Reflecting Thoughts

I don't know what has been the cause of my reflective thoughts lately, being another year older, having another child, having a child start school.  Maybe it is a combination of all.  Either way it seems like I spend a bit more time thinking about who I am and more so, who I was in school.  I think I was (and probably still are) a bit naive as to what is going on around me.  I think of the people who have come and gone in my immediate circle of daily life.  Some I know a little bit of what they are doing now, some I have no clue and some I wonder what they are up to.

I think some of my reflection is school, and the pressure to fit in, or the idea that "those are the most important things" when now they are such small importance's (i.e., friends, dances, being popular, etc) I was the witness of some teen girls "cattiness" and after about 25 minutes of it I finally opened my mouth to hopefully help one young girl see that her actions were not nice.  Who know what came of it...probably that I was some withcy woman sticking her nose in another's business.  But when you are right in line behind them for that long of time, it is hard to not want to do something.  But in the 24.5 minutes I stood there just listening I was thinking how SCARY it will be to have a kid that age and the social pressure they will have to deal with.

Maybe if I felt my memory was better I could remember what it was like for me.  But I don't, sadly to say.  I don't remember the "cattiness'' that people say girls are.  I don't remember the desire to be cool or fit in. Maybe I wasn't or didn't, or maybe I was taught that it didn't matter.  I worry that I won't be able to help my kids the way I was helped/taught.  I wonder if I will be the kind of parent they can turn to.  Sometimes I worry I won't because I don't think I was the friend that was even the one someone turned to for help.  Sad to day but I have been wondering if any of my "friends" from years previous were positively impacted by me, or if they wish they stayed in better touch like I do.  And maybe that will have no reflection of how my parenting will be.

My mind is all over the place here, but I guess to anyone who ever reads this, maybe it will help them see that they are not alone in reflective thinking.  Maybe.  Maybe Not.  Most of these are just thoughts, not questions.

Bottom line I guess that I take comfort in when I am reflectively thinking is that I am (we are) a child of God.  He loves us, He is there for us.  If we strive to do those things that keep Him in our life, we will be happy in the end, we will be BLESSED beyond contemplation.  He knows us, He LOVES us.  He will guide and help us, and He will send people into our lives that will also do the same.

I probably should just archive this in my computer somewhere and not post it because I a not an eloquent writer but even if I keep it to myself until I think clearer or write better, I will have forgotten and no one will see that there are other people out there with the same reflective wonderments.  I guess it's my attempt to get thoughts out there (I would say on paper, but this isn't paper and I am not sure what the new term would be) and help myself and anyone else.

Help for Saggy Pants

A few weeks ago while I was doing a little shopping I saw this at Maurices:

I was quite excited because I have a pant issue in that they get saggy if I don't have a belt on, but then I don't always want to wear a belt.  So to eliminate the constant pull up of my pants when I don't want a belt, this was perfect.  And at $8 it was about the same cost of a belt.

 

It wasn't long after that I started realizing my daughters pants needed something to help the sag.  I do love that many brands have the adjustable waist band inside, but I don't like that not very many have that option under 2T sizes.

 

So to eliminate this (these are actually capri pants!): 

 

and this: 

not to mention some pairs of pant s actually falling right down around her ankles.

 

I thought I would try this: 

 

Which resulted in no more saggy pants (see the capri length now!!)  Little celebration going on here. Yeah!

 

Even sitting we had diaper coverage.  Love it. 

 

Now the con about using the mitten clip is that they are not adjustable like the Maurices brand "Hip Hugger" but for $.98 for two it will work for now. 

 

Now I haven't done my research to see if mitten clips come adjustable or in varying lengths.  That might be helpful for when she gets a little bigger, or at least until we can get some pants that have the adjustable waist!

Canning Salsa

Today I managed to can some salsa.

Our little garden has been producing a good amount of tomatoes and peppers, which is good since that is pretty much all we planted.

