~Pamela Susan~

It's a...

So today we had our ultrasound and we found out what we're having!

A GIRL!!!

We are beyond excited and can't wait for Avery and Clara to have a new little sister!

I've received a few emails asking me to post a picture of my little baby bump, so here it goes.  

(Unfortunately I had to take a pic of myself--not very fun to do!)

I'm about 18 weeks along, so almost half way there!  Overall I feel pretty darn good, but I must say, I do feel like pampering myself every once in a while.

Good thing I just received such a LOVELY gift in the mail from my swap partner, Penelope, whom I was matched up with from Dionne's blog, so I can pamper myself away!

Take a look at this box full of lovelies!

A darling little note from the lovely Penelope, herself...

This pomegranate soap is to die for!  I'm not going to share it with anyone...yup, only my skin is touching it!

A cute little frame, baker's twine, and a hug ticket!

Bird coasters!!!

A recipe for yummy cupcakes...this makes my mouth drool!

And a thoughtful little stack of 'Love & Kindness Quotes'.

Thank you, Penelope for such thoughtful and wonderful gifts!  

I can't wait to use every single one one of these presents...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Now, I must really be off to go to bed.  It's VERY late (If there are multiple typos please forgive me!)...I've been up packing for a family reunion that we're attending tomorrow and there's been so much to do.    But I can't wait for this trip; we're going camping with my Mother's side of the family way up in the mountains in Eastern Oregon.  We once had a family reunion there many years ago and I'm very much looking forward to revisiting this gorgeous

place.  And I must say...it will be nice to be away from the business of life for a while--no phones, no computer, no make up (he he)...there's nothing better than getting back in touch with nature and with family.  However, I will be taking my camera so I can share pictures with you later.

Here's to a Happy Wednesday!

xoxo,

Pamela, and my little baby peach!

Striped Applesauce, Anyone??

Last week was a treat.

I traveled down to Canby, OR not only to visit my Dad, Lane, and Ashley, but also

to pick blueberries at my friend's blueberry farm.  

Miriam is her name, and she has one smokin' blueberry patch.

We picked and picked, and talked and talked.  It was great seeing her again.

And check out this GIGANTIC blueberry I found! 

 How fun is that?!

So, I stayed the night at my parents' and planned on leaving the next morning to head back home, but before I left I strolled through their little orchard and then it happened.  My eyes spotted an apple tree...with RIPE apples!

I had completely forgotten that this particular variety, Lodi, was an early ripener.  There was no way I was going home that day!  Instead, we picked and picked so we could make applesauce.  

After canning a couple batches the event became a wee bit boring, so I decided to spice things up.

I asked myself, "Why not add some of my freshly picked blueberries to the sauce?  And why not include some boysenberries into the mix while I'm at it??"

And this was born:

But I couldn't stop there, because that got a wee bit boring after a while, too.

So I thought, "Heck--why not make STRIPED applesauce???"

 

And how about 'polka dots' with blueberries??

 

Ladies and gents...it is true.  I have way too much fun canning fruit.

If you are going to make applesauce this year I highly recommend giving this a try!  

You will not regret it!

Oh, and guess what?  I won a blue ribbon over the weekend!  There was a little arts/crafts/baking/canning contest at a picnic our church hosted and my striped applesauce won first place in the canning division!  I was very happy.  :)  I'm now thinking about entering a couple jars at our local fair.

One more thing before I let you go--just this morning I found out about a very cool website from my cousin.  Check it out if you are interested in canning this summer.

Simply Canning

It is a wonderful resource!

Until next time...

xo,

Pamela

p.s.  Tomorrow we find out if our little baby is a boy or girl!  We are very excited.  Stay tuned!

From the Pacific NW to the Faroe Islands

A dear friend of mine, Matt, traveled to the Faroe Islands this week...lucky guy!  I've enjoyed learning more about this beautiful place and its amazing culture.  

Since he currently lives in Oregon, he contacted me asking if I could create a custom hostess gift made of Oregon Sunstones to give to his hostess.  Wasn't that thoughtful?

This is the design we came up with:

A simple, elegant genuine Oregon Sunstone necklace that is quite versatile.  This little gem was actually mined in Eastern Oregon by a close friend of mine. I hope Matt's hostess, Elin, is enjoying it!  I just love knowing this gift, made with my own hands, is now around the neck of a lovely person on the other side of the world!

