Jack be limbo, Jack be quick, Jack go unda limbo stick

So, I'm moving.  But I don't exactly when or exactly where.  In about ten days Mike and I are flying up to Spokane to look at houses and hopefully put in an offer but until then I am in limbo.  I walk around the house in circles.  I walk outside and stand in my front yard, look around, and walk back inside.  Being in limbo is no fun.  But there is a cure - it's a boring one but it really works - stay busy.  So to cure my limbo blues I've been drying peaches, making bread, and yesterday I make home dried tomatoes.

Last weekend we went up to Mike's parents in Boise and they have an amazing garden - they let me take as many tomatoes as I wanted - so I filled a big paper box full of beautifully ripe tomatoes.  Brought them home and made me some home dried tomatoes.  My mother in law also let me borrow her dehydrator.

I love love love sun-dried tomatoes but I had no idea how much better home dried tomatoes would be - they are AMAZING.  They are slightly sweet because they were ripened on the vine, they're slightly salty, and they're bursting with savory tomato flavor.  YUMMY!!!

It was a pretty simple process too.  I dunked the tomatoes in boiling water for 60 seconds - then into a bath of cold water.  Once they were cool enough to handle I took them out and their skins slid off easily.  I then quartered the tomatoes and put them in the dehydrator - as easy as that.  It took like 14-15 hours in the dehydrator for them to be ready so start early so you don't have to get up at 1 AM to check them like I did.

My favorite thing to do with dried tomatoes, beside just popping them in my mouth, is to make a sun-dried tomato pesto - I put this on sour dough bread with fresh mozzarella and a few basil leaves and then toast it - SO SO YUMMY!

Dave & Jamie are in L-O-V-E.

Back in February I offered a free couples session and Dave and Jamie won it.  It was fun to have them win since I have literally known Dave since kindergarten.  And Jamie is THE perfect woman for him and anyone who knows them knows that they are one powerhouse of love and AFFECTION.  Speaking of which - be forewarned that there may be some kissing in this post... We headed over to their neighborhood - Daybreak - and spent the evening wandering through it's prettiness.

These guys are seriously fun to be around - they are laughing all the time and totally clever!  When they were first married and without television - by choice I believe - they would take turns reading to each other.  I love it.

So thanks for the great time, guys!  Wishing you many many more years of happiness!

The Gypsy Family

You know, I think my family is a band of gypsies in disguise.  Why?  Because we found out that we are once again moving.  This time to Spokane, Washington.   It will be our 13th home in ten years and three of those ten years we lived in one place.  We move too much.  Obviously.  This move will be different for me though - harder.  Every other time we moved it was an answer to prayer - a prayer for better employment, a better climate, a better place - but this time there was no such need.  At least not enough that we were praying for it.  If you remember this post - you'll remember that I am really happy where I am.  I've got the best neighbors IN THE WORLD.   I live in a dreamy cul-de-sac.  We have beautiful sunsets, great running routes, and the best of friends.  And we are leaving it all.

But it's not all bad.  In fact, it's kind of exciting.  See, Spokane is a smaller city - roughly 250,000 people - and it's surrounded by rolling farmland.  Yup, rolling farmland.  Which if you know anything about me you know that I've been dreaming of just that for a long time.  So, we'll see.  We go up in a couple weeks to house hunt.  And then once we close on something we move.  So, maybe 6 weeks from now I'll be a bonafide farm dweller.   A farm dweller who is crying because she misses her old place?  Most likely, yes.