Whew! Got that done...off my mind and off my to-do list. I just finished canning pickled beets and dilled green beans. The vegetables had been waiting for me and I was under pressure that they would spoil before I could get to them. I had big plans yesterday to get the zucchini grated and frozen, the beets pickled, and the beans dilled, but...as it seems to happen...Tessa and Wylie came down with a virus that's going around. I have not been summoned that often since all my kids were little. "Mom...Mama...Mom...Mom...Mama...Mom..." Aaaargh! Anyway, between tending to the two sickies, I only managed to get the zucchini dealt with and baked two loaves of zucchini bread and made supper. Oh, and did two loads of laundry, ran Taylie to work at 10:00, and back into town to pick her up at 2:00.
So it is a big relief today to have the rest of the veggies processed and gleaming green and purple in their jars. Canning is always kind of a high tension thing for me. Aside from the "get 'em done before they rot" thing, I get stressed by kids underfoot when I'm working with boiling liquids and hot jars. I don't even deal with pressure canning; I stick to boiling water bath canning. Probably a carry-over from my childhood when my mother would be canning tomatoes and practically shriek at my sister and me to "GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!! THIS THING COULD BLOW UP!!" Scared the wits out of us as we hid at the far end of the house with visions of our mom dying in an explosion of steaming hot tomatoes. No thank you. I'm perfectly content to buy my tomatoes precanned from the store. My dear friend, Linda, pressure cans tomatoes. I can only assume her mother didn't do any canning when Linda was little. Ignorance is bliss.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Monday, September 12, 2005
MONDAY MORNING
It is Monday morning and I am trying to get back into the routine of a busy school week day. We returned from camping at Lake Gogebic refreshed and renewed, but I'm finding it difficult to make the transition from R&R to "business as usual". Mondays are always full days for me...doubly so when they follow a weekend away.
Our family weekend was wonderful with great weather, beautiful fall colors swirling down in the breeze, ducks and chipmunks to feed, new friends in the campsite next to us, good eating, and a second place in the walleye tournament for Mark.
The Lord ministered to me in a special way as I spent my quiet time with Him early in the mornings on the shore of the lake; the sun an orange ball peeking above the far treeline. I'd been feeling somewhat pummeled and discouraged of late but He restored my joy and renewed my hope. He's pulled me from the mirey clay, He's given me a brand new day; my heart and soul are praising, Halleluia!
Our family weekend was wonderful with great weather, beautiful fall colors swirling down in the breeze, ducks and chipmunks to feed, new friends in the campsite next to us, good eating, and a second place in the walleye tournament for Mark.
The Lord ministered to me in a special way as I spent my quiet time with Him early in the mornings on the shore of the lake; the sun an orange ball peeking above the far treeline. I'd been feeling somewhat pummeled and discouraged of late but He restored my joy and renewed my hope. He's pulled me from the mirey clay, He's given me a brand new day; my heart and soul are praising, Halleluia!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
LITTLE SCHOOLHOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS
Today is our first official day of school. We've been doing a little review over the past couple weeks to get back into the swing of things. We will have a three day school week and then leave Thursday evening to go camping and fish the Gogebic Walleye Tournament. Then, no more breaks until Christmas.
I am praying for a good school year; productive and organized. I am working on our school calendar and weighing activities versus current gas prices. We will continue the art class held at our church with a local artist two days a month. Our piano teacher's son will be participating in the art class this year and she has graciously agreed to give the girls their lessons those same days after a brief break for lunch. That means they will only receive piano lessons twice a month rather than weekly but it saves me driving them all the way to Eagle River with gas at $3.40 a gallon. The homeschool group that meets twice a month at the local library will be studying drama and putting on a play this semester. This is another opportunity worth the gas it takes to get them there. And there's youth group at church. If I had to cut everything but one, this would be the one. I trust God will provide the means for me to drive my kids to the activities He would have us participate in.
New textbooks, new notebooks, and renewed goals. This is the start of school. I am motivated and committed. My prayer is that I will be able to maintain a level of motivation and committment to sustain me through May of next year.
I am praying for a good school year; productive and organized. I am working on our school calendar and weighing activities versus current gas prices. We will continue the art class held at our church with a local artist two days a month. Our piano teacher's son will be participating in the art class this year and she has graciously agreed to give the girls their lessons those same days after a brief break for lunch. That means they will only receive piano lessons twice a month rather than weekly but it saves me driving them all the way to Eagle River with gas at $3.40 a gallon. The homeschool group that meets twice a month at the local library will be studying drama and putting on a play this semester. This is another opportunity worth the gas it takes to get them there. And there's youth group at church. If I had to cut everything but one, this would be the one. I trust God will provide the means for me to drive my kids to the activities He would have us participate in.
New textbooks, new notebooks, and renewed goals. This is the start of school. I am motivated and committed. My prayer is that I will be able to maintain a level of motivation and committment to sustain me through May of next year.
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