Last year it seemed like canning salsa took me most the day and was a tedious task with chopping everything.

Well this year I decided to enlist some help.

I had around 3 options of food choppers and decided on the Ninja

I liked that it had a few different options and was willing to give it a try.

The verdict is...I love it! 

It saved me lots of time (like half of what it took me last year) and although it wouldn't work for chunky salsa, it could handle a whole bell pepper, cut into strips, with no problem.

So my salsa recipe has been a work in progress for the last 3 or so years.

I kind of wanted a recipe that was basic, easy, slightly sweet, not spicy (but I do have a spicy one for my husband), and could mostly come from my garden.

We don't typically grow any onion or garlic, so I plan to purchase those and I will buy a yellow and orange bell pepper to add some color (and because I like the sweetness of them more than green but it seems like they don't want to grow in my garden.)

Anyway...

My recipe is:

10 Cups Chopped tomatoes

3 medium to large Chopped Green Bell peppers (BP)

1 Yellow BP, chopped

1 orange BP, chopped

1 red BP, chopped

1 & 1/2 medium to large Onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced (finely chopped)

1/4 C Sugar

3/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Tbsp Canning salt

Combine all into a pot, bring to a rolling boil for 20 minutes

Jar

Hot water bath process 15 minutes

Yield: 8 Pint Jars

Done!

Here are a few pictures from my process:

So here is my salsa just getting warmed and ready to boil 

I also fill my hot water caner and get that water going since it takes a while to heat up. 

When the salsa has about 10 minutes left to boil, I put my lids in a sauce pan of hot water. 

With 1 minute left in the boiling process, I pull my jars out of the sink in which they are sitting in hot water (having been recently washed) and line them up near my salsa.

Using my handy jar funnel and ladle I fill the jars. 

I wipe off the jar rims, put on the lids and rings, then...

Once my hot water caner starts to boil, I put the jars on the rack (make sure you have something between the jars and the bottom of the pot) 

and drop the jars in and make sure they are fully submersed, then process.

Resulting in some yummy salsa.

One more batch and I will have almost a years worth.

Hope my garden keeps producing and I will even make a spicy batch for my husband!

The Kirby

So the Kirby door to door salesman finally got to my house.  I think they stopped once before but I didn't really even give them a chance because it was not a good time.  Probably had toys all over and my kids running around still in their PJ's (hopefully and not just their diapers :)

The way it was approached was that I would get the carpet in one room cleaned for free and all I had to do was share my experience with a friend. 

Well it was a bit more then that...it was a 2 hour demonstration about the Kirby vacuum and how amazing it is.

I had about and hour to pick up the house from the time the salesman first came and when he returned for the "scheduled appointment" in which they asked that I vacuum before they came back.  I of course vacuumed and knowing that when he started the whole sales pitch, right off the bat he had me thinking how dirty my floors still were.

Now don't judge me by the dirt in my floors!

This picture is a view of how they show you the dirt in your carpet.  They have this filter thing that they put on the vacuum and then after only 10 seconds or less (sometimes more) of vacuuming an area they pop it off an put on a new filter, kindly laying them back on the floor in a display sort of way.

In the mean time they are also showing and telling you all the reasons you need to have a vacuum this great.  Such as reducing allergies, carpet and furniture lasting longer, etc.

They even have you get out your vacuum so they can do the '50 passes' test. 

They dump baking soda on the floor then vacuum 50 times over the small area with my vacuum, then they pull out a black filter for the Kirby and vacuum up the rest of the baking soda. 

and of course they just set them back on the floor in the same manner so that you can continue to see all the DIRTY filters piling up.

They then pull out the accessories and show you how you can basically clean everything in your house.  It can even unclog the kitchen sink!

They even vacuumed a small portion of the bed (again with black filters) claiming that what was on the filter was bed mites and their feces (majorly gross if I didn't think that there was also some of the white sheet fibers in it)

Of course by this point they have already introduced the price of the machine and then dropped it once or twice or even three times.

