Add To The Beauty

Freezer Jam

Expanding my domestic abilities, today I decided to take my first baby steps into learning to can by making freezer jam. My dear friend Jo gave me a huge bag of strawberries (I didn't even have to pick them or buy them -- how lucky is that?) and I bought plastic jars and fruit pectin, so today I decided to dive in!

After washing and trimming the berries came the squashing -- lots of fun! I used my Pampered Chef Mix n Chop to do the initial chopping, which worked great. It's supposed to be for ground beef, but it worked beautifully to chop up strawberries for jam. After they were chopped up, I finished them up with a potato masher, making 4 cups of squashed strawberries.

After that I cooked up the pectin, sugar and water according to the directions, mixing in the strawberries after the mixture had boiled.

Immediately after that I spooned the hot jam into the plastic jars I bought and -- VOILA!

They're supposed to sit out a room temperature for 24 hours and then I can freeze the ones we won't be using right away. I was very intimidated by the idea of canning, but this way was very simple. I know that I will do it again in a few weeks as my raspberries come in. As I gain confidence I might have to give traditional canning a try with our apple treat. Who knows?

A Private Moment

I don't know if this is true for all moms, but it's certainly true in my home: the second I head to the bathroom my children come looking for me. They could be deeply involved in play or a show on TV, but inevitably the second my cheeks hit the seat one of my children comes busting through the door with some request or another.

"Tyler took my toy!"

"Mom, can I have a snack?"

"Luke hit me!"

"I want to be with you, Mom."

"What are you doing in here?"

That's just the first five I can think of off the top of my head. It's not like I'm in there for a substantial length of time as I know from experience that if they don't know where I am they come looking for me. I've even tried warning them before I head in, "Mom is going to the bathroom for a minute. I will be right out. Don't come looking for me. If you're not bleeding or it's not on fire, it can wait until I come out."

But do they wait? Never. Someone always comes in crying or wanting me for something. What's even more amazing is that it even happens when their father is home. They will completely bypass their father -- who they have to pass to get to me -- to make their requests to me in person. Not sure what that's all about.

I know you're thinking: Lock the door. I've tried that. Mostly that just leads to me having to shout through the door at them and the foreseeable "What's?" that follow. Honestly it's easier if they can actually come in the room so that I can explain to them without screaming that they need to wait until I come out. Who knew that by becoming a mother that I was giving up my rights to uninterrupted and private bathroom time?

Maybe next time I'll try locking my bedroom door too? Or maybe the neighbors would let me use their facilities? Their father can be in there for 45 minutes and they don't ever bother him. I certainly know what it is to be needed.

Take aim

A couple of weeks ago our family went through a bout of the stomach flu. I'm sure you know how that goes: one person gets it & we just pass it around until everyone has had it. So first Samantha -- the baby of the family -- had it. Then a few days later, Lucas got it.

Skipping dinner because his stomach hurt, I figured that Luke was coming down with stomach bug too. When bedtime came he had yet to throw up, so I sent him to bed with a pan just in case. At 1 a.m., that just in case came. I awoke to the sound of feet running down the hallway towards our bedroom with shouts of "Mooooom!" I was out of bed like a shot and met my son at the doorway to my room where he promptly vomited at my feet... and all over the carpet.

Trying to be a patient and compassion mother (only by the grace of God), I took to getting Luke cleaned up and settled. Despite that, I had to know one thing: where was his pan? Why didn't he use that? Exitting my room to take our son back to bed I saw the pan... sitting right in the middle of my hardwood kitchen floor.

My nature did not fail to see the irony of him leaving his pan in the middle of the kitchen, where he managed to leave it before walking the 6 feet to my bedroom to vomit on my carpet. Not in the pan, not on the hardwood floor, but on my carpet... that I then had to scrub at one in the morning. Oh yes, the bliss of motherhood...

Rebel

Yes, I am raising a little rebel. For her birthday this year, Rebekah wanted to get the top of her ear pierced, so yesterday we made it happen. I know my mom would never have let me do that (sorry Mom!). So, why did we let Rebekah? She is heading into what for me was some challenging years growing up. I remember always struggling to fit in, feeling like I was always trying to keep up with what everyone else was doing. We wanted Rebekah to be a leader, to feel confident in stepping out and doing some first. So instead of following the trends that all her friends are setting, to instead be the trendsetter. I know that it sounds like a silly thing that an ear piercing would be one of those things, but we felt it was just a small example. The piercing is a tangible reminder that it's okay for her to be a little different than her friends, to try new things, and not do something just because everyone else is doing it. Besides, we think she looks really cute!

 

The guilt of working out... or not

My BFF Shan & I were talking about working out earlier this week. She has been running several times a week for the last few months & is now in better shape than she has been in years. Not to mention she's looks great. Yes, I'm jealous.

I asked her how in the world she ran without getting bored. I'm all about the entertainment factor in almost everything I do and I must say that I find running boring. You're just.... running. When I do it all I can think about is how much I wish I was not running.

