Zucchini Pickles

This is for Jennifer :) I haven't tried them yet, but going to see if I can get some jars and give it a try.

Zucchini Pickles from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.

Yields about 4 half pints.

2 pounds of zucchini, sliced(about 8 small)
1/3 pound onion, quartered and sliced(about 1 small)
1/4 cup canning salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon tumeric
3 cups vinegar

Combine zucchini and onion, sprinkle with salt, add cold water to cover. Let stand 2 hours. Drain, rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil. Pour vinegar mixture over zucchini and onion. Let stand 2 hours. Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Pack hot vegetables and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

I Don't Do Cake...But.....

Abby saw this cake in Family Fun magazine last month. She HAD to have it for her birthday. I don't typically make things like this, I'm not too creative and I'm easily frustrated, plus I don't think I've attempted something like this since my mom died. Costco cakes have been my friend! But she got sooooo excited over it, and it didn't look TOO difficult. So I said I would try. Here is the masterpiece. LOL I even woke her up a few minutes ago so she could see it. She squeezed me with biggest hug. So worth it! Now to keep it nice until her party on Saturday!

Be Blessed!

Happy 11th Birthday Abigail!

Some pictures in honor of Abby's 11th birthday. In the above pictures, the first she is at the zoo in 2006, and then in her Uncle Michael's canoe on the Snake River during summer of 2006.

Abby at the Kangaroo Farm and then trying to touch a snake at the Reptile zoo. Both taken in 2006.

Spring 2003, I think. This is one of my favorite expressions of hers. The baby I think is my friend Jolene's daugther.

Abby on the first day of first grade, August 2004. Then cleaning out her pumpkin in October 2005.

I believe both of these are from 2004. The top is Abby and daddy riding a camel at the pumpkin patch in Chicago. The bottom is Abby and Mom riding the giant ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago.

These are 2003. The top is right before we left Wa. for Chicago, the bottom is Abby at tap lessons.

I think these are both 2003 as well. In the top she's at the petting farm at Forest Park. The bottom is Abby and Jacob at Woodland Park zoo.

The classic fell asleep in her high chair picture. I think this is around 2001. Then her first Christmas picture in 1998 with Jacob.

Easter 1999 and visit with Papa summer 1999, I think.

On the top left is her hospital pic, just hours old. Then her first portrait, 2 weeks old I think. The bottom one is her one year portrait.(and one of my favorite pictures of her before she got all her curls!)

Christmas 2001, I think. I love her curls in this picture. (yes they are natural!). Then mom and Abby on her first day of Kindergarten.

Abby's 8th birthday, and then camping with her cousins in the summer of 2006.

Soccer and Softball awards ceremonies in 2006.

Remember to click on the pictures to bring them up in a new window to see better.

Happy Birthday Abby! I can hardly believe you are 11! I thank God everyday for the blessing of my daughter. I love you and love to see how you are growing up into a beautiful, young lady.

Be Blessed!

Becki

Rainy Day In May...: How I made my daughter, and six of her friends, fear for their lives...

Rainy Day In May...: How I made my daughter, and six of her friends, fear for their lives...


The above is a link telling about the bday party Abby attended this past weekend. She hasn't stopped talking about it yet! Thankyou Misty :)

Happy 40th Paul!

Here are some pics of Paul. You'll have to click on the pictures to bring them up bigger in a different window to see them better. This first one above is Paul with Abby at her Student of the Month breakfast back when she was in 2nd grade at Fairmount.

Paul and kids with a snake. I think this was the Evergreen State Fair back in 2005 or so.

The four of us at an Aquasox game. 2006 I think. Ignore the dates on the pictures the old camera would never hold the right date!

Getting ready for a boat tour on Lake Michigan. 2004 I believe.

Leaving Everett, Wa. for Chicago, Illinois. May 2003.

Jacob and Daddy. I think Jacob had just lost his first tooth, or maybe it was his second!

Jacob giving daddy a kiss. I was newly pregnant with Abby, so sometime during the last half of 1997.

In the receiving line at our wedding reception. 1993.

Our engagement photo. 1993.

Paul, I'm not sure what age, he thinks around 9.

Paul at 2 years. And first Army photo 1987.

I'm not sure where this was taken. I think it might have been Germany, 1988/1989.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. There were so many I want to use. We even found a box we had forgotten about. I will never get around to scrapping them all. So will start just putting them in safe albums and getting them out of the boxes.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! 40 years! I remember when that seemed so far off and so old. LOL Doesn't feel old now though :) I can't wait to celebrate your 8oth with you!

