Pickles

I ordered a box of pickling cucumbers from http://bountifulbaskets.org thinking I would can a few jars... I ended up with 20 quarts of pickles! I cannot wait to try them! It was much more simple to do than I thought, but it sure did smell up the house! I've included the canning directions for any that might want to try it...just remember the ingredients are for 1 quart.

1/2 lb 4-inch pickling cucumbers (5-6 cucumbers) Note: Mine were about 6 inches
4 heads fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dillseed (WalMart sells small jars, otherwise try to find bulk!)
1 teaspoon mustard seed (WM sells them also)
1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pickling salt (WM again)

Preparing: Thoroughly rinse cucumbers; remove stems and blossom ends. Pack cucumbers loosely into hot, clean quart jar(s), leave a 1/2 inch headspace. Add dill and mustard seed to each quart. Make brine by combining water, vinegar and salt. Bring to boiling.
Water-Bath Canning: Slowly pour hot brine over cucumbers, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rim; adjust lid.
Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes for quarts (start timing when water boils). Let pickles stand at least 1 week before opening. Makes 1 quart.

20 Questions Tag!... Thanks Meg!

1. Where were you born?
Anaheim, CA
2. Where would you live if you could live anywhere?
In the pine trees...In a house of course! :)
3. What's you're favorite book?
Twilight Series! I read the first one in two days and just started the second!
4. What brand of make-up do you use?
MaryKay all the way!!
5. What do you do to cool down when you are mad?
Usually start cleaning, read a book, put my feet up and close my eyes... ahhh!
6. Favorite quality in you're significant other?
He is always making me smile. He works so hard so that I can stay home with the kids.
7. Do you play an instrument?
Yes, I play the violin and piano (its been a while)
8. Have you ever had braces?
I had invisiline for four months on my upper teeth :)
9. Do you have a birthmark?
LOL- that's all I'm gonna say!!
10. What's you're favorite indulgence?
Hot Fudge Sundae!!!
11. What was the last movie you watched?
Spiderman 2...AGAIN!
12. Who is a good friend you've lost touch with?
I'd have to say that since this blogging stuff, I've come back into contact with a lot of my old friends!
13. Favorite place you've vacationed?
I really love going to Utah where my in-laws live...Its beautiful!!!!
14. Do you know a foreign language?
I pretend to know Spanish to humor my husband.
15. Do you like your handwriting?
I love it actually!
16. What was the last piece of mail you opened?
SRP bill!
17. What's the most random article in your purse?
Extra undies for Slade...
18. Have you ever flown 1st class?
No :(
19. Are you still friends with your ex's?
I don't really see any of them anymore, so no
20. What is something random about yourself?
I know when someone has touched my stuff and I HATE it!! I always have to put it back where had it. I've been like that ever since I can remember!

I tag Kristi and Holly!

Tag! 5 Things...

5 things on my to do list
1. Laundry
2. Reorganize my closet
3. Redecorate Daisy's room
4. Nap
5. Play with the kids

5 places I've worked
1. Babysit
2. Alpha Canyon Endodontics (Dental Assistant)
3. Ritter's Frozen Custard
Sorry! Just 3!

5 favorite foods
1. Fruit
2. Barro's Pizza
3. Chicken
4. Spaghetti
5. BBQ Pork Ribs with Rice
6. Roast

5 things you may not know about me
1. Played the violin
2. Was an Offensive Lineman in Powder Puff Football my Jr. year. (We kicked booty!)
3. Graduated with a 4.0 GPA! (Okay, I only had two classes my senior year and one was seminary)
4. I LOVE airplanes, but I'm a nervous wreck if I have to fly in one.
5. I used to have a pretty big gap between my front teeth :)

5 things I'd do if I were a billionaire
1. Definitely pay off mortgages for loved ones and close friends
2. Stash some away for my children and grandchildren
3. Build a large home in the pines where my husband likes to hunt.
4. Donate a portion to the Church!!
5. Travel!

