How many? Fall 2013 canning edition

How many?

Times in the past 3-4 years have I had trouble getting my pressure canner up to pressure?
No idea, but my guess is between 20 and 30

Times have I wondered if I needed a new seal for it?
20-30

$ does it cost to replace?
 $11
(How often are you advised to replace it? Once a year, or more if used heavily . . . ahem).

Stores in Fort Collins carry them?
One that I know of, Ace Hardware.

Times have I canned in the past 10 days?
4

Jars?
14 pint size chicken
16 pints black beans
15 pints Great Northern beans
14 pints garbanzo beans
10 pints light red kidney beans
=69 lovely little jars of food. . . .
-one to my mom, and two to our family (What can I say? Canned chicken recipes are the best)
=66 little jars of food.

I had kids home on TH, so they helped.

My family canned & grew a garden. Nathan's family really canned and really had a garden. (What I mean is that their temperate climate and large lot made it possible for them to grow a giant garden--and then they had to store that food).
We hope to pass those skills on.
If my kids are home, I try to include them as I can. Although not shown in the picture above, I try to have one child help me at a time. (A lesson I learned in the Neuffer kitchen). It makes it much more manageable for me. This time they each did 3 jars of beans for me. So helpful.


Dried beans are a good place to start with helping kids learn to can. The prep and cleanup are easy. They can pour them in without my worrying about sticky everything. Love eating home canned beans, too.

What time did my last canning session end?
1:15 am . . . . should have started earlier in the day!

99

Andrew's number at the temple yesterday.

This summer our temple opened the doors to the youth for baptisms. Between 7 am and 1:00pm on weekdays they are able to go with or without a group to do baptisms. This is a huge blessing because it is at their convenience and can be much more frequent than the 1-2 scheduled times per year. They have averaged 100 youth per day since making this change. The number 99 means he was 99th in line. 98 others came before him and a handful came after.

Yesterday my mom & I took Andrew. It was her first time with a grandchild in the temple, and my first time with one of my children, and Andrew's first time with both of us--a special day. (His FIRST time was earlier this year with Nathan). One of my nieces stayed with the other children so we could go.

One of my first spiritual experiences was in the Denver temple, when I went with my parents. I am not sure where my siblings were . . . . but it was a special time I will always remember.

I love the temple and am excited to share it with all my children. I feel happy that so many youth choose to spend their free summer hours in this way. Many of the young people were with their mothers. I saw one father and one bishop. Some came with siblings, others with friends, and some probably came alone. It was very inspirational. If it were closer, we would be there more often.

World Record Pace

Nathan finished his marathon this morning.
Last summer, he and his brothers started running a marathon, in sets of two hundred meters. Stephen made a google docs spreadsheet so they could see each other's progress. They ran ten 200 meters intervals with 200 meter rests in between.
How many 200's to make a marathon?
211.
Nathan ran a 1:56.4.
The men's world record pace for the marathon is 2 hours 3.6 minutes.

We live close to a high school track. Last mother's day, bought me a key. He paid the school district $25 for a key to get in. Many times he's gone alone, but often we go with him. 80% of the times we go, we are the only ones there. Ed is pretty happy to sit in the long jump pit with a bucket and shovel. The other kids play/run/sit/cartwheel and keep themselves entertained as well, which has been helpful.

Great job, Nathan and thanks Stephen for the challenge.

December how many?

 One posed in the elf hat.

This is the face we get when we ask him to SMILE.
Clenching his teeth.
Awesome.

 Seven snowflakes hung. Above seven mugs (left by someone on our doorstep).

 One gingerbread man was photographed (and then eaten . . . . Elmer's glue and all).

 One expander was placed and many photos were taken. (By the one behind them--ie, her).

Four braces on the bottom, more will follow on the top.

One very sore mouth.

Two stayed home from church with one sick tummy.

A community choir tour to two nursing homes and one Hotel lobby. While this was the most beautiful it was Bryn's least favorite performance.

One pastel art brought home from middle school. (And quickly photographed and thrown away before pastels got everywhere. Maybe I'm too stressed about messy . . . . Nathan didn't get to see it in person.)

 Two nativities placed on the piano--one favorite.

And the magic of family prayer by the lit tree . . . . Love this most of all. It's so pretty with all the other lights in the house turned off. I remember doing this as a girl and loving it--I want them to have it, too.

One great idea found . . . .
About halfway through the month I found this Christmas planning guide, which I love and recommend to you if you are interested in changing your holiday experience. What I like best is that it focuses on what you want to feel and want your family to feel, and to plan experiences to provide those opportunities. Some things I want to feel and have my children feel:
the joy of giving to each other, 
the joy of receiving, 
to experience Christmas music
to spend time with friends and family
to connect with friends and family who are far away
to prepare earlier so there is less to do when the kids are out of school
and more. I will use it in the future--I like the thought process and the decision making process spelled out for me--I am easily overwhelmed when faced with too many options.

