?

Anyone have chickens? Pros? Cons?

May Garden, Part II

The first harvest from my strawberry plants!

I have about 30 berries I kept. Another 6 or so were eaten through by bugs. I've washed these already and put them on a cookie sheet to freeze. They'll be perfect to toss in a smoothie for breakfast or to make into jam at a later date.

I'm constantly amazed at how well things grow here! It's quite encouraging for a beginning gardener to plant, water, watch, then harvest without too much failure. What a beautiful earth we live on.

Ryan's Ice Cream Social

Way back in April I threw Ryan a little party for his 28th. It was a very VERY last minute thing and so I came up with an ice cream social theme that I could throw together in a few days.

Most of my supplies came from the dollar store.

These pictures are awful, I know, because it's right around the time I misplaced my camera. These are from Ryan's phone.

I reused some fabric I'd recently used for a baby shower to create a cohesive look and also to wrap around the ice cream containers to keep them from dripping on the table and to give them a more uniform look.

I think my favorite part was how much fun everyone seemed to have and how easy it was. I found glass (libby brand) ice cream cups for $1 each and fun spoons and offered to wash them and send them home with the guests. I think only a few people took them home, which is totally fine! The rest are set aside for our church building to use in their kitchen.

I put fun facts about Ryan around the bottoms of the cups, not only to act as cup-markers, but to celebrate my wonderful husband.

The only toppings I made were homemade hot fudge sauce and homemade caramel topping. The rest was as simple as opening a package. It looks especially delicious right now, considering the day is so warm and muggy!

Happy Birthday, hon. I sure love you.

May Garden

Long time no, eh?

Not much to tell. I lost my camera sometime between the months of February and April, which makes for a dull entry.

Today is my day off of work. Well, one of three this week. I put the time to good use {I'd have to say} and planted some bushes we picked up from Costco on Saturday {only $10 each!} and replanted some tomato plants. Temporarily. I have to make a raised garden bed before they find their permanent abode, nestled next to the strawberry patch.



Maybe in another month I'll show you the progress. Those green berries should be red and ripe by then!