Do you ever pay attention to all the things that happen in a two week period?  I would guess that most of us go about our days in a normal routine doing the same things day after day, whether it's work, school, kids, or wasting time.  These past two weeks have been filled with events.  Canning, shopping, watching Hailey grow, trying to get Joel's computer working, company, and much more.  Here are a couple things that were out of the ordinary.

Ryan Marsden, my best friend from Fort Collins came up with his brother to visit.  They were in Yellowstone and figured Yellowstone was closer than Fort Collins, even though it was still a 6 hour drive out of the way for them.  It was great having them stay the night.  I was grateful for the friendship that we have cultivated over the years.  I was grateful that even after not seeing each other for more than a year things hadn't changed much and it seemed like we picked up right where we left.  I was grateful that our friendship meant enough for him to drive across the state just to spend a few hours together.  Thank you Ryan and Eric for showing us true friendship and what's important.

Joel's computer... that's an irritating subject so I'll just jump to the thought that came because of it.  I was standing in line waiting for someone to tell me what was wrong with the computer when I looked around at all the gadgets and lights and things... most of the things that we really don't need in life to survive but have come to depend on for comfort and pleasure.  I looked around and then looked down at Hailey.  Was this really the type of world I wanted her to grow up in?  NOPE!  Where were the trees, the dirt, the things of nature to fill her mind and spirit?  The things that lift and enlighten?  Technology is great and has it's uses but I have a problem when a two year old is consumed by an iPhone or some type of notepad that's not made of paper.  It was then that things started coming together.  Wheel one in place and ready to turn.

Wheel two.  I've been doing a lot of canning with the fruit that we got from the orchard...  I had a garden growing up and didn't really appreciate it.  But being older, wiser and poorer, I want a garden, an orchard and a place for the kids to play and run and learn all at the same time.  Joel's been saying this for a while.  He wants to live more in the county and outside of the city.  I'm finally starting to agree.  Do I like the city and culture.  Yes.  But more than buildings, things and places I'd like to have the trees and space and freedom.

Wheel three.  Learning and education.  Joel and I have sat up many a night discussing the things that we want to teach our children.  With my mom and sister in the school systems I've heard lots of the inside drama.  No thank you.  I've been in large city schools and what did I learn?  Not a lot.  I had some great teachers but only very few that pushed me and encouraged me to actually learn something not just do homework.  So our thought?  Home school.  Not just teaching at home the things they teach in school but more of a hands on learning approach.  The things that I remember from school and college were the hands on classes, not the lectures.  They're taking recess away from kids, I say give them more.  Make recess a learning time as well though.  I know that I enjoyed field tripsas a kid because I was out of the classroom and could touch or see what I was learning about, it wasn't just a picture in a book, it was right in front of me.  Explore the museums, exhibits, culture all around us in our cities.  Hands on learning.  Now, not to knock teachers and formal schooling.  It does have it's place.  I know that I couldn't teach trigonometry, geometry, calculus, physics, chemistry, etc so that's where I'd work with the schools to do half and half.  Some school actually allow that!  We have lots of hopes and dreams and it's going to take work to employ them.  My life as a mom will be a full time job, but at least it will be a job that produces not just good results but creates a well rounded individual with heart, passion, and knowledge.

Where do a lot of these thoughts come from?  They are mostly inspired by Hailey.  Canning, so she can eat.  Education, so she can learn.  Garden, so she can play and work.  Country, so technology and things don't become what controls her life.  She's learning and growing and she reminds me so frequently of the small and simple things.  One of her favorite things to stare at and "play" with are light fixtures.  She stares and smile at them for a good long while.  Lately she's actually started to coo and talk to them.  When she did that I turned and said, that's new!  Dana said, "she's been doing it all morning."  Each day I'm sure there's something new but I don't always catch it.  Again, while Dana was here, Hailey was playing on the dome mat.  It has toys that hang for her to play with, watch, touch, hit, rattle, etc.  She's learning finer motor skills now and loves to hit the hanging toys.  Again, she'll do it for ten-fifteen minutes or even longer.  It doesn't get old.

The greatest lesson I'm learning from Hailey is that she understands our vibes and emotions.  Joel got some bad news this Monday as he was watching Hailey and it put him in a somber mood.  Dana and I were at the grocery store and when we came back, Hailey was still on her play mat where we had left her.  Joel was doing his best to listen for her cry so he knew when she got tired and could put her down for a nap.  Well, she was exhausted to the point that she just fell asleep on her back right on her mat.  She never falls asleep on her back.  So what was the difference this time?  I believe that she knew that Joel needed her to be quiet and sensitive and let him process the news he had just received and she gave him that.  It's not the first time.  There have been times when the mornings are just rough or I get bad news and she doesn't fuss or squirm or require a lot of attention like normal.  She it quiet and somehow understands that she can't be the focus because there's something else more important.  I hope to cultivate that in her.  I wish we could more easily learn from these little ones.

Mathematics, science, technology, numbers, letters, shapes and colors... those are things that we eventually learn.  I hope to be able to also teach the important things in life that sometimes get overlooked--love, passion, emotion, empathy, spirituality, creativity, simplicity, contentment...  May we all be better able to learn the things that are of true value.  Look to a child, they'll teach you.  Thank you Hailey.  You make our days and lives more than we could ever have. 

