Indecisive

I've spent a minimum of a few minutes every day

for the last few weeks

scouring the online classified for the perfect dining table.

My dining room is tiny

so we've decided to set it up as a place where we can play games.

We like cards and play them fairly often as a family.

So a small, round table will be perfect!

My first thought was to get a cheap pedestal table,

refinish it

and get some cute chairs.

There are a million of these

Oak tables

with or without a leaf

claw foot or similar

I found one for $15

and was all set to go get it

when hubby made the comment that it was so boring

and why wasn't I spending a little more to get something better

Ok

So I kept searching

and added furniture stores

and consignment shops to the places I looked.

I can find some gorgeous pedestal tables for about $1200

But, yeah. $1200

ain't happenin

Of course, to add to the difficulties,

I have something specific in my mind.

Dark wood table (color to coordinate or match the top of my buffet)

with white, cushioned chairs.

Once you have something specific in your head, it seems harder to find it.

An open mind is way better.

I keep finding things that seem pretty good

but not perfect

and what if I get it and don't love it.

I found this at a consignment shop

The pedestal is really pretty

but the top is a little unusual

and it's an antique

and he wants to sell it as a set...

But I really want cushioned chairs.

He reluctantly said he'd sell the table separately

but then I have guilt over separating the set

which is, after all, a lovely antique dining set.

Frank expects me to go buy it any minute.

It's a good price.

But I'm still scouring the ads

and being indecisive.

I'm not sure if the color is right

and I don't want to willy nilly refinish an antique table that is in great shape the way it is now.

Plus, I still have to find chairs that look right with whatever table I choose.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

I can't decide!

To make matters worse,

all this online searching has caused me to branch out

(you know, just to see what's out there)

so I'm looking at end tables of all types

and coffee tables

and I can barely contain myself when I see a lovely old dresser!

I'm going to end up with five or six refinishing/painting projects if I'm not careful.

What I wonder

Here are some things I constantly wonder about:

What am I doing wrong?

Ok. 

That pretty much covers it when you think about it.

And it's better than reading a long, depressing list.

Let's talk about peaches!

I think I may have eaten more peaches this summer

since moving to Utah

than all my other summers combined!

I never had a good source for delicious peaches before.

There was the grocery store.

Hit or miss as far as peaches go.

You might get a delicious one or you might get one that's kind of mushy and grainy.

I hate a grainy peach!

Such a let down.

Costco.

They are huge and kind of expensive.

Usually tasty.

It always felt like a splurge to buy that box of ginormous peaches.

I imagine there were farm stands around but I never took advantage.

But here in my new home I have an amazing farm stand

less than a mile away.

And I pass it regularly on my way to the stores I go to

and also on the way to take Carter to work.

I got into the habit of stopping there pretty much every time I passed.

So several times a week, usually.

The peaches are amazing!

I never ever got a bad one.

My sister mentioned that she usually cans peaches every September

and I was seriously excited!

I asked her to let me know when she did it so I could do it too.

Sadly, she said that she still had some left from last year and didn't plan to do it this year.

What?

Say it isn't so!

Luckily, she is a very nice sister and agreed to help me can some even though she didn't need any herself.

So I bought two boxes of peaches.

And we canned them in my sister's backyard.

I love canning with someone who knows what they are doing.

Really knows.

I can do it on my own but I feel like I'm faking it...

and I've always got the iPad out on the counter so I can refer to it.

I'm so thankful for smart people who are willing to put their knowledge on the web for me to use.

but its so much nicer to work next to someone knowledgeable!

After we canned these peaches I started feeling anxious.

The peaches were going away soon

and I didn't have that many stashed away for the winter...

So I bought TWO MORE BOXES.

And I spent a couple of days

freezing them.

and 

eating them.

I think I may have overdone it to be honest.

(the eating part)

But I now have lots of peaches in my freezer.

I froze them whole

I froze bags of them cut up.

I'm ready for some fall cobbler.

Ice cream with peaches on top.

I don't even know what else!

I can't believe peach season is over.

There's 5 sitting on my counter...

and they are the last 5 fresh ones I will have for 2014.

Mmmmm peaches.

The Zoo!

It's so much fun reliving the "little kid" times again.

I miss my little kids who loved me and wanted hugs and kisses.

Isabelle is starting to like me

(although its mostly for the snacks right now)

and Kaylee, of course, has liked me all along 

*smile*

Recently we took them to the zoo in Salt Lake City.

Isabelle LOVES chickens so it was fun to see them roaming around 

Kaylee and Grandma 

The weather has been gorgeous lately so, of course, on the day we went to the zoo 

it was really HOT

Nice out, but hot.

