Grandma Camp

Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 12:45

It's Grandma Camp this week, that wonderful and weird time when my mom takes all grandchildren 3yo and older for a week of fun and adventure.  Wonderful, because you can get so much done when there aren't so many kidlets underfoot; weird because it just feels strange not to have so many kidlets underfoot.  This year, our three oldest got to go, leaving us with just the 18 month old at home.  She was fine yesterday, but today, the second morning of being the only child, she has wandered around after mom, crying.  Every time daddy gets out of sight, it's "where's daddy?"  I think she's afraid he'll disappear like her siblings.  She also continues to insist that her siblings are just outside, playing at the Mennonite church, and that I should go get them.

Dh was scheduled to have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday off, and used vacation time for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights, so he's home with us for the week.  We made a huge list of projects and chores to do while the kids are gone.  I know we won't make it through them all, but it's good to finally get some of these things done.  We are painting the living room today, and will hopefully paint the kids' bedroom tomorrow.  The carpet will be torn up in the toy room, to expose the wood floor beneath.  We've already done a lot of yard work, but plan to cut down trees tomorrow, and cut up fallen limbs in the pasture.  I still have lots of canning to do, of course.

We picked crabapples on Sunday after church, so I have applesauce and jelly to make.  I think I'll just freeze the juice for the jelly though, and make it after tomato season is past.  I am despairing over my pepper plants.  The plants look healthy, but the peppers are just rotting as soon as they get about as big as a golf ball.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn down orders for salsa, and just concentrate on getting salsa and spaghetti sauce put up for my own family this year, or I'll run out of peppers.  It just hasn't been a good season for growing here.

A friend did say she has plenty of pears and apples on her trees this year, though, and is willing to let us pick them.  Last year, we didn't get any of either, so we'll be glad to have them this year to make apple pie filling and green tomato mincemeat.  The kids love to have homemade apple pie filling just heated up and served as cinnamon apples.  I'm not a big fan of mincemeat pie, but I have a recipe for mincemeat bars that are really good.  Somewhat like a spice cake, and so very moist.

Well, the kitchen is calling my name.  Must respond!

Sara

How Cute :0)

Posted by gilsanla on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 01:55 - Link

What a cute story about your daughter. Reminds me of a few years ago, we took my niece to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving and her little brother who was about 4 kept thinking she was at our house which is like 3 blocks from his house. Several times on the phone he would tell us, you bring Wendy back in 5 minutes or else. It was very cute.