{Summer in Winter}

One of my favorite things to do during the long winter is make something that helps me think of those all too short summers. For me making freezer jam is one of those things. I buy fresh picked berries during the summer and freeze them so that fresh flavor stays. I usually make it in small batches, I make it as I use it. We were almost out of "red" jam so the other day I decided to make some more with the girls. I made blackberry and raspberry, some of my favorites!!
The recipe is so simple...2 cups fruit puree (make as chunky as you like), 2 cups of sugar and 1 small box of jello (3oz). You bring the fruit and sugar to a boil, then add the jello and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat-you don't want to cook it for long after adding the jello just til it is dissolved, and put into freezer safe containers. Let it cool to room temperature and then put in freezer. So simple yet sooo good. It tastes like really fresh fruit but in the middle of winter!!

Having the girls help was well not really helpful, but they had a great time. They were pretending to have a megaphone with the funnel. Meysa kept announcing things like they do at school. Lauryn kept singing at the top of her lungs. I was kinda glad when I had to confiscate it to ladle the jam into my containers. I love their imaginations though. Some of the story lines they come up with are hilarious!!



So if you are longing for that summer fresh taste in the middle of winter, go ahead and try this. It is sure to please!!

{The Dead of Winter}

I think the "Dead of Winter" can mean a lot of things to different people depending on where they live. About 3 years ago while residing in Iowa, the dead of winter meant to our family sub zero temperatures, lots of snow and ice and lots of acute cabin fever. I never really payed attention to the weather before, like I did while living in the Midwest. We had the extremes on both ends of the spectrum. Unbearable heat in the summer and arctic cold in the winter. And people ask me, "why did you like it there?" I don't have a good answer for that, I just did!! It must have been the people!!! Well now that we live in an entirely different place we have an entirely new meaning for the phrase "dead of winter'.
The Pacific Northwest is known for it's, let's say "moisture". After having lived in Iowa for a good chunk of their lives, my children feel very jipped that they don't have the usual amount of snow during this time of year. Instead we have endless rain and grey, grey skies. Our yards are soggy, along with our shoes. The kids still can't play outside unless they want to get an extra bath for the day. Don't get me wrong I don't mind not having to shovel feet and feet of snow each day but a few rays of sunshine wouldn't hurt, would it?
The funniest part about all this rain-and funny like I can't understand it at all- is that during the summer we are on rationed water for our yards and such. Why you ask, because there just isn't ENOUGH water for all. Seriously, it rains like 360 days a year and we don't have enough water?!! It is mind boggling really. And another mind boggling effect of these very wet winters is that my skin has never been more dry in all my life. I have to reapply moisture cream like 53 times a day or my skin is dry, itchy and peeling. Explain that my friends (and yes I am drinking a gallon of water a day, so I know my insides are just fine)!!

So I sit in my nice dry home, while the wind and the rain howl outside....again. Our definition of the dead of winter now includes the words, wet, cold, windy, grey and wet!!! Hope you guys are seeing some sunshine where ever you are!! Enjoy it for me!!

{Dog Pile}

This is what happens to dear old Dad when he is gone ALL week long. There are reasons that kids need a Dad. One very important one is they need someone to wrestle with. I can wrestle with them but it just isn't the same. The kids will beg Ryan to tickle them and chase them and once he does they cry uncle and beg him to stop. It is a game they love to play. Wyatt is old enough now that he will go and jump on the top of the dog pile every once in a while. He is still small enough though that he often is the brunt of a stray kick or he gets rolled over by a bigger kid. I am so thankful that they do this to Ryan and not me. My job in this whole thing is to dry the tears when someone gets hurt and to throw them back into the pile to try again!! I am glad we all understand our roles in this game. Thank heavens for Dads!!

