summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Monday, September 27, 2021

I don't know why...


 Well you know, a long time ago, I had a lot of kids.  They weren't in age order in this pic, but obviously size order.  From littlest:  Camille, Charlotte Claire, Jonathan, Sonja K., Evelyn, Suzanne, Mariel, Kathryn, Margaret, Abigail, Molly Rose, Emily, Aaron, Joseph, Samuel, Benjamin...see how many years between Jon and his brothers?  Samuel is 9 years older than Jon!  

I've been in a sorting and organizing mood, and I know ME, and when ME says it's time to sort and organize, ME does it, because it doesn't happen very often!  I cleaned out the pantry yesterday, threw out some canned goods from 2015.  The bad part is that it was hard for me!  It's almost assuring that there'll be a time I wish I kept them!  (For example, I didn't buy this really nice mini blender the other day, reduced from $40 to $10, super nice, but we just didn't NEED it.  That very afternoon, Sonja K. was using our mini blender and said I think there's something wrong with this, it isn't working right.  She wasn't with me when I deliberated about that nice little blender, either.).   

When I downsize, ditch things, donate bags of stuff to the thrift store, I feel good.  I like getting rid of things, and having more emptiness, and more order to the things remaining.  But each item that gets the axe is mourned.  Okay, not exactly MOURNED, but it's not easy to get rid of those star shaped cookie molds, or the heart shaped ones either, even though they were all still in the packages after...hmm, ten, fifteen years?  How many cupboard purges have they survived?  Oh, did I mention I cleaned out several cupboards too?  


I know, I know, you're thinking where's the after pic?  But ha, this IS the after pic!  You should've seen it before!  It's not the spiffiest pantry, the shelves are plywood...I think I need to rethink the whole concept, and put this stuff in the cupboards, I don't know.  But these days I have a bit more time, and I can totally do that if I want to.

The laundry room also received some attention today.  It's all nice and organized in there, and I love it.   

When Miss Char got home from school, we went on a little adventure, with Camille.  Char wanted to get a new book, so we went to the bookstore.  If I were rich, I would buy so many books, but alas, I'm thankful for the library.  

We also went to Aldi for the makings for paninis, as yours truly had no dinner plans, oops.  I also found ground beef, 5 pound packages, for $7.49, which is $1.50 a pound, half price.  Shh, I bought four.  I made some chili for those of us who don't want to eat paninis, and froze a bit.  

The girls were going over to Emily's for a girls gathering, so I sent some grapes, raspberries, and milk chocolate dipped cookies, and mini Reese's cups, which we also chose in Aldi.

Our pies turned out good the other night!  I did have a slice, hot out of the oven, and I wish it wasn't so good!  It was tangy, and not overly sweet, but the crust buttery and flaky, so extremely good!


So technology is amazing these days.  Evelyn is in Seattle, Washington, and Kathryn lives in Salem, Oregon.  Today I face timed with both of them at the same time.  It was so cool!

It was a nice little visit!

We coated the pool deck with water sealer this past weekend...
And Emily and Mariel climbed Mt. Algonquin in the Adirondacks!
All these good things, then there's this:  our governor mandating vaccines for the health care professionals, and firing all the ones who won't/can't get it.  She says they're replaceable.  The big hospital in the city has closed 22 of their 35 operating rooms, and is bracing itself...my dear daughter works in the cancer center, already perpetually short staffed, overworked...it's awful, they're losing nurses.  What on earth are those cancer patients going to do?  The wait time in the ER at this huge state run hospital is already running eight hours.  This is NOT because of Covid, but because of vaccine mandates.  (Can we stop and consider for one hot minute that maybe, just maybe some of these nurses know what they're about?  Maybe they HAD Covid!  They were rock stars last year, heroes!  Now, they're replaceable.  I don't know where our new gov thinks she's going to find all these extra nurses, just waiting in the wings for her to beckon them...

So ugh to all of that!  But, here we are, and if anyone out there still thinks the government cares about you and your best interests, and not just the power and the money, well I rather envy you.   

It's a good thing that God is bigger than the boogie man!




5 comments:

American Housewife said...

Oh it's painful to read you threw out your canned goods! They are still good as long as the seal is in tact, there is no sign of rust, or bulging. Pineapple and tomatoes usually aren't good at the 5-7 mark because they are too acidic and start to rust through the can seal, but most everything else is still perfect! The dates are a 'best by' date - not an expiration date. Most canned goods still taste perfect and have the same texture and color for 7-10 years before they even start to lose any freshness and it's so minimal the average person wouldn't be able tell. Not sure what your 2015 cans were - but I've been rotating emergency canned storage and we are currently eating our canned chicken from 2015 now as well. (Even the overly cautious US federal government says 5 years for canned goods is fine - and you know them - they would say 5 years if it were really 25!) LOL.



Michelle said...

These mandates are just awful. People are trying to fight them all over the country. I just keep remembering when certain people were calling Trump a dictator….hmm. I think we found who the real dictators are.

16 blessings'mom said...

Oh no, I feel so stupid! Some of the stuff we wouldn't have eaten, as our habits have changed...several years ago, I was a fan of chickpeas, thought they were so healthy, even baked cookies with them (yup, peanut butter chickpea cookies!). Now I aim for lower carb, and those cans just sat up there, and I can't see donating them if they were expired. Same with the cans of Manwich, which I paid no more than a dollar a can for, but these kids here at home don't eat sloppy Joe, so...but, I could have saved some of the soup. dang.
Michelle, you said it!!!!

Terri D said...

God is definitely bigger than the boogie man! This whole world is a hot mess right now and the biggest mess is right here in the USofA. I'm so sad and weary of it all. xo

The Housewife... again. LOL. said...

... me again. LOL. Manwhich and chickpeas? ... no loss. ha ha. *wink* Besides, manwhich is tomato based and acidic so probably about 3-4 years best for that one anyway. ;)