Change is here....

The view out the back of our house used to include cows and pastures...

We knew the land wouldn't last forever, and sooner or later, we would have neighbors... but we had just hoped for later rather than sooner....

One day we looked out to find a stake with a cute pink ribbon tied to it, about 4 feet from the easement into our yard. It was a little more than a shock... but yes we knew when we put up our little temporary chicken wire fence to keep the dogs in, it was over into the easement.

We were hoping they weren't thinking they were going to build a house that close... after all there was an easement between us. For mowing purposes we moved the pink stake to the edge of our little fence and the next day, the wrote on it... property line is 4 feet south of this marker. he he he... okay we get it!

So the digging began and they cleared off the one big pasture on the left half of our view... but if we kept that side of the curtains closed we could still peek out at the cows on the other side.

So this week the pink marker is back inside our yard, it was clear they were getting ready for another phase of their project.

The builder calls us, and leaves a msg, they will begin installing their fence around the perimeter of their property and our fence goes over, so it will be removed. If we have any questions to call him.

So my Strong Silent Mysterious Man calls and meets him in the back yard, the guy explains that he bought the easement from the irrigation company and he is putting his fence around the perimeter. We knew where all the property markers were, so it was hard to get mad, but it was sad they would chose to fence in the easement, but they could as long as they installed access gates, which is what they plan to do. So we told him we would pull our fence back ourselves... and he said they would go ahead and fence accross the entire back of our property and split the cost of the portion that was past their property line to the other edge of our yard. It is a really good price for us to get that nice vinyl fencing accross the back, so we agreed.

So the removal of the fencing begins.... It's always nice to have a teenager to stand by and watch you work....

Hey wait a min... get to work!

My Strong Silent Mysterious Man wears that title well when he has to do something not so fun... like un-doing work he has already done once.... like removing a fence post. He was pretty silent, which was okay on this occasion ~ considering the alternative words he wanted to use.

More digging..... where is that teenager?

And more digging....

There is Rudy... waiting for his chance to break out and eat that cat that always teases him from the other side of the fence...

Wow! Finally, the post is dug up... this was one of those rare occasions that my Man actually did the original project with great care and consideration and cemented those posts in, so that fence would stay straight in the wind storms etc.

Ahhh... there's the teenager, always good to have one around for filling in holes!

Then down comes the temp chicken fence... get out of the way Morgan... these boys mean business....

All ready for the new vinyl fence to be installed... all the way down the line.

I sure hope they get it straight... I hate crooked fences.

We won't really lose too much yard, just the yucky grass that had weeds all through it, that was impossible to get filled in anyway.

I will be so happy not to have to spray and kill the weeds on the easement anymore... but very sad to lose our view of the cows.

I am concerned about the number of hours Morgan sits by the window starring out into the field... she will just have the flat vinyl fence starring back at her.

We will probably have to put her into doggie therapy!

More Harvest.... YIPPEE!!!!!

My friend Lindsey shared with me some of her harvest of tomatoes... she was so cute when I picked them up saying "I hope they are ok to do canning"... I just giggled at her (these are the most beautiful tomatoes I have ever seen!!! REALLY, they are awesome!!!)

When she offered, I was elated there was some available, but felt guilty because I couldn't offer to go pick them at the time, I was so busy and that had to fall farther down on the list of priorities... so if I could get time before the freeze, it would be great, otherwise I would just remember and next year hit her up earlier in the season and if they had another bumper crop, I would go out to pick some.

What makes the story of the tomatoes more bloggable than her gift of giving, and the shear beauty of the filled jars, was the story behind it all... after she had offered me some of her crop, she realized getting them to me would me she would have to face one of her biggest fears.....

da, da, daaaaaa.....

Spiders!

She is really afraid of spiders, and apparently they live with her tomato plant crop. So up until now, she would go out on taco night or the irregular occasion to pick one or two for her family to eat with dinner... or I imagine her husband would go picking when they were ready to come off the vine, but he is a hunter and not home much this time of the season... so she ventured out and spent some close and personal time with the spiders picking this lovely batch just for me.

She did share there were more out there, but they were terrifyingly close to the ground where the spiders lived and her husband would most definately have to get those, a girl has to have her limits on facing her fears!

I love it... I was laughing at the wide eyed look she had telling me about picking them, which really only made them so much more special... what a friend! Thanks Lindsey, they are now salsa!

The famous tomatoes!

In the process... the skin comes off, then I put them through this fabulous cutting contraption my mother in law got for me that dices them up in a short snap....

Into the stock pot they go.... already looking like salsa...

I learned about Mrs. Wages mixes from my bff. I used to make salsa and dice up all the onions and roast the peppers and chop the garlic and cilantro... now I use the packet, and it is the easiest and best salsa I have made so far.... they also do spaghetti sauce and you just add the tomatoes. I think they have a couple other products, pickles and something else, but I haven't gotten that far in my canning ventures yet.

