Dolly Diapers

In an earlier blog I wrote about making diapers for my granddaughters' Baby Alive dolls. Last week-end after Ari left, I went into the bedroom to clean up all of the dolly items she had carried there. I had a good laugh when I found a dirty diaper and poop all over the floor from the two "kids" - a wet disposable diaper, and one of my homemade diapers complete with yellow Play-Doh stain, and yellow Play-Doh poop. I would have called Ari and "scolded" her about leaving dirty diapers on the floor, if I had known she would take it in the right spirit.

I continue with my vision therapy. I can tell that I have made progress, but I can also tell how misaligned my eyes are when I do the exercises. And now I am wondering if I will in fact like the final results when therapy is done! A few weeks ago I was looking in the mirror, and saw what was more of a 3D image looking back at me. I was a bit freaked out. I thought to myself that I have a hard enough time seeing my fat as it is. In 3D, I may really feel huge.

I am currently reading Forgiving Mother, written by a fellow Schoenstatter, Marge Steinhage Fenelon. I do not necessarily need to read it in terms of my mom, but I wanted to read it to preview it for others whom I know have a need to forgive. I find myself having to stop frequently to pray for my own faults and for those I need to forgive as I read. Marge's scripture quotes and catechetical teaching are very compelling. Forgiveness is one of those things rarely preached from the pulpit. (One sermon on the topic by Fr. Bob Landsberger stands out, as does the private counsel provided me during an annual Opus Sanctorum Angelorum retreat).  We need to hear Marge's words about everyone being a child of God, no matter how evil they are. This is especially apropos given the persecution of Christians which I feel is imminent in our country.  We need to be able to say that we forgive those who persecute us, and see persecutors as children of God. And we need to hear Marge's words about vengeance belonging to God alone.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

We had an overabundance of strawberries again this year. We gave many away. I do not like the texture of frozen strawberries, and have little use for them, so we did not want to freeze any. Several years ago a friend gifted us with a jar of freezer jam, and Arthur raved about it. We use little jam, but I thought I would make some nonetheless, to try something new and to use up the strawberries. I was so green that when I went to buy a box of Sure Jell, I did not know why there were two different boxes, and after a superficial reading of both - I did not feel like spending half an hour reading and picking out boxes - I grabbed one and headed off to the rest of my shopping. When I got home I discovered that I had gotten Sure Jell for low-sugar jam. No big deal. Less sugar is fine with me. The box said my yield was expected to be six jars. I kept having to wash more jars, and by the time I was done I had 13 half pints ready for the freezer and refrigerator. Going back over the recipe I discovered that I had doubled the strawberries, and not the sugar. I was afraid that we would have very runny, tart jam, but it firmed sufficiently enough that we can spread it on our toast. It tastes fine. To make a long story short, half of the jars are gone. We like the freezer jam so much more than processed jams because the strawberries retain their bright red color. It is so much more appetizing looking than  processed jam, so we eat more.

I bought blueberries at Aldi's the other day because the price was so good. The price savings was not worth the time I had to spend picking off stems before I could make Arthur's blueberry muffins. Ciabatta buns are my Aldi's treat. I am also a sucker for their low priced chips and crackers. We go through so many eggs at our house that I can always pick up a carton of their very cheap eggs.

Yesterday's blessing from God was my three year old housekeeping helper. We swept and Swiffed the whole upstairs, singing and chatting as we worked. She talks non-stop, but it made the work fun. The work helps her to feel so grown up. Last night I put on my red/green glasses as we bowled on the kitchen floor, so I could count it as vision therapy.

I finished the 1,000 piece puzzle that Miss Ari and I started a couple of weeks ago. She did help with the edge pieces, but then gave up on it. I thought that would happen, but why argue? I debated  between leaving the last few pieces for her to finish when she gets home, or doing it myself. Myself won. Now I can get to bed on time.

Gotta get some sewing ready for Ari next week. I also have to sew some dolly diapers. I do not like having to wipe up Baby Alive dolly poop from the kitchen floor. The "disposable" dolly diapers are significantly more expensive than baby diapers, but the girls are fascinated with feeding the dolls. I like their maternal interests.