5 people I tag

Alisa, Lyndsay, Charlotte, Stephanie, Jody and Stephanie!

The Many Faces of Slade

Slade is starting to figure out that he can make weird faces and is constantly saying, "mom look at me" and then he will flash me a funny face. He has quite the personality!

I tried several times to get this one on the bottom, but it always ended up in the middle. I painted Daisy's nails and Slade really wanted his done too! Skylar wasn't hime yet, so I painted them. Skylar noticed immediately as he was walking in the door and demanded that I take it off right then! He then had a talk with Slade about how nail polish is a girl thing and that only mommy and Daisy are girls and Slade and daddy are boys and boys don't do stuff like that. After the "talk" Slade told me that nail polish is yucky and only for girls. It was so funny!! Skylar was not thrilled at all!

We just love this little guy! He keeps us laughing all the time and is always coming up with funny things to say or do. We are very grateful to have him in our lives.

Tools and Makeup?!?

The kids were helping Skylar by handing him tools for the truck. We put the truck up for sale on Friday, and it was sold by Sunday! It's sad to see it go mainly because Skylar's dad was the original owner and it has been in the family for a long time. We didn't think it would sell so fast due to diesel prices and now I am without a vehicle! Haha! That'll keep me home!

Daisy was such a good helper. She took inventory of the tools by taking them all out, putting them back in, then taking them all out again.

Slade was fixing the ramp thing. After putting all of the screwdrivers in the holes, he also put the wrenches in there too! Skylar almost landed on his face when he got down from there!

Our dear, sweet little girl loves dirt. Actually, she will still put everything in her mouth and I am constantly trying to figure out where she finds the stuff she does...Just on Saturday she ate bird poop! I think she just does it because of the reaction she gets from me!

Slade showing Daisy how to pick the good rocks. He will sit out there forever and find big rocks to throw at the bushes.

Like Mother, Like Son?!?!

I found Slade in my closet with some of my old makeup! He was "getting pretty mom" !!!

I think that is a lip gloss that he is using to apply the eyeshadow to his cheeks and legs.

Hard at work, doing what he sees mommy doing. Skylar always says that I need to be more careful about what Slade watches me doing because he is always wanting makeup on and his hair done!

Good thing it was an old eyeshadow! He really smashed it into little pieces. He became upset when he saw me throw it in the garbage. Poor little guy, he is just surrounded by girls all the time. I babysit two girls and when they bring their babydolls, he goes and gets one of Daisy's so he can pretend to be a mommy too! If Skylar knew all the girly things Slade does, I'm sure Skylar would make arrangements to take Slade to work with him!! Although, I always have to assure Skylar that Slade LOVES bugs, boogers, tractors, trucks and dirt :)

Busy Weekend Full of Memories

These pictures should be at the end... After the ceremony they wanted all of the newly sworn in firefighters to pose by the fire truck outside and of course it ended up as a prank! Other firefighters were on top of the truck and sprayed the "probies" with water! Skylar is the fourth from the left.

Skylar and his good friend Cody who happens to be a fellow firefighter. He works for the Gila River Fire Dept. and has been a HUGE help to Skylar especially during the academy. Thanks Cody!
Outside for the final picture by the fire truck.
Cody gave Skylar this hat and I couldn't resist blogging about it. It is the two things he loves the most...Firefighting and Hunting!

We took Stock Family pictures on Friday night, then went to El Rico's for dinner. It was actually a SURPRISE birthday party for Marlee who will be 21 on the 9th!


Marlee and Daisy at El Rico's. Marlee is such an awesome aunt to all the grandkids and they all love her!

Skylar's mom and dad, Cheryl and Dennis. These are candid pictures, so no smiles, but I got both of them at the same time!

The kids playing with Marlee's balloons. At the end, all of the balloons ended up in the sky!

Uncle Beau chasing Slade! Slade LOVES to be chased especially by Beau. I think they did that for a good part of the night.

