Phases

Grandma E discovered the inner diva of Thing Two. She's really into accessories lately - shoes, hats, and sunglasses.
She wears is passing through a phase where the glasses never leave her face. We had to make a "no bed, no table" rule. Outside, I can definitely see the need.
I wonder where she learned to wear her glasses on her head? Don't ask me how I got so lucky to score the pink stars...

The only picture I didn't get was wearing the yellow-lens glasses to church. Didn't think it was appropriate to be taking pictures of that sort in church.

Rhubarb-mania

My dad picked me a paper bag full of rhubarb a week or so ago. I told him I'd take as much as he wanted to pick for me. I chopped 24 cups worth of stalks.

2 - 4 cup packets went into the freezer for later use

8 cups + 2 cups frozen strawberries + 1 cup fresh strawberries + 3 (sm) pkgs sugar free strawberry jell-o + 1 (lg) pkg orange jell-o + 1/3 cup sugar + 1 pkg no sugar pectin = a double batch of jam. (NOTE: I doubled and combined several recipes - if you try it, the amount of sugar should be 1/3 - 1/2 cup for 4 cups rhubarb, or a little more if you use the sugar free jell-o)

4 cups reserved for cake

4 cups reserved for pie
The pie turned out tart, with pockets of sugar here and there. Husband was a big fan of the sugar pockets. I'm not. Next time I'll mix or layer the sugar in rather than just covering the top of the rhubarb, as the recipe suggested. Overall, a good pie experience. One piece remains...

I'd like a little more to have another go at the jam. Additionally, some of my friends make homemade jam and its great to swap so everyone has a variety. We've been able to trade away some spice pear jam for some fabulous strawberry freezer jam (Marcie - it's amazing!), sweet grape jelly (a treat we never buy compliments of Missy) and a yet-untasted cherry jam (super excited about this one!) from Maria. Last fall I landed 3 bushels of pears (free) from which I made 5 batches of jam (both canned and freezer) and canned 24 quarts and froze 6 quarts. While I really enjoy spiced pear jam, a little variety is always welcome.

On My Heart

If the Holy Spirit prompts you, please pray comfort and hope for Kristin from Our Journey (see sidebar) today and tomorrow as she experiences the first anniversary of Ryan's journey from death into life. She also has two young children who have been asking some very difficult questions. You can also join me in praying that she will have the patience and wisdom beyond her years to answer her 3-year-olds' questions about their daddy.
Thanks.

Hats For Sale

Grandma E. is cleaning out the attic. She found a large quantity of hats. Thing One now wears a hat practically everywhere. We had actually purchased this hat for general summer wear. If I recall, Thing One made quite the scene in the store as he wanted a particular color that was not available in his head size. We compromised and he gladly wears this one.

Papa Eckstein has always thought we'd have a little red haired girl. Well, here she is.

Elmo also participates in hat days. The engineer hat belonged to my husband - I let him (son, not husband) wear this one in public.

Howdy! This one was a favorite of Uncle Ames as a boy.

Not Me!

Who would ever drive without proof of insurance or registration? Not me! I would always put them in the car where they belong rather than absent-mindedly file them in the drawer. And since I don't speed, I would get pulled over for some other infraction such as having a tail light out. For two months. It had been so long, I'd forgotten and thought it had been replaced. Gotta' love those "warnings".

Give Me Neither Blog

I added a new blog to the list on the right side of this page. If you live in the West Michigan area, you may be interested in keeping tabs on Give Me Neither. The writer does amazing things with internet coupons, insert coupons, sales and "shopper perk" cards. Hello food pantry donations and decreasing my grocery budget in one fell swoop!

Remembering it All

As a wife and household manager, I try to keep it all together. Somewhat. Somehow, I managed to forget both bread & butter in my weekly grocery shopping. I make every effort to only buy groceries once per week. I like efficiency. I like to plan. I do not like to part with money and each time I go into a store, more of it flies away. But at least once a month, I find myself calling my dear husband, asking him to stop by Meijer on the way home to pick up _______ so I can finish cooking supper.



This time, I decided to stop at Meijer myself, on my way home from work. I think it was partly because I was embarrassed about forgetting essential sandwich components. Also, I went myself because I could go all by myself. There is just something precious about "running to Meijer" and it really only taking 20 minutes rather than the 45 it takes hauling 2 small (also very precious) children.



As I am at the checkout, my over-friendly cashier noticed I also was buying contact solution and men's razor blades. She launched into a story about her husband who "always forgets to tell me....". On and on she went about her poor husband who is apparently not the detail-oriented person in their home. In truth, the reason she started the story is because I mentioned that my husband just ran out of contact solution. (Truly, sweety, I didn't complain or pull a martyr-mom stunt.) In my head I started to empathize with her when... I realized that I was only there because I forgot to buy bread and butter. So as quickly as my empathy arrived, I dismissed it. Husbands have an awful lot to keep track of, too. I really do enjoy a more relaxed pace of life at home - as relaxed as I want it to be. Husbands carry a burden to support their family, love their wives (we do make it difficult sometimes) and are away from home for most of their day. The stress!

While this is a tiny example, it really provoked my thoughts to be gentler with Todd in regards to his responsibilities at home. In our division of labor, it's really my job to make sure we have what we need in the house. It's his job to make sure we can pay for it. : ) It also spawned thoughts about how easy it is to jump on the "dumb spouse" bandwagon. The things that most irk me about my spouse are typically my most secret and deepest flaws, wounds and failings.

"He who began this good work in you will carry it though to completion." (Philippians)