Because You Can Can Can...

See what I did there...reference to the song in Moulin Rouge....hahaha....word play, puns! Always exciting!


Anyway, last week I bought a box of peaches that ended up being about 22 pounds. And I did it with the intent that I would learn how to can. I would learn to preserve. I would become, in some small way, the type of old timey wife who 'puts up fruit' for the winter. And learn I did. And I'm actually really proud of myself! I've always wanted to know how to do it, and now I do.

So last Monday, September 23rd, I decided that would be the day. But I didn't know what I was doing. So I enlisted the help of a friend in the ward named Roxsan. She's a pro and offered to come over and help me. Carson was out of town so it was nice to have the company as well. She taught me everything and I yielded 12 quarts of peaches and two quart sized zip lock bags that went straight to the freezer. Not bad, right???

Then I realized that my tomatoes needed to be harvested out of our garden. On an unrelated note, I spent a bunch of time in the spring preparing and planting our garden....all I could get out of it was tomatoes. Oh well, say lave. The boys and I harvested the ripening tomatoes and some that were not so ripe and did a quick ripening where you put them in a box with a banana. It worked sort of. But it wasn't nearly enough to warrant the work for canning. But then I found out about a house in our ward where both the husband and wife had passed away within the last few months. They had a large garden that had mostly tomato plants. So I was able to take all of those and ended up with a quite a lot of tomatoes. That became my job on Tuesday. I was able to do 12 pints of tomatoes! Yay! Then I had some extra tomatoes left over that were already blanched so I needed to use them. I made a quart of homemade marinara sauce.

On Monday of this week, I was able to buy half a box of pears at the grocery store for what I would consider a good price. It ended up being about 22 pounds of pears and they were just itching to be canned. So Carson and I got to work last night. Him doing the pealing, me doing the coring, slicing, soaking in water and lemon juice, making the syrup, stuffing the jars and processing. It may sound like a lopsided division of labor, but the pealing was hard and tedious and I didn't want to do it.

After a lot of issues, mainly having to do with the brand of jars that I bought, I was able to can 14 quarts of pears and that one jar of marinara sauce. It was all great fun. And I'm excited to tackle the bucket of apples that Roxsan gave me tomorrow during the priesthood session of conference. Yeah, I know that I can now watch that session, but I probably won't....for old times sake. Don't want to mess with tradition. But I digress.

I really enjoy learning new skills. It helps me get out of my head a little bit. I read something once regarding Sherlock Holmes playing the violin. It said that the reason he plays the violin is because it's the only thing that has ever been difficult for him so it's actually quite soothing for him when he's all anxious and going crazy. Whether that is true to the Arthur Conan Doyle cannon I can't say but I can see the logic. Now I'm not saying that I am a Sherlock level genius...that would just be crazy. But I do have a LOT going on in my life so doing and learning something new has become very calming and relaxing....even though I was up until 1 am finishing those darn pears.

Back Again

I don't blog a lot anymore. Its hard. I'm weird. I'm boring. I'm busy. To quote that internet meme, 'Ain't Nobody Got fo' Dat!' Anyway, I'm not going to promise, but I might start blogging more. I'm sitting on my couch watching Sherlock on netflix. Carson is out of town and has been since Sunday. He won't be back until tomorrow. He's in the sprawling metropolis of Indianapolis learning how to do air audits on air compressors. Don't worry, it's way less exciting than it sounds. So to sum up, I'm super board without him here. I may or may not have become super lax in the house cleaning since he's been gone. I should remedy that and spend the last 1/2 hour that I'm awake doing dishes and vacuuming. But I'm not. I'm messing around on the computer and now watching New Girl on netflix. That's how I roll. Sometimes I don't like being domestic. It sucks a little bit. But I canned 22 pounds of peaches last night so while you're sitting there judging me for my non-domesticness, shut up.

Can't get enough of this dude. He's kind of awesome.

Anyway, I do most of my social networking on facebook because it's fast and easy and I've become kind of lazy-don't judge. But I might be slightly over it (yeah right). So I think I'm going to start posting my random thoughts on the blog. Don't get overzealous and think that I'm going to update things about the kids and life and stuff. I might here and there but I make no promises. But to make up for that, here is a collage of pictures of the crazy people who live with me.

Just kidding, I'll give some quick kid updates and see where that goes. Here it is:

Siobhan: Age 7, is awesome. She's in 2nd grade at American Preparatory Academy. She is well above grade level in every subject. Her arthritis is flared up and she back on meds-whateves...She is also starting to learn to play the cello. She got a sassy haircut a while back which she rocks with the best of them. She's so smart it scares me.

