A Bit Behind

Though it may not appear to be evident, I still exist in the writing world. I have a few posts with the pictures uploaded sitting in the 'to be published' file. I just need to write something to go along with those photo's.

Life has been busy these last few weeks. We came home from camping and I went straight into canning and caring for a teething tot. There have been many late nights of canning to avoid the daytime heat and many late nights with a tot in pain. It only took a couple weeks for us to realize that there was a logical explanation for her crankiness and consistent whining and inconsistent sleep pattern. I am just thankful that those teeth decided to wait until we were home from camping to make themselves known.

As far as the canning goes, pictures will follow from my garden as well as the canned goods - or, the fruits of my labour, since seeing it all lined up in rows makes me feel good and makes me feel like its all worth it. I don't mind canning. It's actually kind of fun. Kind of. I also feel like Jack from Jack and The Beanstalk when I pick my beans since I need a ladder to actually get them. Just call me Jack. They are in the greenhouse and have grown well into the rafters. So far I have about 42 quarts of beans, more to come on Wednesday and between 50 and 60 jars of diced tomatoes, also more to come on Wednesday. While up with Camia on Friday night, I read my canning book I purchased last year and found a recipe for pasta sauce and tomato paste, so I think I will attempt to try it and can that too. May as well, since I have access to all the tomatoes in the world right now. I also have 83 jars of applesauce that I canned about a week ago and enough apples in my freezer for 10 pies. I made 1 pie already and it was delish. Thanks to my mom, I have taken up almost 1/4 of her canning room and she has also graciously provided me with a freezer which is almost 1/2 full of frozen fruits, veggies and other random stuff that I don't have room for at my house.

Between all this, I have also found time for quilting. I finally finished my Christmas quilt from last year and gotten a few other projects completed that have been on my to-do list for quite some time. Pictures of all this will follow.

Camia has also blossomed in her vocabulary too. A lot. Something she hears often these days is 'Shhhhhhh!!!'. She is a chatter box, that is for sure. When she goes to bed, the silence is deafening. My ears ring. All that jazz. Her logic is hilarious, and she constantly keeps me laughing. The other day (or week, it's been a while) I was working on my quilt, and she was playing with her little baby. She packed up her doll in her play carseat, asked me please for a kiss, said 'see ya babe', and walked straight out my front door. I asked her where she thought she was going, and she said 'to the car, to my car seat'. Ok, then. See ya later. That same day she had herself convinced that Ryan was at work. Sleeping. With the craziness that's been going on, Ryan thinks that statement is not far from the truth. She also served me her first cup of coffee from her play kitchen. On a plate. I have her trained well. I. Need. Coffee. More than once a day some days. She wants to 'help mommy' oh so much. She wants to fold laundry. She wants to cut my fabric when I sew (yikes, that could get only slightly messy), she wants to do the laundry (haha, one day, little girl, one day...). She is ever so polite. When she is cranky, I ask her if she wants to go back to bed, she responds with 'no thanks'. And at dinner 'I don't want it, please. I don't like it.' We tell her to eat it. 'no thanks'.

She also loves to help me end beans and snap them. She's actually quite good at it. I mused to Ryan that I did this WAY more when I was a kid, I remember sitting on a blanket my mom set out under a tree and spending hours ending and snapping beans. Back then I thought it was cruel. All that free time I could have had. And now look at me. Still no free time, and I am doing this of my own free will...Some people never learn, I suppose. Or, as my mom likes to say, I'm a sucker for punishment. Who am I kidding? I know I will do this again next year too. The feeling of being domestic is going to my head. Quilting, canning, preserving...It's all good :D.

Another thing she has been dwelling on is boats and Uncle Richard. I tell her that we are going grocery shopping and her eyes bug out of her her head: 'Shopping????Boat???'. No, honey, we are not shopping for a boat. She asks about Uncle Richard. Yes, honey, we will see Uncle Richard in a few days. 'Boat??' Well, maybe Uncle Richard will take us out in his boat.

Her most used expressions include 'its pretty funny', 'I can't', 'help you mommy', 'no thanks', 'I be back' and anything to do with food, though her great eating habits have kind of flown out the window. Perhaps that is due to the teething.

She loves stories, and requests the same book every night. She loves the book 'Great Day for Up' by dr suess. She also appreciates a counting book I recently purchased from Usbourne. She knows her colours and her number from 1 - 10, even if she doesn't say them in the correct order by herself. She also loves music, the 'Six Little Ducks' and 'Old Mcdonald' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' being her current favourites. Oh, and the infamous abc's.

This has been a bit longer of a moment of peace than I had intended (If you count a moment of peace being having a tot wanting to be held and listen to those silly 6 little ducks and asks repeatedly until it is playing.....who has who wrapped around that little finger, hey??). I will try to find a moment again soon to get caught up with my pictures.