It's In the Can

For the first time in a couple of years, there will be NO Disney princess running around our house for Halloween. That's because Dev chose a "Bat Witch" as her costume!  She seems thrilled with it & I'm glad we have a "warm" costume...I think we're going to need it next week.

We had a great report card and conference from her 1st months at school.  Apparently, someone has blossomed into quite the social butterfly.  Our only concern is that she's getting enough work done in the mornings.  Her teacher says she's very content to chat, write stories and color....flitting about the room with all her friends.  Although I'm glad to hear she's coming out of her shell a bit, we're refocusing her efforts in the morning towards more meaningful school work.


 

They say there's a first time for everything and this week was my first time canning.  I read Pioneer Woman's Advice and called my Mother-In-Law to see what she thought.  Turns out Pioneer Woman uses the basic "Ball" recipe, as does my MIL.  It took me about a week to gather everything I needed and I waited for the first cold, rainy day.  Turns out that day was yesterday!

See.  I was ready!!!



Overall, it was very easy and a lot of fun to make.  I most enjoy baking because of its' science-like qualities and canning is very similar.  At the last second, I read in the "Ball Bible" that it's important to measure the dry ingredients (sugar) exactly.  Sure enough, I had almost a 1/2 cup too much.

I think mashing up the strawberries was my favorite part.  I'm going to make another batch this weekend with Devin home, so she can see how much fun it is.




All fires burning!  The cold day made it nice to stand by the stove all morning.


Finished product!  I made 8 jars and had some extra for the fridge.  It tastes AMAZING!  There's no comparison to this and say, Smuckers.  This morning, I checked all the lids and they are concave and not popping or moving.  SUCCESS!  I did forget one step, to scrape off the jelly "scum" after boiling.  I guess I didn't see much of it, so I forgot.



So, I'm off to Costco ASAP to get more strawberries and hopefully some peaches.  These little jars will be perfect for our school Bake and Craft Sale in November.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

The only way to describe the past few weeks is pure joy. Everyone is healthy and thriving & we spend most of our weekends outside. Someone FINALLY lost the other front tooth, which was a big deal. The Tooth Fairy made another visit and even left a note:)

Last weekend, we walked up and down Bardstown Road.   Devin enjoyed going into all the little shops, always looking for new earrings.  We'll be able to change her pierced earrings by the end of the week.  There's been no trouble with the starter set and her ears healed perfectly.  

I was shocked a few weeks ago, when I found one of her stuffed Golden Retrievers covered with "make up."  At 6.5 years, I figured we were past this stage.

Dev is growing up fast.  Her school experience has been amazing.  We couldn't ask for a better start to 1st Grade.  This weekend, we helped at an Open House for prospective families.  When I told her it was time to go, I heard an amazing sound...a whine of "awwwwww."  She said, "I wish it was a regular school day, so I could stay."  

The older children in class continue to be a source of inspiration and (sometimes) frustration.  She gets SO mad at herself if something she does isn't perfect in her eyes.  We're trying to help her manage expectations and value "mistakes."  I explained how I play certain tennis matches, knowing I will most likely lose.  But, it's the experience I enjoy...the exercise, the competition and learning from mistakes.  

Here's the happy girl, practicing her hand stands.  It's a borderline obsession at the moment.