Sweet Relish

My mom gave me a huge bag of some of her over grown cucumbers that are perfect for making relish. I finally got around to making a batch this week...and only used up about half of the cucumbers. I haven't a clue what to do with the other half....I certainly don't need to make anymore sweet relish...20 pints is more than enough to last us for the year or so and then some. I may have to give it away as gifts for every occasions....oh I just had an idea, Halloween treats! Won't all the neighbour kids love me! I can see their faces now.....

Don't these look delicious?

I used my mom's recipe, I haven't a clue if she made it up, if it was passed down to her, or if she got it out of a recipe book. But here it is

Sweet Relish - makes 17-20 pints

17 cups ground cucumber(about 50 cucumbers)
4 cups ground onion(about 8 large)
2 cups ground green pepper(about 4)
1 cup ground red pepper(about 2)
5 cups ground cabbage and/or cauliflower
6 cups ground green tomatoes (about 10 large)

Brine
9 cups sugar
3 tbsp mustard seed
1 1/2 tbsp celery seed
2 tsp turmeric
6 cups cider vinegar
3 cups water
green food colouring(optional)

Method 1
Mix all veggies together, sprinkle with 3/4 cup salt and let stand over night. Drain and rinse.
Combine brine ingredients and add to veggies. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and process for 5 minutes after bath comes to a boil.

Method 2
Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 hour. Pour into sterilized jars and process for 5 minutes after bath comes to a boil.

I'll take mine over yours.

You have got to check this out.

Giant baby born in Indonesia, 19.2 lbs

 Suddenly I am thankful for my 10lb 13oz baby.

Kathryn's Birthday Party

Last Friday we had a birthday party for Kathryn. Again this year we had a Toonie party(every guest gives a toonie in a card instead of a present) and again this year we invited her entire school class including her teacher, plus two of her friends that in the grade above her. A total of 12 invitations went out, although I knew two of those kids were likely not going to come because they are Mennonite(and they didn't come last year), but invitations were given anyways so that nobody felt left out. We had 6 kids and her teacher show up for the party...the perfect size. Kathryn really wanted to play pin the tail on the donkey, so she asked her dad to draw a poster size donkey. Unfortunately I didn't think to get a picture of the donkey daddy drew.

All the kids helping Miss Freel pin the tail on the donkey

We also had made a pinata that tried to look like a butterfly, again, I didn't think to get a picture of it before it was bashed to pieces nor did I get a good picture of Kathryn swinging at it, so this one will have to suffice.

Kathryn's sheer delight over her friend bashing the pinata

She told me that this year she wanted a birthday pie. She requested apple pie and we made homemade strawberry, pineapple, banana ice cream to go along with it.

The pesky boys blowing out the candles before Kathryn could...three times

Everybody had a good time and Kathryn had a blast the next day spending all of her toonies. She bought a fabulous brown and pink sweater dress at Walmart complete with fingerless gloves, material so that she can make a  fancy skirt, and marbles to take to school and play with her friends. She has some change left over and is looking forward to the birthday money that she'll get from Grandma Kaye.

For her actual birthday I made her a lady bug birthday cake. I had to figure out how to decorate it with out using icing bag because Tansley has chewed all my tips to pieces while sucking the icing out of them. I never remember to buy a new set until I have to decorate a cake...and just my luck the grocery store doesn't carry anything of the sort.

not to bad for not having any tips for my icing bag

We gave her a locket that has CTR on the front and a set of scriptures so that she can start reading them herself and preparing for next year when she will be old enough to be baptized.

The scripture bag I made and the scriptures inside...naturally

All in all she declared this the best birthday ever...until next year.

That was easy...

