Flashback Friday - Folly Beach, SC, September 2010

Just under two weeks before Sean was born!!!  GREAT family vacation!

Big Boy Sean

Our youngest is a big boy now....sleeping in a big boy bed.  It began Tuesday night.  Sean slept on his two mattresses on the floor.  He did quite well.  I stayed with him until he fell asleep and he slept through the night.  His brothers woke him in the morning because they were still excited about Sean's new digs.

Wednesday Josh and I put together the daybed while Jack and Ewan spent the day at camp (don't worry, they had fun with a pony ride and puppet show).  It went together pretty easily, even with Sean's help.  The crib is now being stored in Jack and Ewan's closet; someday we may have grandchildren that will sleep in the gorgeous crib Josh built!

After putting together the bed Sean wanted to play downstairs with Daddy.  We could tell he was getting tired, but he refused to say he needed a nap.  Before we knew it he sat next to Daddy and fell asleep! 

Wednesday night it was rough going to bed.  Not because Sean did not do well but because Jack and Ewan wanted to sleep in Sean's new bed!!  They put up a fight and whined but finally went to their own beds!  Sean went down well.  He did wake up just after 11 though, probably because he is getting his two year molars.  The rest of the night went well and his brothers woke him up again (who knew a new bed could be so exciting for ALL the boys).

All is going well.  The boys all have fun playing in the bed.  Once Sean gets settled in and will go to sleep all by himself maybe they can all have a sleep over in Sean's room.  Jack and Ewan could share the trundle bed. 



My sweet little boy right before I had to wake him in the morning

(had to leave the house by 8 and he was still asleep at 7:30)

The gang playing around!

Sean is still learning that he is not supposed to stand on the bed!

Flashback Friday - January 2012

I was just checking the temperatures for Crater Lake since we will be going there later this summer.  WE ARE GOING TO FREEZE!!!!!  Overnight lows in the LOW 40s, as in 40-42.  BRRRRRRRR!!  My little southern boys are going to need to bundle up!  This shot of them in January is the most recent time they are "cold"!  Guess I will need to look through their clothes and see what even fits in cooler weather gear.  I'm going to freeze too, time to layer again!  It all seems such a distant memory since it has been so hot for so long around here.  Frankly, I cannot wait until it "cools off" here.  It is killing us not being able to play outside.  The boys really need to be outside nearly every minute of the day to wear off their energy!  All those back to school ads and catalogues do not help....we cannot even think of wearing any of that stuff until late October probably!

House Full of Boys

I think it is safe to say that most people have heard the myth/truth that in a house full of women they all get their period at the same time.  Poor husband/father must deal with all the hormones.  Well I am here to say that there is also a phenomenon with a house full of boys.

You read that correctly!   Over the past couple of months I have noticed that all three of my boys seem to poop at the same time.  That right, poop at the same time, or at least within five minutes of each other.  So that means I am changing Sean's diaper or wiping Jack and Ewan's butts, all within about five minutes.

That makes for a mighty smelly house!  Luckily Jack is FINALLY starting to wipe himself now (though he does like to get rather messy when )!

Are all houses full of boys like this?  I do not know.  Yet somehow I have the "luxury" of living in a smelly house full of boys.  I guess that is all right by me, I would definitely take this any day over a house full of teenage girl hormones!!!

Flashback Friday - Bowling Green, KY, April 2010

I love this picture!!  I thought about it for two reasons.  One, Jack and Ewan, just received some handsome Calvin Klein undies in the mail.  I always called them my underwear models after this photo!!

And second, Sean is now starting to tell me when he has "stinky".  At first it meant he really had a stinky, but in the past few days it can also mean he peed.  So in light of his awareness of his bodily functions I bought him his first underwear this week.  Of course I don't plan on training him until after vacation, probably once school starts for the bigger boys.  Time to find the training potties in storage somewhere....

Kitchen Remodel

I have been promising pics of the kitchen for some time now and am finally getting around to it!!  We are loving the granite countertops.  I think my favorite thing is the huge sink and new faucet though, especially now that I have been canning more.  Filling big pots and washing them is SO MUCH EASIER now!!  The boys love the new barstools that swivel!