{Everyday stuff}

We have been busy this last week. Not with really anything important but with stuff nonetheless. I have been trying to keep up with one of my New Years resolutions of taking a picture a day and journaling about it for my own personal journal. So far so good at least with the picture part, the journal part is slow in coming. The picture above was our sunrise yesterday. Oh how I wish the power lines could be removed from it. Mt. Rainier is a beautiful mountain and we are lucky to have a decent view of it from our back yard. On a side note. I didn't alter the colors in the picture at all. The only editing I did was sharpen it a bit. It was such a beautiful morning. Ryan started a new rotation, thank heavens. Yet he isn't home any more than the last one. In fact he is gone more. He is up at Swedish Hospital in Seattle M-W and then comes home on Thursday night. It saves him from having to spend precious time on the freeway standing still. "Lucky" for us he has this weekend on call too so we really only saw him for about 5 hrs last night and we won't see him until tomorrow morning. While he isn't here anymore during this rotation it is easier on me not having to keep kids quiet all day. Wyatt is pacifier free. He hasn't had one for the last four days. He must not have cared for the broken one I guess. Now he is fighting his afternoon naps, I guess change never ends. As for the rest of us here is what we have been up to lately.

Little Miss Lauryn is diving into the preschool prep classes with full force. She loves doing the flash cards, finding the letters and telling me their sounds. She can write her name now too which is a huge improvement from a few months ago. But...when it comes to numbers we have a little a lot to work on. I can't tell if she really doesn't get it or if she just doesn't care. We got a workbook for her to practice her stuff so hopefully that will reinforce things. She has been so funny about learning things. With the older two they were eating it up, Lauryn definitely has to be in the right mood and it has to be on her terms. I know she will get it some time so we will just keep plugging away. She also loves the finger painting she got to do on Monday. It kept her occupied for about an hour. Who wouldn't love to play with paint?!!

Mr. Wyatt is a wanna be Emril. This kid will not leave my kitchen alone. He is constantly into my cupboards digging for bowls and such. He always wants a spoon and a bowl or a frying pan and a spatula. He has broken my can opener by dropping it out of the drawer several times. He is in search of a spoon or this little whisk. If I had a dollar for every time I said NO I would honestly be rich. Ok, maybe not rich but I could probably buy the new lens that I want. I know many of you are thinking why don't they put the cupboard locks on. Well Ryan hasn't had time and really neither have I. I guess then I get what I deserve. All I have to say is that if he doesn't grow up to be a chef he'll be in so much trouble!!!

Ayden came home the other day with a POTION he had written and he was anxious to whip it up and try it. He had it all written down. I love seeing the things my kids write. They show clearly at what stage they are at the time. Just like I don't like my kids to lose their little kid accents and start pronouncing words correctly. It means they are growing up. But I digress. I asked Ayden what this potion would do and he said he didn't know, he'd have to try it out on himself.

I don't think he expected it to be quite as salty as it ended up being. He couldn't take more than two tiny sips. Luckily it didn't change him into a frog or snake or heaven forbid a monster. I love his imagination!! The next day he was trying out another one that needed some of my hair. I tried finding him a gray one. Didn't you know gray hair in magic potions is really powerful stuff!!?

{New Years Resolution}

Well the New Year is upon us!! How did that happen? It seems like it was just January of 2009 yesterday. Any way you know what happens when the New Year rolls around. People start making all those New Year Resolutions that they hope to at least keep until mid January (I am totally talking about myself here)!! Well Wyatt "told" me he would like to kick the binki habit for good so I suggested he start on New Years day. When my kids start trying to talk with their pacifiers in their mouths that is when it goes out the window. I know there are plenty of methods on how to break babies of their pacifiers but clipping the end off has worked so well for all of my kids. So last night I clipped the binki and at first Wyatt didn't know what to do with it. He kept putting it in his mouth and making funny faces. I am sure he was thinking "what do these guys expect me to do with a broken pacifier?" Ryan and I didn't make a big deal of it and we put him to bed just like normal. Wyatt was ok for a little while in his bed with his broken binki, but eventually he realized what a shady deal he had been dealt. He started crying, pretty good and I went into check on him and reassure him. He had chucked the binki across the room and when I gave it back to him he was really miffed!! I let him fuss it out and he eventually fell asleep. We shall see how tonight goes but I think Wyatt is well on his way to keeping this New Years resolution of no more binki!! If only I could be as successful with mine!! Happy New Year everyone!!