Mosaic Tile Planter Box

I am so proud of the planter box I made for my brother this year for Christmas!

It weighs a jillion pounds!

Par-Tay!

Such attention to detail!

Don't praise me for this cuteness. My husband made this - such attention to detail!!!!

What Does 36 Quarts of Peaches in ONE Day Look Like?

About Like This This is after I've cleaned up!

Christmas Pickles

Been a crazy week! I canned

24 quarts of Tomatoes,

7 quarts of spaghetti sauce,

12 pints of pickles

(pickles for my brother's and sister's Christmas presents).

Then, I started peaches. After spending $50.00 on peaches at the farmer's market, I got home only to find the boxes were mealy peaches. You can't can mealy fruit, it turns to mush in the jars. So, I have a bunch of peaches that I can't do anything with and still have to spend $50.00 more to get good peaches! It was a week of great accomplishments, but it ended on a sour note.

ARRG! Speak Like a Pirate, Ye Can!

First we played a game to help them dress like pirates

Then we went on a pirate Scavenger Hunt,

Following the clues, and SPEAKING LIKE PIRATES,

"ARRRG!"

Then when we found the X that marked the spot,

we digged for treasures and put them in their own little treasure boxes.

Mar designed her own cake.

She walked me through the process as I made it.

Specifics:

BLUE CAKE (on the inside)

Blue frosting all over, even on the sides for the water.

An Island along this edge,

And then the playmobil pirate things on top.

It needs to have a wave coming up onto the island

(look closely at the second picture to find the wave!)

Note to self: Blue food coloring makes the cake taste bitter!

Warning! I Could Be Better Prepared

2 Week ends ago, I went out to the garage to get something from the freezer . . .

As I opened the door I noticed there was a light on in the garage . . . .

Then to my HORROR - The freezer door was open and had been left open for at least 12 hours.

My freezer does have an alarm that sounds if the internal temperature reaches a dangerously low level. . . .

The switch was turned OFF.

Thankfully everything was still solid - except for the freezer jams and the 2 cartons of peppermint ice cream on the door . . . which had dripped down everything and puddled on the floor.

NO MORE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES FOR MY KIDS!

At least not keeping them in the outside freezer - They are going to have to be inside where I can supervise the getting!

This inspired me to be better prepared.

So this week, when hamburger went on sale, I canned 40 lbs of ground beef.

If the freezer does go out, at least I'll still have some meat!

It looks disgusting, but it works for everything except meatloaf and hamburgers!