"When I'm on the treadmill I watch TV. When I'm outside I listen to my iPod," she explained.

"I guess it's cheaper than a gym membership, right? Running is free," I agreed.

"Oh that reminds me, I've been meaning to cancel my gym membership!" she said.

I have real issues about paying for a gym membership. I just hate the idea of paying someone  to do something I hate. But I think it would be even worse to pay to do something that I don't do. So not only would I have this guilt about not working out like I think I should, but then I'd feel guilty about paying for the gym and not going.

 

I wish I could pay someone to work out for me. That I could get behind.

Update Extraordinaire

This has been a particularly busy month for our household. Along with my new coupon blogging adventure I mentioned below, I coordinated our church-wide Women's Retreat at the end of May. Between that & school ending, I pretty much did nothing else (just ask Joel!).

Coordinating our Women's Retreat was quite the adventure and I couldn't have done it without my dear co-coordinator, Rychelle. The weekend was full of sunshine, friendships, fantastic messages from Tricia Rhodes, laughter, tears & changed lives. What could be better? I am tremendously honored that God was able to use me to help put that weekend together. I will never forget the paddleboating.

Our kids finished up school for the year the last week of May. Did this year go fast for anyone else or was it just me? I just find it so amazing that I will have 3 kids in elementary school next year.

Rebekah finished 3rd grade, making the honor roll each quarter. Way to go, Beka! Rebekah just loved her teacher Mrs. Dodson (who Lucas actually had for preK a couple of years ago) and enjoyed each day in class.

Lucas finished 1st grade. I've always found first grade amazing because the kids go from hardly reading to reading pretty much anything. His teacher, Ms. Page, is so great with that age-group and we were so blessed to have her teach another one of our children this year.

Tyler had his first year of school in prekindergarten with Mrs. Marcoe this year. He wasn't sure about going to school when he first started, but very shortly he looked forward to his 3 mornings a week in class. He's certainly ready for kindergarten, knowing all his numbers and letters and even some words.

Last week I spent mostly winding down after a month of complete busyness. Then Sunday hit and with it Samantha came down with the stomach flu. It's been a worrying few days, not sure if she would stay hydrated well enough to keep her out of the hospital. Now on Day 5 she seems like she is coming out of it.  Unfortunately with as contageous as gastrointeritis is, Luke came down with it on Tuesday night, although he seems to be improving much more quickly than Sam did. Here's hoping that it stops with the two of them! I've been washing my hands so frequently they're getting dried out.

Rebekah celebrated her 9th birthday in the midst of all this illness. She was so sweet and selfless on 'her' day, only worried about Sam and her getting well. She and I baked a cake together (she made it, I directed), trying to infuse a little fun into an otherwise challenging day. For months she has been wanting a necklace with an 'R' on it, so that's what we got her for her birthday. She was absolutely delighted, promising to wear it everyday.

Oh, and you may have noticed she has shorter hair. She has been asking to cut her hair for 2 months now, so we finally let her do it. I miss her beautiful long hair, but I must admit she looks really cute with her hair shorter.

So that's pretty much all that's new in our household. Hopefully everyone will be well this weekend and I will stop having to cater to all the sick kids in the house.

New Moon Countdown

The start of something new

After months of procrastination on my part, I have finally taken the first steps to my couponing site. I have started out with a couponing blog and I'll see where I go from there. That one I believe won't be as difficult to maintain as this one mostly because I don't have any trouble talking about couponing... I just need an outlet! So for all those that have been waiting, here is NWDealSeeker. I'm focusing mostly on deals that apply to those of us in the Coeur d'Alene, ID/Spokane, WA area, although I'm sure some things will be applicable nationwide. Tell your friends!

3-year-old Questions

Today as we were riding home from town, Samantha asked me, "Mom, did God glue our toes?"

Now I admit when I first heard the question, I didn't even understand her. I had to guess repeatedly to discover she was say the word 'glue,' as the question was a little odd.

"Yes,God made our toes," I answered her.

"God glued our toes so they don't fall off!" she explained. "And He glued our hair, and our arms, and our legs..."

I love questions from 3-year-olds.

He's home!

We're enjoying each other's company after 3 weeks apart, but here are a few pictures.

This is Jake & Joel with the chaplains they taught every day while in Sudan.

This is the classroom where Joel taught. Notice: no glass in the windows. No lights or electricity. They don't even all have their own Bibles. Joel brought 4 from some of the guys in his Bible study and the chaplains were thrilled to receive them!

 

This is Joel with some children at church. They really enjoyed getting their pictures taken, especially since they could see themselves on the digital screen afterwards. My kids enjoy that part too. :)

 

Here are Jake & Joel on a scenic hike with some of the leaders of the compound. Behind them is the White Nile.

The kids & I are thrilled to have Joel back home, but I am so proud of him and what he accomplished there. It has obviously been a life-changing experience for him. Now I am going back to enjoy our time together. Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder.