Spiced Peach Butter

So yesterday...my mom gave me peaches. It was warm and I wasn't really in the mood to can peaches...but she had bought a bunch and couldn't use all of them and gave them to me. So...I was glancing through my Ball Canning Book and came across Peach Butter. I remembered a post that Monica posted recently and thought I would give it a try. My recipe is different than the one she posted though...although hers looks deeeelicious too! ;)

Oh..the peaches and I were not getting along. I blanched them and then put them in cold water and got the skins off...but boy oh boy, the pits were the pits...LOL! They didn't want to come out without one side of the peach being torn to shreds. Luckily, I was to food process them later on anyway...so looks didn't matter! whew!

Later in the recipe, I saw an option for making it *spiced* peach butter...and thought AHA! And so I did just that! :) It tastes really good...and although there is sugar in it...it really is healthier to put some of this on some lite toast than it is to use butter! (Tastes sweeter too!)

And here they all are...I "canned" them using the inversion method. Now they are all right side up and labeled and ready to go.

I still have more peaches left over. Not sure what I will do with them...make a pie? Can them? Peach jam? more peach butter? I guess I will have to see tomorrow. My MIL also told me that lots more beans are ready in the garden for canning..so that will have me busy!

Tomorrow morning...we are starting our first day of this new school year! It's a few weeks earlier than when we would normally start...but I am super excited. I think the kids are too! Besides...every day is a *learning* day...right? Now we will just get a lil more formal with it! If you have a moment...please say a lil prayer for us Monday morning. This is my first year formally schooling 2 at once. (X~kgarten, Madelyn~2nd grade) I just want everything to go smoothly! I want God's love and *patience* to flow through me. (I must admit...the patience part is the most difficult sometimes.)

We homeschool so....

... that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ~Colossians 1:10

Most of you who have gone along with the homeschooling journey with us since the beginning will remember that is the verse we use for our basis of home education. :) Of course...reading and history..math and science are all very important things to teach....but they don't mean anything for us in the long run without the knowledge of God.

I love teaching all the basics with books from a Christian perspective...and let me just quickly take this moment (I know, I am so long winded...sorry!) and encourage anyone who reads this...if you feel God has put on your heart to homeschool your children...you can do it. There are tons of homeschooling moms out there. Some super structured and organized and others who are eclectic and fun...and some who are a little of both! You don't have to have the strength to do it. You lean on God's strength and He will see to it that everything is accomplished as it should be. If you want to talk about it further...please email me....I would love to hear from you. My link is on my left sidebar!

I hope you have had a lovely weekend and
have an enjoyable week ahead. Thanks so much for visiting!!!