Cheese and Salsa

Tuesday we had the kids' pictures taken. We were late for our appointment and it was given to someone else who walked in, so we had to wait until they called us. I was aggravated about that; I hate being late, but sometimes it just cannot be helped. Especially when you live 20 minutes from anywhere.

When we got down to business, it was...educational. Erin wasn't so sure about all the fuss and cooing and coaxing to smile. She thought the photographer (can you call them photographers when all they do is punch a button??) was weird. I think she was in a bad mood that day (the photog, not Erin, she was just sleepy, I think). Either way, it was a good thing her assistant was there to play with the kids while she stomped and sighed and took crooked pictures. Hopefully the photo printer person will fix it.

It's a good thing we have photogenic kids. Erin was quickly fussy and wanted to get off of that podium. Every time we let go she tried to crawl off. She didn't like the positions she was forced to hold and didn't like not being held. Ian, on the other hand, is a ham. And no, I don't know where he gets that from. He thought it was funny if he made faces and stuck his tongue out at the last minute. There were a lot of retakes for him.

And then there were the packages. The cheapest package is $80. Or you can get the CD for $99 and print off as many pictures as you want. Sorry, give me a couple of backgrounds and I can do just as well with my own camera. But we were happy with what we got; now we have to wait until the cows come home to pick them up (they will being coming August 13 unless they come early. ?!).

Other news of the week: someone is interested in buying our house and is currently trying to get a loan. We don't want to get our hopes up, but the people in question keep calling us and asking us questions that make sense. We are happy to help, if it sells our house.

I did a lot of canning today. Well, it felt like a lot of canning. Only 6 jars of salsa this time, but I dejuiced and seeded tomatoes for hours today. My fingers are still a little pruny. My HC says that this skill is useful just in case I ever get sprayed by a skunk. Naturally, this made me feel oh so much better.

Ian had a friend over to play today. His friend, G, brought over a couple of toy trucks to play with. After an hour, he asked that they be put on top of the refrigerator to keep them safe (he is 5). Ian told him to leave them here when it was time to go home. G did not feel that it was necessary for him to do so and took them with him. I think Ian missed the toys more than he missed his friend, who has the tendency to choose watching tv over playing.

We are counting down to the "Meet Your Teacher" day at school. It is the same day that Uncle Steven will be going back to Florida. I'm sure he will be glad to sleep on anything other than the couch, especially if there's an air conditioning that works in the house.

We are in a heat advisory for the next several days. It has been topping 100 and is nasty outside. We are staying as close to our not-so-cold air conditioner as possible. I keep telling Ian that if he would sit still, he wouldn't be so hot. He does not agree.

Erin is getting that other top tooth in, finally. It is taking forever to break through and she is fretful. With the arrival of August, we are finished with her First Year calendar. I had so much fun writing everything down as she learned to do things, as well as big days for our family. I guess I'm going to have to figure something else out. :D

(Don't you just love the Tigger hat? We got it from Disney when Ian was 3 months old; they both look so cute in it.)

I don't feel as interesting today as I normally do. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today with those tomatoes. I really hope the salsa turns out to be yummy. I'm not sure how I'll feel if it's nasty or no one wants to eat it. Oh well, we can always use it for Christmas gifts. Is it tacky to ask for the jars back?? Probably, but man, those jars are expensive!!

Now that it's August, I'm finally figuring out how to do things around the heat. Baking and cooking are best done in the morning, when the house is still cool. Unless you are canning, then there's no good time, it just makes everything hot. I am glad that our garden is not going to waste though. But now I am out of canning jars! Now, of course, is the time for someone to give us 10 lb of okra. I have everything but jars and hot peppers. Our local grocery store is not carrying them until the salmonella ? scare is over. I guess. I think. Because what other reason do they have not to carry them. We live in OK! There are ALWAYS peppers. Until now.

Another thing. My birthday is a week from Saturday. I feel like I need to make a list or something. My friend Rachel is a compulsive list-maker. Neat, right? No, the neat thing is that she actually DOES the things on her list. Crazy. I love to make lists too, but I end up doing other things and then putting them on the list so I can mark them off. Does anyone else do that?

Anyway, when you start not making sense it's time to go to bed. The best kind of people take their own advice. The End.