Disaster

My peach jam is inedible! I added too much pectin. I added tablespoons when I should have added teaspoons. At least I guaranteed it would set. :(

Just Peachy Pictures

Poor stove! Just too many pots.

Some people just couldn't wait!Finished product!

A little peach daquiri with the excess peach juice. Now that's cooking!

Peach canning and other summer cooking exploits

On Friday of last week my Mom, Ethan and I went peach picking in Harvard, MA. We picked about 30 pounds of peaches and yesterday Mom came over to show me how to can them. It was a lot of fun and I'm going to post pictures of the process later. The only negative side was that my stove just wasn't powerful enough to bowl the can pot to cook the cans once they were full. We started around 2:30 and I took the last jars out of the water at 8. We are probably going to have a huge electrical bill this month.

On Saturday I made tomato sauce from my tomatos. Mmmm...

So far I have frozen strawberries, blueberries, green beans, and yellow wax beans and 3 cups of tomato sauce in the deep freezer. And I plan on making peach jam on Tuesday.

Other things I have made with produce from my garden is mint chocolate pudding and lemon verbena hair rinse to name some of the most memorable.

I am really enjoying all this cooking and preserving I've managed to do this summer. Here's to a winter of good eating!

Mohawk Trail Camping Vacation

This is a catch up post as it has been a week since we returned from our family vacation. We had an awesome time in a three room rustic cabin with my parents, Tyler, and Ethan at the Mohawk Trail campground. Ethan had a blast following his cousin around and playing in the cabin. Ethan learned how to climb ladders much to everyone's chagrin. Probably the person most upset by this development was Tyler whose "toddler-free" personal space on the top bunk was now in jeopardy. Basically, everyday we had to move the ladder out and then move it back in in the evening. The other small annoyance was that there was no place for Ethan to sleep other than in bed with Josh and I. The place was just too small for the pack 'n play. Ethan took full advantage of the situation by sleeping on top of Josh and I. We survived but were a little sleep deprived.

We went hiking, swimming in a water hole, made paper airplanes, walked around Shelbourne Falls, visited a winery and did a wine tasting, visited an animal place, and ate lots of roasted marshmallows. My Mom and I even went kayaking on the last day.

Ethan loved all the attention. He would wake up in the morning and immediately sign that he wanted to nurse. We would keep him in the room for a bit after nursing, but after awhile he would start calling for his Nana, who would answer him back. We would then let him out of the room and the first thing he would do is grab a truck and bring it to my Dad who would still be in his bed. Ethan ate really well too which we were a bit concerned about as were preparing to leave.

We saw all sorts of wildlife too. The most exciting was a black bear who wandered around our campsite a couple of times. He even licked our grill over the campfire.

It was a great family vacation.

Zen

I had the most restful (spiritually and physically) weekend recently. My Mom and I went to a meditation and yoga retreat at a Buddhist retreat in Southern New Hampshire. I wasn't sure what to expect and in the end I didn't think I would go as Ethan came down with an awful virus which manifested as a high fever and awful looking rash. Josh said he could handle it despite his also battling the same thing. So for the first time in Ethan's existence we spent days and nights apart.

It took me Friday to unwind. I cried when I had to say goodbye to Ethan and Josh and then periodically throughout the day when I thought of Ethan. Saturday was nice and relaxing and on Sunday I found myself already not living in the present and thinking about seeing Ethan and Josh. I discovered that I love yoga or at least I love yoga with the instructor we had. It was so nice with the deep breathing and stretching. I need more of that in my life! I'm so thankful for my mom for giving me such a fabulous birthday present and accompanying me.

Ethan has been battling this virus for a week now. He keeps getting a high temperature by the end of the day. Yesterday the pediatrician's office drew lots of blood and did a throat culture. Everything has come back negative. His lymphocyte count was elevated but not enough to indicate anything other than he is battling something. So now we monitor his temperature.

I've been trying to live in the present this week, and be loving and mindful but it is amazing how quickly inner peace disappears back in the real world. :(