First attempt at making butter

This was actually pretty fun and easy.

Look Out!

This guy passed the test and is now a Student Driver!

I' m in a pickle

I tried my hand at canning pickles.  Funny thing- I HATE PICKLES!  I am not a fan, but two of my kids are, so we took from our abundance of cucumbers from the garden and magically turned them into pickles.

Merit Badge Count = 22

I told him that he should be learning to sew on his own badges since he wants to earn them all.

He added Communications, Electronics and Law.

Do as I'm doing; Follow, follow me...

Noah and Elijah were out of school from Christmas until the end of January. In mid-January Brad had a few days off of work and the boys wanted to learn how to make cheese with him. My kids have ALWAYS been willing to follow Brad around and help with whatever he is doing. They had mountains of fun making Mozzarella- and it turned out pretty yummy.

Discovery Gateway

The boys are "off track" for most of the month of January. Yesterday we spent some time at the Children's Museum and tried our hand at being newscasters and climbing rock walls.

A hug and a kiss from a REAL Christmas Angel

This morning I was shopping at South Towne Mall and was stopped by a girl (perhaps in her teenage years or early twenties). She was so excited because she was at the mall today and got to see and talk with Santa...this girl was intellectully disabled. She wanted to give me a hug- much to the dismay of whomever was with her. I asked her if she told Santa what she wanted for Christmas-her eyes became wide and bright and she made a noise that I could not understand, but I was told "yes". She gave me a kiss on the cheek and another hug. She wanted to share her JOY with me, she wanted me to feel just as happy as she did. Her guardian was so apologetic for the hugs and kisses of a stranger, but I am a better person for it. This girl didn't know who I was, nor did she care. She was simply sharing what she had with anyone who came into her life. I am grateful for some pretty powerful hugs and some of the best kisses ever from someone I don't even know. I hope she has a wonderful Christmas, and I hope that I can follow her example and give and love more freely.

(I wish I had a picture of HER, but the photograph is a representation of this wonderful girl!)

To market, to market...

Today the kids got to help their grandparents sell local, sweet honey at the Farmer's Markets in South Jordan and Murray. They love to do this every harvest season.

Can I lick the spoon?

Today the two older kids learned from the Master how to make FUDGE. I always seem to mess it up, so Grandma graciously offered to teach the "younglings" this wonderful art...and it tasted pretty yummy!

Speedy Raspberry Jam

LAST NIGHT

We had it down to a science, I guess, and we had the case of raspberries (freshly picked) all processed and cleaned up in under an hour. That freezer jam is going to taste great!

Homemade Ice Cream- YUM!

After seeing this on Studio 5, I got up the courage to find our ice cream maker that we received as a wedding gift, blow the dust off of it and try making ice cream again. I am pretty sure that it has been over 10 years since I have done this.

It turned out absolutely wonderful! I think I might try a few more recipes since I actually had some success.

ksl.com - Blueberry, White Chocolate, and Mascarpone Ice Cream with Honey grilled White Peaches