When the going gets tough, the tough get new boots.

So these have been my favorite pair only pair of boots for a very long time. These are my Ariat lace up boots. They've been through thick and thin, literally, for just over ten years now. My first pair only lasted 5 years through constant use, and these have had almost five years on hiatus. The break-in time on both pairs was painful, but worth every little blister.

So when it became nearly impossible to make it to the barn without ruining a pair of socks because of the leakage, I knew it was time for new boots.

And so it is.

Yes, they're pink. No, I don't normally wear them without jeans, but the point is; I CAN! And yes, my floor is filthy slightly dirty, which is precisely why I chose these boots in the first place! I can slip them off with ease at the porch door without tracking in poop! In the second place, they were ridiculously on sale, and marked down next to their purple counterparts of which I despised didn't care for, so, and here we are.

And here I go! These boots were made for mucking!

a bowl of strawberries

let's make like strawberries and jam, shall we?

it isn't cost effective, there is a ton of sugar in it, and having it in the house increases the consumption of said ingredient, but oh is it good.

strawberries, check. sugar, check. pectin, check. jars, lids, rings, check.

there isn't much to it. it's more difficult to keep it IN THE HOUSE than it is to make it.

between my husband and myself giving it away and eating it simultaneously, it won't last until January.

even our dear son, who does not usually like jelly with his pb&j really likes this strawberry jam.

i might have to hide a quart jar of it somewhere....now only if (in january) i can remember where i hid it.