I felt sorry for Kaylee who was in a carseat a lot as we strolled her around.

All that padding! 

ugh 

I felt hot just looking at her.

Poor hot baby!

Isabelle loves animals.

So the zoo was the perfect outing.

It was hilarious to watch her watch the animals.

Seeing them in real life and moving and everything.

So much different than a book or stuffed animal.

Not too sure about these LIVE animals!

She loved the monkeys when they were sitting still, but once they moved she was not so thrilled.

Monkeys are cool when they sit still...

Same thing with the peacocks.

One came up to the fence (just a split rail fence) and she loved looking at it.

Then it walked through the fence!

Oh my gosh she jumped!  It was sort of sad (since she was scared) but also so funny.

Ever since the zoo she has added a new animal sound to her repertoire
and it is a growl.
So funny and cute.

We ended the day at the Splash Pad
which is a very good thing to have at the zoo!

While Isabelle and her cousins enjoyed the water

Kaylee and I sat in the shade together and cooled off.

It was a fun day!

The only thing I regret is not eating at the zoo cafe.

Happy Wife, Happy Life

Ever since we moved here,

whenever someone asks us what brought us to Utah,

Frank responds with "happy wife, happy life"

which always gets a good chuckle.

Yesterday someone asked us again

and for the first time, Frank didn't respond in his usual way

and just said "family"

to which the other person responded

"happy wife, happy life"

Sheesh.

But seriously,

the main reason we are here

(besides the fact that God wants us here)

is for family.

My Mom and Dad are here.

They aren't getting any younger!

and I haven't lived near them for nearly 30 years.

I have kids here.

I have siblings here.

I have cousins here.

I have aunts and uncles here.

I have grandkids here.

I have nieces and nephews here.

And I love family.

I am one of those people that could go to every family reunion

and every family activity

and never tire of it.

Today was the first day of what I hope will be a weekly event.

Lunch with my Mom and Dad.

They chose to have this first lunch at their house

and my Dad cooked it all.

They used their best china

and set a gorgeous table outside.

It was SO wonderful.

I loved it.

I'm so happy to be close to family.

If the saying is true

then Frank should be feeling pretty good about being here.

Because

Happy Wife, Happy Life.

Wormy Apples

I have a big 

(very big. Too Big.)

apple tree in my yard.

Since we moved here after spring had passed, we didn't do any spraying.

so all of the apples are wormy.

(although I really do like the concept of being pesticide free)

They are falling on the ground and rotting there.

They are filled with little black bugs

(But I think those come after they have fallen and begun to rot)

Carter and I have spent quite a bit of time picking up all of the fruit off of the ground.

But the tree is still very full of fruit.

Such a waste.

When Frank's parents were here, his mom picked an apple

and cut off a piece from the side of the fruit that didn't have any holes

or signs of bugs.

The fruit inside was perfect.

tart and sweet

but not quite ripe yet.

It made me realize that I could potentially have some really delicious apples on that tree!

So today I googled

"using wormy apples"

and sure enough there are lots of frugal, smart people out there who are willing to overlook

a few bugs and worms in their fruit.

I'm toying with the idea of using the good part of the fruit to make applesauce.

I just have to figure out if it's possible for me to overcome

the heebie jeebies that I'm sure to get when I'm cutting open those

wormy wormy apples!

And then how to get my kid to eat it...

Isabelle's first outing

On Monday night we got brave and took Isabelle on her first outing

*without her parents*

Yep, just Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Carter and Isabelle.

We figured she would do ok since it involved food.

She has already learned that Grandma/Grandpa=food

so I imagine she was expecting a treat of some kind!

We went to a local ice cream shop that we noticed driving by

but hadn't tried.

I was hoping to get her a tiny cone that she could work on

but this place was totally different from any place we've ever been.

You choose your flavor(s)

and they use nitrogen to freeze it right there in front of you.

Pretty cool!

and tasty

but not really toddler friendly.

So I ended up getting a small for myself with an extra spoon.

Oh man!  

She loved it so much.

She would happily dip her spoon in over and over

(getting only a minuscule amount on it each time)

and then lick it off.

She started to realize that she wasn't getting as much on her spoon as anyone else

and she decided to use her hands.

Smart cookie.

But I'm smarter...so I gave her a second spoon.

Afterwards we went upstairs and played some arcade games.

She loved watching the lights and screens and pretending to drive.

Someday she'll learn that it's more fun when you actually turn the game ON

but we'll enjoy these simple times while we've got them!

Our first outing was a success!