Canning Party and Notes

~ This year we canned about 15 (frozen) gallon bags of tomatoes.
~ We got everything boiled down to a really good consistency this year- this took about 7 hours for this many tomatoes (I think there was about 20 quarts in the pot before we boiled it down).
~ START EARLIER!  We ended up canning until after 1:00 in the morning because we got to a point where we couldn't really stop.  I think starting around 9:00 am would be great.
~ PUT THE LID ON THE CANNER (did I mention it got late? a good portion of our time was spent watching a pot waiting for it to boil and saying why isn't this water boiling!)
~ In the end this was okay because the sauce had more time to simmer and I love the thickness of it.
~ Food mill, love.
~ For next year- Freeze, thaw ahead of time (NOT BY BOILING IN WATER, makes them too soggy and we lose some tomatoes that way) and use the mill.
~ 12 jars total (4 large Weck, 8 medium)
~ Just had spaghetti tonight, SOOOOO good.

Presenting thier Balloon Boat at Science Club

Day 6

{Recess}


{Dogwood tree}


{Working on her map of the neighborhood, she is very into this project}


{My favorite autumn "flower" to photograph}


{Ryan's wool shirts, washed and drying so they are ready for fall}

After 4 blissful days of school our happiness came to a screeching halt yesterday morning (on day 5 of school) as we sat down to do our "circle time".  Circle time for us is a variety of things.  It is singing some seasonal songs along with a Spanish song.  It is practicing numbers and times tables in the form of bean bag games or rhymes.  It is a poem or an outdoor game.  Since we have a preschooler, a 1st grader and a 4th grader it includes things for preschoolers, 1st graders and 4th graders.  However the majority of circle time is for little ones.  This can sometimes be a sore spot for the two bigger kids.  Last week I talked with them about it, reminding them that in circle time we do things for everyone and there will be preschool songs for the preschooler in our family.  Given that there is very little "homeschooling" to do for a 3 year old, and that this 3 year old often spends a good portion of her day tagging along with a class or activity geared toward her big brother and sister, I feel really strongly about making her stuff important too.  Last week they did awesome with this.  And quite honestly, they actually love most of the songs we sing, they grew up learning them and it is not uncommon for one of them to start singing a song we learned when they are off playing on their own.  But yesterday they were not having it.  Resistance quickly escalated into name calling followed by aggression.  Jackson was able to recover but Grace spent the next hour upstairs.  As all of this was happening I realized that my tolerance for the really bad homeschooling days (especially when it is a fight that we have over and over) is less then what it use to be when we started homeschooling two years ago.  Granted the good days far exceed the good days of our bumpy first year but that doesn't outweigh the fact that when things are going horribly wrong I can't help thinking I don't have to do this.  Except that I want to do this, I love doing this.  They love doing this.

So last night we had a family meeting.  We talked about everything and I asked them if they really wanted to keep homeschooling which was met with a resounding yes!  Then I explained my fear, that as much as I love homeschooling, if I ever get to the point where I am feeling resentful, I will have to stop.  So let's not get to that point!  So we decided to make a contract.  Today we had a second meeting.  We made lists of everything we like and don't like about homeschooling.  We made lists of what we have to do as homeschoolers even if we don't like it.  We focused on the fact that like life, there are going to be things you don't like doing when you homeschool, it is okay not to like them!  But you still need to do them and be respectful about it.  Then Grace typed it up and I printed it out and everyone signed it.  I am anxious to see if this has an impact on our days.  I will say that today was awesome, but then again, it's only day 6.

Weekend Highlights

~ Jogging
~ Going out to lunch with Ryan
~ Fall air
~ Making venison sausage
~ And 4 and 1/2 dozen pumpkin muffins
~ My little cooking helper
~ Reading this book
~ And this one to Nora
~ Time to write

Today's Tomatoes

Releasing Our Monarchs

After the Monarchs come out of their chrysalises you have to wait a day to release them so their wings have a chance to dry.  So this morning after breakfast we brought them out to the garden by the zinnias to send them off (Have a mentioned my zinnias?  They are my favorite part of our garden this year.)  They seemed to adjust well to the world.  A few hours later they were already nowhere to be found, on their way to Mexico I guess.  I'm not sure who was more amazed by watching this whole process Ryan and I or the kids.  Definitely something we will do again next year.