This year we had our children draw names for each other and they've gone on individual shopping trips to get the gifts. I've loved watching them work (and sacrifice) to do something thoughtful for someone else. It's been a special experience, which will be complete as they open them on Tuesday.


Peace on earth--this is my wish for my children for the rest of their lives . . . . its been on my mind for the last 10 days or so. 
This is the answer and it came during Sacrament meeting today . . . . The Power of Peace 2004 December Ensign, James E. Faust.

Merry Christmas!

The past week

2 boxes of peaches from the Western Slope are on my counter--about 50 lbs of sunkissed goodness

1st Middle school schedule pick up

4th Kindergarten parent info meeting

One wasp sting

3 walks with mom

2 with the neighbors' dog

Lunch out with middle school friends

One kid & parent date for fro-yo

10 intervals of 200 M

One delightful evening of perfect weather and our friends playing ultimate frisbee.

2 boys exclaiming, "You've got to do this more often!"

3 trips down rapelling

Once to the pool

2 more shopping trips for school supplies. Only one of them was completely maddening. I waited in line to return a notebook I had purchased as a mistake. I was looking for 3 subject notebooks, not one. When I got to the front of the long line I discovered I bought it at a different store. On a happier note, however, during the same trip, I picked up a $7 manual pencil sharpener. It is awesome and was the highlight of said maddening trip.
(We are done with the school supply lists---except for the "Prang" watercolors which are coming to Staples some day this week).

5 4 Color wheel garlands made (I still have to finish mine).

we went through 2 glue sticks . . . maybe I'm not done school supply shopping?

4 pairs of jeans at the Old Navy $10 sale. One $5 bathing suit for next summer.

30 minutes with the new piano teacher.

8 brackets removed and one big smile.

5 tennis lessons.

5 bags of weeds pulled.

One adult read a book for fun, "The Little Prince."  Please, someone, explain it to me. I don't get it.
 
19 patients have made it through the research protocol so far. WOOHOO! (Aiming for 50).

3 more Summer Bridge books complete = more $ owed to my kids.

One sewing project finished.

One day this week, when I was worn down, I thought about writing a list of all we had accomplished so far. I laughed out loud because it was so packed.
When the sales lady at Old Navy asked me if I was done with my school clothes shopping, I said, "I have 5 children so I don't feel like I'm ever really done."

Back to school week should be great!
 

Independence Day

Today:

One walk.
Two loads of laundry.
Three trips to the hardware store.
Four "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" (played heavily during the afternoon non-nap hours).
Five kids watched "Mary Poppins"
Six times I said to Nathan, "I can't believe how bad the smoke is today!"  *****
Seven happy mouths
Ate (8) our first homemade ice cream.

We wanted a quiet, stay at home and get work done kind of day--it was nice.

My mom gave us her ice cream maker, too. We are going to use it.

In TX, a neighbor gave us a loft bed he'd built. We love it and have used it ever since. The first modification was to add a ladder. Today's modification was to add a bunk at the bottom for another bed. It's not done yet, but it's a lot closer.

Every picture of Nathan was blurry . . . except when I asked him to stop moving. I can't keep up.

****The fires are not very close to us physically, (ie we are not in direct danger). The biggest change is the air quality. Most days are not too bad, we carry on as usual. Today was one of the worst I've seen. I didn't want my kids outside longer than they had to be, which isn't typical for this time of year. The smoke was strange . . . not too bad in the early morning, but changed during the 30 minutes we were in Lowe's. It is like the campfire you can't get away from--so smoky. You think things are OK, but sometimes when you are out driving you think to yourself, "Hmmm, I can't see the mountain today."

I've been praying for help for the firefighters, but perhaps I should pray for rain?


Dear Dad: I did wash all those dishes. They are back under control. For now.

122

The number of June photos I took off my camera this morning.

the aftermath of 41 attempts at a family photo for Christmas cards

I think we got a good one.
(And this is not it, even though it is a good one).

16

The number of pink shirts I washed today.
Includes pj's and regular shirts. They all belong to the nine and under crowd.
I usually think of one load of laundry the as the "pink" load, here is the evidence.

Car report

15 Honda Odysseys today.

14

The number of Toyota Siennas Nathan and Bryn counted in the church parking lot as we left yesterday.

(Two wards meet in our building and overlap times--we were not the first ones to leave).
They did not zig-zag through to make sure they counted each and every one--these are the ones they passed.