Be Blessed!

One more, Abby wanted scanned in. This is camping, I think in 2007.

Be Blessed!

Christmas Pictures !

Abby with some flower pens we made to send to a missionary friend for a women's conference in Sri Lanka.

Abby waiting to receive her first badges earned in STARS at church.

Paul and Jacob with one of Jacob's completed models.

Jacob just finished shoveling our neighbor's driveway. It was getting dark...

Just our walkway lit up a couple of days before Christmas.

All the F family cousins on Christmas day! Jacob(13), Nathaniel(12), Jordan(11), Hannah(13). Front row, Levi(6), Aaron(8), Abby(10), Noah(2).

Jacob on Christmas morning at Papa and Grandma's house with his stash from "Santa".

Abby with her stash from "Santa". She's missing some art supplies and clothes...hmmm...

Jacob trying out his new snowboarding game on the Wii. Yes, all of us right handed people set it up wrong for the lefty kid! We managed to turn it around after this pic was taken! LOL

Abby(back row left) singing at the Christmas Party for our Co-op Christmas party. Sorry my pics are fuzzy!

I know it took awhile. Sorry. Christmas pics in February, what can I say! I'm going to try and be more diligent about the blog. Check back soon, I'll be putting up a post for someone special's birthday in the morning!

Be Blessed!

MIA

Sorry I've been missing! Just so busy. Had a great Christmas, the first one we've ever spent with Paul's dad and family on that side. We made it back home safely, very treacherous drive, worst I've ever had to drive in, counted way too many cars that had slid off the side of the road, took way to long to get home, but we did get there! We've had alot of snow, thought it warmed up and rained the last couple of days, so it's almost gone. Paul is doing very well. He's off all pain meds, just an occasional ibuproferin here and there. Still in the neck brace while up and walking around, riding in the car and sleeping. He still isn't cleared to drive, will have xrays done on the 27th and they should clear him after they see those. He went back to work this week, 2 hours a day, next week 4 hours, the next 6 hours, and then back to regular hours. I think he's glad to be back, though it's been a logistics nightmare with our homeschool activites to drive him there and back! It's working though, he has a bit of flex with the time, and we dropped two activities this week to make it work. The kids have been very understanding! Paul is actually at a second sleep study as I type, we dropped him off a couple of hours ago and will go pick him up at o dark thirty in the morning! He had one done before his surgery and the results were very severe sleep apnea, so much so the doctor order oxygen at night until he gets the studies finished and Paul can get put on a cpap. Paul has always told me that he almost never dreams. He's woken up every morning for the last week and a half, well rested and says he's been dreaming! I can't wait to see what the cpap does for him! (And I'm kind of hoping for an end to the snoring! LOL)

The kids are doing well. We started back to our homeschool work this week. They got a three week break since we took the week of surgery off too. They were actually a little bit eager to get back to the books....of course it only lasted the first couple of days. LOL! Thankfully, it doesn't seem anything was forgotten over the break :)

Jacob has missed the last month of Boy Scouts, well really only two meetings, because they took a break for Christmas and New Year's weeks. He's looking forward to his next meeting. He's even talking about doing one of the campouts even if Paul can't go. (This is something that has caused Jacob a bit of anxiety in the beginning, but he has finally started to settle in and get to know some of the boys and feel more comfortable) He received a remote control mustang for Christmas and is eager for it to dry up so he can give it a spin outside, it's just too big for inside the house. He's also been busy reading still. He got many new books for Christmas. He's also been a big help to me and Paul around the house. Not only does he jump up to help when asked, he has come to us asking what he can do to help! He also all on his own went to help our neighbor lady shovel her driveway of snow when she was having problems getting her car in . So very proud of him. I get lots of nice comments about him :)

Abby has also been reading lots. We've been to the library twice since Christmas and she's ready to go back, she also received some books for Christmas, though I think they are already read. She keeps disappearing and I go to look for her and she's usually on her bed with a book or in the schoolroom on the couch with a book. LOL She is looking forward to playing Spring soccer and we got her all signed up for it yesterday. She's been attending Stars (Missionettes) on wednesday nights and is really enjoying it. They have their first awards ceremony for this year in two weeks.

Well, we have company coming this weekend and I have a few more things I need to finish before bed. I have lots of pictures to share, but they are still on the camera. I hope to get them on here soon. Just wanted to check in and let all know that we are still around. :)

Be Blessed!