Canning Spree

I have been on a canning spree the past couple of days because we got two laundry baskets full of pears from my Grandma and I just can't let them go to waste! So we've made spiced pear jam, raspberry pear jam (4 batches), and just pears....so far and we have used less than half of the pears! I love it. But I don't think my kids love it. It takes a lot longer when you have to stop to take care of the kids so I end up staying up late. I really miss having a camera....hopefully Christmas will come early this year.

Lynx Found

Hooray! Lynx lives! And today I found that the cats had put claw marks in my mom's leather couches......hmmm......why did I want to find her so bad? Oh yeah....Joel's "attachment". Anyway I've got soft claws on both of them now. Sorry Mom!
Sawyer is loving being at Grandma's and playing outside all day in the mud. I took them for a bike ride today and they looked so cute sitting next to eachother in the bike seat carrier. I am so mad I don't have a camera. Joel has a video recorder in Alaska--he better be getting some good footage! Oh yeah...other events that have transpired lately that I am not too proud about--London fell of the couch head first onto my parents concrete floor and the next day she fell all the way down the stairs.....yeah I am still sick about it. Soy still throws a fit everytime I mention going to the potty so he is digressing with potty training instead of progressing. I don't even like to talk or think about it anymore. But he is getting so smart and talking so well. It is so cute! I asked him if he wanted something and he said "sure" and he said today while my dad was fixing my bike "Grandpa going to fix mama's bike?" And he still loves to snuggle once in a while. I can't wait til I can snuggle with a man again though....I still have at least a month!!!

The Missing Lynx

We decided that it would be best if Joel extended his summer sales in Anchorage, Alaska. But sadly the company would not provide a place for the whole family so the kids and I begged to stay in my parents basement. Okay so they begged us. So we were keeping the cats (Joel's Cats) in the shop while we got some soft claws in the mail so Simon wouldn't scratch up the furniture in my parents house. And I have been checking on them everyday and letting them out once in a while. Well Thursday night I couldn't find Lynx and Friday morning I still couldn't find her so I looked for hours in the shop and found some leftover entrails of a mouse, rat poison, and cat puke. So naturally since I could not find her anywhere and she wasn't making any noise I assumed she had crawled under or into something and died.....So Sunday I told Joel that his cat was probably dead. I knew it wasn't going to be good but I didn't realize how not good it would be. He was pretty shook up about it and depressed. He called me over 5 times and usually its hard to get one phone call out. So I decided to go through the whole shop again and move some stuff out when I heard some meowing in the literally 6 feet high weeds around the shop so I went trunging the jungle calling her name. And I finally saw her but she ran off! So we made a line and combed the weeds--so thick and so tall and probably spider infested--but nothing and it got dark so we put some food out and some tuna and hopefully she will decide to come home....so I can be out of the dog house!

Sawyer's New Activity

Soy has decided he likes to put things in the toilet to see if they flush down....I caught London's swimming suit in time and his squirt gun but I missed something...I am not sure what it was but he overflowed the bathroom with lots and lots of toilet water. Thank goodness I had just cleaned the toilets because I had company coming over! And yeah this happened while I was having a little "wives social" at my house. I've decided I am not the best host especially at this time in my life. One of the little boys that was over pee'd on my couch which was a nice touch also.
But Soy and I have a new secret handshake and I taught him how to play "steamroller". London pulled herself up with the couch and the chair today and I got her to giggle so good! She is just too cute.

Single Parenting and Potty Training

Joel has been gone for four days and I have done fairly well...Soy might tell you different but he has a very short term memory. We had fun at the pool, went shopping, did some crafts, and cleaned up a lot of pooh! The worst yet I have seen happened today while I thought Soy was sleeping. I went in to check on him because I knew he was napping or getting into trouble because it was too quiet and when I opened the door I saw pooh splotches in multiple locations! More than 8 spots! But to his credit he didn't have any other accidents today. I don't think he has pooped in the potty for over two weeks.....I think I may have scared him off. I hope not for good! I can't clean up his poop forever. Oh Potty Training. I think I will go on a two week cruise next time with my mom and sister while Joel starts to train London. I am really trying to just be laid back and not overreact when he has an accident but being the drama queen that I am it's harder than it sounds. It has been nice being able to do whatever I want at nights while Joel is gone -- like reading, sewing, eating chocolate and taking bubble baths---but I miss him--his corny jokes and obsession with comingsoon.net. And I miss his help with the kids...it really makes a difference when he is here in the mornings and on the weekends. I don't know how single parents do it but kudos to them! You do watcha gotta do. Soy has been saying "Thanks Ma" after everything I do for him. And London is getting so excited about her newly discovered ability to sqeal and make all sorts of sounds. She is crawling around so good and pulling herself up to standing. She is a momma's girl--which I love! I remember my mom getting frustrated with us saying "mom" all the time and she would say something like "stop saying mom!"-- it's hard for me to imagine my kids being that annoying right now because I love it when they say "Ma"or " Mama" But I'm sure the time will come when I will be thinking the same thing my mom was.....I will just enjoy this while it lasts.

Grammy

Joel's Grammy died today peacefully at home with her family. She has been sick for at least 6 months and has been just miserable. They found pancreatic cancer about a month ago and said it was terminal. They did a simple procedure to alleviate some of her symptoms--some kind of gallbladder stent or something- and she did a lot better for a couple weeks and then went downhill very fast-- within a matter of days. She was such a spunky lady. She always made me kiss her on the cheek and always had a kiss for me. She was very sincere in her praise and her affections. I loved just listening to her talk. I could tell how much she loved Norman--Grampy-- by how she looked at him, doted on him, and talked about him. Good woman with lots of fun stories.

6 Year Anniversary!

Joel and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary yesterday by dropping off the kids at a friends house and spending the day together. We went to Cliff's Amusement Park and Joel had the nerve to get sick on the second ride and wasn't right the rest of the day....so needless to say I rode a lot of rides by myself but he was a trooper and rode as many as he could...even some he shouldn't. I thought he was going to lose it on several occasions-- the sea dragon and the little cage spinner both were very close calls. So then we went out for sushi--I love sushi! They had this New Mexico roll with a deep fried green chile--oh it was amazing. Then we went to the Proposal--good flick. After we picked the kids up we went out for pizza. They both love pizza and its fun taking them out when its a family place and they don't mind Soy growling and jumping all over. It was a good day. Poor Joel....if he only would have just thrown up or maybe not gone on that first spinny ride that went on forever....he might have enjoyed himself more!