Doing the Can-Can

Note: this picture was taken early in the
canning day when smiles still abounded.

On Saturday we canned tomatoes. That simple phrase really doesn't do it justice.

3 bushels (with a cumulative of 1/2 a bushel being rotten, thank goodness!!)

58 jars.

19+ hours in total. (15 hours on Saturday, 2 on Sunday and Monday)

Rene made me take an oath that I would never buy that much of anything again. I solemnly swore, never again.

It all started with some salsa. Last year I whipped up a batch yielding a few jars of a friend's recipe that almost lasted us the year. The girls loved it, even more than store-bought (which says a lot) so needless to say I was more than willing to cook some up for my loving fans, this time enough to last until next tomato season. However, last year I was late on the uptake, I missed the bulk tomato season and bought the wrong type of tomatoes by the pound. When I saw the local grocery store with bushels of the "right" type of tomato my heart skipped a beat and I knew it was time. My mind thought, 3 bushels should do it, and if I need more I can always come back.

4 batches of salsa later there was a whole lot of tomatoes still sitting there. I don't think we had even used a full bushel. I'd recently read an article that canned tomatoes really weren't that great for you, something about the acidity reacting with the tin of the can. Great. I called up a friend who had sworn off canning to see if I could exchange her unused jars for a couple of homemade salsa. 24 jars of diced tomatoes later, there was still a whole lot of tomatoes still sitting there, and I was once again out of jars.

A quick run to a 24 hour Sobey's (at this point we were well beyond local stores still being open) and Rene returned with an additional 24 jars. I thought I'd mix it up a bit and try some tomato sauce. I found a recipe online that seemed yummy, and that I conveniently had all the spices for, and went about whipping up a batch of that. 8 jars later, still a whole lot of tomatoes sitting there.

At this point we were spent. It was midnight. We were tired...and both a little nauseous from inhaling fumes of cooking tomatoes all day. With 1/2 a bushel still left we called it a night. I sent my helper packing and tackled the last couple hours of waiting for diced tomatoes to finish up in their water baths.

I think I fell a little more in love with Rene that day. I knew he was a hard worker when it came to things like cutting wood, home renovations, building furniture and other "manly" crafts that he's so good at. But watching him wield a paring knife, wearing an apron, in the kitchen ALL day and night, boiling, de-skinning, de-seeding, and dicing tomatoes, willingly running off to fetch jars and other canning supplies we ran out of made me realize what kind of man he really is. One who loves me enough to spend his only day off in the kitchen with me dealing with my over-zealous-ambitious-tomato-canning-3-bushel vision. Never once did he complain.

Sunday, I was still spent. After returning home late from a  family birthday bash the house was a disaster and dishes were piled high on the counter. I crashed, leaving that lovely husband of mine doing the dishes (which, in my defense, I did say I would do in the morning because I knew how tired he was too).

When I woke in the morning, the site in the kitchen made me cry. And that's not a small feat. Not only were all the dishes done, 1/2 a bushel of tomatoes sat on the counter, peeled and diced. The garbage was even sitting at the curb with all the rotten tomatoes tucked in the green bin. I spent the morning finishing up the canning, put on some labels and hauled our harvest down to the food storage.

I also have to acknowledge my other trusty helpers. I wish I had taken more pictures but my hands were kind of slimy most of the day and I didn't want to seem like a slacker leisurely snapping photos of my family working hard. Amelia, Evelyn and Audree all had their hands in peeling and de-seeding. Amelia helped chop fresh herbs from our garden for the sauce. And Lucienne mostly stayed out of trouble, which is all we could really ask of her.

I'm thinking of asking for a pressure cooker for Christmas (hint-hint).

My One and Only Turns 35

Rene is 35. On the morning of his birthday Evelyn ran into his room, jumped on him in bed and shouted "You're 35 today!!!" Rene would have gladly just had a "Happy Birthday" instead of a declaration of actually being one year older.

We had a lovely birthday BBQ with good friends on the day of his birthday and another one on Sunday with our fabulous family.  As a sidenote...I just want to say that I love our family. I have amazing in-laws and immediate family members. I'm not sure how we lucked out to be here together on earth. I think we must have pulled one of those "if she/he goes, I go" up in heaven and threatened to defect the other side if our request wasn't granted. I can see us all with linked arms sitting in protest in front of God's mansion. Not only was I born into a solid family but the ones that have been added have just increased the stellar-ness of our bunch. There is no other group of people I'd rather be stuck with for all eternity!

Any-who...in continuing with the birthday tradition, here are the first 35 things that come to mind when I think of my one and only (in random order):

1. Obviously he's handy. And not just in that do-it-yourselfer way that leaves the next home owner cringing at the work that's been done. He really knows how to do everything to perfection. In the middle of installing a couple doors on our back room I learn that he's never actually done it, just remembers a video he watched in school 10 years ago on how to do it. We've saved thousands and thousands of dollars because of this amazing talent of his.

2. He's athletic. I hope the girls get some of that athleticism from him because I've always enjoyed the sport of spectating over chasing a ball up and down a field. I'm lucky to have genetics on my side for this one.

