Grape Expectations

Last summer Jason planted 3 small grape vines in our backyard. This year, the vines were covered with gorgeous purple grapes.
So we spend one morning this summer picking grapes...

...lots of grapes...

...with our hands and with the help of a few tools.

After we collected two big bowls full of grapes,

we headed over to my parents' house to learn how to make....

...homemade grape jelly!

Concord Grape Jelly Recipe

{from the Sure Jell box}

Start with 3 1/2 lbs. Concord Grapes. Discard stems and place grapes in a big pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of water {or just enough to cover the grapes}. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drail/strain juice using a cheesecloth {we used an old t-shirt}. Add 5 cups of the prepared juice, 7 cups of sugar, and one box of Sure Jell back to the pot {my dad also mixed in a little butter to keep the mixture from foaming}. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil on high heat for exactly one minute. Ladle the mixture into prepared jars, clean the rims of the jars, and screw the jar lid on tightly.

Wordless Wednesday: It's All a Blur...

Ramblings...

School started back last week. I am exhausted just thinking about doing homework, packing lunches, washing uniforms, dropping off, picking up....times TWO this year! Yesterday Henry and I worked on his first project of 1st grade. He helped pretty well, but it was obvious {from his SUPER short attention span} that I did not pass on my love of all things crafty to him:) Maybe if I start working with him now, Eli will like to craft with me one day!

Other than working on that one school project, I have been in a terrible craft rut for the past few weeks. I think the crazy-busy summer that we had is finally catching up to me! I have a feeling I am going to be napping with Eli everyday this week:) It also doesn't help that I still have a major craft fail sitting on my dining room table mocking me every time I walk by it. I hate when I have such huge expectations for a project and then it fails miserable...especially because this was supposed to be a gift for someone. I guess I will just start over from the beginning and hope it works better the second time:)

We made homemade grape jelly about two weeks ago. I took some great pictures of the boys picking the grapes, and I have some pretty good shots of the yummy jelly when we got finished. I just don't have the motivation to get them loaded and put into a post....maybe one day this week I will!

Clutter drives me crazy! I hate it! And it seems to be everywhere in my life right now.

*The dining room is a mess thanks to my craft fail.

*The kitchen is a wreck thanks to the pile of dirty dishes that I so don't want to load into the dishwasher.

*The laundry room is a wreck thanks to three loads of laundry that really need to be folded.

*My purse is a wreck thanks to the millions of receipts, coupons, and toys that manage to make their way into my purse but never find their way out!

I signed Eli up for gymnastics...he started yesterday. He had a fun time and got SUPER sweaty exploring the whole gym the first day. I might share a picture or two tomorrow if I managed to get any that weren't a blur of sweaty little boy running all over the place:)

I haven't been a very good bloggy friend lately, but I'm hoping that I can get back into the swing of thing this week. Hopefully I will be able to respond to a few emails and hop over to visit after I take care of all my clutter and get a nap:)

First Day of School

They were both all smiles when we left home this morning...I'm hoping they will be all smiles when we pick them up too:)

Wordless Wednesday: Vacation 2010

Trying...

...to get out of vacation mode and into school mode!

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We were here: all last week.

{I'll post more vacation pictures later}

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Now I am going to be doing this:
all this week.
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Plus washing, folding, and putting away all of the boys' new school uniforms. We are trying to get ready for Thursday morning {aka the first day of school}! I will have a first grader and a kindergartner this year!

This summer has flown by...and it will officially be over in three days!

Pudding Pop Party!

Do you remember these?!?

I have seen these popping up all over blogland since I posted about them in June. I even had a few people email and leave comments to let me know they had made Rainbow Pudding Pops and LOVED them! So I decided to feature a few of my favorite versions that I have seen.

Reader Spotlight: Rainbow Pudding Pops!

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Lesley at It's a Boys' World made some cute Rainbow Pudding Pops in her attempt to be SUPERMOM! I think she did a great job! Five Little Monkeys made Rainbow Pudding Pops along with a ton of other rainbow themed ideas!
My Rainbow Pudding Pops made it all the way to the other side of the world...India to be exact! Check out Delhi Bound for another fun version!
Sara @ It's Good to be Queen made some NEON pudding pops with her adorable boys.

Jenn @ Glorriedays and her kiddos had a SUPER messy time with their Rainbow Pudding Pops!

Clothing Optional

Can you tell that anytime something with tomato sauce is served at our house, clothing is optional....at least for Eli:)

Jello Jigglers

Summer boredom is setting in fast, so I have been trying to do some fun activities with the boys to keep their whining to a minimum entertain them.

The other day we made Jello Jigglers....they are fun to play with and fun to eat!Mix two large boxes or four small boxes of jello {or in my case one big box and two small boxes} with 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir for about two minutes until all the Jello is dissolved. Pour into a 9X13 pan {not a baking sheet like I did...it will be way too thin}, and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until the Jello is set.
Get out the cookie cutters...
...and let your kiddos have a blast playing with their food...
...and learning some letters and shapes at the same time!

And when they get tired of play, they have a fun snack to eat!