Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I canned for the first time ever!!!  Well, it's not real "canning" it's a water bath, but still... I canned!

I love Strawberry Rhubarb Jam!  And so this year, thanks to my wonderful in-laws fabulous garden and a friend who gave me the recipe... I made it myself!!  3 different batches equaling 24 jars!!  And it is sooooo yummy!!!!!  And very pretty too!!!  And I think the back splash in the background and the new counter top it's sitting on makes even better!!  :)

Now that I have a nice new kitchen, I feel the need to make fancier things, like strawberry rhubarb jam.  I'd pay like $5 a jar to buy this at TJ Maxx, in the gourmet food section.  And from Tastefully Simple it's not that cheap either.

My first batch turned out a little runny, I think I didn't boil it long enough.

So my second batch, I read the piece of paper that came with the pectin and it said to add a little butter to reduce the foam.  So I added a 1/4 of what they said to add because there was only a little bit of foam.  Well, I just kept waiting and waiting for this "full boil" expecting the foam... a few minutes went by and then I remembered I added the little bit of butter to not have foam... so I over boiled it.  But it was still yummy and edible!  

Now, my 3rd batch is nearly perfect... 3rd times the charm, right?

I'm so proud of myself for making this Jam!

I'm Published in the March 2010 Issue of FamilyFun Magazine

Here is the link to see the page with "My Great Idea"
                                                                                                                                                           

	I was published!
March 2010

If the Link doesn't work for you, there is one on the side too, but I print screened it, here it is...

 

 

I wish they would have used a different picture, like one with Jayden playing the game, but whatever... it works!!!  And I should be getting $100 for it!  FYI - they also changed around what I actually said, but I knew they would, they tell you that when you submit it, and hey, I'm not a writer so that's okay!

YAY!!!  So excited!!!

What do you think?  I actually did like 20 different game pieces!!  I started making this a year ago, you can tell by the pictures of Tanner and Carolynn and I didn't finish it until right before I sent it in to Family Fun, I finished on Nov. 8, 2009.  The pieces just sat here on my desk waiting to be laminated, for a very long time!

Oh, I'll post the pictures I took to submit to Family Fun...  I only sent 4 of these, I don't remember exactly which 4, but of course I told them I had more if they wanted them and I could send them at full resolution too.
Here are the ones from November 8, 2009, the night I finished making them...

 

 This next one is the one they used...

  

  

  

  

  

  

 These next 2 pictures are from Nov. 9, 2009...  And I do know I sent these 2 pictures in to FamilyFun...

  

 Above is Carolynn, Ben and Jayden.  They enjoyed playing the game.

  

 At night we invited Pappy and Granny over to play with us and so I could get a picture to send into FamilyFun.

Yay Me!!!

More details and "how to"...

These are double sided.  To get them double sided I used a software editing program (I think you can do this on snapfish.com) to flip the image, so I had a mirrored image.  I ordered my pictures through snapfish.com.  To make sure they were small enough I created a "collage print" on their site with the image and it's mirror image, just 2 pictures in a collage at 9 cents a print.  You could just order wallets, but it's cheaper to create a collage print, and it's super easy!

If you don't let the glue dry in can squeeze out when it's going through the laminator and make a mess, it happened to me with another project.  

I used construction paper with mine, but I recommend colored card stock because it's thicker.  I have to put a piece of clear tape on the bottom of mine so they stay in the stand better.

The plastic stands are the ones that came with the game.

I didn't submit these pictures, but here you can see most of the games pieces I made...

  

  

Made Another Hooter Hider

During Tanner's nap time I made another hooter hider for a friend of mine in Maryland having her first baby.  We were best friends in junior high and high school and lost touch (long story.)  Then we reconnected through Facebook.  Anyway... here it is...

 

 Oh, for those that haven't figured it out... a hooter hider is a nursing cover.  It helps you to see the baby while the baby is nursing but doesn't let anyone else see and the strap around your necks helps so the baby doesn't pull the cover off, like they would a blanket.

Another I Spy Quilt

We did a gift exchange this year with the little kids (cousins) on my side of the family.  We had Jordan and Brianna.  My sister in-law had asked for an "I Spy" quilt for Brianna.

I have all the squares cut, because I have done at least 5 already, most likely more, but I've lost count.  So when I was cutting squares for like the 3rd one I decided to just cut up a whole bunch of squares.  I only buy about 1/4 yard because all I need to cut is a 4" square.  When I first started I had bought fabric that had to be "fussy" cut, I don't do that too much anymore, because that takes too much time.  I also bought some flannel  fabric because a lot of the baby prints are flannel.  Well, after washing Jayden's I Spy quilt several times, I decided to not buy flannel anymore.  I don't like how "pilly" it gets.  But I will use up what I have, there are 144 different squares, if I didn't have the flannel there would be a lot less squares.  Also the very first one, or maybe it was the second one, that I made was for a friend and I put family pictures in it.  I think for that particular one I just used the iron on stuff, but I now have the printable fabric.  However, washing that and it being folded up and what not... the pictures don't really last, so I don't do that anymore.  It's all a learning process, you learn as you go.  So I just thought I'd share what I know with you.

