Saturday Chores

I think this counts as nesting, right?

Adventures in Home Canning

Or how I learned to stop worrying and love botulism.


So previously when we've done tomato sauce we've just frozen it. Mostly because I think my Ma Ingalls thriftiness would be slightly counterbalanced by keeping my family on respirators for six months, following paralysis.


But this time around our freezer is already totally stuffed, we can't afford a chest freezer, and I haven't even started trying to freeze dinners for next month's due date, much less ice cube trays of baby food. And of course we're going to need room for milk in there too.

If I just disgusted you, then I probably shouldn't mention that time we ran out of regular milk while I was making mac and cheese and I did a little swap...

Yeah Chase doesn't like to talk about that.


ANYWAY. If this picture doesn't fill you with terror, I don't know what's wrong with you. Do you see all those warnings on there? Pretty much all of them end with "IF YOU FAIL YOUR HOUSE WILL EXPLODE!!! JUST BUY TOMATO SAUCE FROM THE STORE YOU IDIOT."

And you can't even hear the awful hissing noises it was making.


Here's the first batch of sauce- I more or less used this roasted tomato sauce recipe from Catherine Newman, although my amounts weren't anywhere near exact, and we threw a bunch of basil in there too. $3.84 of tomatoes made 5 pints and 5 half pints, and so far none of them have exploded!

Those jars are waiting for lids, of course, and you can already see in that picture why at least two from that batch failed. I didn't leave enough headspace at the top of the jars. You'd think I might take time out of lovingly photographing crap in my kitchen to sort of just look at it, and see if I'm doing it wrong.

Oh well.

We made pizza for dinner last night, once we ran out of jars and still had tomato sauce. Honestly the sauce is pretty good. And even though I'm going to end up freezing some of it anyway, due to various canning fails, I'm still glad we mustered up the courage for an inaugural pressure canner run. Maybe the next time won't be quite as terrifying.

Anybody want to borrow it?

silver lining

In the midst of what was a very difficult week for our family, there was a definite bright spot. We got to spend quite a few hours in a lovely city.










Lots of unbelievably delicious food, although not a lot of air conditioning. I can't wait to go back, under better circumstances.

Believe me, I am bringing a list of restaurants, as well as a game schedule for Tulane, the Saints, LSU, Ole Miss, and anybody else whose win or loss might conceivably make people MORE crazy on the streets. Maybe the trick is to go on a Tuesday?

Either way, I'll watch out for the sousaphone players. Those guys are crazy.

We are happy to be home, and crossing our fingers for a very uneventful few weeks.

party time!

Good morning sunshine!


We don't have many pictures of the party- I never can remember to actually -take- pictures after charging the camera.

We mostly have before and after pictures. Here's Janey, still in her PJs. Chase had her new dollhouse, with the stain -just- dry, wrapped up in a big pink bow on the table when she woke up.


This was Jane's standard "present opening" face. It's pretty great. She also did a little dance. I think in this picture she's opening a My Little Pony from Nana.


The girls are eating some party food before the guests arrive. Jane is taking a break from her waffles to eat a lollipop, but we let that kind of thing slide on a birthday.


Wren was a pretty great sport about a "Jane gets all the attention and presents" day, and I was proud of her for being such a sweetheart. Even if you don't have the kind of personality that enjoys the spotlight, a little sister's birthday can be kind of a challenge.


Especially when you're little sister is given a pair of Twinkle Toes shoes. Which are either the ugliest most horrible or loveliest most wonderful things you have ever seen, depending entirely on whether or not you are a little girl. Thanks Aunt Anne! I will always be able to find Jane in the dark now. In fact I'm surprised we can talk her into taking them off to go to sleep at night.



Overall it was a pretty awesome birthday, and it took Jane about 8 hours to wind down from all the excitement. She really did not stop talking or making noise for about 3 hours straight. Just constant. I know parents say that kind of thing, but I am serious. No hyperbole. Just CONSTANT. My mom was here with us for the weekend and I think she was a little floored by it. I was forced to conclude she'd thought I'd been exaggerating about Jane's volume and energy level. Nope Nana, and when can you babysit again?

It was an auspicious start for another year with our precious wonderful amazing Jane. I am so incredibly grateful to have her in our lives- she is a constant surprise and joy, and I pray we will have the wisdom and patience and grace to be the parents she needs this year, as a big three year old!

First Day of School

I'm only a week late with this post-


Happily for Wren, we were not actually late to school. Wren's bedtime prayer the night before school included asking God that she please not be late for class. Five seems kind of young for punctuality anxiety, but Wren is just a very particular child, I guess.


For the first week of school classes dismissed at 12, so really this next week will be our first experience with the full day of school, which includes separate dismissal times, an hour apart, for the girls. I guess Jane and I can go hang out in the library for a while.


Yeah she looks like she'll settle right down and quietly read a book for an hour, doesn't she?

The girls are both doing great so far. No accidents for Jane (Continence WIN!) and Wren only cried once. So overall a great start to Fall! Now for some actual Fall weather...