CAN ALL YOU CAN

It's that time of year again--well actually that time of year is almost ending, or I wouldn't be able to blog about it at all!!! Can all you can--or is it Can all? You CAN!!!

CANNING TIME.

Oh the joy of hot, sticky kitchens, loads of large metal bowls and pots to wash, boiling lids, taking out huge loads of compost, and watching the pressure cooker with nervousness for hours on end. And all for what end, exactly? Admittedly, the full shelves in the downstairs storage room are fulfilling to count and recount. At the end of the day, you can actually tally your accomplishments. But is it all worth it? Last week I canned green chili enchilada sauce . I had a surprise bumper crop of green chilis, and I thought I should use them up! We love green chili chicken enchiladas, but green chilis and the green sauce are expensive!!! One can of green chilis (4 oz) is $1.79 and a can of enchilada sauce $2.49 (10 oz) adds up too. Well, my chilis were pretty much FREE so I thought I could save a bundle. Here's what my six jars of enchilada sauce ended up costing:

1/2 hour picking green chilis from the garden, hauling them up and washing them
1/2 hour prepping chilis for roasting on trays--I'm not counting the 1 hour I roasted them, because I was making salsa (a WHOLE other story) during this time.
2 1/2 HOURS peeling, de-seeding, and chopping the green chilis (conference was on, so there was some multi-tasking going on.
2 cups chicken broth (free from an over-turned semi truck last year)
1 onion (from the garden)
4 cloves garlic: $1.00
various spices: estimated 25c
1/2 hour mixing and cooking the enchilada sauce
1 hour watching the pressure cooker with only one blow-out episode (first of the season)

TOTAL COST: 5 hours of Aneesa time: Hmmm shall we say--$50?
$1.25 food that I actually had to pay for
$51.25/6 half-pint jars= $8.54 a can. Hmmmmm. Only $6 more per can than from the store!!!

So why then, do I can?

Because I can!

Malchy's first Haircut

Since our baby boy is now over two years old, and FINALLY wearing size 2T clothes, I decided the day had come! I knew that those of you who missed it would be wanting pictures. So here they are!This is the "BEFORE" one with a Rolo candy, one after the Rolo was gone. I should say that this boy just woke up from his nap--so he wasn't in the best mood to begin with.

Here is the "DURING" Don't you love that somber look on his face. He knows he is just about to grow up.
Tah Dah! There he is, all happy and shiny and new! Haircuts are the best thing EVER!

Esther's Wedding

Last month, Aaron's favorite-sister-named-Esther got married. Here are just a few photos that no one else got to see. First, Esther and Robert crashing the Beutler siblings photo. They didn't think anyone should be taking photos at the wedding that didn't include the two of them, being newly married and all.
Here's Aaron's baby sister, enamored after catching the bouquet. We're really hoping she waits a little while.
Here's what happened in the nursery during the reception. Eight little boys in matching vests took over, although they did allow a girl or two to participate as well. They had a great time!Here is a grandchild photo from the temple grounds. The front of the temple landscaping is being completely re-done (fountain and all) and so the only temple grounds photos are from the back. We didn't mind. It was shady on the west side!!
We managed to get a family photo before the boys destroyed their matching outfits. Maybe someday we'll manage to get them all to look at the camera at the same time as well!!
Congratulations Esther and Robert! We hope you have a long, happy marriage with lots of sons. As far as we can tell, the more sons the better!

Remember when Jack Died?

Aaron and I have been reading the "Little House on the Prarie" series to the boys at night. Well, tonight, Jack (Laura's beloved dog) died, as of about thirty minutes ago.

I am now listening (and have been continuously for the past thirty minutes) to the sobs of my son, Gideon. He is very, very upset. Somehow he has projected his grief from our reading onto the memory of a plastic lizard that I accidentally flushed down the toilet a year ago, and his mourning is now being re-lived in a most distressing manner. Oh the sorrow. My heart aches for Laura and for Gideon.

I am just amazed that Laura Ingalls Wilder could write such a book (and 7 or 8 of them) that lives on and on and on and is loved by every generation, undimmed by the time that goes by.

I would like to write something like that. First, I suppose, I'd have to live something like that--or maybe her talent was not in living the extraordinary, but seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary life.

That's a gift.

I can't wait to meet her someday, and maybe Jack too. They might even know where to look for the plastic lizard.

July is Over!

Time to take a deep breath!!! WOW what a month!!! Here are some highlights in bullet form for ease of reading!!! Just as a disclaimer--if you go back to previous posts, you'll see that July is the only month we really do anything, so don't think we are super ambitious or anything--we just PACK it IN in July.

