If You Like it Then You Should Put a Can on It...

 

I cannot get Beyonce songs out of my head, peoples. I think that is what happens when you and your husband are really tired and the baby is in bed but you're not ready for bed...you just kind of end up watching the most recent VH1 countdown show. Those things are addicting. That particular evening, I even said, "I'm just going to DVR this so we don't have to watch all the commercials." So I did, but we kept watching anyways, commercials and all. Because we couldn't turn away.  BTW, VH1 brought back Pop-Up Video. I'm kinda excited in the most lamest of ways.

Back to Beyonce. I kind of love Beyonce because she is so pretty and she can actually sing real real good--did you see her on Oprah's last show? She was rocked it. And on the American Idol finale? She put all the contestants to shame. And I kind of hate Beyonce because every time she comes on the tube, Brandon says, "She's basically a stripper" and then I look at her outfit and ask myself, "Am I ready for all that jelly?" because there's no denying that she has almost no clothes on and is dancing kinda crazy-like.  

Anyways, that was my opening tangent.

I wanted to tell you about canning! I did it! Mostly with my mother's help, but I now have a special shelf with mason jars filled with Utah peaches, ready to enjoy all year long. And right next to those peaches are jars and jars of jam. I decided that good jam is one of my most very favorite things. Right up there with Russell, the beach, my new Havaiana flip flops, and the pretty bougainvillea bush out by our pool.

Several weeks ago, I ordered two crates of peaches from Utah and then my mommy and I went to town. She pulled out the canning supplies that she inherited from my Great Grandma Kesterson (my father's maternal grandparents) and told me how to sterilize jars, efficiently peel gazillions of peaches, how to ensure that the peaches don't brown once they are preserved, and all sorts of other special know-hows. It was so fun...fun to learn a new skill, fun to have my mom teach it to me, and fun to have so much to show afterwards. I also think I can do it again and without so much guidance, which made it an even better experience. I haven't yet decided if canning is worth it the expense etc, but it was important to me to learn the skill. The jam, however, was so easy and tastes so much better than the store boughten stuff, that I'd do that again for sure. I mean I'd of course do it again with my mom right next to me because her company was delightful, but, well you know what I mean.  

 

Russell makes a lot of things funner, but he was actually the worst part of the whole canning episode. He pretty much looked like this the entire time.

The expression 'baby underfoot' has quite the literal meaning as he either tugged at my ankles or stood between my legs and the counter the entire time, begging for attention. "Me Mom, not peaches! Me!"

And just so you know, two crates of peaches was A LOT. Two batches of canned peaches, four batches of jam (two for me, two for my mom), 2 1/2 gallon bags of frozen peaches, a peach crisp for book club, and plenty for eating along the way.     

Thanks mom!

The pic is a little fuzzy...but recently the wash near our house flooded. We woke Russell so we could go take a look. Usually that area behind us is bone dry.