Birthdays and Anniversary

Today is our 13th anniversary!  I must admit it has been a struggle to blend two families but it is much better than it used to be.  My husband and I get along famously (it's just a few family members that have been the "flies in the ointment") LOL!  I think that is normal for blended families.

Today is also our oldest granddaughter's 5th birthday.  Saturday was my 55th birthday and August 1st was my mother's 74th birthday.  Lots of things happening in August.  It is always a whirlwind.
This is what we do in August:

In July, my stepdaughter graduated from college and moved out.  She was a great house guest and our live in IT person.  (I say house guest because she didn't grow up in our home, she moved in after living on her own to make it easier to finish college).  But, I got my sewing room and office back!  I had a week and a half of vacation so I put the room back together and made a dress.

More pictures when I figure out how to down load now that my IT person has moved out!

Too Much Air??

I think there is too much air at the top of each jar.  I think all of these will be used to make cobbler so any bacteria growing in there will be killed!

OK, Maybe?

Now it is 4:12 pm and the canner is finally boiling.  The cots will now process for 30 minutes. I will probably have apricot sauce by the time I'm finished.  I'm thinking apricot cobbler for the next six months.  Ironically, I have a very fancy, expensive, new oven in the garage that is just sitting around waiting for the kitchen remodel that we can't afford to do.  Sigh.

Disaster!

Well, it hasn't gone well at all.  I would qualify it as a disaster.  I got up at 7:30am (early for me on a Saturday).  Picked three big Tupperware squares full of apricots.  Washed and cut up three big Tupperware squares full of apricots.  Threw away about 90 percent of the apricots because they were icky inside.  Went out and picked half ripe apricots.  Washed and cut up three more squares of cots.  Got  my jars and lids hot and put large canning pot on the stove to boil.  Ate lunch while waiting for water to boil.  Temp got to 180.  Filled five quarts with cots and syrup.  Lowered into pot.  Boiled water in smaller pot to add to canner to cover quarts.  Still waiting for canner to boil.  The stove has been on high for two hours.  I think it is a lost cause.  Hoping it will boil with lid on.  So upsetting. :(

Wait, I'll go check it again.

Thanks for waiting.  It is now at 190.  The lid is helping.  I'm afraid the cots will turn to mush before it gets to temp and can process for the correct amount of time.

Any suggestions?

Canning

Tomorrow is the big day.   I will be canning for the first time in my life!  We have an apricot tree that is full and dropping fruit.  I will pick all morning then wash, cut, and can.  If all goes well I will  move on to the nectarine tree then the neighbor's apple tree (with permission, of course).  They all ripen at different times so I won't be inundated.  I will take pictures and post them later.  I finally have a new computer and DSSD will show me how to download pictures.  I think she still needs to load all the old ones first. 

A new BBQ is being delivered tomorrow, too!  Lots of excitement around here.   Ours is ten years old and falling apart.  We BBQ a LOT!

A Very Sad Day

Today my favorite uncle died in his sleep.  He had leukemia.  He was married for over 50 years to my mother's twin.  My aunt and uncle had three boys and my parents had two girls.  The reason I am here is because my aunt got pregnant and my mom said to my dad, "If Mary is pregnant, I have to be too!"  And so it went.  My aunt got pregnant, my mom had to get pregnant.  My aunt got pregnant again with son #2 and my mom had to get pregnant with my sister.  My aunt got pregnant for a third time and my mom said, "I'm not that stupid!"

My aunt and uncle had a water ski boat for as long as I can remember.  My uncle taught me to water ski.

My uncle taught me all three verses of Nobody Loves Me Everybody Hates Me I Think I'll Eat Some Worms.  There are only three verses aren't there?

All nine of us went on family vacations together for years.  When the five of us kids would fight in the back seat he would say, "You all pick on each other like you're a bunch of scabs".

He was a good Christian man who loved the Lord.  He was a Gideon for years.  He will be greatly missed.

I love you Uncle Wayne.

Loving Bear to death

B

Bailey loves her bear. She is very proud of her surgical skills.   Mr Buck got in the act and checked out the newly removed arm.  We watch Bailey very carefully when she is loving her bear.  I don't want filling strewn everywhere and I don't want her to eat any of bear.  Bear isn't going to last long.

Have a Happy Mother's Day everyone.