wordless wednesday

too shocked for words....

Twins. Fraternal. Yikes.

*gulp*

three's a charm

Yes, this is what you think it is. And if you don't know what to think, this stick with two blue lines means that I am preggers. And yes, I am just as shocked as you are, although probably moreso. Jim and I have wanted another baby for quite some time and I was pretty sure it wasn't in the cards for me.

I guess I was wrong.

I honestly and truly can NOT BELIEVE how wrong I was. Seriously. I'm very, VERY surprised and very, VERY happy, excited, nervous, worried, elated, joyful, panicked, and just plain in awe of what seems to be a reality but feels very, VERY much like a dream. I honestly feel like I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find out the stick in the picture was all just a dream. That's why I took a picture of it. I needed proof, without having to keep the peed-on stick.....ew.
(Although I'm sure people do...and good for them! I just didn't happen to want to.)

So yes, while it is a total and complete surprise, it is also something we both have wanted since we had our wee girl three years ago. However, I have never once felt confident that it was possible or even going to happen. With two sisters and a mother who stopped being able to have children at the age of 39, after turning 40 a bit over a year ago, my outlook for a third has been very bleak, to say the least (and turning 41 and feeling very, very old, didn't help much). I personally had no interest in doing anything "invasive" to have a third when I have two perfectly wonderful and healthy kidlings. But....we reeeeeeeally wanted a third. So -- next month, for one final push before we gave up, we were going to try a "procedure". As it turned out, we didn't have to. YIPPEEEE and PHEW!! Funny how that happens, eh?

Now I'll get on my soapbox....just cuz I think it's worth mentioning:
Why the heck did I want a third child when I have two healthy children -- a boy and a girl no less (people seem to think that means you don't need another child) -- and I am at an "at risk" age to have children? Well, who can explain the yearning of a mother? There is no explanation for it and therefore it shouldn't be an option for people to judge a mother's decision to have more children...even if she is "older" or "too young" or she already has 2, or 4, or 8 other perfectly healthy children. But judgment is all around. Mothers feel it constantly. It adds a difficulty to motherhood that shouldn't even exist. But it does. Very much so. And as much as I hate to admit it, I am just as guilty as anyone...I have definitely had my moments of judging such things that have no right to be judged.

I am a mom who married later in life, but who wanted to be married with children since I was born (at least that's what it felt like). Yep, I was one of those women who truly, deeply wanted to get married and have children and that was about the epitome of fulfillment for my life. Pathetic...I know....but I can't deny what I felt, and that's what I felt. I always wanted four children, but three is just fine, thank you. Being an older mom is hard in many ways (but not without its advantages... although I honestly can't think of many), so the prospect of a third at my age is scary, to say the least. However, I am way more excited than scared. Way more.

I feel E X T R E M E gratitude for the family I already have....because for a very, VERY long time I didn't think even that would be a reality. My intense appreciation for my husband and two healthy children is a constant in my life. I am beyond grateful every. single. day.

I am grateful beyond words that I am able to have a third -- because now I don't feel any yearning to have more, no yearning for anything other than to have a happy, healthy child. It's a really nice feeling -- especially after years of yearning. I will be forever grateful for it. As long as I'm not having multiples, our family of five will feel, well, just right. And that feels very, VERY good and I am very, VERY lucky.

a day of harvest

Make a Smilebox photobook

best friends

Yesterday I found my lil girl, and then my lil boy, having some one-on-one time with their very best friend....




"The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic." - Henry Ward Beecher
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner

wordless wednesday

Fall is beginning to burst forth....






But some flowers are hangin' in there....




Fall's peak color is yet to come....

forget...and forgive

I really hate forgetting things. And anyone who knows me well, knows I forget a lot of things. My brain just didn't come built with a good memory muscle...er whatever that grey matter is (I forget everything I learned in any science-related class)..... I hate forgetting to write a thank you note, to tell someone I appreciate something they did, to call or email someone to wish them a happy birthday, to return books at the library, to pay someone back, to, well, to do anything forgetful. But no matter how much I hate forgetting, I still forget. Too many things.