Here's to you, Matt...

And here's to a Happy Friday!

xo,

Pamela

Cherries!

Hello everyone!  I'm sorry it has taken me sooooooo long to post pictures

of my cherry adventure from a few weeks ago.  Each time I visit my parents' place it seems there is a different fruit or vegetable that is ripe and ready to be harvested.  This particular visit presented a wonderful gift:

PIE CHERRIES!  

If you aren't familiar with this type of cherry I should tell you that they are NOT SWEET, but quite tart.  They are perfect for pies!  Do you have to add much sugar when making the pie filling you might be asking yourself??  Yes, but it is worth it!

Avery helped me pit them...she did a fantastic job!  I'm always surprised at her eagerness in helping me whenever I'm working with fruit.  She is a great little helper.

 

Isn't this little pitter (cherry stoner) the niftiest thing you've ever seen??  The only problem it presented was that it wasted a lot of juice, as you can see in the bowl.  I couldn't let it go to waste so I used it to make the most delectable treat.  Can you guess what it was???

 

Tart cherry syrup over vanilla ice cream and brownies!

  Let me tell you--if I owned a restaurant this little treat would be at the top of the dessert list!  If you have your own pie cherries and you want to try your hand at this, all you have to do is bring the juice to a boil and add sugar.  It's that simple! 

 And ohhhhhhhh so good!

Is it already Wednesday?!?  Yay!  We're half way to the weekend.  I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far!

Many xoxo's...

:) Pamela

Happy Anniversary, Aaron!

July 19, 2003

I am one lucky lady to have married this wonderful man 6 years ago today.

Happy Anniversary, Aaron!

I love you...

We're Home!

We had such a lovely vacation!  We traveled to Utah for Aaron's family reunion and were able to stop by Idaho to visit my Grandma on our way there.  Here are some pictures:

~IDAHO~

A little barbeque in Grandma's backyard with aunts, uncles, and cousins:

Meet my Aunt Wendy and my newest little cousin, Blaine.  Isn't he a cutie??

 

Aunt Diane is canning away!

Gorgeous cherries, aren't they?!

My Uncle Scott's oat field:

All the guys treated themselves to a little swim in the canal on my grandparents' property:

~UTAH~

*Fourth of July*

Aaron's brother-in-law, sister, and mother sitting with Clara:

Lunch at Aunt Linda's the next day:

 

My in-laws, celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary!

Aaron and his Grandma, Clara, whom little Clara is named after:

Avery enjoying a carousel ride in Park City:

Me, beating Aaron's little hiney while racing down the alpine slide in Park City.  It was such a blast!!  If you ever make it to this beautiful city you must treat yourself to this slide!  It's much like bob sledding down a mountain but in the summer...so fun!

I wish I could share all the pictures with you but it would fill up all the pages on my blog!  Also, many thanks to my Uncle Lynn and Aunt Tara for hosting us our last three days in Utah...

we had such a great time.

I feel so blessed to have been able to visit so many relatives while there.  I have so many wonderful family members...I love you all!

And I hope all of you, my lovely readers, are enjoying your summer!

Until next time...

xo,

Pamela

Vacation, Vacation, We're on Vacation

Yes, the time snuck up on me quickly...we left for vacation before I was able to even tell you I wouldn't be around for a while.  I hope all you Americans out there had a fabulous Fourth of July! 

 I will write again soon!

xoxo,

Pamela

A Good Excuse

Hello, everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't been the most diligent blogger as of late.  But I promise I have a good excuse...

I'm pregnant!!  

That's right!  I just kissed my first trimester goodbye a week ago.  There have been days when I've decided to take a nap instead of updating the blog, and that's why new posts have been so sporadic...yes, I've decided to slow things down a bit.

Here I am at 14 weeks: 

 

Our little munchkin is about 3 1/2'' long and already has the ability to suck his/her thumb!

Avery is convinced it's a little boy, while Clara's busy walking around telling people she has a baby in her tummy.  hehe  Yes, we are all very, very excited for this little baby to join our family!  

Well, sorry to cut it short, but I'm off to take a little nappy-nap before the girls awake.  

Stay tuned, though...the next post I'll share pictures of our berry/cherry picking adventure!

xo,

Pamela