The back-to-school rush is on! #2016

We have gotten the basic school supplies taken care of and even managed some new clothes and shoes.  The kids are disappointed that they have to wait another week and a half to wear their new digs, but I am standing firm that they are new treats for the new school year!  Our shipment from L.L. Bean should arrive by Tuesday and then I can finish sorting everything and getting ready for back-to school night.

Since we have basically been a single income family for some time now... getting all of this taken care of has been a challenge, but we have hunted sales and second hand bargains and we have managed to pull it off... I think! I still have one big thing that needs to be taken care of though... My kids need haircuts seriously bad!

When you have three kids haircuts becomes a major expense pretty quick.  Usually, I cut this cost by cutting the kids hair at home... ((this has turned out O.K. most of the time... but sometimes not so much...LoL...oops...hair grows back right...hehehe)) ...Anyways, this year I was hoping to get the kids haircuts by a pro!  I want them looking their best before they meet their new classmates and teachers for the first time... with funds running low our chances were looking bleak, but then I happened upon a community event that was offering Free haircuts!  It was for a neighboring school district... so I took a shot in the dark and asked if anyone knew of a similar event for my area...

...turns out nobody did... then the lady that was volunteering at the event offered to help me out!  I messaged her to set everything up and she is meeting me in Roanoke next week to give all three kids haircuts... for FREE!  I feel so blessed to receive such an awesome gift for my children and thank her from the bottom of my heart for her generosity... I appreciate what she is doing so much!

Over the past week we got the kids class assignments and we will have Kindergarten orientation and Back-to-School night next week.  At orientation I will get to go to the school and meet the girls Kindergarten teacher and find out about how Kindergarten is going to work at AES.  Then at Back-to-School night we all get to go to the school and the kids will all get to meet their teachers and see their classrooms and their Daddy will get a chance to look around and meet everyone too.  I am hopeful that this will be a great year for the kids and that they will make lots of new friends at AES!

Today was the last day of the Summer Reading Program at Radford Library and the kids all managed to read for 40+ hours before the end of the program!!! That means that they will all be invited to the Star Reader's party hosted by the library and they will get their names in the local newspaper! I am so proud of them and I can't wait to take them to the celebration party as we start to wrap up our 2016 summer vacation!

Though I have already made almost 3 dozen jars of jelly  this weekend, I still have a least a few more batches to make before Wed this week to properly stock market!  I picked Queens Anne's Lace flowers today and processed the flowers so I have juice that is ready for jelly in the morning... Plus I have some crab apples processing in the fridge... so at least I have a head start... The back-to-school rush is on and this week has more scheduled events than my calendar has seen for awhile... but never fear, Super Mom is here!  ...Lol... I will do my best to take care of everything and hope that things go as smoothly as possible!

For now a decent nights sleep is in order and I need to get an early start tomorrow... so Good Night all!

Have you tried Blueberry Lavender Jam?

I never knew making jellies and jams could be so fun and rewarding!  There are so many different flavor combinations no one person could ever make them all, but I am definitely going to try out my fair share!

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Yesterday I mentioned quite a few of the varieties of jellies and jams we offer at "Something Special...especially for you" and one in particular has become my favorite jam of all time... Blueberry Lavender Jam!  This particular jam has three distinct flavors that dance across your tongue as you enjoy each bite...first Blueberry...then Lavender and finally a Zest of Lemon as you swallow!  It really is an awesome blend of flavors that you should try if you get the chance!

 

My family and I love this jam so much I made a full size jar just to stick in the fridge as I packaged the rest for market!  My first two batches sold out in less than two weeks and I am excited to have more in stock... I am going to make one more batch this weekend if I can and then I will be switching it up and playing with some plum and crab apple recipes!  Stay tuned and we will let you know what other unique flavors we discover and which markets to go to, to pick up your jar!

How to stock a pantry 101! #MakingJamsAndJellies

As hard as I try to be prepared in the kitchen I rarely am on the first try...  I am one of those people that seems to be always missing one important ingredient when trying out new recipes... This week alone I have gone to the store just for eggs (my fridge froze my last dozen farm fresh eggs), just for vanilla extract and just for baking powder all trying to make special breads for market.... SMDH...Three separate times in one week I have had this problem... last week it was the same story just different ingredients because I was making new jam and jelly recipes...and I am determined to turn this trend around!

