It Works, It Really, Really Works!

Well, of course I knew that it would work, I just had no idea how easy it would be!!

 

As a hard-core canner, I have always done the traditional "stock up on fruit-set aside a whole day-sweat & slave for hours-make a GINORMOUS mess-boiling water everywhere" type of canning.

 

But no more!  Now that I have a steam canner & my new FreshTech, all is different!

 

From frozen juice & fresh fruit to strawberry jam, apple jelly & grape jelly, these 9 jars were 4 batches in my FreshTech & took about 2 hours start to finish.  That's amazing!  And YUMMY!!

I watched a movie while the jam was cooking.
I took a shower while the apple jelly was workin' its stuff.
Oh, and I threw the grape jelly in just for fun & let the boys watch it turn & turn while I did dishes.

This is fun- I think I'll make some more tonight!

Our Spell-a-Thon Reward

Grandmas, Grandpas, Nanas, Poppas, aunts & uncles contributed so much to my kids' Spell-a-Thon experience this year.  The munchkins studied their little tails off & collected so much money for our PTA fundraiser that we reached our school-wide goal of $10,000.

 

$5,000 raised meant Mr. Petty the PE teacher got slimed.

$10,000 and we got to include Mr. Wood the principal!

 

And when I say that you contributed, I mean that in all seriousness.  The students only topped the goal by about $100-200.  So if you hadn't all pledged, we wouldn't have gotten to see Mr. Wood get in on the action!

 

Thank you!

 

 

The kids were absolutely riveted.  They started chanting "Slime!  Slime!  Slime!"  And when Mr. Petty & Mr. Wood came out, the children were almost beside themselves with excited hysteria!

 

To add to all of the mania, while our intrepid PTA president Allison was announcing the top earning kids, the fire department pulled into the back parking lot & started unrolling their hoses. The kids sitting by me were literally rolling around on the grass in excitement!

 

 

 Mr. Wood all decked out & ready for his "reward."

 

 

Our 2 brave men gettin' ready for the show.

 

And here it is:

 

 

The woman you see hugging Mr. Wood is Emma's teacher Mrs. Livingston.  Today was her last day at Acacia, so she got to get in on the sliming action.  Our family is absolutely devastated that she's leaving, but grateful that she could help Emma grow so much already this year.  We finally found out today who Emma's new teacher will be & I have high hopes for the rest of the year.

 

I have a feeling that if the PTA does a challenge like this year we'll raise even more.  The kids were SOOOOO crazy with excitement!

(And a lot of the grown-ups too!)

Dear Andrew,

Dear Andrew,

I hope you don't mind, but I bought my own Christmas present this year.

It was just sitting on the shelf at Target- lost & alone in the clock department of all places.

Its red clearance sticker called to me & I couldn't help myself.

 

 

I know that it's only September and that I'm going to use it tonight, but don't worry- I'll save the box & wrap it back up in December.

 

Love, Kris

Indecision

 

My white chicken needs to make up her mind.

 

You can't tell fron this pic, but they're all white.  Weird.

 

Anywho-  the one on the left is a "whiff" or a "fart" egg.  No yolk.

It looks kind of like a snake egg!

 

Her normal one is in the middle.

 

And that monster on the right is a double-yolker.

 

I guess she thinks that mediocrity is boring.

Signs of Success

This has been a good week.  I've been working my little tushy off- literally, and it's starting to show!

 

Case in point:

3 weeks ago on Sunday I put on a skirt before church.  To my dismay, it was too tight around the middle & was rolling in the waistband.

 

Boo.

 

I was so sad that I took it off & left it at home.

 

2 days ago I tried on that same skirt before church.  To my absolute delight & SHOCK, it fit!  And not only fit, but was 2 inches too big around the waist!

 

SUCCESS!!!!

 

I'm all the way up to Week 4, Day 3 of the Couch 2 5K program & it's going great!!  I am a little scared, though, because apparently Week 5 is brutal.  Yikes- pray for me!

 

Our triathlon is coming up on November 5 & I can't wait!