If you are anywhere on or around a diet, you need to close your eyes and scroll past the first portion of today’s thrilling entry.
Trust me. You must!
If you, however, are like me and only diet on the third Tuesday of each month, feel free to read on.
(image source and link to recipe)
Oh. My. Lanta. These are so good. If you are ueber naughty like me and decide to check them out, do not fret if you do not have 8 squares of semi-sweet chocolate. I mean, really. Who has the squares lying around? Not I. I subbed a 12oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Divine! Delicious! Heavenly!
Perfect for the homeschool marm who is on summer break- and just might sneak them into her bedroom with a cup of coffee and a good book and LOCK THE DOOR . . . just so she doesn’t have to share. Not that I might know from experience. Nope, nope, nope.
And, oh yeah! Remember my plans to continue homeschooling fairly regularly throughout the summer so that my children would be brilliant and all peoples of all nations would rise and call me blessed?
I have a comment to make on that:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I mean, really. Isn’t review what the whole month of September is for anyways?
Well. I turned 31 since we last spoke. It’s true. My one mission on my birthday was to somehow get myself a moose tracks ice cream in a waffle cone.
It happened.
I had a lovely birthday. My beloved bought me some awesome gifts-gifts that I, the former city girl, would have scoffed at years ago. But now, these gifts make me all giddy-like.
I got . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . .
Six LARGE blueberry plants (I know!)
One tomato plant
One large, gorgeous hanging basket that elite people, unlike myself, usually have hanging on their porches.
Look at me and my elite, farmgirl self!
The tomato plant might be puzzling to some seeing as how our family does not eat tomatoes. But I have great plans, my friends. Plans that include making, and canning, my own spaghetti sauce.
Because I am 31 now. And these are the tasks I must do.
Sweet Pea bought me a gold pie server at an antique mall. She was SO excited and I told her I would treasure it forever, seeing as how I have no gold utensils whatsoever. My mother bought me 3 beautiful blue canning jars and let the girls give them to me. Because, have you heard? Blue canning jars are all the rage. Mother also got me the Pampered Chef covered baker and I am seriously on cloud nine. My sis in law made me a cool necklace and earring holder that I shall have to share with you. But not today. It wouldn’t be prudent. And I got gobs of other good things, but we must forge on.
Let us look at some photos of this blessed weekend, shall we?
Here are some pictures from when mother and I “Hoed with Rosa.” As most people do with their mothers. Naturally.
The boys. Precious, as always.
(ha! Hello? Have you read this blog?)
The girls. Enjoying some ice cream.
Back to my birthday! Because, it is all about me and my special day. To get the aforementioned cone of ice cream, we went to the park that amuses us. It was a fun day for all.
Waiting in line.
(Daisy Mae and David ditched us to ride some roller coasters)
(Lumberjill does NOT ride roller coasters. She hasn’t been able to handle them since she was 17)
(Sadly, upon turning 31, even the carousel made Lumberjill ill. Because Lumberjill is old. Apparently)
Sweet Pea and Little Dude taking a country drive.
Fun, fun!
Today, I ordered a pressure canner. Not to be confused with a canner, nor a pressure cooker.
A PRESSURE CANNER.
Apparently, it is everything I need in this life.
Stand down, naysayers! I don’t need one more person warning me that said pressure canner might blow up in my face. You are all killjoys. I wash my hands of it.
I am going to can green beans!
And dried beans, like pinto, black, and kidney!
And perhaps soups!
And maybe even elk meat!
My joy overfloweth.
I {heart} you. Not only because you’re funny, not just because you called me gorgeous (in all caps, even!), but also because you find no shame in hiding out with dessert, coffee, and a book. We are kindreds, you and I.
Do you want to know something? I was going to say,”I love you!” Because I cannot imagine canning things, and taking care of chickens, and dealing with meat that my husband has brought home after killing it. You are amazing. Melissa beat me to it. 🙂
I am glad you had a wonderful birthday with lots of goodies…you deserve a special day!
I just had a birthday last week, but unfortunately I am ten yours older than you. I am not happy about that lol. My parents came to visit from Kentucky. I asked them for one thing, bring me ham fried rice from my favorite chinese restaurant, I made it last for two days, soooo good lol. And I didnt share a bite of it lol.
A giant happy birthday to you, so glad you had a wonderful day!
Beautiful pics! If I looked like you I sure as heck wouldn’t be worried about dieting every third Tuesday. Can’t wait to see pictures of this canning contraption. Canning scares the heck out of me. But perhaps one of these gizmos is the way to forego botulism? Weck canning products don’t have Bisphenol A. Only ones I could find that don’t.
Happy Birthday Taylor! I’m glad there was ice cream. I don’t do roller coasters or anything that spins. I didn’t do them when I was 10 either so I can’t blame age. Besides I’m still young.
Happy Canning…perhaps you should don some safety goggles?
Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a perfect day, well deserved I might add.
I am afraid you have gone to the dark side and there is no turning back. 🙂
It doesn’t have anything to do with your age………..but your purchase of a pressure canner.
I hate to tell you though…..one tomoto plant will not produce enough tomatoes for a canner full of spaghetti sauce.
Really? Bummer. The gal at the nursery said it should yield 20 lbs. Maybe David needs to buy more 😉
Happy Birthday , too!
Pardon the faux pax, I should have wished you happy birthday in the first comment .
I missed that your family doesn’t eat tomatoes. Why?
And yet you eat cooked tomatoes(spaghetti sauce)?
Just curious. 🙂
The tomato plant might bear 20 lbs. during a whole season………but they won’t be ripe all at once.
What kind of plant did he get, Roma?
I think the problem with rollercoasters and spinning things is a post-pregnancy problem. I can’t even play ring-around-the-rosey anymore! I used to love rollercoasters!!
I agree with you Shirley. I think pregnancy messes up something. I can’t swing anymore!
Hi Taylor! So glad you had a nice birthday!! I have been reading your blog for well over a year now and I really enjoy it! My hubby and I have just opened our own grilling/catering business. I now find myself creating a blog for our website! EEEKkk! I am excited for it, however, so confused! We had someone assist us in setting up our website and he set up my blog through WordPress. I notice that you also use that site for your blog. For some reason, WordPress does not like me and refuses to cooperate with me!! I know you are terribly busy, however, if you are so inclined, I wonder if you have any pointers for me in getting this started!! (I am hoping that my email address comes across to you, even though it is not published on here!) Thanks so much!!
Carie
I hope you had a fantastic birthday!
Glad you had a fun day. Wonderful to have a pressure canner. That would be such a fun project.
Happy Birthday and Yay for Moose Tracks Ice Cream!
Oooh-la-la! A pressure canner! And plants! And… 31? Girl, you just go on with your young canning self! And, thank you kindly for sharing that treat (which I assume can be made with sunbutter in place of peanut butter) that will help me hate my bathing suit even more. Truly.
Dear Girl, You rock..as usual. I was wishing you happy birthday in my heart!! June is a very busy Birthday Month for our fam. You, Your Mom, Uncle Greg, Cousin Greg, and Aunt Patti (Grammie’s sis)..Holy smokes!!! The very best of the very best were born in June!!! HOLLA!! (did you see what I did there..I don’t even know what it means, really..but YOU say it, so I know it’s way-cool. And we ALL know how hard I work at being “way-cool”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!
Pretty sure I should have some ice cream in honor of your now-passed birthday.