I read on the package you can even freeze the salsa if you don't can... I made up a batch one time and instead of cooking it, just put it in the fridge for 2J's to take to a class party in Spanish with chips, and he said all the kids raved over it.... wanting the recipe. Which means allot coming from a majority hispanic classroom.

This is what it looks like all cooked up....

Then I process the jars in the canner... I think I have mentioned this is the very most rewarding skill I have learned to do.

The Anniversary date....

Well my Man came through with a nice anniversary dinner date....
He came home from work asking me what I wanted to do, (you see, usually if I don't plan something creative and interested, we do what he has planned which would be nothing), so for once... I was just honest with him and said I didn't want to plan it, what I really wanted was for him to use his brain, and not just take me to his favorite Mexican food place, but come up with something for us to remember our anniversary by. We didn't have to go to dinner, we could have played a game, gone for a drive to watch the sunset, gone for a walk, gone to the park and swing, tood the dog out to play frisbee, taken the guns out for target practice in the hills... anything, as long as he thought of it!

So he comes through with dinner at a Japanese Steak House in the City...

It was so much fun... and entertaining... they cook at your table on a big grill and this cook was flipping food all over the place! Not like 2J's needed any more encouragement for making messes in the kitchen or anything, but he got this egg spinning, tossed it in the air a few times on his spatula and cracked it in half sideways over the spatula as it came down over the grill... 2J's was very impressed! He just forgot one thing... to tell us "not to try this at home". I fully expect to find broken eggs all over the stove the next time I go into the kitchen. I was very cool though... I have to admit.

His next trick was flipping shrimp out to the people seating around the table... there were two other couples seated with us... a couple of mid 20ish Idaho Cowboy looking guys with their dates...

the 1st flip... missed too far left

The next cowboy... was short....

Next up was 2J's... I missed the catch, but it was perfect (all those years of catching popcorn paid off)... what was priceless was the look on the cowboys faces... they couldn't believe they were being schooled up by a young punk, right in front of their girls! It was hilarious! 2J's was pretty proud...

A good time, and a very special anniversary dinner with my family!
I love these boys so much, they make me smile everyday!!

And they lived happily ever after...

I haven't blogged for a few days, but I am back... I was really deep in reflection and it either seemed too precious to try and put into my simple blogging terms to do any justice, or I was overwhelmed.

I underwent much reflection over the weekend watching General Conference, listening to the words from General Authorities each session for two days so intently with my family than we have ever done before. We had snacks to sustain us, and we watched in our PJ's and blankets. It couldn't get much better than that (no! I didn't eat this stuff it was for the boys to keep them from wandering).

Then I read my sisters blog and was so moved by the fall pictures, reflecting on my love for the Savior, and all of the many blessings in my life! Reflecting on the love I have for my family, they are all over, they have many trials going on in their lives, but they also are blessed with HIS love.

I was also very moved by the picture of "the boys" my brother and my nephew and their dog... you know I have a soft spot in my heart for boys! It seems pretty normal to most families to pray together, but in our prayers everyday we thank God for being together as a family, there was a time when we were not... it was hard, it was very trying, we made it through, but not one of us has forgotten how it felt, and try not to take for granted that we are together as a family.

My next really deep reflection is prompted by the date... today is our 3rd anniversary of our Temple Marriage.

I can finally take the time to explain one of my side bar comments about having 3 Anniversaries.... (by the way, I'm thinking I need just one more, so I can try and have at least one wedding day picture with a good hair day... yikes!)

Most of you know our story, so I will try and keep it simple...

Our first wedding was at Lake Tahoe, NV June 14, 1992.
It was mid June, sunny, warm and beautiful, and did I mention the middle of June... and we were going to be married outside on a cliff overlooking Lake Tahoe, only to wake up to SNOW on the ground, yes in the middle of June in California! Plus a disheartening message from the minister that it was too dangerous to get married outside since it was so slippery outside. We moved forward past all of the little setbacks and it was a glorious happy day for us! My sister and brother in law were there to celebrate with us.

After 8 years we suffered a 3 year divorce... then we were reunited and re-married August 30, 2003 in Caldwell Idaho, a much warmer day, one might even say really hot outside... and this time, no snow! We had lots of family with us and were married by our Bishop who was so very special and instrumental in our journey to include God in our marriage this time.

One year later on October 9, 2004 we were married in the Boise Temple and Sealed as a family together for time and all eternity. This was the most precious and meant the most to us both... we were spiritually prepared to enter this covenant together, we had tons of friends and family with us and to have our son sealed to us was the most precious gift ever!

And then they lived happily ever after....