Things like a boiling canner on my stove top. Mr. Incredible and I awoke to an explosion at 5:30am this morning. Being Mr. Incredible, he leaped out of bed and ran downstairs (while I sat bleary eyed in my "slow mo" morning stupor). I finally came to my senses and grabbed the phone as I walked downstairs wondering if I needed to call 911 (I thought it was a robber). As I walked downstairs, the fire alarms went off (good to know they work!). I walked into the kitchen to find tomatoes E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. You name it, there was tomato on it. See...we had spent our Saturday evening canning more tomatoes (yes, more). When it was bedtime for my bonzos, I went upstairs to kiss them goodnight and that was the last I saw of my kitchen for the night. Completely forgetting that I had 7 jars of tomatoes in boiling water on my stove top. TEN HOURS LATER, I remembered....with a little help from the exploding jars.

So, since I've been pretty upset with myself about it all day, I thought I would blog about it because more often than not, horrible experiences like this make for a good story. Although I'm not quite at the "laugh about it" stage -- yet -- I know writing about it might give someone else a laugh. And providing a laugh at my expense is something I'm pretty good at. Remembering things is not something I am good at. I hope you are more forgiving of my forgetfulness than I am.

Oh...and yes, I did can 7 jars of beets before I ruined the tomatoes. I made my first ever batch of pickled beets and, lemme tell you, they are YUMMY!!!! Here are the only pics I took (I forgot to take more...):

canning maters

I've decided to give my first "blog tutorial". I canned tomatoes for the first time a couple weekends ago (and again this past weekend) and I couldn't believe how easy it was, so I'm hoping to inspire someone out there to do it too. It's SO dang easy. With some tips I learned, it's even easier.....

1) Ask a tall, hunky guy to rinse the tomatoes (rinsing the tomatoes isn't absolutely necessary, but if you happen to find some hunk of a man willing to do it, why not?)

2) Lay out tomatoes on towels. (Again, not absolutely necessary, but if you're going to rinse them, this makes clean up a LOT easier! Not to mention the towel keeps the maters from continually rolling off the counter.)

3) In a pot of boiling water, plop in a few tomatoes. Leave them in for about 30 to 60 seconds. It all depends on how ripe they are as to how long to leave them in, so I just take them out when I see the skin popping open. If you take them out too soon, it makes step 5 a lot more difficult. If you take them out too late, it makes step 5 a lot more messy. That's why I only plopped in a few at a time -- it's easier to tell if they are ready if there are fewer in the pot.

4) Plop the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water. This cools them off quickly so you can move on to the next step more quickly.

5) Core and peel the tomatoes (I found it more efficient to core THEN peel the tomatoes). If the tomatoes were in the boiling water long enough, the skins just slip off the tomatoes. If they weren't, you have some time-consuming peeling to do. If they were in the boiling water too long, you've got yourself a mushy tomato, but very easy to peel and still good to can. Again, put a towel on the counter as this is a VERY messy step and towel soaks up a lot of the juice that will otherwise be all over that counter, the floor, your shoes, etc.....

6) Cut the tomatoes -- chop, cut in quarters or halves, or even leave them whole, it doesn't matter. Whatever you want to do is fine. However, more fits in the jar if you cut them up a bit. I hope you have a lot of old towels cuz a towel under the cutting board is also advisable for the same reason as in step 5. It's a lot easier to throw towels in the laundry than to wipe all your counters, floor, and shoes, for a good 15 minutes once the canning is complete.

7) After sterilizing the jars and lids (just put the cleaned jars and lids in the big pot/canner of boiling water for a minute or so), fill the jars with the tomatoes. You don't have to, but you can add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each jar along with a couple fresh basil leaves to add a little bit of flavor. With a wooden spoon (a metal one might react to the acidic tomatoes), press the tomatoes down to get all the air bubbles out. Be sure to leave about a 1/2 inch space at the top so the jars don't explode in the next step. Wipe the rim of the jars and put the lids on.

8) Put the filled jars in the boiling water of a large pot or canner, if you have one. Make sure that about 1 inch of water is covering the jars. Leave them in the boiling water for 45 minutes.

9) Voila! You've got yourself a jar of some delicious and nutritious tomatoes for the cold winter months!! YUM! I can not WAIT to try mine. However, I have a lot more tomatoes ready to pick and eat and cook with -- or even can some more! -- in our garden, so I won't be opening any jars for a while.....

This weekend I'll be canning beets! I hope it's as easy as canning maters......