granny squares

there is something so fun about making them.  it's what made me want to learn to crochet (again) about a year ago.  it's a relaxing activity and you can make them in all different patterns, sizes, colors etc without needing intricate patterns and such.  for the past week, i've just picked up yarn and hook and worked through a few in the evenings as a way to close out the day with no long-term project in mind.

but now thanks to sarah london, my granny squares have a purpose.  [i just love crafting for this reason.]  she's decided to respond to the flooding in australia (read more here) by providing handmade blankets to people as they rebuild.  in her words, she's looking to provide "comfort and colour... as a reminder that there is always a rainbow after a storm."

so if you can, join.  no guilt if you can't.

a little part

I read about Kelly who recently lost her battle with cancer and her husband and son that are dealing with this great loss in their lives.  Tonya over at Plain & Joyful Living was (as she says) "nudged" to pull together a blanket for Kelly's son Ari -- made from squares sent in by woman all over who were moved by Kelly's story and want to share some measure of love, prayer and peace to her family.  You can read more here.

I mailed in a couple of squares -- nothing extraordinary.  But, I'm excited to see how all these different squares are pieced and constructed into something beautiful and meaningful for Ari.

strawberry jammin'

It's been a couple years since I've made homemade jam but since there have been bunches of strawberries in the markets, how could I not?  Not to mention, it's so very yummy!

Aren't strawberries lovely - just to look at?  Who could resist taking a few pictures?

At our last home, I had a strawberry patch for making jam (if I could get to the berries before my boys ate them all).  But this year, we just bought several pounds.  This has been a longer process than I remember which probably has something to do with having a teeny one in the house and big brothers who are constantly on the go. Kudos to those that end up with 52 jars of jam for the year!

I really wanted a recipe with less sugar than the typical 4-7 cups, so I tried Stephinie's recipe and it turned out very well!  I did pulse the berries a bit in the food processor so that brought the berries down to a little over 8 cups.    For my own sake - when I'm looking for recipes for next year, I've summarized it below.  

- 8 cups crushed strawberries (slightly over 4 lbs)

- 1/4 c lime juice

- 1 c water

-  2 c sugar

- 1 box (1.75 oz) low/no-sugar pectin

Bring strawberries, lime juice, water and 1.5 c of the sugar to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure your mixture doesn't boil over.   

Mix pectin with remaining .5 c sugar and pour into boiling strawberries.  Stir to make sure everything mixes well and you don't end up with lumps at the bottom.

[While you're stirring, be sure to take a nice deep breath and enjoy that sweet syrupy smell that I'm sure would make a hummingbird swoon.]

Cook additional 5 minutes and remove from heat. Skim off any foam. 

Then pour into hot jars and seal as instructed by manufacturer.  I did go ahead and process my jams for 10 minutes in a water bath which is also why I reduced the cooking time from the original recipe. 

And there you have it, homemade soft-set reduced-sugar jam. Each batch made about 9 cups of jam.

  

I'll make another batch tomorrow with a bit more sugar for gift-giving and such.

a winner, well sheesh!

I cannot recall the last time I actually won something, so imagine my surprise when after a brief hiatus from the computer, I log in and find that I won this from Plain and Joyful Living. 

Thank you Tonya and Congratulations on your 200th post!

And to all those who have come over from Tonya's site... welcome, although, I must admit that I do feel like I got caught with a messy (or maybe just outdated) house.  :)