Stay at home Ham and Bean Soup

This is what we had the ingredients for and SP just started the timer on the crock pot. Will post pics soon. We had all the ingredients in house, and used canned beans, so we skipped step one since the beans are already cooked. Today we are taking the Christmas tree down and I look forward to smelling this cook all afternoon. . From Old Fashioned Living, a Hearty Ham bone soup:

Bean Soup with Ham
Ingredients:
1 ham bone with some meat left on
2 cups Navy, Northern beans or mixed beans
8 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash beans the beans and add to a medium to large pan on the stove. Cover with water, boil, and turn off the heat. Let these sit about a 1/2 hour.
Drain the beans, and place all the ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or so, then switch to low and continue to cook. You want the beans to be done, but not mushy. Add more water if needed to make it a soup consistency as it cooks.
Cut the meat off the bone and put in with the beans and remove the bay leaf before serving.