Labour of Love.

Today, I became One of Them.

All day, my wonderful mom and amazing Grandma slaved away in my kitchen teaching me the fine art of … preserving.  My mom and my grandma both are Master Canners with years and year of experience to pass on to my generation, a gift I gladly accepted today, despite the sweaty brows, aching feet & backs and tomato splattered kitchen floor.

Together, we canned tomatoes, dill pickles and salsa. I wanted to do more but my eyes are bigger than my energy levels right now.

My hubby already cleared out a big shelf in our century-old basement for my canning project when I warned him his mother-in-law and grand-mother-in-law were coming over, armed with huge boiling pots, can lifters and wide-mouthed-jars for our canning adventures. At first, he just sighed. He remembers the ‘old days’ … when I was just learning to cook and left chicken broth in the crock pot “stewing” for five days. Yes, friends, that smell doesn’t leave your memory too soon. But I think, I just think, we may have shocked the socks off my doubting hubby’s feet when he came home to a scrumptious, amazing meal made with delicious, fresh homemade sauce …

{interjecting here to say I am the luckiest daughter/grand daughter on earth to have these two beautiful women in my life!!}

We used a pressure canner to speed up the process. We had one heck of a time trying to find one but finally had someone offer to lend us one for the day – apparently, they are “what farm people use” (from what the local kitchen people said when I asked where I could buy one) and are rarely carried in kitchen stores. I can’t wait to own one. Guess I’m a qualified  “farm person.” Fine by me.

Gee, it looks like mom and gramma did all the work. I just sat down and took pictures.

When I was a little girl, I thought my mom made Dale Pickles, not dill pickles … thought they were named after my dad, Dale. Dale, Dill – scrumptious either way.

A labour of love – and sweat and some laughter mixed in between.

I’m not sure what I should can next … does anyone have any tips or suggestions? I’m on a roll here!

Also, another big thing happening in the Gauthier home … I’ve been wondering how to write this out on the blog and just can’t seem to find the words to explain it all or the reasons behind our decision … when I have it all figured out and clearly written, I will definitely blog it … it’s a decision that is very near and close to my heart.

We have decided to  homeschool the girls.

For now. To try it out. To see where it takes us. There are a lot of reasons behind this – almost too many to write out here. We loved, loved loved the school Lacey attended for kindergarten but strongly felt this is where our family was being led for this year. Yes, I know some people may think I’m crazy (and they are probably right) and others might think I’ve lost it especially with a baby on the way (also correct) … and there will be lots of questions to go along with this decision but for now … we know this is the right decision for our family. I know of several families with a similar setup – running a photography business, homeschooling their children and still surviving so I know it can be done. There’s also an amazing homeschool network here in Dufferin County that I can tap into.

Today, the first of the curriculum arrived in the mail. I am beyond excited… and so is Lacey! She’ll be studying Grade 1 and we’ll also incorporate junior kindergarten for Lyla this year, as well.

I’ll be adding a section to the blog to help you follow along in our homeschooling adventures … stay tuned … I’m sure there will be a TON of ‘interesting’ stories to share.

Let the adventures begin!