If you want some more number trivia (and a great story about modest prom dressing) click HERE:

In 2010

This year we:

welcomed Ed to our family
started a new job
moved a thousand miles
drove several thousand more
finished the Book of Mormon as a family
attended the temple one more time than last year (in three states)
knit a hat
wrote a grant
published in a book
competed in Lego robotics
took gymnastics for the first time
lost some teeth
one for the first time
speaking of teeth, 8 brand new
cultivated tomatoes & basil on our porch
sewed one dress
three skirts
two bathing suits
and lots of pajamas
started running on Mondays with friends
paid over $1500 in auto repairs
not a dime on an auto loan
took swimming lessons
learned how to use goggles
bought 4 snow shovels
attended two professional conferences
said goodbye to friends in TX
were welcomed by friends and family in a new place
skipped kindergarten and started first grade
potty-trained
nursed a baby
canned over 100 pints and quarts of food
took one organ lesson
recorded baking 108 loaves of bread
(I think more were made . .. . none were recorded from July-mid September, none in November due to the Kitchen aid passing away)
reduced our student loan debt by 5.6%
wrote over 35 pages of journal
wrote 67 pages of journal from April on . . . (so more than 67)
celebrated 12 years of marriage
and
one took his first steps.

The End.

May 2011 be another wonderful year!

Phew!!!!!!

A few months ago one of "how many" was the price of my garbage/recycling service . . . but, I was wrong.
It is not $54 per month, that price is for 3 months.
So only $18, which is a happier number....

October by the numbers

This month:

We bought a new (to us) table with 8 chairs.
We went on 2 dates (yes, one of them was a 5K. It counts because we had a babysitter and we did stay together for about 5 minutes of the race after N had already finished)
Our children brought home 734 pieces of paper from school (exaggeration?)
Read 1 book, not my favorite.
Tried 3 new recipes--all three were winners.
I sewed 1 item of clothing. (Don't ask too many questions, Christmas is coming).
Broke one 475 watt mixer making 3 loaves of bread
Volunteered at school 5 times. (Twice with my little ones in tow).
One sick child . . . . thankfully it only lasted about 12 hours
14.5 hours of continuing education
Purchased 3 winter coats, 1 jacket, 3 snowpants, and 3 pairs of boots (still need a couple more things)

5 pumpkins. (Ed let N & I decorate while he napped).
One started crawling.
The fall wall is up.

For November a short list of things I am thankful for:

1) Homemade bread
2) Reading to Diana before our (almost) daily nap.
3) Land's End (specifically 3/4 sleeve button up shirts, and khaki pants without stretch)

4) Gainful employment
5) Freedom of worship
6) Educational opportunities for myself and my children
7) Having family members close (and closer) by
8) Seeing Caitlin's world expand in her first year of school
9) Ed's sweet personality--every book he pulls down, ever drawer he gets into, every cry and shout at the table because he's reminding me to feed him, every smile, so great.
10) Fall weather--it's been so lovely. Ideal.

Parting shot--so many memories!

Our new life in numbers

We moved a thousand miles.
Ten days later we went on a ten day vacation.
During two weeks, we saw all seven of our siblings, their spouses, fifteen nieces and nephews, and Nathan's three living grandparents. More aunts and uncles.
My parents are 45 minutes away.
Watched Ed learn to roll, and then sit, and now drag himsellf across the floor in what will soon be a crawl.
At six months, he was working on 4 top teeth, and now at seven months, they are all in.
Enjoying delegation of his feeding:

(Let me interrupt all these numbers to just say that I love how he raises his eyebrows).
We are one week away from the first day of school, and a majority of our children in school. Two of us are more emotional about it than others. Looking forward to structure & progress. Sad about the end of a happy chapter of companionship. LOVE that girl.

4 weeks of swimming lessons and seen HUGE improvements. We bought 4 pairs of goggles--which are a major key to the improvement we've seen.
We've seen hundreds of Canadian geese. (I NEVER saw one in TX).
We've taught 3 lessons at church. Two more next week, and they are both Nathan's.

We canned 28 quarts of peaches. Made freezer jam twice. Think about doing more.

I fell in love again with a cookbook that I already own.

This is my quest to perfect banana bread. Almost there. Need to find the right temperature setting and for how long. It is one of three new recipes that are a hit. More to try.
We celebrated 35 years (two of us). We ate dinner in Old Town. We hope for many more--dates out and birthdays.
We've seen mountains everyday, and lakes most days.
Three cub scout activities (which I was not in charge of). Have you heard of geocaching? We hadn't either. The others were a minor league game with dad and swimming.
We've opened our windows every night and enjoyed the fresh air.
We've missed handmade flour tortillas from our favorite grocery store in TX, but we found the next best thing. In a Walmart near you? Made with oil.
Making new friends.
We went to Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. My favorites are bull riding and bareback bronc riding. Crazy people do rodeo.
Upcoming camping trip planned.
Patients are trickling in. Some days more than scheduled--which is good. Medicare is slow. 
Garbage/recycling seems expensive. $40 a month?
Need to get new library cards (times 5), and bookcases.
Things are great.