New Year, New Things to Try

Pictures will come shortly!

It's another year for Joel and I.  Our years start from September to September, not January to January!  So with one year down and many more to go, I'm still looking for ways to be frugal yet keep things fun and tasty.  My dad and extended family have done this for years but I've just barely gotten to the point where I understand it and am experimenting with it on my own.  So what is it?  Well keep reading. 

Two weeks ago I was at Linda Pyrah's and I learned how to can pears.  We also made applesauce and apple pie filling, and salsa verde.  It was soo good.  Time consuming but really good!  Pizza sauce is yet to come!  I figure with cheap fruit from the Caldwell Church Orchard I should at least try.  My goal is to put away fruit for us to use later, especially baby food for Hailey so I don't have to pay ridiculous amounts of money later on.  Come on Plums were $.10 a pound.  Apples were $.25 and Pears were $.13.  I can't really do better than that.  The jars are more expensive but they last forever! A worthwhile investment.

So experimenting with the plums.  I tried taking my freshly gained knowledge on pears and applying it to the plums.  I boiled the plums for 30-60 seconds to get the skins to come off easily.  Then I cut them in half and attempted to core them... It's much harder to core a plum than to slice out the core of a pear.  Lesson learned.  Also, plums are tiny and it takes a lot more to fill up the jar than say pears or peaches or something bigger.  I canned two pints...I did modify the plums a little compared to the pears I did recently.  I didn't add any sugar because I want these ones to be more for Hailey to add to her rice cereal or something.  So instead of filling the jar with sugar water to make a syrup I pureed some of the plums and put plum puree in the jar instead.  It seems to have turned out well enough.  I haven't tried the actual canned finished product but the puree and the plums were good.

K, next try.  Aunt Lynn makes fruit leather and that's super yummy.   I thought ok, lets try this.  One big downside... no actual food dehydrator.  That's okay, let's improvise.  They say I can cook it in the oven at the lowest temperature.  I thought, "Well, I have a toaster oven that lets the temp go lower than the oven, I'll try one in both."  Needless to say, they both failed! It could be that I got the leather too thick for the capabilities of the toaster oven and then I just overcooked the one in the oven and the edges burned.  So no leather this year.

I also learned that some tools or utensils made specifically for canning such as the grabby tongs for the hot jars... they are a must.  I only did two small jars of plums tonight to experiment and I wished I had the tongs.  But I made do.  I ladelled out the hot water till I could grab the lids with a hot pad holder.  I know, I know.  Craigslist find for $20, 24 pint jars and a canning utensil set.  Perfect!

I still have lots of applesauce, apple pie filling and more pears to do.  It's going to be a busy week.  How do I plan to get it all done with Hailey in tow?  Well, when Joel wakes up at 4:30 to get ready and head off to work.  I just stay up!  That gives me at least 3-5 hours while Hailey continues to sleep.  Then I'll take a nap when she does or go to bed early like Joel does!  The things we do for good food at a cheap price that will last for a long time!  K getting up in the early a.m. didn't work but doing it after she went to bed at 7 was perfect!

I had quite a bit to do but luckily my sister came to help over the weekend.  We found a good system for working together to speed things up.  Our first attempts were applesauce. It turned out well but soon we removed a step.  Instead of straining and getting fresh water to boil the apples in each time, we left the old apple water in the pot and just added more apples... finish byproduct, SUPER AMAZING APPLE JUICE with no sugar added.  Success!

Then as the time was getting late and Dana only had on night left before she left, we decided to make the apple pie filling.  With our apple coring techniques down to a quick science and a Smith family recipe we attempted the filling.  I was worried I wouldn't have enough sugar but we did. What did we find? Super easy, quick, and really sweet and yummy dessert!  What will I modify?  A little less sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch.  A little bit more nutmeg but not much!

I still have more to go and I'll be solo now but it was a blast of an adventure.  I only hope that sooner than later I'll have my own garden and small orchard of my own.  This leads into my next blog. ;)

Balloons ABlazen (Part II)

Friday night, as posted, Joel, Hailey and I all went to the Nite Glow balloon festival at Ann Morrison Park here in Boise.  We had a great time seeing the balloons blow up and light up.  The next thing I was looking forward to was watching them take off Sunday morning.  They have been taking off all week in the mornings as the weather permits.  Today they were supposed to have close to 40 hot air balloons inflate and lift off if the weather permitted.  But they were taking off at sunrise.  Neither Joel or I got much sleep last night at 6:30 came way too early but we packed Hailey up, screams and all, into the carseat and car and back to the park we went.  We got there and saw multiple trailers parked on the lawn waiting for the cue.

They start by laying out the balloon before inflating.

To start inflating they use a high powered fan before the fire thrusters.

Then comes the fire!

Straight up it eventually stands.

Ready for liftoff.

This unfortunately is as high as the balloons went due to a 25 mph gust of wind above the park.  It was too dangerous to send off the balloons. 

But since so many kids and families were there some of the balloon pilots agreed to tether down their balloons and give short rides to the kids. 

These are our bright and early faces. It was another good time.  Joel napped on the blanket enjoying the cool morning air before it all got started.  I used him as a backrest to feed Hailey.