Cherry Conclusion

What does 30 lbs of beautiful Bing cherries get you?  Besides oddly stained hands of course?

• 29 pints of canned cherries (plus the 1 that broke)
• 10 quarter pints of quartered canned cherries that are the home made version of the fruit cups you get in the store
• 1 batch of cherry jam that yielded 4 and a half pints
• 2 pies worth of cherries frozen
• happy snackers - we ate to our hearts content

I learned that my daughters are more than capable of stemming cherries and not eating each one they stem, that Miss Pear can pit them with the pitter, and that next year I need a second pitter...and probably twice as many cherries!  We had a lot of fun, and are enjoying the results very much.

It makes me very happy to see the pantry filling up again with delicious treats, healthier too as we use a very light syrup.

And we pick up 10 lbs of Rainier cherries Thursday night.....

A deep sigh

Sometimes I catch myself doing it before it comes out.

And sometimes it just comes.

That deep sigh.

Sometimes it is one of contentment.

Sometimes of fatigue.

Sometimes of frustration.

And sometimes of having no idea what to do.

Yesterday I was waiting for a phone call, one I had to be home to answer, it was that important to us. So my MIL took the girls out to play with the promise to ring the bell if they needed me or could not close the garage door. Shortly after they went out the doorbell rang. I did not run to the door because I did not hear the garage close, and I did not hear any crying or yelling. When I opened the door Miss Pear said her grandmother had fallen, and there she was coming up the drive holding her nose with a kleenex.

I did what anyone would do - I ran out in the rain in my socks to get Baby and usher everyone in.

My MIL is fine, she is skinned and bruised, and deeply, highly embarrassed. You see, she fell on the flat street, she just tripped over her feet. And she she says she "landed on her head because it is too big" which Miss Pear thinks is a hysterical description. Today she is stiff and sore, she is tired from laying in bed last night thinking it through and trying to figure out how she managed to do that, but she is fine. Much to proud and embarrassed to admit she might need more than a nap, but fine.

But I find that I hurt.

But here is what hurt me the most.

I did not know what to do. Not really. I knew to get ice and clean clothes. I knew to pray.

But she is on medication that could have made this scary, and I did not know what to do, what to watch for, when to call for help despite her protests not to.

From the time the girls were born I have been meaning to refresh my CPR and to take a good first aid class. And I never get further than saying I should do it.

I talked to my husband last night in the dark and confessed how annoyed I was with myself. I could hear his smile in the dark as he said he would sign me up for a class first thing. That and the "what to do in the case of a local and regional emergency class" our local fire department offers a few times a year. I asked if he would take the classes too, and he agreed he would take the sessions following mine so that we did not have to worry about babysitters.

In the dark I smiled and sighed deeply.

Car Emergency Kit Update

I am ALMOST finished the emergency car kit that I started working on when it was clear we were moving away from Southern California and were going to have a long car trip somewhere!

So here is where we were at:

When I posted originally I had the following in the car:

• jumper cables
• highway flares
• air compressor (tires, children's toys, check tire pressure)
  
• flashlight
  
• jacket
• blanket
• wet wipes
• anti-bac wipes
• wipes and change pad
  
• jack knife
• New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs
• Pen and paper
• At least $15 in quarters plus other assorted change
• umbrella (one of those little folding ones)
  

I have added:

• diapers
• kleenex (spare box plus a sample pack)
  
• Cottonelle flushable wipes
• Feminine supplies (pads also to double for first aid needs)
  
• roll of toilet paper
  
• 5 bottles of water
• Nutrigrain bars for high energy snacks that are peanut free
• Fleece blanket for each girl (they are the receiving blanket size, just big enough to cover up with when in car seats
• AAA 121-Piece Road Trip First Aid Kit (I did add in children's character band-aids as they make life so much easier)
  
• Box of quart sized freezer bags with zip tops for smelly diapers and other assorted things
• extra underwear for Miss Pear
  

I still need to add:

• Spare batteries for the flashlight - need to check if we have these
• Single serve Children's Benedryl "Perfect Measure"

With only 2 things to take care of for the car kit between now and leaving here I feel like I am in great shape.

Next up is preparing a first aid kit for the house. I have a list put together by a nurse whose husband is a police officer to work from, so that ought to be perfect!

Friday...happy sigh and a Project

It has been a quiet week around here, just what our whole family has needed. I love it.

We have been watching WAY to much TV, but we are watching the Olympics and consider it vital to our girls Canadian education...after all, they are dual citizens! We are most intrigued with hockey, curling, and figure skating, all sports I played as a child.

Today I have been working on a couple projects such as cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry, but the big project was working on our car emergency kit. It is mostly assembled with stuff we have on hand. We have been slowly working in this in a half hearted way for a while. We used to be excellent at this when we lived in Canada and were driving in snow, but somehow living in California we have become lax. So we figured it was time to just look at what we have in the car and then make a list of what we are missing. We are in surprisingly good shape.

So far we have:

• jumper cables
• highway flares
• flashlight
  
• jacket
• blanket
• wet wipes
• anti-bac wipes
• diapers, wipes and change pad
  
• jack knife
• New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs
• Pen and paper
• At least $15 in quarters plus other assorted change
• umbrella (one of those little folding ones)
  

I still need to add:

• 5 bottles of water - have these, just need to put them in.
  
• Some kind of high energy snack that will handle the California heat
• Spare batteries for the flashlight - need to check if we have these
  
• a roll of toilet paper (just trust me on this one...) - have this on hand too
  
• roll of paper towel - have this on hand too
  
• basic first aid kit
• a fleece blanket for each girl (think the receiving blanket size, just big enough to cover them in their car seats, although this is more of a comfort item for fun) - have this on hand too.
  

I have to admit it is weird not to be adding a snow shovel, ice scrapper/snow brush, coffee can with candle and matches, extra toque (woolen hat), mitts, scarf, heavy socks, and sleeping bag to the mix!

We travel very busy freeways, so our list is a touch on the lighters side, whenever we go on a road trip we always pack accordingly, including our safety gear.

So, what are your ideas for a high energy snack for those who have peanut allergies? For those of you in the know, what should my first aid kit have in it? (I do have bandaids in the car).

Do you have an emergency stash in your car?