Finally they get to the shampooing part. 

So I did get my floors cleaned after two hours of sitting and listening to the sales pitch.

Luckily I had the excuse that my husband was out of town at a work seminar and that I wouldn't be able to talk to him until that evening.

So despite the great appeal to have my floors really clean and a vacuum that can clean everything, I kept telling them I couldn't make a purchase till I talked to mu husband.

I will admit that I WAS SOLD. 

And, had I been someone to make large purchases without consulting my husband or taking time to look up reviews, I would have probably bought.

They (I say they because a "manager" would come by and see how the salesman was doing and then a managers discount onto the already reduced price.  Or there was the person on the other end of the phone calls, but I am not sure who that was...the person who was okaying then next step or the next price adjustment.) 

So despite the fact the Kirby seems amazing, I don't like that the attachments require a whole setup change to the vacuum.

I am also not a fan of the smell that existed after the shampoo and it took more then the claimed 20 minutes to dry.

I will also say that I didn't expect much of my vacuum.  I think I paid $40 dollars for it and that was 3 years ago. 

But it does the surface like I expect. 

Anyway the next time I went to use it I decided to change the bag.  I should have taken a picture because I have never seen a bag so full. 

I thought they had a "shut off" mechanism that stopped them before they got so full. 

Literally the bag was firm to the touch the entire bag, top and all.  The only area not filled with stuff was the part that was attached to the vacuum. 

I will say that it did a much better job at vacuuming with a new bag.  Probably why the see able filter thing the Kirby does allows full suction for the demo's.

The salesman left probably thinking that he wouldn't hear from me, but once I talked with my husband and he looked online at some prices and also talked to his dad (who bought a used one last year), I called him to tell him we would pass at this time.

Maybe if they come back in a year or two I will have more money in the savings account and a few items paid off and will spend the $$ for the "once in a lifetime" vacuum.  Maybe.

Until then I will remember to change the bag in my vacuum a little more often!

Oh, and if you were wondering where my kids were during all this...part of the time they were downstairs playing, part of the time sitting on the couch with me, and part of the time playing outside.

Safety Can Opener-Product review

So my can opener broke.  It just was spinning without cutting so I knew it was time to buy a new one.  I walked down the kitchen tool isle of my local Walmart (since that is really the only store in my little town) and looked at the 4 choices I had.  In a way I am glad that I didn't have more options because it was regular can opener, ranging from really cheap to a little more expensive, or I could choose the new "safety" can opener for somewhere around $9.

I was nervous about choosing the safety can opener because what if I didn't like it.  Then I would be mad that I didn't just put the $9 toward the nicer regular can opener.

After contemplating my purchase (which I really did for at least 2 minutes or more...who knew that a can opener would cause me to stand in the store with my kids in the cart, probably whining because we were stopped to long!) I bought the safety can opener.

And I would have to say that I am glad I did.  Since I like it I thought that I would put my consumer review out there for anyone else who has had the same debate.

Why I love it:

*It is quite easy to use.  It was a little difficult the first time to figure it out but now it is so much easier then a regular one.  The instructions were a must the first time using it.

*It basically just takes the top off the can in a reverse manner that it was originally put on.  If you have ever canned before you will understand this.  That means there are no sharp/cutting edges!

*Because the top as been cleanly removed when you use a rubber spatula to scrape out the insides, you do not cut your spatula with the little lip that old can openers leave.

*My almost 4 year old can use it where the old can openers he couldn't.

*The lid can't fall into the can.  This is a bonus because I sometimes forget to wipe the dust off my cans and this way the juice doesn't start to come out before I take the lid off.

*There is nothing sharp on the can opener

Negatives:

It is a little harder to drain the liquid.  I used to open the can all but just a little piece and just slightly press it in the can to drain.  But now I just have to slide the lid off to the side a bit.  So it is a very minor negative.