Sooooo, for the 2013 canning year of grape juice I came out pretty unscathed.  Instead of spilling the hot, molten lava all down my garage steps I just spilled it on my hand giving me this pretty scar.  Oh, did I mention the kitchen was a rockin' purple as well!  It hurt and I'm not gonna lie...I cried a little.  BUT, it was a great year for the delicious grapes!  Woot!!

                                                 I read a great quote today that I want
                                                 to add to my refrigerator quotes....
                                                       
                                                           "Don't cry because it's over,
                                                            Smile because it happened!"

                                                 In other words, don't be sad because one
                                                 part of your life is over...be grateful that you
                                                 were able to experience it.

Look at the Size of those thorns!

Do any of you recognize these thorns?  They are part of a hawthorne bush and we have about 10 acres of them up in Crouch, Idaho!
My husband and I have been going to Crouch to thin these things and it takes most of a day to clear a 12 foot patch of these things.  He bought a back hoe thinking he could dig them out but it was NOT TO BE!  They have to be hand done.  I wish I would have taken a picture of my husband's bloody arms for proof.  Anyway, we got a steal of a deal for this property and now I think I know why.  Even with this said, the place is so beautiful and serene!  We LOVE Idaho!!

Update on Elder Johnson

 
This is a recent picture of Elder Johnson in Uruguay.
He is LOVING his mission.
He is down to 5 months left!
He cooks very well and I miss that!
He's sporting his apron made by the Primary.
Love him so much!

Snow in Meridian, Idaho

I just wanted to show the before and after photos of snow in Meridian, ID. For those of you who don't know where Meridian is...it's ten miles from Boise. We hardly ever get snow but when we do I try to make the most of it. Because I knew 7 inches would be melted the next day, I thought I better hurry and make a snowman so it will stick around longer. My daughter, Emily and I made three snowmen and started making a fort to go around it. It was already dark by the time we could get out there. It was raining all the while we were making them. The snow on the ground WAS completely gone the next day and the three snowmen were reduced to 2 snowballs and 2 carrots (lying on the ground) the third day or so after the snowfall. We sure had fun for a couple hours anyway for the winter. We were just SO excited that we got snow at all!! YAY!!

Elder Johnson serving in Uruguay

 
This is a picture of Elder Johnson in Uruguay. He left for his mission August 2010. He has nine months left of his two years!

How Beautiful are the Feet...: Source for Christmas Fun: "Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas A recent search brought me to this site which I hadn't seen yet.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da..."