Monthly Goals Update and This Week's Goals

 Well, when it came to goals last week, it was one of those weeks where I didn't get my original list accomplished, but ended up adding more and more stuff to the list.  So, I got a lot done...just not everything I originally wrote down.

We had a heat wave most of the week.  My son HATES heat.  So, instead of working downstairs on sewing projects, I mainly worked upstairs sitting under a fan keeping cool and juggling a cranky kiddo while trying to keep everything cool enough to be tolerable by bedtime.

Then there was everything we did Saturday as soon as the weather started cooling down and the bulk things I bought while regular grocery shopping that I had to find room for.

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the afternoon processing twenty ears of corn.  I got 18 cups of corn out of the ears, blanched and froze it in 1 to 2 cup containers. That should be enough corn to see us through about a year (we don't eat a ton of corn :).  So yay for variety on veggies this coming winter!

Today, it was cool and overcast, but the weather is looking to start heating up again (maybe), so I got up this morning and immediately started canning to get that done in case the weather got hot again.

I processed and canned the nectarines I bought Thursday (seen up top).  Word to the wise.  In Alaska I've never run into easy release stone fruits (oh how I wish I did).   Do not, while fighting to get fruit that does not want to release it's pit no matter what, jam a piece of pit under your thumb nail and immediately go to put said fruit into lemon juice laced water.  You might teach your children a few new words.  Or have a religious experience.  Or both *laugh*.

Anyway, I canned the nectarines and then I made a couple half pints of yellow mustard and canned those and then made dinner.

While everyone was eating dinner I canned this...

Strawberry rhubarb pie filling.

Just as an aside here.  I recently bought Ball's Home Preserving book, which was last year's edition (I guess there's a newer one out still).  I REALLY wanted to like the book.  I really did.  But, so far, I really kind of dislike it.  A lot of recipes are plain missing.  There's no condiment section, so no mustard or ketchup are in the book.  And the above recipe is missing as well.  The new recipes the book brags up seem to all be recipes for freezing or recipes using some of the canned goods from earlier in the book.  Really disappointing.  I think I'll skip their latest book and just buy myself a copy of the Complete Book of Home Preserving again when mine wears out.

Anyway, I also reset the hallway closet a bit this weekend to make room for some things I had cluttering up the sides of the kitchen (like my thermal cooker).  I also got my garden goals (with the exception of planting seeds) accomplished this week as well.  So, really with the exception of deep cleaning children's rooms and getting some sewing done, I did pretty well.  Especially with all the other stuff that ended up going on (including spending more time in the garden than I planned fighting bugs).

So, onto this week's goals!

Sewing Goals:

• Work on previous goals (skirt and dress and mending jackets)

General Goals:

• Get kids through dentist appointment (pray for no cavities)
•  Deep clean children's rooms
• Shampoo downstairs carpets
• Try to figure out better system for clean blankets/comforters storage
• Sit down for a few hours with nothing to do but read a book.  Drink a lovely beverage while doing it (I can dream can't I?  ;).

And yeah, I think that'll do me for the week on goals.  How about you?  Up to anything this week?