How to Stock a Pantry 101:

A long time ago when I first started baking cakes I was the same scattered shopper... always having ingredients for a vanilla cake when I needed chocolate and vice versa... along the way I figured out which ingredients were the basics that I always needed to have on hand and I started building my cake baking pantry.  For me those basics included:

vegetable oil

powdered sugar

crisco

vanilla extract

flour

eggs

Now I am starting to build a Jelly/Jam pantry and figuring out what to keep in there has been tricky, but I think I am getting the hang of it...  I use 8 oz and 4 oz jelly jars, and seal them with regular lids and bands... so I try to keep at least two dozen of each of them on hand 3-4 dozen if I can manage... Depending on the recipe it could call for regular powdered pectin, low sugar powdered pectin, liquid pectin, SURE-Jell and one I haven't used is no sugar powdered pectin... and Sugar.... lots and lots of Granulated Sugar! Add some crushed fruit, crushed berries, berry juice, fruit juice, flower juice, coffee, or champagne and some love... cook it just right and can it up for later!  My Mom and I have made some very unique jellies and jams and I enjoy taste testing each new batch!  My latest jelly is a Ras-apple Jelly made with red raspberry, apple and grape juice!  The kids and I thought it was really yummy and I can't wait to see what kind of reaction the samples get at the markets on Thursday and Friday!

Some of our other unique jellies and jams include: Blueberry Lavender Jam, Honeysuckle Jelly, Lavender Jelly, Coffee Jelly, Champagne Jelly, and Strawberry/Banana Jam.  Though we are currently out of the Blueberry Lavender Jam it is next on my list to make and then I think I will try my hand at some Crab Apple Jelly, Plum Jelly and Queens Anne's Lace Jelly too!

As always to keep up with the markets we can be found at follow Something Special on Facebook or to order specialty baked goods check out Something Special Bakery also featured on Facebook!

School Shopping... my2cents on how to save a little!

This year all of my kids will be in school!  I will have a Third grader and twins in Kindergarten...OMG!  Where did the time go? ...I have had a couple of years to get used to this with the girls in the Head Start program, but this year they will all be full fledged students w/ homework and tests and all! 

 

We should get their teacher assignments by the beginning of next week and then we will have orientations on Tuesday and Thursday and school will start the week after!  The kids are each excited in their own way and I think meeting their teachers, and maybe some classmates, will help them ease into their new school.  I have also been trying to get them excited by getting a little shopping done!

Now that I have them registered... I have started shopping for their school supplies and sorting clothes to see what else needs to be added to the shopping list!   Of course you can save a little extra by shopping Aug 5th - 7th in VA for the tax-free shopping.  Since our sales tax is so low and our school starting so early I am taking care of the basics now and will shop for some clothes that weekend.

 

  With such long lists of supplies I have to try to be thrifty, but I also like the kids to get to have some special things too! So... for instance, I splurged a little on special Composition Notebooks at Dollar Tree, where everything is $1.  The regular Composition books were $.50 each at Wal-mart and $1.50 for designer ones... Target had the regular ones for $.50, but came in at $2.50 for something fancy sooo.... I still think I got a pretty good deal and saved a few cents along the way.   The dollar store also saves me on ziploc bags and hand sanitizer!

VS. 

Another thing you have to be careful when buying is glue sticks.  Though I have been known to buy a 4 pack from the Dollar Tree, I also plan to use them quickly.  For something that will last through the school year I go with Elmer's....

*** Did you know that if you buy the two packs for 50 cents at Wal-mart you will actually spend less than if you buy the 12 pack? (they usually run $3.50-4)....I am still confused as to why they cost more...but when you have to buy 48 glue sticks at one time to appease the School Supply Gods...you have to watch the sneaky bulk packaging that seems like it should be a better deal when it reality it's not!  

Now, once you have bought all of the supplies that the school figures they will need you still need at least a bookbag.  Year after year we have bought the $15-20 bookbags for our kids with their favorite characters all over them...sometimes they even lit up ...and year after year our kids have torn those treasured bags to shreds....then last year we happened on a VT bookbag for our son ...it has made it through an entire 2nd grade school year and we are shooting for it lasting through 3rd grade with decent hopes!

 ...For the girls we are making an investment in L.L. Bean backpacks that should last them for at least a couple of years for school (and if they are as good as everyone says they are Aiden will get one when his bookbag wears out!)  There are tons of sizes and colors to choose from and the girls didn't have trouble at all finding a few things they liked!  If you have a child that needs a new backpack check out L.L.Bean! They offer free shipping and guarantee their product... I read a lot of reviews and did the math... this purchase just makes sense... 

