Family Photo's

As you can see we had family photo's this weekend. Let me tell you this is an interesting time. This was my first time getting my picture taken with my new family. This is the Barkley's. Well also the Hahn's and Isley's as well but the you get what I'm saying. Let me just start out by saying that I love pictures. I love taking photo's and I take my camera everywhere and I am happy that this something that I get to do at family get togethers. But, today was not that day. Today I gave my camera to someone else who bless their heart didn't really know the family. We are loud, we voice our opinion, so be ready. Poor guy I felt like I was correcting him the whole time and I still didn't get all the shots and people weren't looking at the camera. The kids were done in about 5 minutes. The adults had double chins and the sun came out making most of the pictures to bright. This person was not a happy camper. Well I guess I learned for next time. And I am hoping for Christmas that I will get a professional camera:) I've been extra nice this year!

Warm Peach Crisp Cobbler with Old-Fashion Vanilla Ice cream

Peach Crisp Cobbler with Old-Fashion Vanilla Ice cream

I can't tell you how much I enjoy cooking and most of all baking so I am just saying up front I am sorry if I make anyone upset with my postings of food/recipes. Today's recipes comes from my new sister in-law. She makes this a lot for family get togethers. I say this because she is a busy woman but she like to be able to bring things to family dinners. This recipe is so easy its going to blow you away really! Having a party? Just want something to make you house smell like heaven? In the mood for something sweet? Well, that was me yesterday. I went to my fridge and got one stick of butter. Went to my pantry and got one yellow (or white works) cake mix, white sugar, and some cinnamon and put this on my counter top. Now I know what your thinking, what if I don't have any fresh fruit? Well sister, don't you worry because you can used canned fruit or fresh. Yesterday I used costco's canned peaches but I have also used fresh apples. You put your fruit down and than you mix your top ingredients together with the melted butter and YOUR DONE...well almost you have to bake it :) Bake it at 350 for 45 minutes and that is it my friend! Enjoy with vanilla ice cream fresh out of the oven or the day after and just warm it up in the microwave. 

1 Yellow or white cake mix

1/4 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 stick of Butter (melted)

*Pour butter over dry mix and crumble over fruit. If you are using apples its about 10. 

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes

Sharing My Brother

Bethany and I just on Saturday, my new sister!

My beautiful hair! So happy with how it turned out! love it!

My wonderful brother and I. Taken a few years ago but I think it captures how random/fun we are together!

Garret and Bethany got married on September 15th, 2012 at 5:00 pm. I can't tell you how happy I am that they are finally married and that Bethany is LEGALLY my sister :) She has been apart of our family isn't day one and we have so much in common it really is crazy. It was hard having to share my brother at first. Garret is a really fun person just to be around. He is very humorous but also isn't afraid to kick your ass if you make me cry.   He is a three time state champion for wrestling, did I forget to mention that. My last post talked a little about our love for music. That really has always been our one BIG connection other than our mother :) We love the beat and are always excited to share new songs to each other. We use to make up moves to songs on the way to school. I remember there was one song that I just shocked him so much that he didn't believe that I made the moves up all by myself. That goes to show how much I don't dance. Anyways I am so happy for both of them and for their new life together!

We Will Always Have The Music

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We Will Always Have The Music

Music has always been that one beat

Driving to school windows down, screaming our lungs out

That one beat

When we didn’t want to talk to each other because I wrecked your car

That one beat

That crazy look in your eye when you heard a great song

That one beat

Those nights when we danced around the house like crazy..Johnson’s

That one beat

The talks we had about how much we loved each other and that we deserved the best

That one beat

The times that we told each other that we have had enough and want to give up

That one beat

To the times of victory

Here’s to life with that one bond. Now today you add another. But lets not forget the ones in our heads, the DJ’s, that never stop playing. Don’t Stop Believing!

Remember The Day

That day started out like any other day. I had a fight with my brother, he always got to sit in the front seat. My mother dropped me off at middle school and I waved good bye. I was in my second period class when an announcement came across the intercom, "Teachers, please turn your TV's on, this is an EMERGENCY...CLICK." With hearts racing and eyes wide open we watched as reports are keeping us up dated.  Not to long after our principle comes on the intercom again and says, "Teachers, until further notice we are lock down, please explain to your students what is happening." Our teachers had explained to us that since we were so closes to Fairchild Air force Base that we were being threatened. If the terrorist were going to start attacking bases ours would be the one of the top hits because of our bomb shelters (said to have bombs still in them) and combat planes. Everything was happening so fast. My family farm was blocks away from the base run way. I was worried that I wasn't going to see my family again. 

I am happy to say that there was no bombings of any bases. When I saw my family that afternoon there wasn't any fighting. Just fear. Is this is end? Are we OK? Will we recover from this? 

Shortly after majority of Americans turned on Muslims and we almost put them into concentration camps, similar to the Jews. It's crazy how much one group of terrorists can change a out look on a religion. By no means am I saying that what was done was right, what they did had no grounds and no means. In fact it was just a means of power. But the fact is, is that we all will remember 9/11.

