Breakfast with Family

Last Tuesday, we enjoyed breakfast with John's sister, cousin, and aunt.  It was so nice to see them!

Triathlon - Michael Ironmanned It!

Michael participated in the Venture/Varsity Scout Triathlon last Saturday.  Last year he was part of a team, but this year, he decided to do all three legs himself.  And he did it!

We are so proud of him!

Sunrise

This is why I love living in southern California.

Court of Honor

Michael was awarded his Star rank at a Court of Honor this week.  He's already thinking about his Eagle Scout project.

Even More Pears

I forgot a few pictures of the pear sauce making process. 

Chewbacca Fortune Teller

There is a very fun book series AJ really loves.  The first book was "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda."  The second was "Darth Paper Strikes Back."  When the third one was published a month ago,  we bought it.  It is called, "The Secret of the Fortune Wookie." 

Each book features an origami star wars character.  AJ made a "Fortune Wookie" and wanted me to take some pictures.  Here they are:

Pears, Pears, and More Pears!

I am blessed to live in southern California where there is so much fresh produce grown locally or within a day's drive of my home.  There is a women who lives about 30 miles north of me who organizes large food purchases to assist families in building their food storage.  (For my readers who aren't familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church encourages all families to be prepared for the unexpected by having extra food on hand, preferably a year supply of basics and a 3 month supply of regular dietary items, as allowed by the laws in your area.)

Well, this good woman arranged a purchase of super fresh pears from Oregon.  They were an excellent price ($28 for 40 pounds of pears).  I ordered two boxes, planning to can the majority.

Two boxes didn't sound like that much (and I thought maybe I should have purchased one more) until I opened them up and realized I had to prep and process all of them!

Thankfully, I have some good friends here, and one of them came over and helped me can 11 quart jars full of peeled, beautiful pears.  I have an apple peeler, corer, slicer, and thought that would probably work do peel the pears.  It didn't, but my friend brought the neatest gadget called the "Rotato."

It was amazing!  It was quick, simple to use, and did a great job.

When all was said and done, I ended up with 31 quarts of pear quarters and 9 quarts of "pear sauce" (like applesauce, just made with pears).

It was worth all the hard work!

Detail Flower

At AJ's Back to School night, I was able to meet his 6th grade teacher and find out more about her classroom policies.  There was a cute display just outside the classroom with the kids' detail flowers.  These "detail flowers" included a little about them with a picture in the center.  They were really cute!

Peanut Brittle Step-By-Step

Well, not really step-by-step, because I'm not including the recipe.  I made peanut brittle for David, because he made a specific request for it.  And who am I to not support my missionary?  So here are the pictures of me making peanut brittle.

An Oops! And a Miracle.

As I was canning pears, I was trying to do too many things at once (like make dinner) and dropped a bowl.  Mind you, this is just a basic Corelle bowl.  But we bought these bowls when we married, so they've lasted over 22 years.  Given that, I thought it appropriate to mark this bowl's passing with a blog post and a picture.

That bowl completely shattered.  What isn't conveyed in this picture is that I was standing (barefoot in capris) right in the middle of that as the bowl shattered, and I didn't get a scratch!  Not one piece of the bowl cut my calves or my feet.  I know that my Heavenly Father was looking out for me that day, and I am so very grateful!

Pool Party!

My good friend, Kristina, organized a pool party with her family and several others.  AJ and I went and had a blast!

Saying Good-Bye

My son, David, is serving a 2 year mission for our church.  He will be teaching the Vietnamese people in Cambodia the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  At his age, 19, this is a sacrifice.  He is taking a break from friends, college, and fun, and giving his time to God and others. 

Part of this sacrifice involves less communication with family.  We receive an email once a week and calls twice a year.  He can write letters (so can we). 

While speaking with my sister-in-law (who I love dearly), we were talking about what David's life would be like, and I explained that instead of the church paying him (or providing a stipend), we pay for the mission.  She asked me, "Why would you do it?" (Meaning not see my son for 2 years, have very little communication, send him to a country with less that ideal living conditions, and then pay for him to do it.)  I gave her the only answer I could, "Because the church is true" (Meaning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

And it is true!  When God asks something of you, you trust Him and do it.

I took several pictures of David the night before he left and at the airport.  I'm sharing just a few with you.