Jeff and I made and canned some strawberry jam on Saturday on our own for the first time. We just ran out of our last batch from two years ago yesterday and got to open one of our new jars and try it out. I am not sure whether my taste buds are biased by all the work we put in, but it sure tastes good. Hopefully next time we will be a little more prepared (we got a late start and finished after midnight), but we put in the work and it paid off. Only one of our many jars didn't seal. It was fun to hear them pop as we continued to work. I stayed up an extra half hour cleaning sticky red mess off of every surface in the kitchen, and it was rewarding in the morning. Some of our friends traded us a fresh homemade loaf of bread when we gave her a jar, so we got to try our very first taste of the jam on steaming delicious bread, it was wonderful.
What else is going on? My 18 month old has found yet a new way to test me. She has learned how to say no and has put it to ample and excessive use in the last 24 hours. I am used to talking to her, telling her that it is time for a nap or lunch, and not getting a response. Now I am shocked when I say something and Ariana says a forceful "NO!" I am sure I will get used to it, but it has been testing my nerves and patience so far. She even tells me no for some things wants, of course. If I offer her a cracker and I know she really wants a cookie, she will tell me no, then when she sees that it's the only offer she is going to get, she takes it anyway. I always tell people she is getting too smart for me! Between learning how to take her diaper off and realizing when Dad is away, she is certainly testing my abilities.
