mixed them with some organic sugar and cooked and cooked and cooked them....
and cooked them some more.
I was testing a new jam recipe, and didn't want to get too many before trying it out. But now we'll be going back for more!!
I made the jam the old fashioned way without packaged pectin.
We're very pleased with it. It's softer than if I'd added pectin, but oh so yummy!!
I learned that berries with a hint of green at the tip contain more pectin.
So be sure to pick some of those to help your jelly set up if you aren't adding in pectin.
Monday, May 10, 2010
yesterday I was talking to a friend whose husband every year on Mother's day leaves and goes to his Mom's for Mother's day, leaving her with their 3 kids.
WOW!!
I thought....goodness me, at least take the kids with you so your wife gets a break
a few of us just gawked at him.
But you know what? The more I thought on that last night I thought
"HOW WONDERFUL OF HIM!!"
How awesome he wants to spend some time with his Mommy to give her honor for what she did for him and to spend some quality time with her!!
What a tribute to that Mom and what a great example for his sons!!
Why is it I expect a break for Mother's Day??
I get that we Mom's do a lot and some down time is nice.
Don't get me wrong.
But I also realize how much some others out there that I love dearly would LOVE to be a Mommy and would be ever so willing and thankful to have little ones to do the laundry for on Mother's day
or to get up and fix breakfast for,
wash the dishes for,
clean up after....on Mother's day.
Those that want to BE A MOMMY!!
The world teaches us it should be a day our family gives us a break....a day for ME!
But I'm thinking it's a day for ME in a different way maybe
...for ME to sit back and realize how amazing I have it.
For ME to be thankful that I have little ones in my home whose laundry I get to wash.
for ME to be thankful for each and every laugh I share with them
for ME to be thankful and realize just what a gift it is to wash their dishes and make their meals.
for ME to be thankful for the man that I married who helped me create these amazing beings.
I can remember years ago as a child getting a gift from my Mother on mother's day.
I knew that she said it was in honor of us making her a Mother....but I didn't fully get it then.
But I'm getting it Mom....slowly but surely.
Because my reality is I'm SO thankful to be the Mommy to these two precious ones.
I hope next year I remember that I want it to be
about ME giving GOD THE GLORY for gifting me with these two!!
If this bit of loveliness can bloom in my weed ridden, black thumb owned, rocky clay soil filled backyard.... I'm thinkin' there's hope for me in this world!
On my friend LAURA'S blog someone commented the other day
Below the video is a great article about what's going on and how Tennessee is handling it. I realize it's rather lengthy, but it's really worth it!!!! I love Tennessee!!
On May 1st and 2nd of 2010 a historic amount of rain, as much as 17 inches, fell on middle Tennessee and the city of Nashville in less than 48 hours. Historians are using terms like “thousand year flood” to describe what took place here. The Cumberland River, Nashville’s main waterway, crested at just over 51 feet, flooding iconic structures including the Grand Ole Opry, LP Field and Bridgestone Arena where the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators play, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. The water rose so much, so fast and in places water has never been seen that thousands had to be rescued by boat. Dozens lost their lives. Thousands of homeowners lost everything they had. Thousands more are now trying to salvage what’s left. Most had no flood insurance because before May 1st they didn’t need it where they lived. Early estimates are that the damage will top $1 billion and this storm will go down as the most devastating non-hurricane event in American history.
This is Tennessee.
It’s Monday, May 3rd. The rain has stopped, finally. What happens next shouldn’t come as a surprise. Almost instinctively, after a long night of restlessness, volunteers spring into action. It’s in their blood. They’ve been trained to do so by their parents and grandparents. From Waverly to Cookeville, Winchester to Cross Plains and in the capital city of Nashville the sights and sounds are the same.
Without being asked, fishermen launch their boats into the muddy soup, joining the rescue efforts. Business owners and supervisors tell their employees to take the day off and jump in and help wherever they can. Neighbors, many of whom helped empty entire houses in brigade fashion the night before, transition into cleanup mode. Sump pumps and generators whirr. Drywall, carpet and ruined floors are ripped out. Elderly ladies gather at the church to make lunches for workers. Teenagers distribute bottled water. Pickup trucks, trailers and storage units are loaded with what could be salvaged. Photos and documents are spread out in the sun to dry. Wads of $20 bills are slid into pockets of those affected. Checks are written. Hugs are given. Prayers are said. Tears are shed.
This is Tennessee.
Almost 200 years ago Tennessee first earned the nickname “Volunteer State.” In 1812 More than 2,000 Tennesseans volunteered to fight for Andrew Jackson and were the main part of Jackson’s army that destroyed the British three years later in the Battle of New Orleans. A generation later the U. S. Secretary of War asked Tennessee for 2,800 soldiers to fight a war against Mexico. 30,000 volunteered.
This is a state where faith comes first. We don’t ask why. We know there is a reason and look forward to it being revealed. We are guided by scriptures such as Philippians 2:3-5 which says:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus.”
Family is a focus, not an afterthought. Don’t bother trying to do business with us the week of Christmas or July 4th. We’ll be with family. When our kids have a school play we will be there. We throw big birthday parties. We teach our kids right from wrong and aren’t afraid to give them a whippin’ when they need it.
Here we say “Yes ma’am” and “No ma’am.” We try to leave a place better than we found it. We put our hand over our heart when the national anthem is played. We pull over on the side of the road when funeral processions pass on the other side.
We are savvy business people. We are farmers. We are teachers.
We drink Coke here. We like gravy with our biscuits and potatoes.
We are serious about our sports. We keep score in little league and we still have all-star teams and MVP trophies.
We are givers.
You won’t hear us wailing about where the federal government and insurance companies were in all of this. We’ll get by just fine without them.
Right now we have a lot to deal with here in our backyard. We will handle it with dignity and class. We will sacrifice for each other in ways that are unfathomable to most. We will stand together. We will stand tall. We will come out of this stronger than we were before it.
One day in the not too distant future a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood or other unspeakable disaster will strike your community. As you struggle to put the pieces back together we will be there.
We will volunteer.
We are Tennesseans.
This is Tennessee.
Brent High, 36, is a lifelong Tennessean from Nashville. He serves as Assistant Director of Athletics for External Affairs at Lipscomb University
UPDATE: WAYS TO HELP
here's what I know
www.disasterrelief.org is an organization my family has been involved with for many years. My Grandfather loved volunteering for them at their warehouse in Nashville. They are an amazing organization!!
www.ottercreek.org is a church where quite a few friends attend. I love love love their idea of collecting gift cards to hand out to flood victims!! The address to send them to is on the first page of their website!
I'm sure www.redcross.org would put donations to good use as well.
The two above I just know of that are located in Nashville and have been working very hard since day one!
