~Coming to my library~

I was so excited the other day when I checked my library catalog online and Jane Brocket's book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, was in the system! Yay! And I'm only 5th on the list! So once the book gets released in September, I'll probably have it sometime soon after that! :-)

~Frogged Sweater~

This afternoon I frogged my sweater (frogged = ripped out). There were several reasons why I chose to frog rather than finish this project: my knitting was very tight and it was going to be much smaller than the pattern said, the size I was knitting was too small in the first place (yeah, not so smart), and the sleeves looked terribly wonky.

So. I like the yarn, and I will use this yarn for a different project. It actually feels good to have this sweater frogged - this project isn't hanging over my head any longer!

~Glads~

I'm really enjoying my glads that are in bloom now. I had hoped that they would all bloom at once, but they are blooming little by little, and that is fun too!





Next year I will try to plant them behind a larger plant, so that they will have some support. A few of them have toppled over.

And just for fun, a bloom off a butterfly bush that I bought at a farmer's market. The flowers start off white and then turn pink. Fun, fun! This plant grows fast too - it is supposed to get up to 5 ft tall! (It is an annual.)

~How to fold a t-shirt~

I used to fold t-shirts this way. If you need instructions in English, there are a number of videos on youtube with English instructions. But really, it is more fun to learn from this video. Try it! :-)

~Gingham Aprons~

There are certain fabrics that just make my heart go pitter-patter with excitement, and gingham is one of them. Last fall, I was out with a friend and found two pieces of vintage apron prints. I was ecstatic to find them, and made up aprons for my Etsy shop.

Currently for sale in my shop:



And then I was clicking links the other day and came across Rick Rack Attack, an online shop which sells vintage aprons. Just look at one of the aprons they have for sale!!!

~Fourth Happenings~

Well, let's see...we had a quiet 4th celebration with just the two of us. We had hamburgers, potato salad and three bean salad for lunch. =)

We went to the park to watch the fireworks. They started at 10:30, we were there before 9:30. So lots of time to sit and talk. :-) And take pics of ourselves:



When the fireworks finally started, we discovered that they hadn't been worth waiting for.



Lots of people left within minutes of them starting, but we figured we'd waited so long to see them, we might as well watch them. The grand finale was pretty good. Next year we'll skip them. =) With all the illegal fireworks people bring over from Indiana, we could have just stayed at home and seen about the same. LOL

The most entertaining part of the evening were the fireworks created by a mother who got mad at the family in front of us. Lotsa bad words coming from her potty mouth. Shame on her!

We had a nice day together. It is always nice when Kevin has a day off work and we can spend it together!

~Strawberry Jam~

I always forget that mid to late-June is strawberry season here in Michigan. Thankfully I usually remember in the nick of time! Last Saturday I got a flat of strawberries. I made three batches of jam and a strawberry pie.

I wanted to share about the jam, because I made the first two batches sugar-free. Sure Jell makes a "no sugar or low sugar" pectin. The first batch I used Stevia to sweeten it. I was nervous about putting too much in because I didn't want it to end up bitter. It tastes good - but the next batch was better! Instead of the added one cup water, I added one cup of white grape juice concentrate. YUM!

Now, if you're going to make jam sugar free, you have to keep in mind that it is more of a fruit spread than "jam". The consistency is different, as well as the flavor - even the color is different. Instead of sugar with fruit, the fruit is the dominant flavor! I did make one batch of regular jam so I can have it on hand for gifts and company.

I plan on making several more batches of sugar-free jam (I'm thinking cherry, peaches, maybe another berry! mmmmm).

~Fresh Strawberry Pie~

I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook, but made a few changes. Enjoy!
:-)

I made this for a dessert fellowship our church had last Sunday evening. It was SO GOOD. Yummy. I would have liked a whole pie to myself! As it is, I only got a sliver!

Baked Pie Crust
1 1/2 quarts strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar

1. Prepare baked pie crust. (Use your favorite pie crust recipe.)

2. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water and mashed strawberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool.

3. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Spread in pie shell. (Note: I added 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup sugar to the cream cheese, and beat until smooth. It was divine! If you beat in the sour cream and sugar, you'll have a little too much filling.) Fill shell with remaining strawberries (the recipe doesn't say to slice them, but I sliced mine and sprinkled a little sugar over them). Pour cooked strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until set. Refrigerate any remaining pie.

Substitutions: Use 5 cups peaches; or use 6 cups raspberries.