More putting by.....

You might think I loved vegetables. This one loves me back!

My very favorite pickle is the bread and butter pickle. These are particularly wonderful with a sandwich.

The squash we did not consume were ground and put in bags to make breads in the fall and winter and frozen.

As the tomatoes kept on coming, I instructed Jenna who was watching my home while I was in St. Louis with the Grands....to wash and bag them for me to create sauce when I returned. I dragged nearly every bag out on Thursday and put them on the stove. They thawed and I cooked them down a bit and put them through the food mill. I then added a basil leaf, a bit of garlic and some salt to each quart. Oh they are really nice on my back shelves after canning them.

I do love vegetables!!!

Canning and Preserving

I grew these little jewels in my garden even though we had a drought. I did enjoy and appreciate my garden this year.

Simmering some sauce on the stove.....

I ran on to some gorgeous peaches in August and decided to make some lovely canned peaches and a pie

I grew up canning with my father more than my mom. He did it simply and with not much fuss and I try to stick to those rules for all the basic things.

The cans look so lovely when finished. I like them lined up on the shelf as well. This peach pie was absolutely delicious. I used sour cream in it and it was so tender!

There were just a few left over for me to use fresh or with cereal.

Late strawberries were to be found at the Farmer's Market. Let's create some jam.

I tried a recipe without pectin. Lovely little jars of future jam. They promised they would jell in two weeks. Hmmm. Maybe syrup?

Jenna brought me some 'pickles' as her husband so aptly called the cucumbers. I decided to make them fit the name.

Refreshed and Ready

I have not posted in a mighty long time. I have been working on my Memoir of my life with Jack and then with Jesus. I now belong to a wonderful group of ladies who have encouraged me along with my daughters Jamie and Jessi to tell my story. I am doing just that. I miss my precious Jack at times. He was unique and probably the only man this woman could have stayed married to. Thank you Jesus for the time. I am not over come with grief. I am moving in the Holy Spirit and going forward to make a difference and to just enjoy God. I grieved as I went through the difficult times. Jack passed into eternity knowing Jesus as his savior on July 17th, 2011. I joined the Memoir group that Sept. I am happy though at times feel very alone. I have found having friends my age and older has been an encouragement. I do appreciate all the younger friends I have bonded with in the eighteen years I have lived in WI since moving back in 1994 I also became a Minister with Impact Ministries International which has made me more confident to go forward with what God shows me to put my hand to. I am feeling like the blog needs to be reestablished as I am refreshed and ready for the outreach again. Blessings. I may post about once a week so subscribe if you like.

This was taken the day of Jack's funeral. It was a day of being surrounded by loved ones and remembering Jack's presence in all our lives. Grandkids near and seen more often...Eliana and Mikey

The revealing of the Headstone with Bubble-fest and all the kids dancing around being free and unrestrained. It was a day to celebrate and remember with smiles.

Then came my birthday picnic. All the kids and their mates and families and many friends came and brought gifts to me as well. It was wonderful for me.