A Plethora of Strawberries!

If you are a local reader then you know that life in Rochester lately has been rain, rain and more rain. I am not sure even Seattle is getting the rain we are! The boys had final exams last week and since both Greg and I were working, they often had to ride their bikes to school in the rain. It was either that or ride the bus and stay all day and neither one of them wanted to do that. Roads and parking lots are flooding. The sump pump runs almost non-stop since the ground is so saturated. The dog doesn't even want to go outside, lol.

Saturday we actually had a break from the rain so we all set out to a local farm to pick strawberries. The picking was great, we were given our own section to pick and it was loaded with berries. In no time at all we had picked 20 pounds of strawberries!! Plus the *?* pounds we ate as we went. We made the boys pose for a photo op...

We really should have thought through how many pounds we needed. Really?? 20 lbs??? What we were thinking? 

Because of all the rain, many of the berries were very juicy and I knew they wouldn't last long. The first order of business was strawberry shortcake with freshly whipped cream. Oh my! We all ate ourselves silly. 

Sadly, we hadn't even made a dent in the 20 pounds so I made 6 batches of jam. I haven't canned anything in 2 years because of our move last year and I have been looking forward to strawberry season so I could make some jam. I don't think freezer jam actually counts as canning but I was ready to replenish the stash of homemade jams. The jam is in canning jars, so it looks like I canned, right?! I had to resort to store bought jams and jellies in recent months and they just are not the same! 

I love the taste of strawberry freezer jam. It tastes so fresh. And I love the bright red color. Yes, there is enough sugar in the recipe to send a diabetic into shock but the taste is so awesome.

Even after all of that we still had tons of berries. We enjoyed some dipped in chocolate today for dessert and the rest is being frozen to use later in smoothies.

Note to my 2014 self....10 pounds will do just fine!

Creating Joy

Hello friends and family! I am back and guess what? This post has nothing to do with cereal, lol! 

Now that winter really is behind us I think spring is springing up inside of me as well as outside. I finally got tired of being inside, doing not-so-much. Don't get me wrong, I am usually doing something...cooking, cleaning, laundry, couponing, carting the boys places. It's not like there is an indent of my behind on the sofa from being glued to the TV. My creative juices have just been frozen since our whole move process began last summer. There was no room, or time, or funds or whatever to do much creatively. All my stamping supplies are still in boxes in the basement. I did not realize how much it was affecting me to not have a creative outlet. Mama has been a bit unhappy of late. And you know how the saying goes..."If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

It has helped to just get outside and do some things around the house. We cleaned up the flower beds, planted some new Hosta's and several Impatiens, hung some hanging baskets on the back porch, got some tomato plants going in 5 gallon buckets and various other projects. The yard is looking nice, now if the rain would just go away so we might be able to enjoy it!

One of my winter addictions was and still is browsing Pinterest. Oh the things you never knew you needed or wanted!! I have a new list of places in the world I want to visit some day thanks to Pinterest. I also have loads  of new recipes to experiment with, hobbies to try out, and so much more.  

One of the bugs I got in my head was to make homemade bread. The problem is all that kneading and work for something that gets gobbled up in seconds. I found this wonderful blog post, via Pinterest of course, that shared a bread recipe that starts out in a bread maker. Genius! Except for the part where I realize I don't have a bread maker.I told you Pinterest makes you want/need things. Buying one new was just not in the budget so I have been patiently searching out thrift stores for a couple of months. Nothing. At least nothing that I thought I could work with. Two weekends ago I got up early and went to a local neighborhood garage sale. Bingo, there was a barely used bread maker in perfect condition calling my name. Really...it was calling "Tracy....buy me, together we will make fabulous bread". After a bit of wheeling and dealing with the seller, the bread maker was mine.  Here is the lovely Breadman Ultimate Plus herself...

It was so clean inside and out all it needed was a wipe down and for me to download instructions since the seller didn't have those.

The next day I tried it out using the recipe and instructions from that blog. I love it when something comes out just like it is supposed to! That night we enjoyed warm slices with bread and jam, mmmmmm. 

The boys even wanted their school lunches made with the homemade bread. When I was a kid I was always embarrassed to take homemade items in my lunch. I know...what a silly girl I was. I tell you though, the dark German rye bread sandwich and a side of apple paled in comparison to the peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Twinkies my friends had. No one ever traded with me. Never. I am glad my boys know that homemade=better most of the time. 

We ate that loaf up so fast there was no time to take photos. So here is a shot of loaf #2. I let it rise a tad too high but no harm done. It tasted delicious. I am just giddy over the whole process. The bread maker makes the prep so easy it is sure to be repeated often. Baking the bread in the oven gives it better taste I think and lets me control the loaf shape. The loaf looks normal, not bread maker shaped.

Since stamping is kind of out of the question right now, I am using my creativity in a new way. Stay tuned for more on that!