Yes, we are

My least favorite question about a move:

"Are you packing yet?"

"Yes, we are."


N's company is paying for the majority of our move. To lower the price some, we are doing most of the packing.
I can't remember laughing as hard in one day as I did today while we sorted, discarded, and packed. Stress increases humor? or is it proximity to my husband?

How many?
the estimate weight for our household =9950 lbs.
Box #15 was just taped shut
# of canning jars packed on Saturday = 105

ugh

Spring Break 2010

Last week was Spring Break. We left Thursday morning and headed to Houston.

We stopped along the way in Brenham, (Ice cream capital of TX), for a little Blue Bell ice cream.
4 chose Mint chocolate chip.

While I went to the temple, the baby slept. The others swam at the hotel.

We drove to Galveston to taste the salty water and put our feet in the ocean.

14  feet total.

2 of us were sunburned.
1 stayed in the shade the whole time.

10 hands built sandcastles.

Who says work isn't fun? We had some extra time to fill and when we mentioned that building sandcastles was an option, the vote was unanimously in favor.
The finished products:

 I played in the shells

While Dad took the kids out to see the fisherman

Rides given,
children chased,
and memories made.

Attention Galveston:

 We walked along:

We saw hundreds of these:

And plenty of this, as well:

We drove to Kemah for dinner outside on the boardwalk. Of course, we ate seafood.

Nathan went to the temple, too.

The rain started 5 minutes before we left our hotel and followed us halfway home. A lovely getaway!

****This post is dedicated to mom, who taught me to love the ocean when I young.
She loves mint chocolate chip, has been asking to see photos of Ed, and will love the photo below.
Caption reads: "Caught in Galveston Bay"

three

times my baby woke last night to eat while everyone else was sleeping
number of canning jars I washed today
how many times our children were asked to go to bed tonight before they did
number of loads of laundry I did today--it was a wet day (yesterday was the big laundry day of the week, the normal 6 loads)
also how many times I have edited this

but most importantly

three wonderful years!
(strawberries, strawberry cake, strawberry frosting, and strawberry ice cream)

By the numbers

HOW MANY?

Of your children were in the portable crib this morning?
3. Hopefully not all at once, but it would not be too surprising.

Packages of newborn diapers has your baby used?
5-6. Nothing is precise anymore, my brain is fuzzy. I'm opening the last one today, he needs to go up a size. A further complication to getting a complete count is the half package we brought home from the hospital and the half package given to us by a friend that had not been used up. Do those two "halves" make a whole?

Calories can your two year old consume while you take a nap?
Not sure I want the answer to this one. At least 400. I found 5 candy wrappers, a cereal box on the couch, cookies on the kitchen floor, a half eaten candy cane in her sticky mouth and hands, and a report of missing strawberries from the fridge.

Hours of TV will your five yr. old watch while you take a nap?
Unlimited, as in she's never gotten up from the couch and said, "I've had enough.". This morning it was 2. No I didn't sleep that long, during part of it I was nursing and showering. I did get a lovely 40 minute nap out of it.

Children are invited to "Pizza with the Principal"?
A & B are eating lunch in the principal's office today because they achieved a certain number of points in the Accelerated Reader program. Way to go! Can't wait to find out how many others were there.

Loaves of bread baked this week?
3

Recipes in my file of "Recipes to Try"?
Don't want to know. It's two inches thick. Must stop collecting more! Please don't send me any. That doesn't even touch the cookbooks. Time to purge. I would happily give away "Crock Pot Cooking" to anyone interested. It was an impulse purchase, on the $5 table at the bookstore. Must stop reading blogs with recipes.

Times have you ordered fabric online?
Once, and it's on it's way. Can't wait to open that package.
Pieces of fabric are in it? 3

Times has Ed gone to take children to school this week?
Two.

Minutes have you used your exercise bike this week? 27

More times will you have to buy laundry soap in TX?
NONE! I have 6 containers now and think it is enough to get me to June.

I love numbers. A lady I know in Chicago counts the number of loads of laundry she does. When I found out, it made me laugh--and I thought it was BRILLIANT! I started keeping track of the number of loaves of bread I bake. I listed them in my journal in 2009, but haven't totaled them. Some numbers you don't want to know, others are funnier to find out.What are your numbers?

p.s. Deal of the week: 5 lb bag of TX grapefruit for $1.47.