Where were you?

I was awoken with a call from my mom to turn on my tv.

I had been up that night with my 3 month old baby boy.  

I sleepily got up and turned on the TV...

I was horrified.

I was glued to that TV screen and remember watching the second plane hit...

Then watching the footage over and over again...

I couldn't even believe what I was watching...could this be real life?  

How could someone do this to another human?  

I was saddened that day for not only Americans but for our entire human race.

We had a temple trip planned for that afternoon 

and it would be the first time I had left my first baby with anyone...

I was terrified to leave him and went back and forth on weather to leave him or to just stay home... 

but came to the conclussion that it was important that we go.  

I was in shock until I walked into the temple that day.  

There was such peace as we entered that holy place.  

I was so impressed with the temple workers.  

They were a source of strength that day to the many people who came there.

My testimony was strengthened that day.

I realized then that there was a bigger picture to this life 

and that was the reason I was there on that day.  

My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors of that horrific day.  

I am thankful everyday for those men and women who serve me and my country 

to give us the freedoms that we have.  

I could never thank them enough for the service they provide.  

I am also thankful for their families and the sacrifice they make 

and the struggle it is sending a loved one to war.  

Thank you!  

Let us all take a moment on this Patriots Day 

to pause and be thankful for the life we are lucky to live.

Where were you?

TOMATO GRAVY!!

I know you are all thinking WHAT?!?!  

That is how I responded to this years ago when my mother-in-law made it for dinner one night.

So what is it...

Only the BEST best thing to do with tomatoes out of the garden!!! 

It doesn't LOOK very appetizing but TRUST me it is sooooo good!!!  

My husband says it looks like school lunch slop but when you taste it you will quickly forget how it looks!!

It is kinda like a thick version of tomato soup.

So what do you do with it?

Put it on TOAST or warm sliced bread!!  

The best is french bread but this is what I had here.  

Still VERY yummy!!

So now...how do you make it...

Have you ever skinned a tomato?

If so...skip this part...

(this is also helpful for canning tomatoes)

You bring a pot of water to boiling and put the tomatoes in for about a minute...

until you see the skin cracking like this...

(sometimes they are stubborn...so just poke them with a sharp knife that will help them the skins the crack)

then put them in bowl of cold water to cool a bit so you can handle them.

While they are cooling you can get a pot and add the butter to start melting while you skin the tomatoes.

The skins will just slip right off

Then cut of the tops off of the tomatoes.

slice them up into smaller pieces.

Now add them to the pot where the melted butter is.

ok I know I know this looks GROSS!! 

 But stay with me!

Stir it around and mash up the tomatoes...they need to get a lot more mushy.  

You want it to look like this

now it is time to add the flour to get it to thicken up.

when it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan you will need to add the milk

let it warm up to a slow simmer and get thick.

then...serve it on toast!  It is excellent with corn on the cob!!  

That is our favorite!!!

Here is the recipe so you can try it!!

TOMATO GRAVY!!

10-15 average size tomatoes (I use a mixture of different kinds)

1/2 a cube of butter

2-3 TB flour

2 cups of milk

bread of your choice (baguette and french bread are our favorites)

ENJOY!!!

Science vs. Religion...hmmmm

I have a special connection to science...

my husband is a teacher of physics and chemistry...my boys also LOVE it!  

So when I saw this I was so impressed by this video and had to share!

CHERRIES!!! How to pit a Cherry without a pitter!

How pretty are these!?!!

 I was lucky enough to get a bunch of cherries from two different people that had to many!  

I of course was super excited!! 

Cherries will forever remind me of my Grandma.

She would have fruit at the lunch table (Cherries being my fav) and she would put it in these little blue bowls!!  

Wish I still had some of these bowls!!

Anyway back from my rambling...I don't have a cherry pitter....so I called my mom (what I always do in this situation...Thanks mom!!)  She told me that her grandma always used a bobby pin to pit hers...So I tried it...after I mangled a few cherries I decided that I should go on an internet search...

I found a you tube video of a lady pitting one with a paper clip...So I tried it...IT WORKED!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the process...hope they help to visualize it a little...

Bend your paper clip so it looks like an S....then...get your cherries...

 Hold them by the bottom of the cherry....

 stick the small end of the paper clip into the cherry...then...feel you way around the pit to loosen it a bit and...

 POP it out!

 So easy right!!

 Look how delicious those look...

 Once I had them all pitted I made the pie filling so I could can it...with a test pie for that night...OF COURSE!!  I found this awesome recipe for filling on the Taste of Home Site!  It turned out soooo yummy!!

 It called for red food coloring...I thought at first I would leave it out...but then I looked in the pan...just not as yummy to my eyes as I wanted...

So...I added it...Happy Eyes!

 Here is the finished pie!  I used my pie crust recipe...go get a printable of that here!

 Here is the finished project in the jars! YUM!!

 So the other kind of cherries we were lucky to get were Bing and Royal Anne's!  

I couldn't stop eating these as I was pitting so I was lucky to get as many jars as I got! :)

 How yummy do these look in the jars!  I can't wait to pull one out this winter and surprise the family!  YUMMY!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Photography Challenge

When it comes to pictures...I am not the camera person...I leave that up to my hubby.

When I saw my bestie doing this challenge over at 

A Step in the Journey 

I thought...hey...that looks like fun...

I know I missed the first week and am coming into it a little late...but hey...

better late than never right.

So here is what makes me happy this week. 

A got GLASSES!  I can't help grin every time he is around!  He is just so darn CUTE!!

Cute Kids Chair!

How adorable did this turn out!  I LOVE IT!

And how cute is my little niece!  

She was so excited to have a chair she could fold up and carry with her!  

Hope it will bring her years of fun!

I got the idea for this at 

Simple Simon & Company!  

I am always getting fun ideas from these two ladies!  

LOVE THEM!  

Go check out their easy easy tutorial for this!

A Got Baptized!!

It's Great to be 8!

I am so proud of your decision to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!  I am so proud of the boy you are!  You are such a good example to so many around you!  Always keep that spark!  You will always be my BUBBY (even when your a teenager and don't want to be!)  I love you more than words can express.

Thank you to all the family and friends that were there to support A in his special day!  We love you and couldn't have felt more loved that weekend!