My brother made the investment in a L.L. Bean Jr. Backpack last year for my nephew.  His son went through at least 3 bookbags in Kindergarten.  Now Logan is a 2nd grader and his Jr. Backpack is still holding strong! ...so that's saying something!

If you have a success story of your own I would love to hear it!  Please leave your story in the comments below!

New Town, New School! #AES

Today I finished collecting the mountain of paperwork I needed to take in for school registration and we took off to introduce the kids to their new school, Auburn Elementary...

"Where every child is a star!"

The 20 minute ride from home to the school made the kids a little apprehensive, but they were all happy to meet Mr. Jack the custodian and get a basic tour of the school.  There are quads of classrooms which seemed a bit confusing to me, but Mr. Jack said the kids figure it out in no time.  The library is in the middle of the school with a beautiful vaulted ceiling and there are three additional reading rooms to maximize reading time for all of the students.  Emma was ready to grab a book and take a reading break mid-tour, she was so impressed! 

It looks like each grade will have 5 classes, which all of the kids are excited about, and I was told that the class sizes are kept small that way.  The girls should have no more than 18 students in their class and Aiden's class should top out at 24, I believe.  Things are moving so quickly this year that I feel like summer break is just getting started...when in reality it is almost over...boooo!...though most days I feel like my kids are driving me insane...I am still going to cry when they ride away from home on that first day back to school!   

 

Before we left the kids insisted that we check out the playground and they were equally impressed with it!  I love the size of the playground and the multitude of equipment to play on especially!  I am hopeful that this fresh start will be good for Aiden and I look forward to meeting all of the kids new friends that they meet at their new school!

"Read for the Win" #RadfordPublicLibrary #RandolphParkPool

The kids have been doing really well in the Radford Library Summer Reading Program since we moved up here at the beginning of the month.  This year's theme is "Read For the Win" and they have won some awesome prizes so far!

At this point they have all read for over 20 hours since the end of June and they have each won a treasure box prize, a pass to Randolph Park Pool, a pass to Mill Mountain Zoo, and a new book.  They are continuing to read and are hoping to have 40 hours in by Aug. 1 so that they can get their names in the paper and get invited to a special "Star Readers" party on Aug. 3, 2016!

Today the kids and I used their pool passes to Randolph Park Pool in Dublin, VA!  We got to the pool about 10:30 am and stayed until 3 pm...needless to say....I am Exhausted!

 

There were some neat things to climb on...

...a frog slide that all the kids loved...

...a shipwreck slide that was the girls favorite...

...and Aiden's favorite the big water slide...I even took a couple of turns on the water slide and it was not bumpy and uncomfortable like some I have tried!

Though the pool seemed to start getting crowded between 1-2 pm we had a great time!  All of the kids found "friends" to play with and enjoyed the many water fun options.  They tried out the slides more times than I can count, swam with their arm floaties from the 3ft to the 6 ft deep end and back, jumped in from the sides, Aiden perfected his "cannon ball" jump and they were all sad to leave. 

It was nice to take the time and enjoy my kids for a few hours...I saw so many smiles it was really fabulous...and hey if they sleep as good as I feel like I am going to....Score!  

Market Update and River Fun! #NewRiverHereWeCome!

Mom finished up the 4 back-to-back markets today at the Ruritan Club.  She said that business was slower today than it had been Friday morning, but we still made some sales so that's good. Before and after each show we discussed their potential and what we thought about returning.  I think it is safe to say that we will not be going back to one or two of those events next year, but we did find one new market that we really like a lot and we are hopeful that it will be just the place we were looking for to sell our products regularly!

At home this morning we got up knowing we wanted to have some water fun, but we couldn't decide exactly what we were going to do.... We have really been wanting to go to the pool at Randolph Park in Dublin, but when we drove up today it didn't look like there was enough room to fit many more people in the pool... so we changed gears and headed to Wally-world to get some rafts for the kids so we could get in the much less crowded river...

For about a month now I have been eyeballing these river floats that only cost $5 each, but I hadn't stopped and grabbed any yet.... I wish I had... they were all sold out by the time we showed up today and we had to improvise... sure there were a lot of other options that looked awesome! Buuuut, we weren't trying to spend a fortune.... so we kept looking... They did have cooler floats for $3 each that looked just about the right size for the girls, so we grabbed them up and a float that we thought would work for Aiden and off we went!