The Stock grandkids minus Maddie. Kinley, Slade, Bostyn and Daisy. I think they look like they could all be siblings!

On Saturday we headed over to Hamilton High for Skylar's graduation! We got there early and secured front row seats! Although, Skylar ended up sitting in the 2nd row and we couldn't really see him to well during the ceremony.



I was able to get a picture of him as he was sitting down though! They should have made the big guys sit in the back...
Notice the badge?!?! You can't see Skylar's but he's got one too! He chose me to be the one to pin his badge on so I had to go up in front of everyone and I was wearing borrowed shoes that I was afraid I would trip in, AND I ended up trying to put the badge on upside down! A Captain had to help me out but at least I wasn't the only one that did that! I was too nervous to even make sure I was doing it right! (Skylar's head is right in the middle of this picture)

Skylar is right in the middle again with his shoulder facing the camera.

Skylar and his cousin's husband Elliot. Elliot is a Tempe Police Officer and was able to come to the graduation on his lunch break. Elliot has been a huge help during the Tempe process.

Stock Family! Dennis, Beau, Daisy, Marlee, Cheryl, Skylar, Slade, Me, Lyndsay and Erin. Everyone except Lyndsay and Erin traveled from Utah to be here for Skylar. Marlee even missed her own graduation from beauty school! Thanks again everyone!!

Family Night at the Academy

Last night was the night where the recruits were able to bring their families to the academy and show them what they have been doing the past 12 weeks. I wish we could have brought everybody because it was so neat to see!
Slade riding in the fire truck. We were afraid that when we put him in there, he wouldn't want to come out. And, he didn't! "I'm fireman!"

This picture was taken at home earlier but I thought it was too funny to leave out. He found this beetle outside and brought it in the house. He gave it a ride on his fire truck, flicked it across the floor a few times, put it in a tupperware bowl and filled it with fish crackers and all the meanwhile kept asking, "you okay bug?" Then he said, "mom! beetle dead!" and he put it back outside. Does this kid need a dog or what?!? At this moment, Slade saw this picture and is now outside calling, "Beeeetle! Are you herrre? Can you hear meeee? Beeeetlllle!! Where arrre youuuu??"

Daisy and I in the fire truck going for a ride around the parking lot. The lights and sirens were on and everything! Daisy really liked the ride, so we went twice. She kept waving to people outside and going, "ooohhhhh!!!" I've been trying to teach her how to make the siren noise, but that's all I get.

Daisy sitting on a golf cart in the locker room.
Skylar took us up in the burn tower and they had "fake" smoke going to get the affect. This is a replica of a bedroom that has been burned. They also continue to use it for training purposes, but I thought it was pretty eerie.
They had a hose game set up for this kids and Slade couldn't get enough of it! You are supposed to squirt water into holes, and once the tank fills up, it will spray the people on the side that didn't get water into the tank fast enough. Slade won!!

Slade driving the fire truck.

Family picture! Skylar has is turn-outs on because he just fought a car fire!
They demonstrated a car fire and Skylar is the middle firefighter. He had a pick like tool to open the trunk and once he did, the flame was all over him! I of course freaked out with everyone else, but afterwards he said that that is expected and he can't feel the flames, hence the fire resistant turn-outs.
They also demonstrated a propane tank fire. Skylar isn't in this one, but the picture turned out pretty neat.
This is also of the propane fire. The hose bursted unexpectedly and was squirting water all over the firefighters. It was pretty funny because Skylar said that hose has held up for 12 weeks and of course it had to burst while everyone was watching! (They use retired equipment for training)

Skylar suited up waiting for his turn to demonstrate the car fire. I am so proud of him! He has been trying for this job for the past four years and the past 12 weeks have been so stressful for him. He got through it and graduates on Saturday!! He will officially be a Tempe Firefighter and will get to be on a truck in a couple weeks. He worked so hard for this and it was a long road for all of us! Congratulations Skylar!!