Making Salsa

I have spent a lot of time lately trying to can fruit or make things with the fresh fruits & veggies we have right now. We finally had a ton of tomatoes so I decided to just make a huge pot of salsa. Sam loves salsa so I try to make enough to last all winter but it will probably last a month or two.

I was blanching and cutting for hours and all this canning makes me feel like I never get to play with my kids. So when the kids wanted to help I told them to pulled the bench over. I was going to let them stir or put things in the bowl but after a few seconds I knew it wasn't going to work so I took a bunch of pictures of them helping, made it seem like a big deal, and then nicely dismissed them from the kitchen.

I can't wait for all of this canning to be done and it is way cheaper to buy canned fruit then make it unless you have the fruit trees. I was so tired of cutting and our chopper is crap so I decided I am getting a Pampered Chef chopper. So when Sam got home and was so happy to be getting more salsa I told him I needed the new chopper and he didn't even care.

Fall Concert Series

Sam called me Monday afternoon to see if we wanted to go to the fall concert series at Main Street Park. I said sure because when I was little we use to have concerts in the park all summer and it sounded like fun. We got the kids in lots of warm clothing and headed to the park. We got some fried chicken from Lin's and sat to enjoy the music. The music was good and it was a lot of fun to get to hang out together at the park on a picnic blanket.

The kids kept running to the playground which Porter was fine because he could play by himself but Ruby wanted to slide so Sam and I had to keep taking turns. Ruby would climb up the 8 ft tall slide and then watching her try to sit down without falling off the slide was nerve racking.

We are always trying to perfect our technique at taking pictures of ourselves so it was a good way to keep the kids on the blanket and memorialize the event. No matter how hard Sam tries he can't keep his eyes open, and he has been trying to practice. Porter kept holding his fried chicken up even though we kept telling him not to but he thought it was so fun to hold it up and say fried chicken.

There were two groups that played and it almost seemed like a project for a music class. The second group had three girls and the girl on the right looked so familiar but I couldnt figure out who she was. I kept thinking and thinking and finally realized it was Porter's swimming teacher Whitney, hard to recognize her in anything other than a bathingsuit.

P.S. - Now for the record the sound system sucked and we had to strain to hear the music. Their wasn't too many people (like 20) there but that was a good thing because if we had been any further away we probably wouldn't have been able to hear. I just dont understand why there is a fall concert series advertised in the newspaper that looks like they want a lot of people to come and then they have the worst sound system so that if anyone did come they could barely hear. It just doesn't make sense. I think if you are going to do anything you need to do it full out. Also because the sound system sucked anytime one of us was noisey or even just talking people would look back at us trying to get us to be quiet which was just irritating because it wasn't my fault they couldn't hear the music and my kids where being pretty quiet.

For Jaime

I know I am weird but my sister-in-law and I have to coordinate our kids wardrobes so they can get their picture taken on Thursday and we live hours away from each other and this is easier than emailing.

Porter's Pirate Party, and Jay's too!

Since some of Porter's cousins were in town a week before his birthday I decided to have a birthday party for him. Porter wanted a pirate party and luckily the dollar store had lots of pirate party things. All the kids, and Grandpa too, got eye patches and swords in their loot bags. I love Rubys "Argh" picture with her scrunched up nose.

First we played "X Marks The Spot" (a pin the tail on the donkey kind of game). Then we had a treasure hunt with picture clues that lead to a chest of candy.

Porter opened his presents and got two Batman shake 'n go racers and two outfits from my parents. Josie & Parker got him a Diego book with a cool talking pen. Trisha got him $4 and my cousin Amy gave him $5 (one dollar from each member of her family).

We sang Happy Birthday and Porter blew out the candles on his cool pirate ship birthday cake. This cake was so easy. Josie helped me with the sails and drew the Jolly Roger all by herself. I found that Walmart sales their cake kits and the pirate set only cost $4 which was way less than buying any figurines.

It turned out that the day of Porter's party was actually Jay's birthday (my cousins husband). At the last minute we organized another pirate party for Jay. Jay was a good sport and played lot of games with 10-20 kids like a treasure hunt and X Marks the Spot. We also played Drop the Bones off of the balcony into a laundry basket. For me the best part of Jay's party was when the adults got to play Pirate Pictionary/Charades (you could choose to draw or act it out). I, of course, always drew because I hate acting things out. We had birthday cake and ice cream and played a few rounds of Scum before we were told it was too late and we had to go to bed.

