9.13.14 Survived Canning!!!

I had to post that we survived canning!!! In the process my cell phone died and thus the pictures are blurry. We also filled almost all the jars I had previously used in years past. WE found a pack rat living in our shed with the other empty bottles when we were preparing for the last push of pears. And  discovered mouse evidence and thus a mouse had invaded our van. What a great Friday it was last week.

You can see how strong he is. He had just found the dead mouse in the trap he set the night before in the car. Hooray! Addie took a picture to celebrate. However the pack rat was more elusive. Or the trap was garbage. But we gave it a big supply of poison which it happily carted off and I am praying it is DEAD!! I'll post pictures of it's handiwork soon. Intriguing although GROSS!

So in the midst of all that adversity I was more than thankful to just get done. We finally got the floor mopped and began digging through the mess that our house had become while we worked on other projects, a week later. Oh the fun.

 The little girls are loving having the big kids gone, so they can make mischief to their hearts content. I tried to take a picture of the table that they had happily played on while I finished the last hurrah of fruit. Fruit cocktail.

-- Now some impressionist photography. My phone was dying so not up to the fabulous resolution it usually musters. But you get the idea. 

Do you ever sometimes really dislike the traditions your mother-in-law created in your life? I mean that with love and sincerity. I know she has things she does because her mother-in-law did. Never quite right or up to par but you try nonetheless. I have some of those too, and fruit cocktail is a big one. I like it but I don't die for it, and it only spells love to me because it takes effort and endurance when it would be nice to be done.

Yep cereal, pears, whatever all over. It cleans up and they were safe, not crying, and pretty happy for the hour plus the cocktail took. You win some you loose some.

 Okay so I'm exaggerating to gain some sympathy. I could have just canned 5 jars of pears and called it quits. But the caner holds 7 and that just seemed so bad to not fill some more jars. So I sliced and diced and de-stemmed grapes, which is the worst part, and made 14 qts of fruit cocktail to show my undying eternal love for my husband... And was grateful for his mother who didn't kill him and so painfully raised him up- her nursing stories alone are excruciating just to listen to, not to mention the endurance and faith she had to stick to it being his mom- to be a great man. 

So hopefully we will still be friends and it does make me wonder a bit what am I doing in my kids life that my future in-laws will groan about and think Why?? And then hopefully do anyway to show their undying eternal love for my 'spoiled' kiddo. Best to you.