Lost & Found...

Gideon was going crazy this morning sniffing under our grill. I lifted up the cover to find three little kittens hissing at me. I was delighted! Sundae (their mama) had them about 4 weeks ago and hid them in a secret place. We thought they died or she ate them or something terrible. Nope. Just a good mama, keeping her babies safe and secure from the weather and big chocolate labs. Gid loves them already and I'm sure they will become good friends before too long. One kitten is already spoken for, but the two others are up for grabs. Here's the triplets being loved on already.

Scotten Family

They thought it would be fun to have their first ever family portraits (also celebrating 10 years of marriage-whohoo!) taken in Mt. Gretna. Keith and Rachel have been visiting this cute little town for the past several years and have made some special memories there. The first time they went was with friends to visit the Jigger Shop. During this trip, they discovered the Mt. Gretna Inn, where Keith went inside to find out some more information while Rachel waited in the car. Little did she know he was making reservations for their 5 year anniversary! It was a surprise to her a couple months later to discover they were headed back for a fun weekend. They had a wonderful time at the inn and enjoyed biking on the rail trail, mini golf on the world's worst mini golf course, walking around admiring the charming homes and of course, ice cream at the Jigger. They have gone back for the big outdoor art show and the annual tour of homes, and try to make a trip every summer. Rachel says that when they are in Mt. Gretna it feels like they are on vacation, even though it's only 45 minutes from home. Meet the happy couple and their adorable little girlies, Kennedy and Marina.

Criss Cross Applesauce

Canning. It's not for the faint of heart. I've used that line quite a bit over the last few weeks. The older I get, the more I appreciate homemade applesauce, peaches, tomatoes, etc. The process is quite complex and the goal is to get everything to seal so you can enjoy it over the winter months. So far, I've had a 95% success rate. Applesauce is worth the effort, but there are always moments where I want to rip my hair out and say, "Just forget it! I'll buy Mott's." But I don't really mean it. I can't even stomach store bought applesauce. Yes, there were times where I just threw my head back and laughed. And then I felt much better and could continue on...cooking, cutting, cranking, filling, sealing, carrying, stirring, washing.

So, to make sure I never forget all the fun parts, I took some pictures of our very long day yesterday. At the end, we came up with 63 quarts of golden goodness. Only a few didn't seal, so I ended up freezing those few quarts. My family will be thankful this winter. Mom, thanks for giving of your time and expertise. I really wouldn't and couldn't do any of these processes (peaches, tomatoes, corn, green beans, jelly, pickles, etc.) without you. The art of canning is passed down from generation to generation and we all have our own way of accomplishing the same thing in the end. Summertime goodness year-round.