Tansley off to her first day of Pre-K

I was certain that when I took Tansley to her first day of pre-K this morning that I was going to have to stay for at least an hour. Last week when we went to the Meet the Teacher, she pretty much stayed right by my side. She is a little more cautious than Kathryn was at that age. But when I took her up to the school, helped her find the coat hook with her name on it, the assistant took her to play with some puzzles (one of her  favoritest things to do) and she was good to go. When I asked her if it was OK for me to go, she just nodded her head with just a glance up at me. I had to ask for a hug and a kiss. I am so relieved that she felt comfortable and didn't need me to stay. I am excited for her to make some new friends. Now it is super quiet in my house. The TV is not on! And Kymberly is playing happily by herself. I'm going to love these 4 hours a day twice a week, I think Kymberly will too...nobody to boss her around, and nobody to tease her.

Sisters walking to school

I've been tearing up all day

This afternoon my husband is attending a funeral of the wife of a teacher at Winston Churchill. Her name was Krista Heidinger. I didn't know her personally. I've seen her at Churchill basketball games. I watched her husband, Jared, play basketball at the U of L way back when I was in my first 3 years there. More recently I have seen him at Churchill basketball games with his kids. Again, I don't really know him personally, but there is that Churchill connection, especially with Daniel having coached basketball there the past 3 years. She passed way earlier this week due to a blood clot that had formed after she had given birth to her third child and it stopped her heart. To read Jared's story in his own words go here. It's worth the read, but be sure to have some tissues near by.
I didn't know Krista, but I feel a great loss and sadness regardless. Maybe it's because her tragedy is something that hits so close to home, it is something that could happen to anyone who chooses to give birth, sure it is like .01%, but it happens. Maybe it's because it's everyone's worst fear to loose their true love in death. Maybe it because I know a handful of people who knew her really well and their loss touches me. I think it's really a combination of all of that. I wish that there were something I could do to reach out to Jared and his children, something I could do to just let them know that even those who don't really know him and his family personally are praying for him, care for him and wish him all the best at this incredibly difficult time.
All day while I have been making jams and jellies I have started to think about Krista and Jared and I start to cry. It's really so very sad. But I am also touched by Jared's faith in Christ. It is that, that is really going to get him through. How blessed I am to know that this life is not the end. That there is so much more. That even if I were to loose someone I love dearly tomorrow, that it isn't forever. I will see them again. We will be together again. And that there is a loving Father in Heaven watching out for those who have been left behind. May God bless Jared and his family and all who loved Krista.

My children might be crazy....they get it from their dad.

Tansley came upstairs yesterday looking like this..

Funny thing is she has never hear of the captain underpants books, this is just something that she has come up with in the past little while. She has often pretended to be captain underpants, but I have never seen her dressed up like this until yesterday.

Just  moments ago I walked in on Kymberly doing something quite creative...not so much crazy this one, just creative(she gets that from me).

Why put the pegs that are intended for this board on the right side when the crayons fit so nicely in the holes on the wrong side? After I took the picture, she turned to me and said "look, pretty mommy".

A word of warning to anyone who may feel the need to stop by our house. Kymberly has discovered how great it is to be naked. And since she has also decided that she wants to learn to use the potty I have been letting her run around without a diaper on. I have tried putting underpants on her, but she frequently forgets that she is wearing underpants and not a diaper and she will pee on the floor. When she is naked, she always pees in the potty...pooping...that's another story(so far I've only had to clean up one accident).  She actually prefers to be naked(she gets that from her dad...a fact most of you didn't want to know). She was diaperless the other day when a salesman stopped by to try to sell us something we most defiantly don't need...he seemed unfazed by the nudity.

Days like these are perfect...

...for baking bread! There isn't a better way to warm up the house, after all it is August and not October, I refuse to actually turn on the heat. So we baked bread all day. Each of the girls got their own mini loaf pan to make their own loaf of bread. I made two regular size loaves and then we made a dozen and a half buns. YUMMY!

Kymberly Playing...I mean Kneading her bread

Kathryn Kneading her bread

Tansley kneading her bread

I forgot to take a picture of their beautiful loaves once we had baked them. They ate them for dinner and loved them.