• Malachi turned 2 years old and learned 10 new words, bringing his total up to 20 words. Included are: ba-bye, da-da, uh-oh, bubbas, dat, ow-ee, boo, nose, eye, ear, and my personal un-favorite: no . At least it wasn't his first word!!
• Joseph, Gideon, and Samuel ran the mile! They all finished in (personal) record time and got lots of good prizes. Joseph is wearing a green shirt, and Gideon is in the royal blue stripes. Samuel is right next to Gideon, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. That's Grandpa Melvin behind him pacing him :-)

• Aneesa ran her first 5K since she was 8 years old!!! Time: 28:18 and 2nd place in her division!!! I think that strollers and canal trails are not a good combination for extra speed.
• Our family went to the annual 4th of July pancake breakfast with Grandpa Ray, a wonderful tradition with delicious food. Thanks, Grandpa!!!!
• 

• Gideon turned 7 years old!!! His birthday was on the 7th day of the 7th month and he turned 7!!! I thought that was pretty cool. We had a family over for dinner, and he got a wooden castle for his birthday.
• 
• Joseph turned 9 years old!!! In the last year, he has learned everything he needs to know for the rest of his life, and now he shares his vast stores of knowledge with the rest of us.

• Aneesa ran her second 5K for the 24th of July. Time: 27:06 and still with a stroller. I won a 25 POUND SACK of FLOUR!!!!! How cool is THAT?!!!!!
• 

• Aaron ran his hundred-something 5K and beat Aneesa by a LONG ways, but then came back to help me for the last 1/4 mile. Thanks, Aaron.
• 

• The entire family worked to finally get rid of the pile of trusses that have been piled in the yard since last year. We found one snake and 5 wasp nests. We also found a pretty good sunburn!
• 

• Aneesa officially fit into her pioneer day dress and wore it to church. No seams ripped, and the dress is still completely intact. HURRAH!! I have not worn this dress for FIVE years.
• 
• We went to a family reunion at Porcupine Dam and went SPLUNKING (kind of) . It was really an abandoned mine, but it felt like a cave. Malachi especially enjoyed it.

• I also became an official 4-H Leader and helped my mother-in-law with 4-H cooking classes. Lots of fun, and good eatin'!! It's amazing I fit into that dress at all!

• Aaron turned 33 and is still alive and well. He also completed about three major yard projects this month and the yard is looking a LOT better.
• 
• We had OFFICIAL VISITORS who SPENT the NIGHT in our GUEST ROOM!!!! It's true, here's the proof!!!
  

• Every single person in our family (except Malachi) picked up at LEAST 250 rocks from the backyard in two hours or less. If only that were all the rocks. . . . . . .

• FINALLY!!! I, Aneesa, completed my La Leche League accreditation process and am NOW an official breastfeeding resource for the world. I knew you'd all be excited. :-) Now I'm going to work on getting some pictures together for you to look at.
  

It's JULY!!!!!

I am so excited I can hardly type. July is here!!! Hooray, it's time for the birthday month. Yes, it's true, four of the six birthdays in our family occur in July. So just know that I'm having a fabulous month celebrating, making cake, eating cake, breaking pinatas, and other exciting festivous (I know that's not a word but it should be) things. And I may not be posting them until long after they happen. But think of me and my small brood with excitement in your gray matter, nonetheless.

In an effort to balance out an earlier post, and lest you all are misled thinking I am a super peppy perfect mom, I have compiled the following NEW list:

Aneesa's Top Ten
Newly Discovered Pet Peeves

10. Using the chairs, bar stools, and various other furniture items as stools while the stool is in plain site.

9. Wiping hands along EVERY wall only after I have cleaned them.

8. Leaving the door to the outside open and letting in all the flies and cold/hot air.

7. Shrieking or Squawking

6. Booger Eating

5. Riding on the shopping cart on the SIDE or in a way that makes it off balance.

4. The sudden burst of energy that comes after every meal--and the accompanying running, chasing and yelling.

3. Toy Rescue Operations--also called Trash Fishing

2. The word "butt-head" also the words: Poop-Head, Stinky-Head, Booger-Head, Big-Head, Dumb-Head, Peanut-Head etc etc etc.

1. The sudden helpful attitudes that emerge ONLY after 9 pm.

Why You Should Never Own a Motorcycle

Malachi's Tongue

Isn't this the cutest tongue you've ever seen? All heart shaped and lovely? Well, it's genetic. It's called ankyloglossia and although it is endearing, if you ever have a child born with it, I would recommend getting it clipped in very early infancy. I waited too long, and now Malachi won't open his mouth for the Doctor. And he has an underbite, and doesn't talk much. Sooooo, today, we're visiting a Doctor in Logan to see if we can clip it with the help of Versed. Wish me luck.