So I threw one together for my niece Brianna.

 Don't look too close because there are a lot of mistakes, I was really hurrying to get it done.

 

 I like to use this really soft stuff on the backs of my quilts.

Shirts for the Marathon

So I believe it was on Wed. that I decided to make T-Shirts to cheer the guys on during the marathon.  I wanted to keep it a surprise.  So that night I took JJ with me and we bought a shirt for Tanner and myself (I already had one for JJ).  We then stopped at Liz's to pick up a shirt for her, it's not unusual that we were out that way and JJ wanted to see Damean, so Dave wouldn't think anything was up.  When Dave went to his meeting that night I washed mine and Tanner's shirt and painted the front of Liz's and Jayden's shirt. And I hid them in Tanner's room to dry so Dave wouldn't see them.

They don't get their numbers until they picked up their packets, which Ralph and Andrew were doing Friday morning.  So I left the spot for the number blank until I knew what it was.

I printed it out and then traced it onto the shirt.  The boys shirts I could see through but the others it was a little hard.  So I made my own light board... I used a glass cutting board and taped the paper to it.  I took Jaydens lamp and took the shade off of it and put it on the floor.  I spread my legs with the cutting board on them and the light underneath, and traced.  If it was day light and warm out side I would have opened the window, pulled it out like I do when cleaning them and used that as a light board.

The front of Jayden's and Tanner's both said "That's my daddy #3361"

The front of mine said "That's my man #3361"

The front of Liz's said "That's my dad #3362" (we were afraid if it said "daddy" people may think it's the daddy of the baby in her belly, so we decided on "dad").

On Thursday morning before preschool I painted (yes, I used fabric paint and painted it with a brush) the back of mine and Tanner's and the back of Jayden's and Liz's and did Jayden's hand print.  The hand print is supposed to be like a hi five. I decided then that I would go to AC Moore and buy 4 more shirts that anyone could wear, I knew Becky might change her mind and want to wear one and her sister, niece and parents might wear one too.  And if they didn't we could hold it up like a banner.  I washed those while JJ was still in preschool.  You can read those four on the right of the picture below...

  This is the back of Jayden's shirt...

This is the back of Tanner's shirt...

  

 Then I think it was Thursday afternoon that I did the back of mine and Tanner's shirt and the front of the other 4 shirts.  And I hid them in drawers in our bedroom to lay flat to dry.  I used drawers that we don't normally use this time of year.  And two of the drawers where in Tanner's dresser that I know Dave never goes in.  I also put some in the top of some storage bins where I have the clothes the boys had out grown.

Around 1 p.m. on Friday Andrew texted me with their numbers.  So I quickly painted it on the front of my shirt, the boy's and Liz's shirt.  Dave was getting off of work at 2:30 and the paint says to lay flat to dry for 4 hours.  I had to have these dry and folded up in the bottom of my bag before Dave got home.  So I held a hair dryer on them for 20 minutes.  They seemed pretty dry after that so I just put them in the living room under the ceiling fan until I had to pack them.  I was watching Ben and Carolynn and Ben had walked into the room where the shirts were and JJ immediately said "Don't go in their, those are my Daddy's racing shirts!  You can't ruin his racing shirts!"  It was so cute!

 

 I knew I wouldn't have time to paint the numbers on the back of Liz's shirt, the back says "and my brothers, #3360, #3361."  So when Dave thought he was going to sleep with his parents so our boys didn't wake him up, I quickly used a fabric marker to write them on.  Then I moved her shirt to the closet shelf to dry and a couple minutes later Dave came up and decided to sleep with me and take the chance of the boys waking him up.  I was glad I moved it so he couldn't see it.

I had told Dave the boys and I were going to wear red to match him.  I had their red shirts laid out and and had my on when he left to get Andrew and Ralph so I could get a picture before they left.  Then I decided he would be looking for a group in red and decided to put my shirt on and show him.  So he knew what to look for.  He liked it but only got to read the front.  He didn't see the back until after the race.

While I was waiting for him around mile 13 one of the runners yelled "I'm your man!"  It was pretty funny.  I got a lot of compliments on the shirts and one lady asked where I got them.  I'm grateful for the compliments, it made me feel good.  But I'm really glad the guys like them! 

