Squishy Goodness

I recently received a kind, thoughtful gift from a dear friend... a bag of home-grown oranges. And tonight, after Sheridan was asleep and planning for Sofia's Crab Feed and Silent Auction was complete (for tonight anyway), I remembered that bag of oranges that I had set just inside our side door last week.

And I got down to work.

And I forgot how wonderful that squishy sound is... the sound of squeezing oranges by hand. The aroma filled our entire house (shhhh... our house is actually kinda small, but it sounds awesome, right?). And I made quite a mess of the situation... hands dripping with juice. Splashes of juice on the countertop.

Brown Bear watched over me while Gary listened to his iPod and did laundry (including our usual every-other-day load of diapers - yes, we do all cloth diapers & cloth wipes, but we're not crazy).

By the time I was done the sacrificial orange peels had taken over the counter...

and all that was left was the pulp. So, those oj connoisseurs out there are likely wondering where I stand on the pulp issue.

Can't stand the stuff... but don't you worry your little head. I pressed all that yummy juice out. In fact, to this day I still use the little glass-size strainer that my dad bought me when I was growing up. I'm the only one in the house who strained the orange juice into my glass. I guess it's not just our kids with Ds that have sensory issues, huh? =D

So how did it turn out? Was it sweet? Was it slightly sour? Was it tangy?

Don't know yet. I put it in the refrigerator so it can chill over night. (please only look at the pitcher of juice and not the embarrassing mess that is the fridge)

I'm most excited about waking up in the morning, and as I'm getting Sheridan dressed for the day I'll suddenly remember that we have fresh-squeezed orange juice to start our morning.

And Sheridan will have his first taste of orange juice. (yep, I'm a mean mama who rarely gives her child a bit of nectar... he loves water and I'm stickin' to it)

Thank you, Jonna, for such a sweet, simple gift. I loved the squishy goodness tonight.

And just to prove to you that everyone in this family loves Miss Jonna...

Oh, and by the way, another special thank you to my dear friends Jen (who spoiled my pasty white toes)...

and Monica who graciously lent some very snazzy hand-me-downs to Sir Sheridan. You really know his colors! And Chrystal who helped out with some Costco shopping and awesome silent auction finds. And... well, the list goes on with all the amazing things our friends have done lately.

So, I guess you could say that my friends are taking great care of us... thank you for all the goodness you add to our lives!