 

 

COLOR VIBE RUN! 9.8.12

On Saturday I got up at 4:50 AM and packet my car for not just a race but for a bachelorette party. My I just say I am not a morning person and not very alert without sleep or coffee. Traveling with out either was a risk so I was not shocked when I looked up middle light and saw that I was running a red light just past Alberson's. Hopefully that light doesn't have a camera. I'm my state of shock I run into Starbucks hoping to help clear my train of thought because I am the lead driver of the morning. I am happy to stay I made it all the way to Spokane with out any other traffic violations. The top picture is our before picture, clean, cold, tired but excited to be there. As we line up our adrenaline is rushing as we are being herded like cattle to the starting line. BANG! We are off! Now in the title it says run, but we did not for take in the, we chose to walk and run through the colors. During the 5K race there was purple, yellow, blue, pink and orange. Blue being the worst because they threw it hard core into your face, good thing they gave us sun glasses. Over all we have a blast! I can't wait until next year. 

 

Camp Goodtimes

STOP Right there! These dress are not available in store, I'm sorry. In fact these were made by my mother in-law, she is a wonderful seamstress. More importantly is was taken at the most amazing camp in the world, Camp Goodtimes East. It is a camp for kids with cancer. One of the best quotes that I have every heard was, "Camp is like Disney World for kids with cancer." This is not a boring camp let me tell you that! Let me just ramble off a few things that happen during the week ready ok...Dance, carnival, boat cruise, boarder patrol comes,  swimming, boating, high ropes, camp fire, arts, crafts, rock climbing, sports, Zag Day and the list goes on and on. I can't tell you how much this camp has changed my life. These kids are so strong and amazing and to see how far they have come is encouraging to everyone around them. Camp provides friendships and a bond that in public places people normally mock at or pitty, but at camp, we encourage and build up. If you ever want me to talk for hours just ask me about camp!

What to do with all those tomatoes?

What to do with all of these tomatoes?
This question needs a little bit of a back story. So here I go. Like I said before I just moved to the valley and just started my new life. One of my of my dreams in my new home was to have a garden. Yes, I want to be that woman who doesn't need to buy her fruits and veggies from the store. I want to have a beautiful garden in the back of our yard. Since my husband and I have many other projects going on the garden got put on to next summers to do list. But for this year, we have a small garden in the front of our house. Both of use being first time gardeners get really excited when we are at Home Depot (I mean who doesn't?). We split up and since I am more excited about the flowers I get the flowers and Alex's and gets the veggies and we meet up back after the damage has been done. After we get home I notice that Alex has gotten FIVE tomato plants, two green pepper plants, a pumpkin plant (which didn't live thank goodness), and cabbage. When I asked him why he got five tomato plants he just replied that he really loved tomatoes and with two of us eating them and maybe one or two of them dying he wanted to have plenty. It was very sweet of my husband to be making sure that everyone was going to have enough but you see, I don't like tomatoes. And he had forgotten. Instead of returning them we now have FIVE five foot tall tomato plant trees! I have become very creative with helping them dissipate like salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, snacks for lunch. Let this be a lesson made for next year, only plant two tomato plants!
If you are interested in some good quick recipes these are good :)

Salsa:
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (such as Rotel)
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro, undrained (such as Rotel)
1 garlic clove
Spaghetti Sauce: (Make and put in the freezer)
2 onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/4 cup vegetable oil 8 cups chopped tomatoes (with no skins) 1 tablespoon oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Just starting this out

My, name is Jessica Barkley. It's taken a while to get use to a new last name because my maiden name rhymed so well, it was Johnson. One thing I don't have to be so worried about is being confused every two minutes with another Jessica Johnson as it is a extremely common name. I am also new to the area. I have lived on our family farm, in Medical Lake, my entire life. The only things I took with me were my memories and my dogs. Until we have children these are my children. They are border collie papillon mix. Another interesting factor is that they are mother and daughter. In the picture the front dog is the mother and her name is Lilly. Her daughter is in the back and her name is Missy. They are extremely loveable dogs and love to play ball. We have been very blessed and have a wonderful home in the city with a front and back yard for our girls. Yes, you just read that correctly, we call them our girls! One other major thing you may find at my house is Volkswagen buses. My husband has grown up working on vw's with his father and his love for them has exploded in our yard. I'm happy about that friendship with his father not so much of the piles of vw parts that has piled up in my driveway.

*Choose one event from your timeline and write about it.
My freshman year in college my professor wrote on my paper that I was to creative in my writing. That in order to be a good writer I needed to contain myself.
After this happened I went back to my dorm room and cried. Growing up I loved to draw and write poems. My mother let the my imagination grow and I had no limits with my writing. To be told after years that I was to creative it was hurtful, so I shut down. It wasn't until the last semester that I was feeling like I could opening up again and be the creative writer that I once was. I have learned that sometimes with professors they have a wide variety of what they believe are true standards. But I have mine and I am happy with how CREATIVE I write.