Josh did a great job putting up the tile backsplash.  It looks great with the counters, and even better at night with the pendant light on!  So we are done, for now.  Hopefully sometime we will start replacing the appliances with stainless steel, they would look great with the new counters.

Not My Labor of Love

Today it was time to can again.  This is definitely not my favorite thing to do.  It is so much work, and all for what seems like so little reward.  I put in all the work of peeling and seeding tomatoes, chopping herbs, peppers and onions and all I got was three quarts and one half pint of salsa.  I WILL NEVER AGAIN QUESTION HIGH PRICES AT THE FARMER'S MARKET FOR HOMEMADE CANNED GOODS!!!!

It all began this morning with picking a few more tomatoes from the garden.  I got some cilantro and decided it was not going to be enough.  Instead I opted for basil.  I wanted to try something different.  I like the peach and pineapple salsas a lot (especially Newman's Own) so figured I would go for a sweet and spicy salsa too.  I used everything from the garden (yellow and red tomatoes, poblano and cayenne peppers, basil, ground cherries) and onion from the store. 

It was a long process.....I bribed the boys with a movie.  This helped keep them out of my way!!  It worked pretty well.  By the time the movie was over I had everything done (chopping, peeling, seeding, dicing) and the salsa was cooking on the stove. 

The boys played upstairs while I took a shower.  We came down and it was time to can the salsa.  It seems like hardly anything after so much work!!!  Time will tell if it tastes good.  I learned a few things too....I chopped all the tomatoes because we like chunky salsa.  Next time, however, I think I will put some in the food processor and chop some.  It should give me a better consistency and save a little time.  I will also process the herbs and peppers. 

Always something to learn.  I still do not understand how people actually LIKE canning.  I definitely do not! 

Everything from the garden (the white and yellow little balls are

the ground cherries thawing from the freezer)

Diced onions, chopped basil, minced peppers and halved ground cherries

One bowl not even full of chopped yellow and red tomatoes

One very messy cutting board and workspace after peeling,

seeding and chopping tomatoes!!!

Bowl with tomato peels and seeds

Salsa cooking on the stove

All that work and here is what I have

to show for it!!!

Flashback Friday - July 4, 2010

Enjoying the holiday in the mountains two years ago!!!

Preserving more of our Garden Goodies

This morning I made yellow tomatoe and basil jam.  I had two rather large bowls of yellow cherry tomatoes and could not possibly eat them all.  I came across this recipe and figured what could it hurt!  So I cut my EIGHT POUNDS of tomatoes in half and made it.  I wasn't quite done by the time the boys got home from their trip to the mountains with Oma and Opa.  That being said, I got distracted and did not carefully check it before I canned it.  Not sure if it is supposed to be more saucy or not, but it is definitely not "jam" like.  Still smells and tastes good.  I will be putting it on some pork chops to grill tonight.

First I had to sort all the tomatoes.

Yummy grape tomatoes. 

Yellow cherry tomatoes ready for jam.

Red tomatoes, next in line for preserving.

11 jelly jars (half pint) and 3 pint jars

of yellow tomato and basil jam.

I also have a big bowl left that didn't fit in all the jars

so I will use some of that tonight!!

I suppose I'll be making some salsa VERY SOON with more tomatoes, peppers and cilantro from the garden.  I can't say I really enjoy canning, especially with three boys to keep out of trouble.  I do, however, look forward to enjoying our garden goodies throughout the year!  First, where to store it all????

Garden Goodness

This past Sunday I spent the morning picking tomatoes in the garden.  I also got 8 melons, LOTS of pumpkins and gourds, some cucumbers, zucchini and a couple peppers.  The tomato plants are so incredibly overgrown it requires some special yoga/stretch moves to get to the tomatoes!!! 

The boys spent their time playing in the backyard and getting dirty and sweaty!!  FUN for them!!

Sweaty Ewan enjoying a cool treat!

Sweaty Sean cooling off.

Really liking this treat!!

Jack cooling off his sweaty head!

Three hot boys!!!

The total bounty from the garden that day (plus a bucket of ground

cherries Josh was still picking)

Plus I picked another basket of tomatoes the day

before and gave them to a friend!

Think we will have to plant some again to ensure we have

pumpkins at Halloween!!

Sean and Ewan liked the melon, Jack not so much.