I am going to be busy...

This is just the latest batch of fruit, so needless to say, you know what I'll be doing the next few weeks! I'm not sure what it is about canning that brings out the wild, compulsive lunitic in me, but it does! I'm a crazy lady and I know it! Who takes 7 trips out to the orchard & the pear factory in a week? I'm head over heals in love is all I can say, and it doesn't even make a lot of sense. Canning kicks your butt! Talk about the longest,hottest, most exausting days of your life- with blisters, fruit flies and orange stained hands to prove it. it amazes me really. The house falls apart and you have no idea what the kids are doing, but you don't even care because you are in a fruit induced coma. You start to lose it after about 8 hours straight and you make your husband pick up pizzas because you have no intention of making dinner for your famlily. Your floor is covered with a sugary mess, you have fruit all over your clothes and stuck in your hair, but at the end of the day when you see rows of jars filled with fresh peaches that you & your family picked- it's all worth it. It's simply beautiful.

At the orchard with the cousins...

I heard that Aunt Ellen & the cousins were coming down from Idaho City to go to the orchard, so we wanted to go and hang out for awhile! We met them there and helped get a few peaches loaded for them to take back. Trav was able to get another batch for us too, and they were BEAUTIFUL!

83 quarts of peaches so far...

This week I've been canning peaches, it's been a slow week, but i've done 83 quarts so far. My goal is 100, so I'll finish up in the next few days. Then it will be pears, which works out great because they still need awhile to ripen. It's been a long week with 7 trips out to the orchard, but it's been nice to help the church, get extra for friends & family and be able to can a few for us too!

Green Beans= 30 pints
Triple berry jam= 16 pints

At the orchard with Angie...

The other day, Angie & I took the little girls out to the orchard to get apples & pears. It was impossible to keep Angie off the ladder- did I mention she's 8 months pregnant? Silly girl. We had fun and I can't wait to make applesauce soon!

*** Annikan & Lisa, I'm SO sorry I forgot to take pictures when we were there the day before!!

Picture day...

Tristin & Daisy had picture day at school on Friday, so I got aa few shots before they left.

What is it with my girls and plastic bags???

I wish I knew how to explain this, but I can't.

Look at this beauty...

Last year before canning season, I bought a triple burner from Costco, but was sadly disappointed in it. It didn't distribute the heat evenly, thus making a triple burner a double burner. Sadly, I returned it to Costco, knowing the following year I would have to buy a new one. Several months ago I began my search for a new one. Being the thrify girl that I am, I wanted a deal, so I started searching craigslist off and on, but with no luck. I ddi end up finding the best deal at Cabela's, if you can believe that! I am LOVING her amazing ability to cook my peaches to perfection and it's wonderful to have the heat and mess outside!
(That's another batch of peaches from earlier in the week.)

Who wants a bladder infection, I do, I do!!!

***If you don't want to hear whinning or complaining, skip the next few posts***

Honestly, I have felt like garbage for the past month, and when I look back over the past few weeks, I see why. The stomach flu hit the night before the yard sale, and what girl doesn't like vomiting all night long while her family is fast asleep unaware of her pain? I had a terrible sore throat which I tought was strep throat, the devil sent Mastitus to make my life interesting, my ears and jaw have been KILLING me for weeks and then yesterday when I came home from church, I realized something wasn't right after exiting the "ladies room" It took all of 1 second to realize I had a urinary tract infection! Seriously??? Do I really win the most infected body on the planet award?? How gross am I? Honestly???
I just wanted to cry. The next 20 minutes were NOT FUN, and I told Trav, "I have to go in." And for me to say that, and then actually load the kids in the van, drive to the Dr and go in, tells you- it was getting bad.
I never go in, I hate the Dr bills, I feel guilty because we can't afford it,but God has taught me a few lessons so far- If I don't go in, I lay in bed for days while the infection takes over my body, I'm in the worst pain of my entire life and I actualy start thinking death would be a blessing! So, I've learned you don't let Mastitus, strep throat or bladder infections go unattended. YOU GET IN RIGHT AWAY! I've learned too many lessons- so if nothing else, take that message from all my complaining.
Sure enough, it was a bladder infection and he perscribed medicine for that too. Yesterday was a super fun day. Now it's just waiting for the drugs to kick in so I feel half way normal again!

My crazy ears...

I have to thank my Dad for my super crazy sensative ears. I think I inherited them from him! I've had a problem with them half my life, but nothing I couldn't manage with Advil. They always feel plugged, ringing in them, somewhat sore, and occasionally they would get ultra sensative and throb and pulsate with any high pithced sound- like my alram clock. It has always driven me crazy, but I just lived with it. A few years ago I had my Dr check them and he said I had a lot of fluid behind them, he told me to take some allergy pills to dry them up- so I did.
For the past 2 weeks they have been the worst they've ever been. Any loud sound has just KILLED my ears and the pain in my jaw has been unbarable. I'm a HUGE fan of Advil, so I've been taking that 24 hours to help with the pain, but knowing my poor body has consumed more Advil than a girl should consume in her entire life, scared me too.
The kids have been told to be quiet for weeks, the wistling had to stop, Willow's crying was more than I could take,putting silverware away has been impossible and my darn jaw has hurt SO MUCH! It spread into my neck, shoulders and then of course my headaches have been terrible as well. I've wanted to rip my head off, and I knew I had to get in to have them checked because the throbbing needed to stop. Yesterday was that day. I had to go in and luckily I found out they weren't infected, just filled with massive fluid and unable to drain. There was some long medical name for it, but he perscribed a type of allergy medicine to help dry it up. I pray for relief! At least I know I'm not crazy. Maybe that explains why I can't go to movie theatres too- they are SOOOO loud, so my poor husband has had to go alone for years!

Picking Peaches...

Having Trav home on Saturday's is so weird! It's been years since we've done family things on Saturday, so we decided to go help at the orchard a few days ago. I was secretely hoping we would be able to purchase some as well, so I brought my check book saying a hundred prayers on the way that I'd be able to get some to can. We showed up at 12:19, to find out they stopped letting people pick at nooon, but they let us go anyway because they still had to pick up the huge crates that other people had already filled. We talked to the guy for awhile and he told us we could glean, for FREE! I was so thrilled. Trav picked for a hour 1/2 for the church, and the kids and I walked up and down the rows collecting the peaches that had fallen or had a few bruises. Either way, I was like a silly school girl skipping home from school (not really, because those buckets get super heavy!Especially when you have2 of them and your shoulders are already super sore.) But you get my drift. I was delighted! We came home and sorted through the super ripe ones, ready to can ones, and the not so ripe ones. Canning here we come!