holiday mail for heroes

 You may not be thinking about Christmas quite yet.  (Well, I know some of you probably have your shopping all done and I have to hate you, but I digress...)  But here is a way to share the Christmas spirit with the men and women of our armed services.  You can express your support this Christmas season by sending cards to them.  Forget the spam email that tells you to send cards to Walter Reed hospital--they are not true.  But you can send cards through the Red Cross.  Here is their web site.  Be sure to click on Planning Tips to read the specific instructions.

Let's not forget those who are still fighting on our behalf.

pears, pears, pears

I bought a box of pears through the Relief Society, and put them in the refrigerator while I was away, taking Aaron to BYU-Idaho. After two weeks of refrigeration, they were ready to be taken out to ripen and use. They all came due this week!

So I have now canned 15 quarts of pears.

Made pear-sauce in my slow-cooker, using an applesauce recipe. We had some the other night and loved it! It's also really good on hot oatmeal for breakfast.

Dried some. Dehydrated pears are chewy, but tasty as a snack.

I even found a recipe for pear pie. Can't wait to try it tonight!

I feel so domestic!

a snapshot of aberdeen, idaho

My best friend growing up, ArLynn, asked me to take a picture of Aberdeen while I was there.  So one day, I took my camera and went shooting.  I couldn't just take one picture!  I ended up taking 100.  Here, for your perusal, is a slideshow of one day in Aberdeen.

aaron goes to byu-i

The first part of September, I took Aaron to BYU-Idaho.  On the way we stayed with my aunt and uncle in Nampa, then with my Dad and Step-mom in Aberdeen.  It was so good to see family again.  My step-mom recently spent 6 weeks in the hospital, so it was especially good to see her up and about.  And it's always wonderful to spend time with my Dad.

Here is Aaron in his new apartment:

 

The three cabarellos.  These guys went through Scouts together and were part of the Fab Five that got their Eagles.  Isaac and Ben subsequently moved away from Eugene and served missions as well.  Now they're back together.  I hope they're still smiling after a few months of togetherness.

 

The guys seem to have a good sense of self-esteem.

 

Aaron seems excited and happy to be at BYU-Idaho.  We had a great time.

In the evening, we attended a luau and Polynesian dancing show for new students.  So fun!  Here are a couple of clips.  (We were in the back of the auditorium, so the quality of the pictures aren't very good, but they're enough to give you an idea.  In the second one, someone walks in front of the camera towards the beginning.  Don't panic.)