Life Goes On ...: Very Miscelleanous Long Overdue GENERAL Update

As I skim back through the blog I realize how sad it is that all I ever talk about is health issues. What a sad way to remember life ... I really had to try find time to write about other things as well. For whatever reason I just don't ever seem to find time at my computer anymore, so I tend to update on the things we gets asked about most often so I don't have to repeat the same thing over and over ... and then just never get around to the general life stuff that create the memories of our year. Really ... we're not obssessed with health issues and there are other things going on in our lives. So hey ... the years almost done, I better get some non-health stuff written (I'm afraid there will still be plenty more health ones too :( )

So I think I'll just back-track in picture form and fill in here and there as I think of things ... in other words ... babble and well ... this could get pretty long-winded.

Sorry Helen, I didn't mean to ignore your question from long ago after my Harvest post. You asked if there was a special way to do canning, etc. And about whether there is a seperate place we put it all. Yes there are special ways of canning and freezing. I suppose when you grow up eating it and doing it you don't think much of it and just go about doing it, but yes each thing is done a certain way ... although many the same. With canning fruits you add a sugar syrup. The norm would be to have 1 part sugar for every 4 parts water, but as time goes I have trialed out which fruits you can get away with using less sugar and how much less and still have it sweet (yes I'm a sweet tooth) and yummy. You boil the sugar mixture to melt the sugar and pour it over the fruit in the jars. The jars then go through the canner, the amount of time depends on what you are canning. I like freezing better because it's less messy and work as you don't have to go through the whole canning process. Even freezing is done different depending on what you freeze. Some foods should be blanched first (I suppose tehnically all should be), while others you can get away with just chopping and freezing raw. With time I have trialed and figured out which foods I can get away with just freezing and still maintaining the flavour and which ones turn bitter and blah without the blanching ... I must say I don't really blanch that much of my stuff. So I suppose there is a bit of learning process in the same thing... as Laura mentioned, she's just going to follow me around and learn ... the best way to learn is probably by asking someone who does it already, they'll give quick and easy tips. I'm sure there's plenty of info on the internet too. Oh, and the above picture is of pumpkin seeds, a well enjoyed treat here in the fall (for the others, I can't say I like them, but they're not hard to make).

Next are pictures from way back on Reformation Day (October 31). On this day the focus is on Halloween around here and so there is a Fun Night organized which focuses on the meaning of Reformation Day. The kid's enjoy a speech and some singing and then play games and have supper together. They look forward to this night and have a ton of fun. This year there were some different games as well which they really enjoyed. Above, Marietta is playing ring toss, she has to toss the rings on the pumpkin stems. They always have an apple bobbing contests after which they get to eat the apple for their snack. And the best part is the relay race at the end, this year we managed to find some burlap sacks so they could have a "potato sack" race at the end of the relay. Guess there were no good pics of Rebecca for this day.

Although we don't get out as often as we would like for walks, we love to go out in the fall when the leaves are changing colour and falling. It's so beautiful to see.

These pictures are from a walk at Albion Falls, one of the girls favourite place to do.

Next we have a picture of Marietta on Book Character Day. Each year they have a day where the kids dress up as a character from a book for school and then they do book centered things that day (and that entire week) at school. Last year Marietta wore this outfit and was Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie (which I also wore when I was in Grade 6 for Book Character Day). This year she wore the same outfit but went as Cassie from Sarah, Plain and Tall, which had become her favourite book over the summer.

Unfortunately in our scurry to get out the door on time in the morning I did not get a picture of Rebecca, who is always on time and was already dressed and ready to go by time I remembered the camera. Rebecca borrowed a caterpillar costume and was the caterpillar from the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

We still go skating every now and then. The girls aren't as thrilled about the idea anymore, but we still go occasionally and they rather do that then stay home and do nothing :) We've gotten our moneys worth out of the annual pass anyways. The girls much rather go swimming, Rob and I much rather go skating. Matthew has gotten past the age where we can get away with strapping him in the stroller and letting him watch us while we're there. So now we bundle him up and take him out on the ice. Although the staff likes to tell us that it's really not wise to carry him on our back, so far they have never cared so much as to tell us we had to take him off

Rob loves to crash out on the floor after lunch (on Saturdays) or supper and get a quick "cat-nap" in order to rejuvenate him for a few more hours of book work before the next meal or bedtime. Somewhere along the line Matthew grew into the habit of climbing all over Rob when he lays down ... something that would totally annoy me, but Rob actually likes it. He says it's like getting a massage while he rests ... I beg to differ, but hey, they're both happy so I won't complain. I'm not sure how they got sidetracked this time but somehow the girls ended up getting involved on this particular day but they all had quite the fun. Matthew thought it was absolutely great. I would have to actually put him on top of the pile, but he had no real intent to stay on the pile. In the first picture he's leaning over getting ready to roll off and the second he's laughing away as he hits the ground again. He was quite content to do this over and over, no fear in this boy and the best place to land would be on his head ... doesn't fizzle him at all.

On November 14 my mom and sister-in-law (with her kids) took the girls to the Royal Winter Fair. I had planned to go along as well and leave Matthew at a sitter, but he was sick and so I stayed home and snuggled with him for the day while they went off to have some fun. They did a lot of walking and looking and were quite tired at the end of the day ... but they had fun.