my happy little life

on our way to the church halloween party

grant thinks i should change up my costume, as every year i am a witch. and i also try to get my family to follow suit. but i say...

i'm off to watch hocus pocus again....

more spooky posts to come.

my favorite book

the first time i read the book of mormon my life changed. i was just 18 and attempting to piece back together my life after a rough adolescent period. in the depths of my despair i opened this book and found hope and strength. each day as i read i became more convicted with the right way to live and the belief in the healing power of jesus. this incredible change i felt in my life, and the concurrent burning in my heart that the book, like the bible, really did come from god has guided my life and led me to happiness ever since.

i have a beautiful grey leather bound set of the bible and book of mormon together that i used as a missionary. i like keep it nice and take it with me to my sunday meetings. i also need an inexpensive "working" copy because i love to read in the bath (and i have been known to drop books in the bath), throw it in my purse to read when waiting places, and mark it up with any thoughts or impressions i get while studying. so i buy one at the thrift store to keep with me and beat up a little bit. i've also found that if i keep re-reading the same copy i don't pay attention to new ideas and impressions, but rather just read my old thoughts in the margin, so i get new copies frequently. i'm starting to amass quite a collection of books of mormon!

the other morning, i finished a heavily marked up and water-logged copy, the margins containing much of my desires and insights over the last year. as i closed the cover and thought about how much the book meant to me, i didn't want to just put it on the shelf to collect dust. i wondered, rather, if there was someone out there who i could send it to...someone who may need a buoying up, or has been curious about mormon beliefs, or who has been wanting to get some spirituality in their life.

please, if you feel like that could be you, i'd love to send off my beloved copy, with my heartfelt margin writings, to you. email me your address and i will send it to you. really, email me: kellymccaleb[at]hotmail.com.

 

ETA- the response in my inbox has been overwhelming and touching. i will contact each of you soon. i will send this copy to the first email i received, but of course, no one will be left out. please still email me if you'd like a copy. i am over the moon to share my favorite book with as many people as would like one. and i'd love to write some thoughts in each. thank you.

home canning recipe for

ingredients

4 1/2 pounds very ripe peaches (about 20 medium), washed, blanched, peeled/ pitted, and cut into slices

4 cups of sugar + 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

directions

puree peach slices in a food processor till they are pulpy (not liquid). combine peach pulp, sugar, and cinnamon in a large pot. cook until thickened, stirring frequently (approx. 30 minutes- will vary).
 
ladle hot peach butter into hot jars (follow proper canning procedures), remove air bubbles, adjust lids. process for 10 minutes (higher elevation 15) in a boiling water canner. yields about 5 pints.

warning/good thing, depending on your view of it: eating massive amounts of peach butter on costco's honey walnut wheat bread will result in a cleansing of the bowels.

good overexposed day to you

documentation of triumph: at 8:30 a.m. i had gotten cate off to school after a good breakfast and kneeling prayers, exercised, scriptured, tidied, dressed, make-uped even, and was ready to face the world. i probably just described what you do every morning with no congratulations, but alas, these simple tasks at that early hour launch me into a paralytic tailspin of self-doubt and defeat most days. the force was strong with me this morning. most unusual...

and now i am free to finish up my sample project for the class i am teaching at spark, knit other goodies i'm working on, finish canning peaches, and go to the thrift store. it's going to be a good day.

what are you up to?

a sweet and juicy day

i'll let you know how it turns out.

other things to do today:

pack up and get the family ready to leave for southern cal! we have a wedding to attend in LA, family to see, and the beach to lay at.

see you next week.

playing in my room 27 years ago

as i look at this picture, i wonder:

why won't my bangs lay flat like that now?

and

why was shag carpet ever acceptable?