Where did it go?

I'm referring to TIME. I wish it could be the jiggle around my thighs, but that will most likely always be there.

Ack - tomorrow is October!

September flew past us, and while I'm sure we enjoyed it, I don't remember much of it.

G & G were still here, and they had dinner at our house once a week, which was nice. It gave them some time with the kids, and I know that the kids enjoyed having them here.

Q is in pre-school three days a week, and for the most part is enjoying it. It's nice to see him making friends. It's funny, he's just as reluctant to step up and start a conversation as I am. Which, according to those that know me, is very surprising. But, he is now playing on the blacktop in the morning with the kids, and he is presently at his 2nd birthday party of the year. I'm already wondering what we'll do for his birthday in May.

The Bee is talking up a storm, and is funnier than ever. She is definitely my toughie.

Last week, my MIL went into the hospital for shortness of breath, which quickly snowballed into heart disease being diagnosed, with the reccomendation of a bypass to the 3rd power. She was transferred on Wednesday, had the surgery yesterday and is in a bad mood today. In the midst of last weekend, though, we hosted the goodbye party for G & G, then took them to the airport on Sunday, on our way to Kenosha, Wisconsin for a birthday party. Busy busy, and we can't ever say no, I don't think it's in our vocabulary, unless you're one of our children.

Tomorrow, I will participate in America's Walk for Diabetes, in St. Charles. Many people think that diabetes is a disease that you can control if you don't eat sugar. It's not that easy, by any stretch of the means. This is a disease that affects not only your pancreas, but your heart, your kidneys, your liver and your circulatory system, to name a few. Over time, it slowly wreaks your parts. They're all damaged by it, and the overall affect (or is it effect?) is no joy. So, take it seriously, it can kill you.

A nice way to end a post, isn't it? I refuse to make it sound nice, because it's not.

So, if you're in the St. Charles area tomorrow, and you see a group of people walking, that's what we're doing. Raising funds, raising awareness and honoring the people in our lives that have this disease.

Making more stuff

I don't know where this is coming from, but I think I like it.

I planted a jalapeno plant, that turned into a bush in the garden. I have already frozen 32 jalapenos for chili later in the year, so I should have plenty of peppers to make it through football season. I still have dozens of peppers on the plant, and me being the way that I am, can't stand to see them possibly go to waste. So, what to do?

Ask at work - any ideas for jalapenos?

Sure - jalapeno jam, the kind you eat with cream cheese and crackers.

Okay, I'll give it a whirl.

I made some today. It was actually easy, although I thought I might die while seeding and veining the peppers. ** HELPFUL HINT: Don't stand over the garbage disposal while you're rinsing all the seeds and shrapnel down the drain. ** I ended up with six and a half pints of jam. I'll be taking some of it to my in-laws tomorrow for Labor Day, and we'll see how it turns out before I take it to work.

Never did I think I'd be making jalapeno jam, much less doing half the other stuff that I'm doing. My mom wasn't into "stuff" like this, and I think she may have canned when she was younger, but I don't remember her doing it when I was young. I don't remember either of my grandmas, and later the other two additional grandmas, doing it. My husbands mother used to, and her mother in law still does - we love Gigi's jam!

I wish I could come up with something philisophical and enlightening about making jam, but all I know is I like taking something that I grew, adding a few things to it, and turning it into something for someone else. I'm proud of what I'm learning and making. I'm proud of myself.

Hmm ... outside of my kids, I don't know when the last time was I said that I was proud of myself, and really meant it. I talk to my kids about it all the time, being proud about what you've done or created, but I've never put it back on myself until now.

I know that Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I'm not feeling so deadly right now, just pretty darn good about myself.

And I like that feeling.