Busy weekend!

Just have a brief moment of peace! We have had a very packed house of out of town visitors this weekend. Papas folks are up and my mom and niece came for a visit at the same time. For a 780 square foot house and two very sensory overstimulated kiddos... this can feel a little overwhelming! It has been nice though. Today we hit a couple of garage sales and a yearly rock and gem show. I only picked up a couple of small pieces to use for jewelry when I get back in the workshop. At the garage sales I picked up 2 boxes of jars and a decent pressure canner for under 20 bucks( oh yes... and an anvil to use when I am jewelry making too!) I really hadn't thought about the potential of a pressure canner past the thought that it could come in handy. Now though, I am super excited! I have a huge stock on the go right now and am planning to can a bunch tomorrow. I usually have two large plastic Tupperware type of containers that I store the stock in in the freezer. They are the only two containers I have and have thought of using glass in the freezer... but it is a small one and I would be happy to free up room in there anyhow!. I love the potential of canning it and not needing to wait for it to thaw as well as having it on hand for sick neighbours ( I am old fashioned that way... I have a thing for bone broths and feeding them to anyone who is sick... I swear that I am going to be the chunky grandma who constantly feeds everyone!). Making extra large batches of sauces and soups and canning them too. It is much more frugal to stretch a meal into something larger, so this excites me hugely! So it looks as if I will be experimenting with the pressure canner for the next few weeks so that I can get the hang of the routine before the harvest season even gets here. In the meantime... back to socialising with guests... and trying to help the kids stay sane!