A song to share...

If I could write out my own dream

for the next time that I sleep

you'd be the first one that I see

and I the last one that you keep.

And the dream would go on and on

while we swayed against all things thrown our way.

And the morning would be so cruel when it came

with sunshine and warmth to blame

for annoucing the end of my sweet dream.

I LOVE THIS SONG!!  My dear friend Ashlie introduced me to it a few years ago and every since then it has been one of my top very most favorite songs!  It's short, but so good!  

I got a pickle, I got a pickle, I got a pickle hey hey hey hey...

I finally got around to doing something I've been wanting to do for a while now!  Canning!!!  Do you call it canning even when it's in a jar, not  can?  I will...

I have been wanting to become a canner for a while now, and my sisters even got me some canning supplies for Christmas!  Anyway...long story short...I finally got to do some yesterday!  It is quite the process...I started cutting up the stuff around 9:30, and by the time I hear the last lid 'pop' it was about 5:00!  There is a lot of waiting time though...but it is something you have to dedicate a whole day for!

Here are some pictures of my experience...

 I used a recipe that has been in Judy's (my mother-in-law's) family for a while!  She says her grandma used it, and her mom, and her...so she was happy to have me making it yesterday!  And I was so thankful she was around because I had no idea what I was doing!  But now I know the importance of sterilization, head space, and water baths...

Anyway...so now I'm on the lookout for new things to can!  Right now there are a lot of 'pitted' fruits for really cheap at the cheap produce store I go to...so if anyone has any good canning recipes for peaches or plums (can you can plums?) or really any other good canning recipe at all...then feel free to send it on over! 



I 'heart' free stuff...

As if birthdays aren't already super cool cause you get cake and presents and parties and surprises and just fun times...I got LOTS of free stuff in my inbox just for living another year! 

For example...

 I got $10 free game play at Dave and Busters! (It's like a huge arcade, only with more adults than kids!)

I got a free entree at Native New Yorker, which I used last night!



 I got a free appetizer or side dish at Texas Roadhouse!  This will go really well with my $50 gift card my office gives out for birthdays!

 I got $10 to spend at World Market...I LOVE THAT STORE...but it's sort of pricey sometimes so I'm glad to have some free money to use!

 I got a free freshwater pearl bracelet from Helzberg, the same place Daron got my wedding ring.

In other "good deal" news...We went school clothes shopping for Bryan last weekend.  I had 3 - $15 off coupons and 2 - $10 off 25 or more coupons, all for JC Penneys...so we headed over there.  And it's a good thing we did...they were having super good sales on boys clothes!  We got him 3 polos, 2 pairs of shorts and 9 T-shirts for LESS THAN $20!!!  Originally it would of been right at $200!  After getting all of his stuff paid for I still had one more $10 off coupon to use, so Daron decided to get a tie.  They were B1G1 50%, but still so expensive!  They had a few on clearance for $11 dollars a piece, but none of the Big and Tall ones were marked down.  So, we were just going to get him 1 tie, but when the girl rang it up, it ended up being on clearance!  So we found 2 more big and tall ties on clearance, and he ended up getting 3 ties for $30...a pretty good deal!

My Grandma Singleton...

My Grandma Singleton died on July 14th.  I am a little behind at blogging about this, but with running up to Utah for the funeral, and then catching up on everything since being home, I have found myself a little busy.

She had been sick for a while, so for the most part it's a happy thing that she is in a better place now.  The funeral was nice, there were lots of people there and at the viewing!  I was asked by her a while ago to play my violin, so I had been practicing for a few months now.  It went pretty well.  My Aunt Launa spoke and did a very nice job, something I know I could never do, for my grandma or my mom.  No way. 

My grandma was such an amazing lady!  And she was so funny!  She was always saying funny little things that would always catch me off guard!  I know I took it for granted at the time, but I got to spend lots of weekends at her house while I was at school in Idaho, and that was so nice!  She would always have a nice home cooked meal for me and my roommates, and ALWAYS made sure to make me a batch of her macaroni and tomatoes, made with her personally canned stewed tomatoes!  MY VERY FAVORITE!!  She would never let us leave without taking food for our drive back up to school. 

I will miss her a lot, and I am so thankful for the testimony I have of families being together forever.  I know she is happier now and busy doing many important things up there!  And even though I hope that days is a ways off, I look forward to seeing her again someday!