Hi! I'm not sure what my butterfly is, it might be in the same catigory as the painted lady. Thanks for the compliment.

Hi Ann,
I have given away jars of this sweet relish and my friends rave about it. It is especially good with tuna or egg salad! Thanks Cooks.com.
Zucchini Relish
10 c. zucchini squash ( I mixed yellow and green zucchini)
4 c. onion
5 tblsp. salt
3-4 or more red and green peppers

Chop vegetables ( my method ) or put in coarse grater. Put in a large bowl. Add salt and let stand overnight. Rinse in cold water. Drain. put in kettle and add: 3 c. sugar, 1 tblsp. nutmeg, 1 tbls. turmeric, 2 tbls. celery seed,
2 tblsp. cornstarch and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Cook for 30 min. and seal in stelized jars. No processing is necessary.

I purchased a book from my local hardware store that carries canning supplies and it gave me some great tips and proper ways to can. It should be called jarring, not canning :-) ....... the book is put out by "Ball" and the title is Blue Book a guide to preserving. Great reciepies as well!

Bon Appetite

Lisa

Hi Ann,
Thanks for your comment on the chipmunks. My daog Brandy is trying hard to catch these little guys but they seem to be taunting her and she seems to like it. I am convinced she has a little terrior in her the way she acts.
It is cute to watch but not real productive!!

Hi Ann it was so nice to hear from you. I am so glad everyone is ok and healthy. I can't wait to see pictures of your family. I did find you on facebook. As for the cleaning service, I say absolutely. I finally did for different reasons but I had to get over feeling guilty about getting someone to come in when It was only my husband and I and I felt like I should be the one to do it but I work so many hours that the last thing I wanted to do on the weekends (after working some more on school) was clean house. You will feel better if you enjoy having a clean house and if you can not do it for whatever reason and can get someone to clean it then just thank God you can and do it. I can also relate to the girls had certain jobs and the boys had other jobs that didn't include girl jobs. I am the only girl and I hated it when my three brothers got away with not having to help with cleaning the kitchen. Well I am back at school. The kiddos come on Monday but my classes (Spanish) don't start until the following week (thank goodness) since I see all 600 of them I still have stuff I need to do to get ready for them. I will say though that I am exhausted and I haven't even started teaching yet. Oh well I'm sure I'll get used to it. Well I am going to go upstairs and get into some comfy clothes and go to bed early tonight. I look forward to seeing you on FB.

Hi Ann You sound so good and congratulations on the weight loss. That is amazing. As for the 20lbs they will come off now that you are up and about. I am so glad your son is ok. That kind of weight loss can be hard for the body. I'll keep Him in my prayers too. How exciting...you are going to Chicago to see your first grandchild. What a special occasion. I miss Chicago only because of the friends I had made there, not the weather! Well yes it sure does seem time goes by so much faster when we get older. Do you think it's because we have so much more "stuff " in our lives. Maybe if I simplified things would seem to slow down only I am such an anal retententive, perfectionist and have something always going that that in itself would be a challenge. I guess getting back to school will good. It will put some structure back into my days....Oh Taxco would be great to visit and like you said because of the silver. I love jewelry. That is my other hobby, I make necklaces, lanyards, bracelets etc etc but out of glass beads. I don't work with silver although that would be fun to learn. However like I said I always have a million things I want to do. I actually went to Monclove, Coahuila, just about 4 hours across the border to Texas. My father grew up in a little town there and he is fixing up a house. He had cataract surgery and asked if I would drive him there so I did. It was nice to spend some quality time with him....Well I am going to go water my plants before it gets to hot. It has been unbearable. Take care and I can't wait to hear all about your trip.

Thanks! No, I'm not a professional photographer. But I Love taking pictures.

Ha Ann I finally made it back. I am really tired and can't sleep. I have two weeks and back to school. A little nervous but I know it'll all be ok. How are you doing?

It is public school. I teach spanish to k-6th grade at a school on a military base and I can't believe it's that time already. I will be going to Mexico with my dad on Thursday and when I return I will be hitting the books pretty hard to prepare for the new year. What I find difficult is getting everything watered because I don't have time in the mornings anymore and when I get home I am pretty tired in the beginning. So it is a challlenge.

Oh Ann you talk about seasons...something I don't even know about anymore. It's been over 100 for weeks now and no rain. I'm just trying to keep things alive and happy. Now that school begins i'll have much less time. But will be visiting often to see how everyone is doing.