3. He loves to serve. Or at least is willing to serve. There is rarely a family that moves in or our of our ward without his helping hands.

4. He doesn't stress out (home renovations excluded) and is laid-back when it comes to things that really don't matter.

5. He's easy on the eyes, and just keeps getting handsomer with every grey hair.

6. He cooks.

7. And cleans.

8. And puts the girls to bed.

9. He loves doing nail art. My limit is painting each finger a different colour but he will sit very patiently and create a masterpiece on each of their 40 fingernails. Even though most of it will be gone the next day.

10. He's all for me getting massages. Even when we're figuring out ways to cut back on the budget he still insists that they're a necessity.

11. He puts up with my desire to paint rooms different colours every year.

12. He smiles when he walks in to a room I've completely rearranged.

13. He knows how to chop wood. I gave it a go once and almost took off my leg. How he makes it look so easy is beyond me.

14. He's already figuring out ways to intimidate the boys our girls bring home.

15. He lets me sleep in.

16. Then has a delicious breakfast of crepes ready and waiting.

17. He makes crepes. Enough said.

18. He stops on his way home from work to pick me a bouquet of wild day lilies by the side of the road.

19. He tries really hard to stay awake when I get into my talking moods at bedtime.

20. He'll watch romantic comedies when I know he'd rather be watching an action zombie movie (which I refuse to watch)

21. He bears his testimony at church. The girls need to hear it. I hate doing it and have limited it to every time I have a baby (which I'm going to have to figure out a new criteria).

22. He's always game for my ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem at the time. No wheat? Sure. Sell the car and be a one-car family? Why not. Have another baby? If you think so (he would have been content with two). Buy a century home? As long as the foundation is sound. Get a dog? As long as it's big. I can always count on him to have my back and support me in decisions I think would be good for our family.

23. He doesn't expect me to iron his shirts.

24. He works hard...at everything. And not because he has to, because that's just who he is. I know they respect him at work for his work ethic and willingness to do anything, no job is beneath him. That has created job security for our family which is priceless in the economy these days.

25. He's thrifty and is a great saver. He doesn't buy frivolous things we've managed to stay out of debt as a one-income family.

26. He has a great sense of style. He's often better put together than I am and will usually be the one to send the girls back up for a wardrobe change.

27. He stays in shape and is conscientious about staying healthy.

28. He'll go grocery shopping at 10:00 at night when we really need milk and eggs. I know he would rather sit and relax but still he goes...letting me sit and relax instead.

29. He speaks French, and is opening up that road to the girls. What a great opportunity for them to expand their options when they're older.

30.  He has wonderful parents who are so supportive of our family and have taught him so many of these qualities that I love about him.

31. He loves Halloween, because I don't, which makes us a perfect holiday match. He'll get the girls all costumed up and takes them trick-or-treating while I can stay warm at home watching a girlie movie and eating all the Halloween candy.

32. He leaves the toilet seat down. In a house full of girls it's kind of obvious.

33. He's not into technology, which could go both ways but I'm so glad he's not glued to the screen the minute he walks through the door (or to a phone or other portable device). Although get him and Amelia into a game on her iPod and there's not much that can be done.

34. He holds other people's babies. Which I never knew how endearing it would be until I saw him making cooing faces to a baby who wasn't ours. So cute!

35. He's mine. He chose ME to marry and right from the beginning I had no doubts that we were meant to be together. I got the French hottie.

Rene's Dream Calling

For the 10 1/2 years we've been married Rene has almost always had a leadership position at church. Ward Mission Leader twice and Young Men's President twice. He had a short stint of being 2nd councillor in the Bishopric and an even shorter stint as a councillor in an Elder's quorum presidency. He's been ready for a break for awhile. He's tired of being in charge.

With the new Ward creation a few weeks ago I think he was a little hopeful that he would get a new calling but since he's been the Ward Mission Leader for just over a year he figured he wouldn't even be considered.

So this morning things were as usual. He went to his early 7:30am meeting and came to get us to go to church. It wasn't until I looked at the clock in the car that I realized he was 20 minutes later than usual. I gave him a look and asked if his meeting went long. He said, "not really". Then I asked if he met with the Bishop. He paused (pauses say a lot!!) and said, "maybe" and then he wouldn't give me a straight answer. Do you have a new calling? "No". Seriously? "No". Really, do you have something new? "Yes". Really? "No". And so it continued all the way to church.

And...he was called as 1st councillor in the Young Men's program. He LOVES that program. He was tired of being in charge of it but he loves being with the youth. And to top it off, Matt Regimbal, a good friend of his who he loves spending time with and has a great deal of respect for, is the President. Heavenly Father couldn't have given him a more perfect calling. He is soooooo excited! I think he was a little annoyed that I spoiled his surprise but I'm excited for him. It's been hard watching him dutifully fulfil his calling but knowing that his heart wasn't really into it.

Although I realize this means he might be gone a little more it will be worth seeing him happy and excited about the things he gets to do.