Audrey: Age 6, So creative. She is in 1st grade at APA and loves it! She is probably the hardest worker I've ever met-my most favorite quality about her. She's going to do a community children's theater again this year. They are doing a production based on Epic, Peter Pan and Jake and the Neverland Pirates (all of those). She also got a sassy haircut that's adorable. She's the sweetest person on the whole planet. You can quote me on that and I know that you won't find anyone who is a bigger ball of sweetness than her! Also, imagination thought the rough!

Mr. Will: Age 4, ball of energy and dirt. Love this kid to bits! He is still in the same preschool program but at a different school. He seriously loves riding the bus. I wouldn't say he's given up trains in favor of dinosaurs but I will say that we watch a lot of  'Dinosaur Train' and he sleeps with a T-Rex. He's going to do the same play as Audrey. In fact, his bucket list consists of the following, 'Go to the dinosaur museum, do the Jake play, Visit Africa, go to city hall.' He's funny!

Sir Ethan: Age 2, Big kid! Ethan and I get to spend a lot of one on one time together and it's awesome! A few weeks ago, he decided that he wants to be potty trained and he's pretty much done that all on his own. He has the biggest smile and he's so funny. You should see him sing the Phineas and Ferb theme song, Probably the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. He loves cereal, eggs, and two toasts with butter and cinnamon.

In conclusion, I'm not going to make a big deal about posting on the blog. I'm most interested in seeing who notices that I've updated. It will be a fun game. Also, I think that I'm going to put my domestic hat on and clean our bedroom before bed while watching 'Call the Midwife' on netflix. Are you sensing a theme here?

Book of Mormon Challenge-Baptism Edition

I wanted to share some sweet experiences that I've had with Siobhan the last two mornings. But it actually all started on Sunday during conference. General Conference was particularly personal for me this year. I don't remember a conference teaching me so much. I felt like prayers were answered for me that I hadn't even put before the Lord yet. It was s testament to me of the tender mercies of the Lord and how mindful He is of our needs.

Like all parents, we have struggles with our kids and they each offer their own set of challenges to our family dynamic. Siobhan, in particular, is having trouble with boundaries and understanding right from wrong. This is a very important concept that we want her learn as this is the year that she is getting baptized. In thinking about her baptism, there's so much that I want her know and teach her. I've come up with different schemes to teach her those lessons but nothing seemed like the right plan. Then I got my answer during the Sunday afternoon session of conference while Siobhan was sleeping on Carson's shoulder.

During a talk given by Elder Enrique R Falabella. He was talking about home and family and he shared a story about his granddaughter who had recently learned to read. He suggested that she make a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon. Of course, being so young, she was very daunted by the task. Then he timed her. It only took her 3 minutes to read one page in the Spanish Book of Mormon. They came up with a plan and figured out how long it would take her to finish the entire book. And lets nor forget that it's a long book for an adult to read, let alone a child. Well, she finished the book and grew to love it.

So I thought to myself, Siobhan is a really strong reader and absorbs any book that is put in front of her. I realized that i had a received an answer to my question. If I want Siobhan to gain a testimony of the gospel, I first need to have her gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon.It is the cornerstone of our faith and by learning from it, she will learn of The Savior and the restoration of the gospel. Is there any better way for her to learn those important lessons? I don't think so. When missionaries are teaching new converts, they first ask them to read the Book of Mormon, so how is it different with a child whom we are trying to teach the gospel to and bring them unto Christ?

We talked it over with Siobhan, and we decided, (Carson, Me and Siobhan) that challenging her to read the entire Book of Mormon before her baptism (Nov. 30th, 2013) was a reasonable goal. We figured that she only needs to read about 3 pages a day. When you think of it in those terms, it seems totally doable!

We started yesterday and her and I have had two of the best mornings that I can remember. That's one of the issues that we've been dealing with-she hates getting up for school and it just seems to lead to a lot of contention and frustration. But yesterday and today have been the complete opposite. I've adjusted my time frame so that I wake up earlier to get her going so nobody is rushed. She gets dressed, comes up stairs and eats her breakfast. That leaves plenty of time for her to read. So far, she has read the first two chapters of 1st Nephi. We've had a great time discussing what the tender mercies of the Lord are, talking about the knuckleheads that are Laman and Lemuel and we are blessed and prosper when we are faithful and obedient.

