As You Save, So Will You Prosper, World Bank

I have a globe collection, it slowly growing. Yesterday, Scott brought this antique world bank home. He is thoughtful, in the gift giving kind of way.

Has the whole world in his hands.

Finding her place in the world.

"We are what we think. All that we are, arises from our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." - Buddha

Hiking

Well, we haven't been camping but we've been on two day hikes. We went to Hidden Falls and then to Grouse Falls this week.

Hidden Falls was far better for the kids. It was a shorter ride and a longer hike.

Grouse Falls was out in the bush! I was worried a bear might get us. The roads kept getting smaller and smaller until the trees were scraping the car and we were driving through snow.

We are going to Lake Clementine next...or so Scott has planned. It's taken me until my adulthood to realize that I thoroughly enjoy nature and the outdoors. It has a replenishing effect on me.

Spring Break

I have dropped off the face of blog world. Does anyone still blog these days? Facebook or Pinterest is the new currency of self-expression. Although, I am on both of those sites I find my little blog more of a home...and that may be, because I'm pretty sure NO ONE reads this thing. Myself included.

Both kids are officially off for Spring break. They have been biking and tenting in the backyard when it isn't raining. I planted my annuals and most of my wine barrel garden. I have a set of three inch tomato plants set to be planted on my window sill.

I've been sick for the past couple weeks. Hacking a lung is never fun. I'm rarely sick. I'm surprised it's hung on for so long. I started taking garlic pills per suggestion of a friend. I'm desperate. Being sick is NOT my thing. Some people love the attention and time to lounge. I just find it tiring.

I'm hoping to squeeze in a short camping trip this next week. It's always nice to get out of town for a night or two. We just started camping as a family. My parents never took us when I was a kid. Well, unless you count the summer we lived in tents when we moved to Alaska...then I guess, we went for one long camping trip. So, I'm hoping for a quick trip. We will see, if the rain stops then it just might happen. I'm looking forward to s'mores and tinfoil meals...call me crazy!

Ball Perfect Mason

I hit the motherload this past Saturday with my sister Amber. We've both been perserving and searching for cheap canning jars. While out garage saling, I'd give my little shtick and ask, "Do you have any canning jars you'd be willing to sale?" I'd either hear they sold some earlier in the morning or no those are too valuable to sale. Until, we went to Dave's house and as we were leaving Amber said, "So, are you gonna ask?"

Dave was having a long conversation with someone and so I finally butted in and asked him if he had any jars. And he said he did, in the garage. He was going to put them out the next weekend for another garage sale. Inside he had shelves and shelves of jars. Some were old mayo jars and we skipped over those. In all, I got 35 Kerr/Ball jars for 28 cents a jar! A couple still had the sticker on the side from when they were last canned in 1979.

Anyone that preserves knows you have to replenish your jars often due to giving away your pears or whatnot to friends and family. So, I was happy to find them. After washing thirty years of dust away and sterilising them, they look pretty good.

Do you believe...

I have been living on faith and caffeine. These two things go hand-n-hand right? The caffeine carries me thru when my faith wanes. I am a spiritual being having a human experience and a bubbly soda just makes me happy.

I've received a gift recently. A miracle, if you will. Do you believe in such a thing anymore? I do. What is needed for a miracle? Faith and an immeasurable amount of prayers. Or at least, thats what I've found.

But as with most things, there has been a give and take. One stress replaced by another. One door opened, one closed. I can now move in faith, because for so long I was stuck in fear.

"...My actions demonstrate my willingness to be helped. And time after time, the help I need is given to me."

Tomato is a fruit, but it is eaten as a vegetable.

I canned tomatoes this week. Until a couple years ago I didn't know the joy that preserving brings. I had no idea that jars of preserved fruit could bring so much happiness. Am I crazy for thinking so? Maybe. However, it's nice to put them on the shelf and know they are there for when I need them for salsa, spaghetti sauce, stews, and casseroles.

I'm hoping to preserve some more later this summer from my own yard. I planted patio and lemon pear tomatoes. They are doing well. They are all green right now. I'm hoping the birds will leave them alone this year. I discovered last year that once they started eating one tomato to just leave it on the vine and they would leave the rest alone until it was mostly eaten. I read somewhere that as gardeners we can't expect to reap 100% of our crop. That it would be selfish not to allow the bugs and birds or whatever else some too. I don't know if I entirely agree with the idea, but it does have a nice give-n-take to nature that I like. Now, just don't talk to me about the snails eating my flowers because I'm not as kind to them.

Date Night

I have the crew (a.k.a. my young nieces and nephews) are over tonight. The boys are giving us a fashion show in Grace's clothes and the girls have been playing eye-spy for too long. I'm not sure either one of them are enjoying it any longer.

My sisters are out on dates with their husbands. It's nice to have family so close. I'm returning the favor, Scott and I went out last night and watched the new X-men movie. It was good. We watched it in XD...which wasn't much different, only louder. We also walked around the mall. A treat for me, not so much for Scott. It was a compromise really, window shopping for me and X-Men for him. We are some crazy married folk.

Goodnight, one of my sisters is knocking at the door.