Moonshine

I'm sure the neighbors think I'm distilling moonshine in my backyard but, in reality it's just grape juice. This is the "still" that I set up. Setting up operations outside keeps my kitchen clean and the house from getting too hot inside.
We purchased a new juicer that makes the whole process a lot easier and with this many grapes, I need all the help I can get.
You are all welcome to come over for a grape juice tasting party.

Salsa Fiesta

Our garden is in full production. Aaron went a little crazy this year when he was planting pepper seeds. We have all kinds of peppers growing. Although, I won't complain he made some amazing fresh salsa last week.

Times like this make us so grateful for the years we spent in south Texas and all of our friends who taught us how to cook Tex-Mex.

Weed Control

Our house sits on almost an acre of land. A good portion of that is the pond, flower gardens, and the vegetable garden we are working on. I am so happy to have all these beautiful flowers that I didn't have to plant, I just have to maintain. That is hard enough.
Vanessa likes to "help" me in the garden. She came in with a beautiful bouquet with some of my

tulips. Wasn't that nice of her?

I told a friend about this. She told me when her daughter was younger she would pick tulips out of people's yards, ring their doorbell, and ask if they want to buy some flowers from her.

I spent hours this week pulling grass out of my flower beds. I was so proud of myself until I talked to my father-in-law (who is a master gardener) and he told me that just makes the grass come back even worse (at that point I felt like screaming). The only way to cure my weed problem is with chemicals.With young children and pets I was trying to avoid this.

I thought I had another good idea when I sent AJ, Savanah, and one of her friends to pick dandelions out of the yard before they went to seed. Again, my father-in-law kindly told me this will help a little, but it wasn't a "cure-all". Dandelions are a new thing to us. When you pick them, you'll discover a milky substance on the inside of the stem. A neighbor boy had Ethan & AJ convinced that is where skim milk comes from.

My New Obsession

When we first moved back to Utah a year ago (yeah I can't believe it has almost been a year), I couldn't take my eyes off of the mountains. Now, it is the spring flowers. I enjoy walking through my yard looking at all of the new flowers coming up.


The previous owners did wonders in the flower gardens. I just have to maintain it. Hopefully I don't kill it all this year. I am learning to enjoy gardening. It is fun when this is what I have to work with.

I have decided that spring is an immense reward for enduring the winter. Although, I have a friend here that loves winter. She laments the day when the ski resorts close. (She'd never survive Texas). Maybe if she taught me how to snowboard than I'd feel better about winter, or maybe not. I'll just enjoy spring while it is here.