CERT Training

I've had fun with CERT Training this past month.

Here's some pictures of our fire night:






Now, when I say I put out fires, I'm telling the truth.

Project Management Training

I've been in Project Management training all week long. It's for the PMI.ORG's PMP certification.

In order to get the certification, there is a work requirement. For those of us without a bachelor's degree I need to find 7500 hours of specific related experience. I can look back on the past 8 years, which includes 16,640 hours of work. (that's an average of a 40 hour work per week for the past 8 years.)

I haven't had the job title, BUT you know, as I look closer, I have a LOT of experience.

At the beginning of the week I thought "Oh no! There's NO way I can come up with the required hours..."

Now I'm thinking ... No problem.

When you count the projects I've worked on at work, and at home, I have a TON of experience.

I'll probably just include work experience for the test application, but I have a lot of personal experience too.

Like being in charge of the food last year for our family reunion. It took a lot of planning, but it turned out great. No one went away hungry, so I consider it a success.

Now I get to work on passing the test which means a LOT of study and memorization.


Jess is surprised that her Mom has homework these days.

Forget the A or B or C grades. I'm just hoping for "Pass" so I can put "PMP" after my name.

Cast Iron Cookware

When I got married over 22 years ago I got the typical wedding gifts to start us out. Silverware, plates, cups, set of pots and pans, kitchen towels & dishcloths, kitchen utensils such as mixing bowls, and so on.

Then I bought one 10" cast iron frying pan like my Mom had.

Guess which of all my wedding gifts are STILL in use today?

Yup, the cast iron frying pan.

It is well-used, well-seasoned, and well-loved.

It is not warped, scratched, or thrown out.

We have bought and used several sets of frying pans. Still, they all warp and end up getting thrown out.

So now, I've decided that I'm going to buy more cast iron. Hey, if the one piece has lasted 20+ years, I'm going to add some others. I bought a smaller 8" fry pan recently and I'm already hooked. I need more. So I plan to add more pieces to my collection.

Oh, these are not the new, enameled covered cast iron which is so popular these days. This is the black, iron, have-to-clean-it-quickly-or-it-rusts kind of cast iron.

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Could have saved me some $

Doctor Visits

Do you ever feel like all you do is go from one doctor visit to another? Now "doctor" can take many forms. Dentists, orthodontists, psychiatrists, family practitioner are all considered "doctors" and all require an appointment.

It's not bad when the doctor is timely.

Monday I sat in an office for almost 90 minutes before we were able to go home.

Today the doctor we're visiting should be quick. In fact, he usually takes us in as soon as we get there, even if we're early. Whew. The problem is the travel time. Thankfully we don't have snow on the road, but I still have to deal with morning traffic. It takes at least 60 minutes travel time round trip. 15 minutes tops for the actual appointment. 15 minutes to return to work. See, another 90 minutes out of my week.

Tomorrow we have an orthodontist appointment. Thankfully it's in the afternoon and I can let kids come home the regular route rather than picking them up and driving through town. Things are REALLY slow driving through town around all the road construction (but that's a topic for another day.)

But still, another 60+ minutes out of my work week.

I really try to not put multiple doctor visits in one week, but sometimes it can't be helped. This is just a particularly bad week. Most weeks my hubby can help with appointments, but this week he's on graveyards. So much for seeing him at all.

So much for working and trying to hold down a full time job.

Welcome to the world of work and being a Mom trying to juggle it all.

Canning Hobby

I love to "can" or "bottle" food. Especially in the fall. I love seeing the finished product sitting on the counter. This fall I have done peaches, tomato sauce, and potatoes so far. I may be done, but we'll see. There might be more food to drop in my lap that just "has" to be taken care of.

It's a hobby right now. I want to know how to do it in case I ever have to live off it. For now, it's enough to just know how. Most days I'm glad I can still get to the grocery store.

I canned some potatoes over the weekend. This was my first canning potatoes. They were from a 20# bag of Russetts I got at Costco. I ended up getting a full canner load of about 18 pints, using about 15# of the potatoes.

They looked great!

Only, today they're starting to look a little mushy & cloudy, and all of a sudden I'm not so sure that they're safe.

I opened a bottle tonight and it smelled funny & seemed slimy to me.

Then I opened a can of "diced potatoes" I bought at WalMart earlier this year. Hmm. The liquid was kind of cloudy too, just like my potatoes. Maybe it's just a "potato" thing.

Anyway, I had Clam Chowder for dinner tonight with the WalMart canned potatoes. It wasn't bad.

Why not my own canned potatoes?

I want to check with the local extension service before I eat any. Maybe it's also time to have my pressure canner checked too since I'm supposed to have it checked every year. Hmm. Maybe I should have done that BEFORE canning season started.

*sigh*

Harvest Time

I learned a lot with my garden today as I picked the final harvest. It kind of reminded me of children. You work with them, feed them, water them, guide them, but there comes a day that you have to send them on their way. And that’s ok. There’s another season that will come, and we’ll learn similar lessons again with that season in our life.

I learned that you need to stake the tomatoes BEFORE they become too big. Otherwise, it’s kind of hopeless. I had tomatoes over the entire 4x4 box! Green beans next to tomato plants in a Square Foot Garden really didn’t work. I prefer the Walla Walla onions to the green salad onions. Carrots can last a long time in the soil. Basil doesn’t handle cold temperatures very well. Bell Peppers like the warm sun, and will reach out in order to get the sun. Jalapeño peppers take awhile to produce after being transplanted. It handled the transplanting, but it took awhile for it to feel comfortable before producing “fruit.”

I’ll take my lessons learned and try again next growing season. It’s been rejuvenating to put my hands in the rich black soil, and I’m grateful I had raised garden beds.

Day 2

It's a beautiful day! I love fall weather, especially in Utah. The mountains have color, there is a touch of snow on Mt. Timpanogos, and the weather cools down. Although, this morning at 32 was a little chilly.

Elizabeth Smart had her day in court. What a strong woman she has turned out to be! I remember vividly the day she was taken; it was just a day or two before my sister Becky got married. I remember sneaking out of the reception/luncheon to go listen to the news about the abduction.

I remember the day we learned she had been found ALIVE!

And now to hear of the terrible abuse she had to deal with on a daily basis, I admire the woman she has become. I wish her luck in her future endeavors.

Well, we drove to SL Valley only to find out the doctor had called in sick that morning. It was such a beautiful drive though that I wasn't too disappointed. I'm sure I'll feel differently next week when I have to drive to Salt Lake again so soon after my previous trip.

Jessica is doing well in school. I visited with all her teachers yesterday. I was pleased that her choir teacher seems like a "coach," one who is encouraging Jess to keep singing! Jess tried out for the Honor's Choir the other day but didn't make it only because she doesn't know how to sight read music. On voice and singing alone, she would have made the choir, but she also needs to know how to sight read. Her voice teacher said she'll incorporate sight reading into Jessica's music lessons, and her choir teacher explained how some of the things she does on a daily basis will help with the music theory and sight reading. I think we have a goal to try out again next year!

Jeremy said the vacuum hose on the truck needs replacing, and was thankful it wasn't the O2 sensor.

My "brake" light on the van comes on while I'm turning a corner. I wonder if that means I need more brake fluid... Guess it's time to go check. Our 2003 Toyota Sienna has been a good vehicle for us, so I think for now we'll work on "repairing" rather than "replacing."

I'm looking forward to LDS General Conference this weekend. I have fun doing little projects around the house while I listen to Conference. It's always nice to listen to our leaders.

Chris has a dentist appointment today and will be home the rest of the afternoon. Hopefully it's not too painful for him.

See ya!