Late night jam making....a recipe for disaster

Last night I made some frozen strawberry and raspberry jam.

It was late when I started making it and I was tired.
I should have waited until another time, but the fruit was ready.
What else could I do?

First.....
I had to thaw out my lemon juice. I guess my fridge is colder than I thought.
Then I forgot to let the jam and pectin sit before I added the sugar.
That's not all....
I didn't remember about the Karo Syrup until I had it in the bottles.
Out if came and back in the pan for re-mixing.

Thank goodness it was "uncooked" jam.
Think what a mess I might have made with the stove on!

Tonight I have a few more batches to finish up.
(Hopefully, I can remember the recipe this time!)

I know that some cold winter night when I want to eat a warm piece of toast smothered with yummy jam, I will be grateful.
Right now, I'm just tired!

Passing along a cute idea...market skirts

I thought these little girl skirts were really cute and the blog that I saw them on encouraged people to share the idea (Made, a creative collection of the things I've made). She gives a tutorial with all the instructions. If you want to be creative and make something cute for the little girls in your life-check it out.
Thanks for the great idea, Dana!
(She also makes a lot of other fun things.)

She welcomes emails at danawillard@gmail.com

I know, two posts in one day! I'm crazy!!!!

(photos by Google.com)

Moving:
Packing, cleaning, sorting, tossing, and finding lost treasures,
so that you can take things from one place and move them to another and then rearrange, refresh, redo and start all over again.

I'm glad that it isn't something I have had to do very often.
(I grew up in just one house, lived in a few apartments/dorms during college and early marriage, and have lived in the same house ever since.)

My in-laws moved quite a bit all over the country and they loved meeting new people and exploring different cities and cultures.

Both have pros and cons.

This week was moving day for Liz, Karl, and Maddie.
They aren't moving far, but the work is just as great as if they were.

They have been getting ready for over a month.
Boxes have been packed, labeled, and hauled away.
Walls, windows, ovens, cupboards, floors, etc. have been scrubbed.

And now they get to reverse the whole process by unpacking and setting up house again.

HANG IN THERE!

It will be worth it- eventually!

Maddie sitting on one of the last pieces of furniture left in their apartment!

I haven't always hated animals.....

(Diane, Linda, Grandma P., Blackie, and me holding a stuffed animal)

I am not a pet person.
I don't like animals touching me (they always seek me out since they sense my fear).
I don't like animals' hair on my clothing or furniture.
I don't want to be responsible for remembering to feed and care for them.
I don't want to pay for expensive animal food or veterinarian care.
I don't like the smell of house pets.
Plus, I don't want an attachment that could result in a painful loss.
(I saw the movie Marley and Me)

I am not a wild-life animal lover, either
(at least in my own back yard)!
I can admire a wild animal from the safety of my car, or at a zoo, or even from afar, but I am not fond of animals in my personal space.

This summer I have had a few close encounters to reinforce
this belief:

1. Our visiting skunk (which came by again a few nights ago as I was out back watering)
2. A midnight raccoon fight held in our mulberry tree (the noise was awful)
3. Two beavers we saw on our daily walk
and the two beautiful trees they gnawed away at and leveled
4. My neighbor's dogs that bark every time ANYTHING within a mile moves


Just so you animal lovers won't hate me completely,
I haven't always felt this way.

I once loved and played with our little dog Blackie.
I used to dress cats up in doll clothes and teach them school.
(Preparation for working with my more active students?)
I was quite a worm farmer (following behind my dad's tractor during the spring planting).
I loved catching frogs.
I enjoyed riding our horse Betsy.

So what happened to change my opinion?

I haven't had time for the therapy to help me figure it all out.

What do you think?

We're back........

(photo from Google.com)

2 days down.
(178 to go- but who's counting?)
25 new students
100 pencils sharpened
50 notebooks passed out
1 recess duty accomplished
23 lunch numbers memorized (almost all)

Rules modeled, practiced, modeled, practiced, and modeled some more
Former students greeted and hugged
Catching up time with co-workers-started
Tired feet (new shoes that need breaking in)



Quote of the day: "You kind of have grandma hair. Not the color, but the shape."
(Don't tell my hair dresser!)

Looking forward to tomorrow (and wondering what insights I will gain.)

I'll keep you posted.

JoAnn

The passing of a good friend...

(photo from Google.com)

Yesterday I received a phone call telling me that our friend Danny passed away.
(click on Danny to see our recent reunion)

He had suffered from Lou Gehrigs' disease for about two and a half years.


My heart aches for his family.

He was a wonderful husband and father.
He spent many years serving as a police officer and was active in boy scouts.

I find comfort in these words:
"Since the creation of man, no fact of life has been so certain as death with the close of mortality. When the last of life's breath is drawn, there is a finality comparable to no other finality....Life is sacred, and death is somber. Life is buoyant and hopeful. Death is solemn and dark. It is awesome in its silence and certainty.... But death is not final. Though it seems so when its dark shroud overshadows mortal life, to those who accept the Christ and His eternal mission there is light and comfort, there is assurance, there is certainty."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

"Death is a mere comma, not an exclamation point."
-Neal A. Maxwell

"Death, though bitter to observe, is not the end, but is, rather, only another graduation from which we go on to a better life."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

Danny will always be remembered as a fun loving person (click here to read more)
with a cheerful attitude.
He loved life and everyone loved him!



(photo from Google.com)
Thank goodness we believe that life is eternal!

It's a tea party....Happy Birthday, Maddie!

Yesterday we celebrated Madison's second birthday in style.

We were invited to tea.
(Only in title, not really for hot drinks!)

We all wore our finest high fashion hats.
(Thanks to my sister Diane for sharing her great hat collection)!

The younger guests changed hats quite often.

Or took them off completely!

Even the men got to wear some. They were all good sports, since tea parties, hats, and men don't usually go together. Maddie's proud parents worked hard.

These cute aunties and cousin Ivy all look "smashing" in their hats.

There were a lot of nice gifts to open.
My husband Ken made the cute little table underneath them.
Here is a picture of the whole group.
Now that we are all experts at tea parties (and remembering to curve our little pinkies)
I think we all need to head to the store and buy our own hats for the next event!

Happy Birthday, Maddie!