New All About Me Page

I've been working on an All About Me scrapbook with a couple girlfriends. It's been a lot of fun getting to know one another. And of course, I love scrapbooking! This digital thing is awesome too. This is my latest page:

Politics, Politics, Politics...

The deadline to register to vote in Indiana is October 4.

Stop traveling to catch my breath? Moi?

Yes, it's true; right on the heels of a fabulous trip to wine country, I took off with my dad and the boy to see my cousins in Michigan. It was one last hurrah before the summer officially ended. We spent Saturday at the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Empire Park. It was a perfect day & the kids had a blast!



Unfortunately all that sand had to go somewhere, and despite a thorough cleaning in the outdoor shower, we just didn't get rid of it all. Hayes wound up with some of it in his eye. After a quick trip to the ER, he came away with a corneal abrasion and some eye drops. He was a good little patient, but it was so hard not to rub that eye! No harm, no foul. Just some good clean- well maybe not so clean - fun, and loads of sand.

Have I mentioned that I love wine?

I just returned from one of the most INCREDIBLE vacations I have ever taken. It's certainly in the top 10. My good friend Amy and I spent an entire week in wine country (Sonoma, Napa, Callistoga) and did everything we could to relax and enjoy ourselves. It was amazing. We started in Sonoma -- which holds a special place in both our hearts. The Cheese Factory is the BEST place to pick up a picnic for the square.


We hit several wineries while there, including Sabastiani, Gloria Ferrer, Mondavi, Mumm, Clos du Bois, Rubicon, Biannco & Rosso, Jessup, Sausal and Korbel. It was fantastic. Sausal is definitely a new favorite of mine. I am an old vine Zin girl and this just hit the spot!


We also bit off a bit more that we could chew in the mud baths at Callistoga. I feel I am just not enough of a "California girl" to have enjoyed this the way I should have. But I will say, the effervescent jacuzzi and the massage were to DIE for. I could go back again and again for that. The facility looked a bit scary, but we pulled through.


I can't wait to go back. Next time we take the family so we can go on the Safari together at Safari West. In fact, I would love to stay in their tent cabins. Can you imagine? This giraffe tried to kiss everyone in the jeep! It was surreal being so close to these animals! I loved it.

When she was good she was very good...

You know, when I don't want to kill her, I really do love her. She can be so sweet.





But she's not really foolin' Jezzy, is she?

A bit odd if you ask me...

I admit it: I am a webkins mom. I love to play the games, hunt for gems, the whole shmear. But what are the odds of getting this message? I mean, really?

Putting Food By

I have been working hard to preserve what I can of this year's produce. It's been an on-going task and certainly a time consuming one. But there is something so marvelous in putting up food that I grew and processed myself. So far this year I have:

• frozen 4 quarts of blueberries
• frozen 6 quarts of green beans
• frozen 4 quarts of strawberries (the harvest was slim this year)
• canned 12 quarts of tomatoes
• canned 12 pints of blueberry jam (2 of which were sugar-free)
• canned 4 pints of sugar-free strawberry jam
• canned 6 pints of applesauce
• canned 6 quarts of salsa

Not to mention all the wonderful salads and sorbets we have made this summer. I love doing this. I feel like it is one of the most meaningful contributions I am making to my family. I am so lucky to get to do it. I hope there will be much more to come. We are hoping to try mincemeat before the last frost gets everything.

New Background!

I finally figured out how to create my own blog background! I'd love your feedback on it.