Pure Happiness

Yesterday I canned plum jam for the first time!

Let me just say it was wonderful and not too hard and totally worth it!

Z and I processed about 10 pounds of plums and came up with 26 pints!
I am in love with canning!

It is so amazing to know that we used the best ingredients in something that will be feeding our family for a whole year! You want to know what all the ingredients were for our beautiful jam?!? I know you want to!

Here's the list...be ready it's really long...

plums {From our backyard tree!! YAY!!}
demerara (raw cane sugar)
fruit pectin
water

Yup, that's it! No junk. No bizarre chemical compositions. Just the good stuff.

I am so excited. Now I have to get my hands on some concord grapes!

Well I am off to finish processing our beautiful plums that were grown with sunshine and water!



Have a great day!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 6-19-11

I am totally enjoying my summer break! I've been able to get a lot of things accomplished, but there is still more on my list. Isn't there always?!? Anyway, we had a yard sale and got rid of a lot of stuff. The whole time before the sale I was praying we would clear out the garage, make some extra money, and bless people with low prices for things they needed. At 50 and 25 cents each for many of our items I think all of my prayers came true! I got funny looks when I said something was only 25 cents! K was pleased that so much stuff found new homes! I think I want to go through the house again and try to have one more sale before the end of summer to clear out the leftovers. We'll see!

This week I have more sewing projects to work on and more stuff to add to my new shop! I am so excited that Amy's Monkeys is up and running! Hopefully this will help bring in a bit of extra income since K still hasn't found full time work. It's all good though because things continue to work out as we continue to build our faith! Funny how that works!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Fresh bread, Fresh berries and sugar snap peas from the garden, CHEESECAKE!!

Monday- Spaghetti, Italian Sausage, Buttered Bread, Salad

Tuesday- Nacho Night

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Breakfast for Dinner~ Denver Omelet, fresh fruit

Friday- Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Nephew's Birthday Bash!

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

Happy Father's Day

N, L, and K building away

My heart melted for this man when he said,

"I know I'll be a good dad because I had such a great example."

Oh my word! Is there a better compliment a son can give to his father?!? K has his moments just like any other human being in the world, but under everything he is an awesome dad.

My boys are so blessed!

I am so blessed to have been put on the path to find this man to raise children with everyday!

Happy Father's Day!

Amy's Monkeys is Open for Business!

After a lot of work and finally the guts to get to it...

Amy's Monkeys is open for business!



I am so excited to finally have a shop to sell my creations!!
It has taken more time than I thought, but it is ready for orders!

I have some bags and aprons up right now, but I hope to have much more soon.
Here's a little peak at a couple of my products.


Summertime Medallion Bag



Sunny Days Full Apron

I hope those that were waiting haven't given up on me yet!
Summer time has given me the time and energy to tackle this project once and for all!

I am super pleased with how it turned out!

Now I am off to get more pictures taken and loaded to add to my very own shop.

How cool is that?!?
Love it!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 6-5-11

School's. Out. for. Summer....Can I get an A-MEN?!?!

I am so relieved my summer break has begun! I do want to go back to work on my new classroom tomorrow, but hopefully I will be able to get it set up and ready for me to come back to in August without a lot of extra work. I wasn't thrilled about having to change rooms at first, but I think I am really going to like my new room!

My monkeys don't get out of school until Thursday, so I figure as long as I get my new space ready to go by then we can all start our break together!

No schedule, no real commitments, just time for all of us to play, rest, and have some fun! I have already been on my sewing machine and I have made a couple of teacher gifts for the boys. I am so looking forward to hearing the hum of the machine and making some projects I have bookmarked!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Homemade Chinese~ Mongolian Beef, Orange Chicken, Broccoli, Steamed Rice

Monday- Sub Sandwiches~ Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Veggie Tray

Tuesday- Taco Truck Style Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Tri Tip, Rice Pilaf, Broccoli

Friday- Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Hamburgers, Fries, Salad

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,