First Day of School

{Finding her new books}




{Like the good teachers they are our butterflies decided the first day of school would be the perfect day to come out of their chrysalises}






{We are reading Minn of the Mississippi and today we made "Minn" out of beeswax while we read a few chapters}

The first day of school is always so good (and misleading as the teacher), everyone loves lessons and is in such good spirits.  Aside from all of the above we also made maps of our trip down the river.  It has been a crazy few days as we adjust to school everyday and all the classes they are taking.  Swimming, golf, gymnastics, fiddle, Irish dance, science club, homeschool group.  All good things but definitely a change from our lazy summer days.  For the most part though I think we have Mondays and Fridays as completely home days so hopefully that will help to balance us out.  I always worry about little Nora who is forced to tote along to all of these activities.  I've already learned in the past two days that I'm going to need a bigger supply of snacks to have on hand when we are out and about.  She is a trooper for the most part though.  And this year she is very interested in participating in whatever her big brother and sister are learning about. They were so kind to her today making a big deal out of the fact that it was her first official day of (pre)school.

Homeschool Group Field Trip: Canoeing the St. Croix River

End of Summer Sleepovers

Secret Beach With Our Homeschooling Friends

This Island

I hesitated for a moment before I begin typing this post.  The pictures are beautiful- the island is beautiful- I wondered if I should resist the urge to add any words alongside of them.  But there is a story in here too so I am foraging ahead with the words.



Living the secondhand, do-yourself, scrappy sort of life that we live has been, and continues to be, an incredible lesson in patience for me.  There are usually no "insta-fixes" here.  Things in our lives materialize in an altogether different sort of way.  First there is a need or idea about something.  Then there are discussions about it.  Many of them usually.  Sometimes there are fights about it.  And compromises.  There is this whole messy, complicated process that must take place in order to proceed.  On top of that, there is the time that is needed to complete something.  Sometimes time comes in small pockets over a few weeks, sometimes time comes in small pockets over several years.  And almost always, in those pockets of time, are flailings and failings.  Sometimes the whole idea or project is scrapped and we/he/I must completely start over.  This is all to say that life here is always moving in slow motion.



But, once (or if) the thing/idea is ever completed, it is always incredibly beautiful, even if only to our own eyes.  For we know what went into it.  We know about the life that was infused into it.  Looking around our humble, imperfect home I can say this about almost everything, whether it's something I did, something Ryan did, or something we did together.  The garden, the interior of our home (homemade quilts, thrifted furniture, painted walls), the barn.



Shortly after we moved in here, Ryan decided to build us a kitchen island out of barnwood.  And now, approximately 6 years later, here it is.  Every time I walk by it, it almost brings tears to my eyes, because it is so beautiful yes, but also because of what it stands for to me.  Because of what is inside of it- the starts and stops, the vision, the discussions, the sweat, the love, the whole long process Ryan went through to get to this.  When I look at this island, I see all of that wrapped in there.  It's like a giant mascot for our lives, sitting right in the middle of our kitchen.

39

Birthday/weekend Highlights
~ Getting the new island Ryan built for us finished and in our kitchen! (post coming)
~ Ryan helping me with a bunch of house projects I've been needing help with
~ Going into Stillwater for a dinner picnic by the river
~ My mom watching the kids so I could have some time to myself
~ Time to myself!!!
~ My parents coming back over with the kids, and Katie and Kris too and having dinner together with everyone
~ The beautiful picture Nora made me
~ The birdhouse Grace and Jackson made me
~ The (way too) generous gifts from my parents and Katie and Kris
~ Looking back over this blog at what the year 38 was and imagining what 39 will be

Garden

This has not been our best gardening year.  Fatty fatty groundhog managed to eat all of our edemame, all of our broccoli, most of the spinach, most of the cabbage and most of the kale (though this one is growing back).  After we trapped him the 4th time and released him across the freeway, he has not returned.  But still, it's a tad depressing to see all of the empty spots in the garden.



Also, a lot of our tomato plants have black spots on them (I need to look up what this is), and the potatoes were completely demolished by the potato beetle while we were up north.



So I'm trying to make the best of what we do have.  We have blanched and frozen a lot of beans (trying to make up for the loss of a year's worth of edemame in our freezer).  And we have been enjoying the surplus of carrots with dinner as well as the fresh tomatoes, cucs and a few peas.



Other garden goodness we have been loving

~ Smoothies with our aronia berries, frozen strawberries and frozen black raspberries
~ One of our favorite garden salads
~ Zucchini boats!  (recipe found by Katie)
~ Kale, beet, apple juice from the juicer
~ Sauteed beans
~ Roasted beets