Every summer I tell Rick that "this" year I am actually going to start canning. With all the pears, peaches, cherries, tomatoes and other veggies we grow around here some may think I should already be elbow deep in fruit peels and sugar syrup. Instead, I find reasons and excuses as to why I avoid it. This year I am
determined to bottle up some fruit, boy that sounds
familiar doesn't it?
Growing up I watched my mom can a number of different things. It seemed that as the temperature in the kitchen went up, so did my mom's
temperament, sorry mom! Maybe that is why I avoid it...
My mother-in-law, until the last few years, was a one woman canning machine. She would put up quarts of green beans, pickled garlic, tomatoes, the best canned peaches-ever and the most beautiful canned pears. Every year she would win stacks of ribbons from the county fair. She also won a few trophies for her amazing pears. Several times I asked if I could help her, hoping to pick up her secrets in the process, only to arrive at her house at the 6am we agreed upon to find that she had already finished up. She was unable to sleep and started to can in the wee house of the morning.
Friday, I decided to throw caution to the wind and make some cherry juice. I picked a couple bowls of cherries, washed them and then threw them into my juicer thing. A little while later I was rewarded with 4 beautiful bottles of deep red juice. Since it was still fairly early in the day and the house wasn't too hot, I decided to make a couple more bottles. Lets just say I shouldn't have tempted fate. While in the other room I started to hear a
sizzling noise so I quickly dashed back into the kitchen and found the hose leading out of my juicer had detached. Cherry juice had sprayed all over the floor, rivers had run down the face of the oven and huge puddles were burning on the
stove top. I quickly wiped it all up making a sticker mess and continued with my juicing. I ended up with 9 bottles of juice and a somewhat sticky-free floor. Will I attempt to actually can something? Maybe. A friend just dropped off a huge box of fresh peaches.
Cristine turned 4 last week. She has been so excited about her birthday. A few weeks ago while we were driving she told me that when she turned 4 she would know how to read. Then she said that when she turned 4 she was going to learn how to ride a bike. I thought those both sounded like pretty good goals. Then she told me that when she turned 4 she was going to learn how to drive a car! I decided that she thought 4 was a magical age. Until the day after her birthday. She told me that she decided that she was going to skip 4 and just be 5. I am just loving all her fun comments!
I've been making some cute gift card/cash holders for a few lucky family members. They were super easy. First I cut out the holly leaf shapes, placed them on some card stock and sewed through them with fun red string. After sewing the leaves, I folded the card. 
I folded it twice. One fold was maybe only a 1/2 of paper. I stitched up the sides a bit to hold the bottom fold. Then I painted on 3 red circles to look like berries. I used double side tape to hold the front of the card down and to keep the money or gift card inside. I thought they turned out so cute. I had planned to make our Christmas cards this way, minus the bottom fold. But haven't gotten around to that...maybe next year!
These are our ice candles. Each winter we have a week or two of below freezing weather. During the day we place plastic containers with water out to freeze. Then at night we invert them, add a candle and light it. They are beautiful. I love seeing them when we go outside.