We stopped by storage and grabbed up Mom's two kayaks and headed for the Claytor Lake Dam on the New River.  When we got to there we were able to tell quickly that the float we had gotten for Aiden wasn't going to work out, but we were determined to have fun so we improvised again... The kids took turns riding in the cooler floats tied to the back of the kayaks and riding in my lap... We stopped about halfway through our trip and I tried to take the kids swimming, but that part of the river was too shallow. So we finished kayaking and floating all the way down to Riverview Park.  Then the kids and I swam in the river while the hubby retrieved the van!  I am exhausted, but it was a great day of family fun once we got going and I hope that we get to go again soon!

Let's get this weekend started right!

Mom is already at the Ruritan Club in New London, set-up and ready to sell!  If you are in the area today before 3 pm stop in for some BBQ and grab a jar of jelly or one of my delicious breads to finish off your lunch!  I wrapped up the last of my baking for this week on Friday and now it is time for a break...or at least a job that's more fun!

We are going to try to have fun along the way and do some fishing or playing in the river...

...but I am also going hunting for Queens Annes Lace flowers for my next jelly!

New goodies for market! #SomethingSpecial

Mom went to the first of 4 markets in our 4 event stretch this evening and I worked hard today to get her set-up with baked goods for the 3 remaining markets she will be going to this week...and I think I did it!  I have sent shawls that we create together, other baked goods, jams and jellies, too!  She will also have her fresh brown eggs, duck eggs, dilly beans, salsa, additional jams and jellies, red onion marmalade, dish scrubbies and a whole line of kitchen soft goods to put on display...  This is the first time we have attempted 4 back-to-back events and I am hoping this is the start of something good...  

 

Today I made a double batch of Zucchini Bread which yielded another 12 small loaves and a large batch of Banana Bread that yielded 1 large loaf and 14 small loaves!  The fridge is loaded up in layers to keep them all fresh and ready to go to market... and yes I have tested each batch and they are all soooo yummy...especially lathered with butter... I know, I know... I'm soooo baaad.... but it's sooo gooood!...lol!

Something Special will be at the Bedford Farmer's Market tomorrow morning from 7am - 1230pm and then at Liberty's market for the Commonwealth Games tomorrow afternoon from 2pm - 630pm.  Saturday she will be at the BBQ and Vender Jamboree at the New London Ruritan Club, 12411 E Lynchburg-Salem (Rt460) Forest, VA 24551 from 9am - 3pm.  I hope you will stop by and say "Hi" if you are able to come to one of these markets!  

If you haven't checked our our product line click on any of the Something Special links in this post and see what we are all about!  We are happy to take special orders for that "Something Special... especially for you" if you aren't able to make it to one of the events or markets that we go to... just let us know what you would like and we will let you know when we can have it ready!

Baking Blunders.. then Success... and then some Fun with Friends!

 I know what you are thinking... man does that look like some yummy bread!  I thought so too... so this morning I started in gathering ingredients and kitchen tools to make me a batch!  I got everything I needed together and went to work measuring and stirring, greasing my pans and baking a new recipe!  The batter looked a little too thick when I put it in the pan and I kept feeling like I forgot something, but I couldn't figure it out... until I took them out of the oven and took a bite.... I forgot the sugar... ugh... and let me be the first to tell you it did not taste good without sugar!  Maybe tomorrow I will have better luck with the Blueberry Lemon Bread!

Today I did successfully make two large loaves and nine small loaves of Zucchini Bread plus five small loaves of Apple Carrot Bread that are headed to market with Mom tomorrow along with my shawls, jellies and jams!  This is the busiest weekend I think we have scheduled so far and I am hopeful that we will get some good exposure and sell lots of our products!

After I got everything ready to go to market it was time to get some fresh air and for the kids to release some energy!  Since we were headed to Salem I had arranged a get together with Aiden's GF and her family already and the kids were super excited to get to go to "Chloe's house"...we had a great visit and dinner and all the kids went to sleep really easy tonight! ....hehehe...
 
...we even got to have s'mores after all the pool fun was done for the day to give a sweet ending to a sweet day!  Isabella asked if there were marshmallows when a little campfire was lit, but then she just wanted to eat them off the roasting stick without roasting them at all...at one point she put a cold marshmallow on the hot poker...took it straight back off and shoved the whole thing in her mouth and then she took another unroasted marshmallows and squished them between her cookies the best she could to make her s'more...I have to tell you a roasted marshmallow between two Girl Scout "Thank You" cookies makes the best s'more ever!  --Awesome tip from a fellow Scouting Mom!