Ahhhhh! How Cute!

These are pictures of the humanitarian project I did in December. Um, well, we were SUPPOSED to do it in December, and I picked up the KIT in December, but um, what month is it again? Oh well. At least I finished them, right? Last time I picked up a humanitarian kit in Relief Society, it ended up being cut up and used in a Quiet Book a year later. I never finished that teddy bear that some nice old lady spent all that time cutting out. So THESE, I completed. Whose keeping track of how long it took, anyway?


Humanitarian Dolls

California is Warmer

It's true. We will all tell you so--we had a great time visiting the state that Aaron has been spending his spare time in. The boys and I drove (yikes) across four states to get there, and arrived in time to see Aaron at work on the farm in Brawley, California, before spending Easter weekend (plus a few days more) in San Diego. We had a great Spring Break. I have posted a few pictures, and more are to come. Right now, I'm going to BED. Enjoy the preview!!!

LegoLand

Did you know that there WAS such a place? I hadn't even heard of it until a friend (thanks, Suzie) asked me if we were going while we were in California, so I looked it up. Lo and behold, there are Legolands all over the WORLD!! Who knew? Apparently Suzie did. Anyway, a few weeks after discovering that Legoland even EXISTED, I was checking out slickdeals, and came across a real snazzy deal, one too good to miss. Then I asked the boys if they would rather go to SeaWorld (incidentally, $300/family), or Legoland ($85 with the slickdeal). Without even telling them the prices, of course they all voted for Legoland. What do you expect from a boy? Who in their right mind would pass up any or all of the following proof of the gloriousness of Legoland? BEHOLD:


Of course, while we were in California we visited Washington D.C.
Doesn't everyone?

Gideon practicing his driving skills for the day only 10 years away . . . . . . . . .

Aren't the pirates great? And here is Malachi--almost life sized. He was 2 inches too short for the kiddy rides. That was some major sadness. Only take kids 32 inches or above to Legoland when you go. He still had a good time, but he really wanted to ride the cars. Overall, a roaring success. Legoland puts Lagoon to shame.

The Grapefruit Thief Strikes Again!

We really had permission, but it's still pretty funny to watch the boys picking their own citrus fruit from the orchard on the farm Aaron was working on. Samuel has the best facial expressions, wouldn't you agree? He gets it from his mother. . . . . . We had a lovely vacation, and it was fun to see another part of the U.S. It almost felt like Mexico--but not quite.

What Did YOU do this weekend?

We like to give our pyromaniacs as early a start as possible!!!

Excitement GALORE!!!

I Love This!

The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you.

Restrictions and Limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be, because I don't even know what it's going to be!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The Catch: You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who comment on your post and agree to do the same! So get ready for your mystery treat but be prepared to share the love!Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you get when you get it.

Funny Face Malchy

I am attempting to upload our first video. Up until now, I have not had a video worthy of messing with, but this one, even without sound, takes the cake. I think you will all agree that Malachi has inherited his mother's ability to make faces. We're not sure exactly what the sign language means--but he picked it up after Aaron started racing the boys to see who could put their thumbs up the fastest. We hope you Enjoy!!

I Am ALWAYS Happy. Except when. . . .

I have realized that I have some issues. I am extremely environmental sensitive. See, I have a dear friend who was concerned because I didn't seem 'myself' lately. So I asked Aaron what I am usually like. Do I usually seem stressed, or pretty relaxed? After observing myself over the past few weeks, I have concluded that I am pretty much always happy, with the few exceptions noted below.
I am always happy--except when:

• the kids are making too much noise
• the house is messy
• someone leaves muddy footprints on the floor I JUST mopped
• I am hungry, tired, thirsty, or in pain of any degree
• the lighting is 'gloomy'
• someone eats my brownie
• the kids run around and wrestle instead of obeying all my commands
• we are out of bread
• Aaron leaves his coat, shoes, keys, wallet, or other item where it does not belong
• Aaron asks me to help find his coat, shoes, keys, or wallet that he has lost
• my feet have crumbs sticking to them
• two kinds of music are playing at once (I can't filter noise)
• my hormones are acting up (aka PMS)
• my plans are changed unexpectedly and without my control
• I am in a large crowd of people
• the baby misses his nap
• someone touches me in the face
  

Um, yeah, I think I'm going to have to stop. You probably realize where this is going. The question is, why does my family put up with me? I sure love them (especially Aaron) for accepting me in my happy state. Am I a control freak, or is this all normal?