I can already feel her little testimony beginning to grow. We've talked about how she can liken the scriptures to her own life and find peace and comfort reading the words of the prophets. There is a sweet spirit that has filled our home these last two mornings and I'm so grateful to Lord for giving me this inspirationI know it's only been two days and we have a long way to go, but we all are committed. Even Audrey has enjoyed hearing it when she comes up while Siobhan is reading. I know that this will bless her life and also our entire family. I will continue to blog our experiences and progress!

Joint Injections Part Deux

Today Siobhan and I headed up to Primary Children's Medical Center for her joint injection. I hate this part. Carson was supposed to come up with us but he spiked a fever last night and it was still hanging on this morning, so this being flu season, we thought it was better for everyone involved if he stayed home with the kiddos. So it was just mommy and Siobhan for a little girl time. We had to leave really early in the morning because she was the first one on the schedule. As early of a morning as it was, it worked out for the best and I think that i want to it that early every time. Because she had to go completely under, Siobhan wasn't allowed to have anything to eat after midnight and nothing to drink after 6 am. So getting it all over with early was nice so Siobhan could eat while it was still breakfast time.

After getting all checked in, they took us back to pre-op were all of Siobhan's vitals were taken and she was declared to be in good health. That was relief since Siobhan spent almost all of last week really sick (she missed four days of school!). We also met with the childlife specialist who walked Siobhan through the whole process and let her pick a flavor for the anesthesia. I was just reading my last post about that (you can read it here). Last time, Siobhan loved every flavor last time and couldn't decided. This time around, with all of the same flavors at her disposal, she only liked three of them! Strawberry, watermelon and one that I can't remember. For the record, they have yet to take our suggestion from last time to add a bacon flavor! They also had a ipad for her play Angry Birds on while she waited. It was awesome!

They even held the ipad up for her to play on while she was falling asleep!

 She looks so much bigger than last time!

Fast asleep!

Dr. I was very happy with how everything went! Side bar, we love Dr. I, she's awesome! Siobhan had a harder time coming out the anesthesia than last time. She was very dizzy and it took a while to get over that.

When she's older, she's going to be really mad at me for posting some of these pictures. Oh well. She was also very excited to have a bag of cheetos when all was said and done. I don't let cheetos in the house because I hate them with passion that very people will understand. So it was a big treat along with her own can of root beer and a root beer slurpee.

All in all, I think the injection was successful. We'll know more over the course of the next few weeks if they actually did what they need to do. Fingers crossed that we've bought ourselves of few months of no meds and no worries!

 Joint injections part 2-January 2013

 

 Joint injections part 1 August 2011

 

I don't know if you can really tell, but this girl has grown up a lot in the last year and a half!

P.S. She's my hero!

JIA Update

Last we checked in with Siobhan and her friend JIA, she was in remission with medication. Back in August, the methotrexate, that she gets by shot, was causing come damage to her liver so the Doctor had us take her off the meds completely!! That was happy! So we began life with no medication at all and just managing her Arthritis with a gluten free diet and lots of positive vibes.

Siobhan had her regular check up with Dr. Inman on November 15 and was declared in full clinical remission with no meds! That's huge and exciting!

Then her birthday and Thanksgiving hit. I don't know if it's related or not, but we let her have regular gluten filled cake for her birthday and a Thanksgiving dinner that was bursting with gluten (gasp!! Mother of the year!). The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Siobhan came up in the morning with a very swollen, painful and stiff right knee. :( Such a bummer!!! Back on meds. Not the methotraxate but a daily anti-inflammatory called meloxicam. Through discussion with her pediatrician (who Siobhan coincidentally had a well check with) and emails with D. Inman the decision was made to go for several weeks on the meloxicam and see where that got us.

By Monday of this week there was no improvement! So six weeks of pain, stiffness and swelling....great. So we got into see Dr. Inman yesterday and we were told that we basically had two options. 1) back on weekly methotrexate injections which could possibly not work (at least not very quickley) and damage her liver again. And by the way, do you like getting shots once a week??? 2) Go for the big time and do the joint injection which she's had once before in August 2011. You can read about it here and here. Through discussion with the Dr. and Siobhan, we decided to go with option 2. It's a more drastic option but I don't want to spend months and months giving her shots every week and then end up doing the injection anyway-who wants that?? So on Monday Jan 14th, we will head up Primary Children's Hospital for another round of injections in her right knee.

Oddly enough, her right knee has never been the one we were worried about. Her left knee was the one that first clued us into the fact that something might be wrong back in 2011 and by all accounts, her right knee was never as bad as the left. She didn't even need the injection in her right knee the first time around. That's all changed now. Oh well. Siobhan is very happy though that she gets to take two days off of school and that she'll be asleep through the whole thing. The little things, right?