Apples to Apples

We had a little apple taste test last night and compared apples to apples.  Yum.  We have lots of apples...need more tasters.

Kate took the pictures. 

Merry Mary Crafts

Happy Feast of the Assumption!

Baby is growing!

It has been a month and a week between these ultrasound prints and the previous. The tech estimated baby's weight at 2 lbs. 7 oz.  I can certainly see that this little one is putting on some weight from the pictures - look at those cheeks and that nose!  The heart shots all look good this time...that's a blessing.

Sorry the resolution isn't as good.  JuJu is napping in the office so I took these with the phone rather than scan them.

Yes, Lord! VBS 2012

This year our parish didn't host a Vacation Bible School (we'd gone every summer since Katie's birth!) and I was totally bummed.  It didn't work out on our calendar to go elsewhere and the closest parish ended up not doing theirs either. :-(  So, my dear friend Rachael and I decided to do our own.  We took inspiration from other mothers who've done the same and from our years in Totus Tuus and thus VBS 2012 Yes, Lord!

Our week having preschool age children in mind was three mornings of Vacation Bible School rather than the whole week/day long.  We decided to focus on three Old Testament Bible Stories (Noah, Moses, David) and three coinciding mysteries of the Rosary (the first three Joyful Mysteries).  The day consisted of songs, prayer, lessons about each story and mystery, craft, snack and game.  It was enough for our crowd (5 yr. old, 4 yr. old, and two 2 yr. olds, plus a newborn and mom and a pregnant mom) who had occasional meltdowns or moments of being uncooperative (no, I didn't have the meltdown!).  The kids however had a BLAST!  And there were moments of great joy for us moms, too in seeing cooperation, learning and excitement about our faith!

We didn't take many pictures but here are a few off of my phone to share.  I wish we could have had video of the game station- what a hoot!  Especially the Crossing of the Red Sea!  I think we crossed it at least a dozen times before it got old and they wanted to play it again the next day!  If you're interested in our outline or anything like that I'd be happy to share.  Nothing too time consuming!

The stage was set!  Day one- Noah

Snack Time!

The big girls showing off their work!

Crafts!

Our smallest and cutest helper!

The attendees sporting their VBS 2012 T-shirts and smiles.

A Work and Play Weekend

One thing I love is company!  And we were so excited to host friends of ours from up north here last weekend.  They're not new to Environs- through their parents friendships our kids have chummed around quite a bit.  Since my only camera these days is the smart phone- and that usually sits on the counter at home I was so excited to be sent pictures from our visit to post here. 

There aren't any pictures of the work that was accomplished in their extended weekend stay so I'll just mention that first.  Here are the things I know of-- I'm sure there are things I'm missing that were on the 'guys' list.

-Trimmed Pine Grove

-Processed produce- a batch of marinara

-Worked on refurbishing the cider press

-Put up ceiling fan, and two can lights in the living room (and completed electrical)

-Weed whipped

-Ran to Menard's

-Rearranged master bedroom to accommodate baby's arrival

And now for the FUN!

-Played for numerous hours- toys, playdoh, swimming, scooters, 'mom and dad', flashlights etc.

-Went on a date (just the adults!) to the Potosi Brewery and Red Top

- Cooked and ate like royalty!

We wrapped up their stay with a little touring for the kiddos-

1- Put our feet in the Mississippi!  Visited O'Leary's Landing and Lock and Dam 11.  We saw a dead snake, a dead fish, a heron, a family of ducks and of course, put our toes in the muddy Miss!

JuJu and I at the Lock and Dam

Our friends getting their feet wet!

Climbing rocks to get to the water!

The kids and I- you can almost see our house in this picture!

2- Checked out John Deere though next time we'll have to stop at the construction dealer for some backhoe pictures.  The guide messed up but the kids didn't seem to mind!

 3-Learned a bit about Dubuque's history and the nature of the area.  Made a stop at the Mines of Spain and the newly remodeled Nature Center.  Took a hike on the trails and had a little picnic, too!

Interactive bird calls for local birds!

The Fox tribe were the native settlers of this area.

Finding 'treasure' in a lead mine exhibit!  You had to crawl through a cave to get in here- that was a laugh for me anyway!

Listening to animal sounds- our favorite, the badger.  It kinda sounded like a mutant pig.  Katie thought it was hilarious!

More sounds and JuJu bird watching. 

It was a wonderful weekend!  We're already looking forward to more company in August- are you on our calendar yet?!?!

Portland Marinara

Portland Marinara
20 pounds of tomatoes
3 pounds of onions
3-4 bulbs of garlic
1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet)
1/4 c. Sea salt
black pepper
1/4 c. dried oregano
3 c. fresh herbs (oregano, basil, cilantro,  parsley)
1 1/2 c. bottled lemon juice
Roast tomatoes (halved), onions (quartered), and peeled garlic cloves for 40 minutes @ 375° on a cookie sheets.  Puree in pot and add wine, salt, pepper (to taste), and dried oregano.  Simmer to desired thickness (3-4 hrs.).
Meanwhile prepare hot water bath canner (jars, rims, and lids) on stove. 
To marinara add lemon juice, and chopped fresh herbs. Simmer 5 more minutes.  Transfer to hot jars, wipe rims, lid and cover finger tight. Process for 35 minutes (quarts).  Makes 9 quarts.
Christine in Portland's recipe is slightly different but my recipe is based off of her's.  I discovered it last year and loved it personally but a thicker sauce was definitely more to my families liking.   It is definitely worth the read for other tips and its entertainment value! If I wasn't 6 months pregnant gin and tonic would definitely be on the ingredients list!
Happy Canning!

High Point Salsa

So, a nurse at our clinic for my last appointment not only gushed over those previously posted ultrasound pictures but shared her newest favorite recipe for salsa out of the garden.  She's a GEM!  I'm dubbing it High Point Salsa (named after our clinic) to give it distiction from what has been my normal salsa recipe the past 5 years with 'chunks' in it that the kiddos (and Kurt) don't eat as well.  High Point Salsa is what I'd call a 'kid friendly' recipe with those veggies hidden in there.  I've yet to figure out if I can can it.  If you're a home canner any suggestions would be appreciated!

High Point Salsa- from Nurse Ally

10 roma tomatoes, cut in half (face up)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 peppers (she's written in 1 pubbelano and 1 sorleno, I've used whatever came out of our garden and varied depending on how spicy I want it)
2 onions quartered
Roast @ 375 degrees F for 40 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Add
1 T of sea salt
2 T of fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime

Blend (in your blender or use a handy immersion blender and save on dishes!!).

Enjoy!