The Funeral

It was good to have everyone share their memories of Chris and all get to be together. We first had a viewing which I don't really like viewing dead people because my Mom traumatized me when I was 15 and forced me to look at my Grandpa Miner. We then had the service which I didn't really get to listen to because I was dealing with a 18 month old and almost 4 year old. But the parts I did get to hear were really nice. After the service we drove to the cemetery and he was buried next to my Grandma Collins.

My mom had made bouquets from Carri's wedding flowers so my Grandma's headstone was very pretty.
Almost all the great-grandchildren took flowers off the casket but I was chasing Ruby and trying to keep her from stealing flowers off other people headstones so I didn't get a flower.We went back to the church and had a luncheon. We must all be big fatties because we practically licked the platters clean.

After all of that we went back to my Grandpa's house and visited. Since it was a nice day in St. George we went swimming. Not a lot of parents wanted to swim so it was my Mom and I in the jacuzzi with 10 kids. I went shopping with my Mom and had IN-N-OUT for dinner, good ending.

My Memories of Chris

So funerals are sad but after they are over and the whole family is together they become fun. Just a few things I want to write down about my Uncle Chris. He was definately more then an uncle, he was like a cousin/grandparent. Cousin because he was like a kid but grandparent because every birthday card or Christmas card was signed Love Grandma & pa and Chris too!

At my Grandparents house there were rules like no running and we generally had to be quiet but I remember many times going to my Uncle Chris' room and just being naughty. There were a few specifics things I would do to make Chris laugh one was mooning him and they other was making weird noises with my mouth. To a young child that kind of irreverent behavior is hilarious and I thought it was funny and so did he.

We went bowling with Chris many times but one time in particular my Grandma had suggested Chris take my sister, Carri, and I on a date to the bowling alley with our cousin Tim. Chris loved going somewhere without his parents and thought he was big stuff to pay. While we were there he marched over to the concessions and bought a soda talked to some workshop friends that happened to be there and loved telling them he was there with us. On the way home I was driving "his" red buick and we had the music on really loud and we were all singing at the top of our lungs. It was so fun to hang out with him and have him be so happy to be one of the teenagers.

Chris hated weddings because he never got to get married and thus he didn't come to my wedding but he loved all the new babies. He always loved holding newborns and playing peek-a-boo with toddlers. Over the last few years he would get very concerned about Porter or Ruby and would follow me/them around the house to make sure someone was watching them and would tell me if they were touching something they shouldn't.

I will always remember how excited he was when he got to move to Idaho to live with his favorite sister, Cindy. Or how after my Grandma died he would whisper in my Grandpa's ear and my Grandpa would talk to him and pat him on the shoulder.

It will always be a blessing in my life and in my family's life to have grown up with such a special Uncle.

My Uncle Chris

Chris Lee Collins

One of Heavenly Father's valiant children, Chris Lee Collins, returned home on September 29, 2

Chris was born August 23, 1955, in Alhambra, California to Donald and Beverly Steele Collins. Chris was the fourth of six children and spent most of his life in West Covina, California.

Chris faced the challenges life presented him and accomplished many things that professionals had predicted he would never be able to do. He learned to walk, talk, read, write, and do many of the things that come naturally to most children. Chris enjoyed a great variety of activities such as bowling, competing in the Special Olympics, being on Art Linkletter's television show, singing and performing any chance he got.

He moved with his family to St. George in 1981. Chris' friendliness and smile brought him many wonderful friends wherever he went, including the Dixie Advantage Workshop and Harmon's, his favorite place to work.

Chris' family will cherish the 53 years of memories with Chris that they were given the privilege to enjoy. Most of those memories involved the things Chris enjoyed most-bowling, music, Elvis, horses, his favorite sport teams and his family.

One of Chris' favorite interests was to spend time in Idaho with his sister Cindy. He loved working at her scrap booking store and visiting with all the ladies that came in.

Chris was preceded in death by his mother who we know greeted him with loving arms.

Chris is survived by his father, Donald Collins of St. George, his siblings, Jade (Dana) Anderson of Las Vegas, NV; Cindy (Dallan) Nalder of Holbrook, ID; Randy (Jullie) Collins of Claremont, CA; Tim (Cathy) Collins of St. George; and Cathy (Cory) Pulsipher of St. George. Chris' pride and joy were his 20 nieces and nephews; and his 21 great nieces and nephews.

Chris' family would like to express their gratitude to his wonderful doctors, Robert Rignell and Gregory Price. They would also like to express their appreciation to the staff at Kolob Care and Rehabilitation Center for the care Chris received there.