Jayden was the most excited about wearing the shirt!  After I get it washed I think he's going to wear it to preschool.

Another Handout Online

Yea!!! I made another handout that is now on Sugar Doodle! I couldn't believe that no one had already outlined this and had a hand out. So I made one. I wanted my girls to have it. And the best part was that when I handed it out the were all like "wow, this is pretty." So I was excited because I put it together.

Becky's Table Runner

I finished the table runner I made for Becky's birthday. There are lots of mistakes in it and I am very sorry. I really wanted to get it finished so I didn't take the time to rip seams out and re-do it. And I was hurrying.

I was originally planning on using the green that is in the middle for the binding. I measured it and thought I might not have enough or I might be very close. Usually I have tons left over so I thought I'd just go for it. I had half of sewn on when I realized that I didn't have enough. I bought the fabric so long ago that I couldn't buy anymore. So I had to rip it all off and start again.

The tulip is from a pattern that I did before, for Carolynn's quilt. I added the leaves and arranged it different from the pattern I did for Carolynn. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to put it all together and so I actually have another set of the tulips minus the leaves. This is the first one I did that I didn't draw it out. I had an idea in my head.

Here's the one I made for Carolynn...

Zucchini Muffins

I made some yummy Zucchini muffins with zucchini from Ralph and Becky's garden and I wanted to share the recipe with you. Here it is straight from the website...

Zucchini Muffins Recipe

For those of you who prefer to use oil over butter, be my guest (use 1 cup vegetable oil instead of the butter) but I have to tell you, I've made these both ways, and the butter version just tastes better.

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Method

You don't need a mixer for this recipe.

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add these dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture. Fold in the walnuts and dried raisins or cranberries if using.

2 Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little butter or vegetable oil spray. Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups, filling the cups up completely. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick or a thin bamboo skewer to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin let cool another 20 minutes.

Note, if you are including walnuts and dried fruit, you will likely have more batter than is needed for 12 muffins. I got about 14 muffins from this batch, and that included filling the muffin cups up as far as they could possibly go (above the surface of the muffin tin).

I didn't put nuts or raisins in it, instead I put chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe and put it in cupcake wrappers. I used a whole bag of chocolate chips since I doubled it. I got 45 cupcakes out of it. I thought they were very yummy. Below is Tanner enjoying a muffin...

Last week I attempted Zucchini bread and after it baked as long as it said I took it out and when I went to dump it on the cooling rack the top came out and pool of goo was in the middle. I quickly put the top back on and put it back in the oven. I had planned on giving it to the Disney's (a couple in our church who moved a couple miles away from us) but then I decided not to since it wasn't so pretty. I actually ate it and it tasted good to me, but I decided not to use that recipe again.

So we took them a plate of the muffins last night, they were much prettier and tasted yummy!

Published Again!

YAY! Another one of my little things for my lesson is on Sugar Doodle! It's so fun to have your name published on a website that is well used by millions of Young Women Teachers!!!!
Too bad it's all I can come up with. I would love to come up with my own cute little demonstration or something. For instance, this past Sunday I took a can of oranges in to class that I took a green bean label and glued to the outside so the girls thought it was green beans. I asked them if they would like to eat some with me and of course they did not. But once Teressa opened the can and poured out the sweet contents they all wanted some. The point was that sometimes people and things are missed labeled and there really could be something sweet inside that is worth getting to know and enjoy. It wasn't my idea I found it on the internet, but I wish I could come up with ideas like that. So maybe one day.
Here is the book mark I made for my girls...

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4852

The best part of my lesson was when I asked "what would you say to a less active girl that you invited to class with you and she replied that she didn't like class?" and sweet little Julia Bruchez said "I'd tell her that we have the best teacher ever!" with a huge smile on her face.

Ring Pops

Here are two of my girls with their ring pops from our lesson on Sunday...Teresa Smith (she is the counselor over beehives) Julia Bruchez (class president), Marie and Mary Jane Doney (she is the young woman secretary).

Since I've been teaching I usually had 5 girls to teach. So of course the day I bring ring pops and want to take a picture because of my earlier post about being published for this idea (well really just putting the graphic behind the words) I only have 2 girls show up. Oh well, they each got 2!

If you don't understand this, you'll have to see my post "I'm published".

I'm Published!!!

Last night I was working on my lesson for Young Women, I teach the beehives (12-13 year olds) and I put this little picture together using an idea on sugardoodle.net. So I decided to email it to them (the people on the website). It didn't take long to make but I thought maybe others would like it too.
I emailed them (the website people) with it late last night and I just received the email that they posted it. YAY! I'm a little excited about it!!!!

Here's the link...
http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4684