the beginning of the harvest season

july was full of adventures 

august will be filled with harvest

hello canning season

i started the season off with 2 pints of raspberry syrup

agenda

yoga

trip to the post office

visit from mom

nap

paint nails

hang out with the boys

drink a pepsi

relax

throw out a few flower pots that are ragged

girls night

canning dilly beans

oh. and kill the two flies that are going to drive me insane!
i don't understand why they seem to live forever once trapped indoors

Dear 2011

January

At work I spent the month cleaning and getting everything ready for spring

The boys made plenty of messes

Cezar lost his manhood.

Mitch also got a new job at an investment firm

February 

Beautiful valentine roses

Brunch with the hubby before work

March

We spent lots of time together

all my plugs started arriving... which meant I got really busy

We went to the home show up at the expo center.

It was fun and we got inspired

I painted my office a beautiful bright teal

April

Mitch passed his Series 7 and 63 for work

new Jeep and iPhones

I spent a lot of time at work

as well as helping my grandparents move into their new home.

oh the nightmares of moving someone after 50 years in a home...

{scary doesn't even begin to describe it}

I was called to serve as the Secretary in Primary 

May

my grandparents home was demolished.

it was heart breaking

I spent as much time gardening as possible

Nanna graduated from high school!!

She even walked with Honors

{just like me}

June

Mitch turned 25.

We took my sisters to Lake Powell for a mini vacation

Down side... the water was incredible cold 

and the weather was less then ideal

So we headed home a day early and took them to Lagoon

July

I turned 24

We spent a lot of time giving our kitchen and bath a face lift

Home renovations are... challenging but worth it

August

Start of the canning season

Dilly Beans!!

We joined my family in Yellowstone

Camping

sight seeing

eating food 

September

Canning season

Mitch and I managed a weekend getaway to Zions.

We even checked off one of our bucket list items...

Hike Angels landing

October

We took my girlfriend Jaclyn shooting...

She ended up scooping herself.

{Luckily her husband and son still let her hang out with us ;) lol} 

Mitch and I celebrated our 2 anniversary

we spent the weekend down in Las Vegas.

walked way to much, ate delicious food and did some shopping :)

November

We spent Thanksgiving with Mitch's family

Incredibly yummy food and excellent company

I also found out that I'm Hypothyroid.

which explained a lot of things health wise this past year

December

Every year we gather as a family at my grandparents and help my grandpa with his 'bag' program.

We fill little Christmas bags full of toys and treats

then my grandpa takes them to a school for the handicap

We had a very magical Christmas filled with lots of goodies and family.

2011 you were a good year,

even with all the ups and downs

Thanks for all the memories!!

Tomato soup: My Favorite ever

I grew up with homemade tomato soup.

It really was the best.

Campbells soup?! NO THANK YOU.

{Yucky}

Recently I 'perfected' it though :)

And I'm dying to share the goodness!

It's super easy.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 quart canned tomatoes

1 pint half and half

4 oz cream cheese

Blend tomatoes until they are super smooth

Pour into sauce pan

Add lots of half and half.

{I usually use 3/4 of the pint}

and 4oz of cream cheese

Warm.

You will want to whisk the it until everything is smooth

Enjoy!

With delicious grilled cheese of course :)

PICKLES

I don't mean to brag... 

But I canned a mean pickle :)

I love how crunchy they are!!

In my kitchen...

I have over a half bushel of green chili that needs to be roasted and tucked away into the freezer. Have you ever smelled roasted green chili??! It's amazing! It smells exactly how fall should smell :) and it smells

incredibly delicious too.

I also have over a bushel plus of tomatoes that need to be bottled tomorrow. I love tomatoes and homemade tomato soup. It is seriously a MILLION times better than tomato soup from a can :)

I feel like I'm getting a little bit of my mojo back and need to make good use out of it while it's sticking around. Thursday will be spent bottling and tidying the house, along with some laundry.

Today I'm grateful for the cold front that has rolled in. The rain is beautiful. It also allows me to rest and focus on inside tasks. And the outside to do's will wait for another day :)

Grateful

Here are a few things that I am grateful for lately...

 My sweet sweet husband!! 

 Fall harvest and being able to can the goodness

 The beauty of each morning

 my incredible family

 my nanna

 My Jakey boy

 My little baby Cezar

A nice hot cup of tea.

What are YOU grateful for lately?? 

Let me know