aka: my stinkin’ peaches are done and I did have a lot of fun in the last few weeks. Here’s a (probably too long) rundown.

The before and after. I canned 48 quarts or a little over 400 peaches. I thought I could do it in a day, it took me 3 full days to actually finish. But it is so nice to have them done!

I got to meet some fantastic ladies at the Rhodes blogger class. It was so much fun and I want to take a little more time on another post to share some recipes. So more to come on that.

I hosted a fun book group. (Not my usual-they know all of my deep dark shameful secrets book group-but one of cute friends I have known forever and am just finally joining.) I snapped this picture after everything had been laid out for 30 min. and no one showed. I thought the jerks stood me up; but actually I was just dumb and didn’t notice that it started an hour later than I thought.

If I say so myself, the food was pretty darn good. I served Pinch My Salt’s slow roasted tomatoes with goat cheese (-so worth trying.) As well as little mock petit fours. They were super easy to make. Just bake mini cupcakes (without the wrapper) then dip into ganache or melted frosting. It is best to use canned frosting for this–for some reason it melts and sets better than homemade. (Don’t think too long about why.) Put the amount you want in a small bowl and microwave for 5-10 sec. Stir (and stir in coloring if desired) and dip the cupcakes in-voila. The cooler the frosting/ganache, the thicker the coating will be. They are so easy and they turn out darling. I did them in pastel colors for a baby shower a few days later. Sadly no pictures of that. But try the awesome carmel dip Julie made with apples. She also brought a beautiful bowl of strawberries with bowls of sour cream and raw sugar to dip them in. I loved that! Back to bookclub: I served my favorite girlie beverage–water with sliced cucumbers and limes and a pinch of sugar. Mmm, so refreshing. Oh, by the way, the book was awesome. Check it out: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (Don’t read the condensed version!)

I have spent my nights working on a couple of paintings for the Spread Magic Around Carnival and Auction. If you are in the Salt Lake Area, I really recommend attending the fundraiser to help out with the Coleman family’s sweet kids who have SMA (spinal muscular atrophy). The festivities will be on Oct. 9th. Come and have some fun (info available on the Coleman’s blog). You don’t even have to bid on my work. …but I will like you more if you do. Kidding, only kidding. Actually, if you do notice anything or have any advice, I would LOVE you for sharing. The red one doesn’t photograph well, but I love it. Mary, Mary is giving me a lot of self doubt. She still has a ways to go and I keep thinking of scraping the background all together and pulling a late nighter to do something better. I don’t know. Okay, I’m not going to get all anguished artist-y on you. I will maintain a shred of dignity. Well, in this instance at least.

I have also had an unusual number of mommy outings. Woohoo! Of course, I am sure you are sick of hearing me ramble about my daily events. (And I haven’t even started in on the PTA activities and inability to keep my house clean. Ick, even I feel bored.) So, I will get going on this weeks fun: a wedding cake, more PTA and finishing touches on the paintings. Oh yea, and blogging. My reader is very full and I miss all of my-um-virtual friends. (Does that sound as lame as I think it does? Doesn’t matter. They are real to me. <little sniff>)