Never mind that I’m 20 rows and the border from finishing the Blanket for Birmingham…
Never mind that I’m exactly halfway done with the quilting and the edging is already made, just waiting…
Never mind the jam that is made and waiting to be shipped…
Mind the beautiful colors!
Mind the endless possibilities of a new project!
Mind the joy of chain-piecing at 6:00 a.m.! And while you’re at it, mind the cat!
I’ll get back to never mind soon enough.
They give us those nice bright colors
give us the greens of summers
makes you think all the world’s
a sunny day, oh yeah.
Well, I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away…
(can you tell I had no problem finding green photographs for June’s Project Spectrum?!?!)
Real post soon!
There hasn’t been much going on the past week – there’s been progress on all fronts but nothing major to post about.
My Blanket for Birmingham is slowly growing, much like these tomatoes. I’ve finished the third repeat of the cable pattern and now have to determine if I have enough yarn for one more repeat. I’ll be counting rows tonight.
Did more canning last weekend – bit the bullet and bought an actual pressure cooker/canner after a near disaster with the “big heavy pot on top of a tiny camp stove” method. I made Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam (to die for), Triple Berry Jam (strawberry, raspberry and blackberry), Strawberry Basil Lemon Thyme Jam and Blackberry Bay Jam. If I can find more strawberries at the farmer’s market, I’m doing a repeat of the Balsamic Black Pepper Jam. I purposefully made a small batch last week in case it didn’t turn out well, and now I need more. To share.
Speaking of sharing – I’ve created a new drink recipe I want to share. As I’ve mentioned, I’m eating healthy and exercising a lot and feeling like a new person really, but this girl still likes a cocktail when the weekend finally arrives and it’s time to relax!
Lemon Mint Fizz – 87 calories
1 ounce vodka
1 tsp. agave syrup
juice of half a lemon
fresh mint leaves
club soda
Pour your jigger of vodka into a tall glass. Squeeze the lemon juice directly into the glass and remove any seeds. Add 1 tsp. agave syrup and give it a stir. Toss in the mint leaves and press against the side of the glass to release their flavor. Top with club soda and ice, and enjoy!
oh yes, I’m turning Amish-y, I really think so…
That is the song that ran through my head all day Monday
as I made Strawberry Balsamic Jam
(am I the only one who says ba-sal-mic, rather than bal-sam-ic?) I’m trying really hard to correct myself, but years of mispronunciation is difficult to change!).
Found a cheap canning pot and rack at Walmart for around $20, got home and noticed it said “Not Recommended For Glass Cook Tops.” SB rigged up the Coleman one burner, protected from the wind and curious kitties by our recycling bin.
The jam turned out okay. I didn’t use the recipe I found online because Anita, the lady who has been cutting my hair for 15 years, asked me Saturday if I had Sure Jell and was horrified when I said my recipe didn’t call for it, so I hightailed it back to Walmart and got some Sure Jell, and then was so petrified of wasting time and money and a gallon of strawberries that I followed the Sure Jell recipe to a T, incorporating 4 tablespoons of bal-sam-ic vinegar as per the online recipe.
It’s good, but a bit too sweet for my taste, and I wish I’d used more bal-sam-ic vinegar. However! My friend Vikki really likes it, she sent me an email that said:
“BAM! You be Jammin! Oh my GOODNESS, girlie – you put BOTH feet in that jam! Vikki like….vikki like very much.”
For the next batch (because yes, there will be more, and then there’s blueberries in season, and peaches – I see lots of canning in my future!) I’ll use Sure Jell’s low sugar product and tweak the bal-sam-ic vinegar amount…
Canning was completed by mid-afternoon and I turned to another proper Amish activity – quilting.
I stitched up a quilt back and made the binding,
and I’m slowly tackling the quilting. It’s amazing how much the material can shift with so many quilting lines! Probably should have used that spray adhesive… I’m plunging ahead and praying it won’t turn out to be a big do-over.
I’m not quite Amish yet.
Trailing Yarn 