Tuesday

Wow, yesterday was a big day. I cashed in one of my "Mom come help me" rainchecks, and she got here about 9 yesterday morning (it's a 2 hr. drive one way). My brother, Luke, was here for the weekend, so she was coming to pick him up anyway, but instead of heading back right away, she had time to spend several hours helping me with tomatoes.

I had tomatoes coming out my ears. Luke had picked ours on Friday, so they needed picked again, and I ended up not having any time to do anything with tomatoes on Saturday like I'd hoped to, so they were piling up. I also had my MIL's tomatoes to do, and needed to go get them and pick her plants again.

After spending pretty much all morning and afternoon working on tomatoes (Mom and Luke left around 1), I ended up with 4 quarts and 5 pints of tomato sauce (quarts will be for spaghetti/lasagna sauce, the pints will be for pizza sauce), and 14 quarts and 5 pints of tomato soup. I definitely have more soup than sauce so far this year, so everything else I will probably make into sauce.

Last night as we waited on the canner cycles, we vegged on the couch. It was nice to have time together with just the 2 (well, 3) of us. I enjoy having my siblings come visit, but I also enjoy just being with Daniel :) He had worked a long day yesterday and didn't get home until about 8, so we were glad to just do nothing.

Today I have no tomatoes to do!!! Ahh, it is so nice! I can catch up on all the other stuff that has been getting put off and put off. I tell ya, when I have to get the broom and sweep piles of dirt under the toe-kick in the kitchen just to get it out of the way... and it's still there... it's time for something to happen. But I haven't had time to until today.

I did not do anything this morning, so this afternoon as soon as I get a shower I am going to (hopefully) get alot done. There is still stuff from vacation in a small pile on the kitchen floor, all the important mail that came while we were gone is in a pile on the counter, and well, the kitchen just needs a good, over-all cleaning. So the kitchen is my goal for today. That, 1 load of laundry, and to get bread made. I have decided to put a roast in the crockpot for supper, but I haven't decided how I want to season it yet. Maybe I'll just roast it and then shred it into BBQ.

I have really enjoyed being able to freeze and can from the garden this year, but doing those things really tie up your time for getting other stuff done. I'm looking forwards to things slowing down in the garden so I can get back to keeping up with the house, getting the extra things done - like cleaning out the 2 chest freezers... they are in bad shape - and slowly getting things done that I want to get done before the baby comes.

For starters, I'm going to go take a shower :)

Oh, by the way... somehow I had the impression that I needed to waterbath my tomato sauce (just plain tomato) for 45 minutes! Turns out, it doesn't take near that long! I think I did it for 20 minutes, it certainly goes alot faster! Come to think of it, I think pints are supposed to be for 10, so quarts would be 15. Oh well. It's all done and sealed, so alls well, ends well :)