The only place yarn and jam go together

Here it is. . . the first yarn to come off of the new spinning wheel (who needs a new name, BTW, any suggestions?)



It's Superwash merino (I think) that I dyed so long ago that I don't remember when it was. 160 yds, double ply, light worsted.

And the wheel spins like a dream.

In other news- it is berry season here in the PNW. I haven't been out picking my own yet, but that will come soon, I think. I was inspired by Beep and Bop and Accident Prone Left Hander to take advantage of our berry berry good summer and make some jam.

However, unlike both of them, I am unwilling to cook anything in my second story, non-air conditioned kitchen, so freezer jam it is. It isn't as pretty to photograph, and I don't give it awesome names (K. I'll leave that up to you if you want) but boy does it taste good!





Oh, and just because I was living in the dark for so long about freezer jam, let me fill any of you who don't know in on a little secret. It is SUPER easy to make. I make it in my blender, as you can see.

1. Blend up fruit.
2. Add sugar and pectin
3. Blend for 1.5 min more
4. Put in freezable containers
5. Let sit for 1/2 hour
6. Throw it in the freezer (or eat it- it's ready to go!)

No cooking involved- which is great for our current uncomfortably hot days. (PS- our next house is going to have AC- I don't care if we only need it for a month out of the year.)

Also, it has a lot less sugar in it that most other jam recipes. You add 1.5 cups to 4 cups of fruit. The Duke and I really like this because we don't like very sweet jam.

There you go, easy as pie (which is a silly saying, because pie can be pretty hard to make.)

Getting Back to Being Me

Have you missed me? I've kind of missed me. I didn't even know that I liked myself that well. Guess I always just took myself for granted. (he he)

OK- here we go with a real live post.

So Little Sir and I have been doing some fun things the last couple of days- and it has been great. On Saturday he and I went garage sale-ing. I haven't done this for such a long time. I really love it because 1. I get to see the strange things that other people have collected over the years and 2. I get to buy things that I otherwise wouldn't because it the cost is so minimal.

So I don't have a little girl (yet) and I'm not the kind to buy cute little girl's clothes and store them away hoping that I will be able to put them on my adorable child one day- but I do have a particular soft spot for vintage baby clothes. (You may have notices that some of Little Sir's baby pics were in cute vintage things. ) Well, when I come across a box of 30ish year old dresses for a quarter a piece, well, I don't feel bad about buying the one bit! And maybe some of them will even fit my new adorable niece (who now has her own blog BTW- you might check it out - The Cabbage Patch Kid.)

I also found a real Sunkahan (Kumusta mga Pinoy na kaibigan!) The family had been using it as a candle holder. (for shame!) At least they hadn't burned the candles on it. For those of you who don't know what a Sunkahan is- it is a Filipino board game somewhat like Mancala, only more complicated.



Later Little Sir and I went to a near by beach and chose enough small smooth stones to play the game. I am looking forward to whipping the Duke on this board. He still hasn't figured out how I always beat him (it's the Filipino heart beating inside of me.)



Today we had to run some errands, but other than that, stayed home and did some crafting. John Henry loves to "enrich" my crafting experience by a fun little game he has concocted of hiding the next tool or supply that I will need. He is very good at it (it's the gremlin heart in him!)



I got my sewing machine out even!

I started with an easy project our church is doing, sewing small pillows for breast cancer patients to put under their seat belt strap where it hits their breast. East and fulfilling- I got several done while Little Sir was napping.

Then onto the beginning of another craft I have had in my mind for a few days now.



It's a little felt book for Little Sir. This is the cover and next I will begin working on the pages and the felt pieces. I am very excited about it. I hope that it will help keep him happy (and quiet) in church. He was an atomic toddler yesterday!

Last by not least, I am simply loving my new spinning wheel and I greatly enjoying the return of mine and the Duke's tradition of me spinning or knitting in the evening while he reads to me. Could there be anything more relaxing?



Yes, I am defiantly feeling more like myself than I have in a long time. It really does feel wonderful.

Oh, and if you want to see some really adorable photos of Little Sir, head over to the adoption blog. There are some really fun new ones.

A real post? Sort of. . .

I'm going to do it. I'm really going to put up a real post tonight, with real pictures and crafts and amazing garage sale finds and even some spinning. . . I'd say it's going to be awesome, but that might be taking it a little too far.

I am starting to feel like myself again.

So, why am I not just posting right now you might ask. . . Well, because right now I have a lot of things I need to do. . . I need to clean my very scary kitchen, I need to make dinner, and I really need to throw Litt'e Sir's bedding in the laundry because after his nap he woke up, took off his diaper, and let loose in his crib. I am viewing this as a Potty Training success, and please, don't correct me if I'm wrong. I'm like my own interpretation of reality just fine.

So, why am I not doing all of those things right now, why am I here posting about a post that I'm going to post later. . . ah, that all goes back to me feeling like myself, my happy procrastinating self.

But as long as I'm here, how about a little "Things I Like"

Have any of you tried Wyller's Italian Ice? They are like Otter Pops for adults. All four flavors are fantastic (my favorite is the orange cream) but the biggest surprise is the texture, really like Italian Ice. I have found them at Rite Aid and most recently at Albertsons. They are only 50 calories, and the perfect way to cool off during the summer.

Recovery is Slow

Well, I am beginning to recover from the massive amounts of stress from finals, graduation, company, brother's custody battle, a wedding, travel, a family reunion, two VERY involved adoption scams. . . let's just say it didn't surprise me much when I saw that I hadn't posted here in a month. Well, let's fix that.

I haven't really had a chance to do much knitting, but there has been a little, and at least I am thinking about it.

See


Knitting


Knitting


Oh- and SPINNING


- on my new (to me) Schacht Matchless spinning wheel (SQUEEEEE!!!) We were up in a little town north or here to have Logan's (dog) teeth cleaned and while we were waiting we went in this little yarn shop and one of their regulars was selling hers, as she had developed arthritis and couldn't use it much anymore.

Well, financially, this wasn't the best time for us to splurge on something like this, but I have NEVER seen a used Matchless for sale before and so we talked it over, figured it out, and the Duke (the amazing husband that he is) decided it could be a (very) early Christmas present. That was Tuesday, and can you believe that today is the first day I've been able to spin on it. I can tell you it instantly increased the Zen in the house. I should remember to spin more, not less when I am tying myself in knots. . . it does wonders to untie them. Oh, and it spins like a dream. . .

Now, off to bed to dream about spinning (or maybe a little more spinning to get me in the right mind set for dreaming ;)