Lots of catching up

There's just so much going on lately, that I'm just going to ramble to catch everyone up on it.

1. Meet the newest member of the Callahan family. After living without one for 6 1/2 years, we have decided to go ahead and sacrifice the cabinet space and put in a little 18-inch dishwasher! I've never really minded washing the dishes by hand, but if we ever sell or rent the condo, we think it might be a little more attractive with a dishwasher. So, here she is. Yay! Welcome, little one.

2. For some ridiculous reason, I decided that, even though I had my own two kids plus another, Thursday was a great day to paint the playroom. (What was I thinking?) Charlie and I were able to apply almost one full coat while the little ones napped, and everything was fine until Judah woke up and I left Charlie in charge while I took a shower. Yes, I had gated off the playroom, but Charlie was totally glued to the TV (since we've really been limiting her screen time, when she does get to watch, it totally captivates her) and didn't notice her sneaky little brother tip-toe in and grab a wet paint brush. To make a long story short, I had quite a mess on my hands, although it could have been much worse. The playroom looks great, especially since Paul finished up the edges and a couple small spots that needed some touching up. I'll post some pics as soon as I get done with what we're doing there.

3. So, we've been sleep training Judah. As a matter of fact, I think we've been sleep training him for his entire little 19-month-long life. Anyway, it's been a battle with this kid. It's just slow progress, and we are tired. We are more tired than I ever thought we'd be. For almost 2 years now, we haven't had more than a VERY sporadic full night's sleep. And by "full night's sleep" I mean more than 4 hours at a time. It's been excruciating. But every night is getting better and better, and I know that one day we'll be at his college graduation saying, "Wow, do you remember what a tough time we had with him in the beginning? When all he wanted to do was nurse and nurse and nurse and he wouldn't take a pacifier or a bottle and he didn't want to eat solids until he was 13 months old and he wouldn't sleep more than 4 hours at a time and napping for only an hour? And look at him now--graduating magna cum laude from Oxford, speaking three languages, about to publish his fifth book. And such a compassionate, loving young man. It has really paid off, hasn't it? I'm so glad that we raised these kids with Attachment Parenting philosophies and homeschooled." Okay, I guess I got a little carried away there, but at any rate, he's starting to sleep better, I'm nursing him only three times a day now, and he's eating three square meals a day plus snacks. For those of you that don't really know Judah, this is HUGE progress.

4. Ah, it's officially summertime. Not only because it's Memorial Day weekend, but because our neighborhood Farmers' Market is in full gear these days. I'd meant to bring my camera this morning and forgot it, but next week I'll be sure to get a few shots of the glorious strawberries, zucchini, onions, several types of greens, carrots, local meats and eggs, homebaked bread, and fresh squeezed OJ. And the tomatoes--ah, the tomatoes. I didn't know it until today, but one of the vendors sells seconds for making sauces and canning. I was so thrilled to hear this and bought eight pounds today at $.99 per pound and turned them into this:

Homemade tomato sauce

Homemade tomato soup

(Charlie had hers hot, but I had mine chilled--gazpacho style.)

If you knew me during college or shortly thereafter, you might be surprised that I've blossomed into such a Domestic Goddess. ;) But I'm trying my hand at canning. I've cleared a couple of shelves in my pantry for jars of homemade local food. I'm planning to do a little canning at a time on the weekends this summer and hopefully have enough to last through the off-season. We're going strawberry picking tomorrow and will freeze some berries and make jam with the rest.

I will be sure to some pictures of the kids, since it's been a while. Tomorrow's strawberry picking should be quite a photo-friendly adventure! Until then, have a great Saturday evening!