Really Random Stuff

 

My Big Sis & I

(she's rocking the bell bottoms, I'm rocking the pig tails!)

No time to blog...Last week was incredibly busy (as is this week!).  My oldest sister made her annual visit.  It's always good to be in her company.  And the kids quite enjoy the spoiling they receive when their Aunt is in town!  Added responsibilities have me on my toes at work.  It's almost as if I've been assigned another position while still working my current position.  Well, it's exactly like that!  But, at least there's an end in sight to the current insanity.  I just have to make it there!  The kids brought home their first of the school year sniffles and spread it around.  Happens every year about this time.  Thank goodness for Cold-Eeze!  My cold symptoms were pretty much gone by Friday.  Just in time for our weekend beach trip!  With all that, there's been very little time to blog.  So, I haven't shared my new vintage hats, my new canner, new-to-me work dresses, my garden (or lack thereof).  But, I'll get around to it. :)

Mountains to climb...I'm currently facing a mountain on a personal level.  Or, at least it seems like a mountain to me.  The enormity of the task has me doubting my ability to succeed.  But, I'm reminded of the verse in Matthew 17, "...for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."   I must move a mountain!

Competitive Motherhood...I'm not a competitive person.  In fact, I probably shy away from it whenever possible.  Dave, on the other hand, is very competitive.  And working in a male-dominated company, so are most of the gentlemen at work.  In men, I respect and can even understand the competitive nature.  It's like iron sharpening iron.  Dave thrives on competition and he's really on top of his game in situations where he must compete.  But in women, I don't find it so appealing.  Especially as it relates to mothering.  I absolutely understand being proud of your children, being proud to be a wife and mother.  But, I don't understand the mindset involved when one mother attempts to make another feel less than.  I've always held the belief that if one is truly content in their life and the choices they've made, there's no room for comparing and competing with someone else.

Much ado about nothing...Recently, I came across some articles in what would be considered the "traditional" side of the blogosphere about interracial couplings.  The discussions were "interesting" to say the least!  As a person who is married interracially, I think from the outside looking in, there's a tendency to over inflate the role of racial differences.  And to a degree, that's understandable if someone has never dated or isn't married to someone of another race.  But, I think what you'll find with most interracial couples are two people who connected on shared values, beliefs and/or experiences.  My husband and I had similar values, similar upbringings (two-parent, Christian homes).  We connected simply as a man and a woman.  We were compatible and could absolutely see ourselves marrying another.  We didn't see being different races as some great divide between us.  It just isn't.  Not then, not now.

Well, that's all I got for now!

Mary Ellen 

Time Is Love...Josh Turner

I only get so many minutes,

Don't want to spend them all on the clock...

September 11th

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

~ Saint Francis of Assisi

Back to School!

The kids are officially back in school!  This is the first year all three kids will be in school full-time.  Ashleigh is in 4th grade, Clayton in 2nd grade and my baby Reed is starting kindergarten.  So far, everything is going great!  Ashleigh is in the same class as her bestest little friend.  There's none of the anxiety issues with Clayton this year.  And Reed seems quite ready for big kid school!  His first day, he went in unpacked his backpack, found his seat and immediately sat down and started working on his coloring sheet.  Reed was ready to go, but Momma definitely got a little teary-eyed as I walked away from the classroom! 
      

A tradition started by Daddy - breakfast out on the first day of school

Reed ready to go!

Here's to a great school year!

Mary Ellen

12 Years & Counting!

 

September 2, 2000

David & Mary Ellen

 

Celebrating 12 years of wedded bliss!

Small Batch Canning - Habanero Gold Pepper Jelly

Habanero Gold Pepper Jelly

Recipe from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today

1/3 cup finely, sliced dried apricots

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded red bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded habanero peppers

3 cups sugar

1 pouch liquid pectin

1.  In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine apricots and vinegar.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2.  Prepare canner, jars and lids.

3.  Add red onion, red pepper and habanero peppers to apricots.  Stir in sugar.  Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Stir in pectin.  Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.

4.  Pour hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe jar rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until fingertip-tight.

5.  Place jars in canner.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.  Remove jars, cool and store.

*To enhance particle suspension, cool jars upright for 15 to 30 minutes or until lids pop down but jelly is not fully set.  As soon as lids are concave, gently twist and/or tilt individual jars to distribute the solids throughout the jelly.  Do not shake or invert jars!  Doing so might prevent jars from properly sealing.  

(Note:  My jelly was pretty well set once the lids popped.  But, my peppers and onions seemed to be very well distributed throughout the jelly.  I chopped them finely using my food processor and that may have helped with the even suspension).



The recipe yielded 3 and half pint jars of jelly for me.  I placed the half jar in the refrigerator for immediate use, instead of processing.  We scoffed it down with some cream cheese over dinner!

This was my first time using liquid pectin while canning.  Very simple and just a slightly different procedure than powdered pectin.  With powdered pectin, you add the sugar in after the fruit and pectin has come to a full rolling boil.  With liquid pectin, you add your sugar in with fruit at the start.  Bring the fruit and sugar to a full rolling boil.  Then, add the liquid pectin and boil hard for 1 minute.  My jelly seemed to set better with the liquid pectin (didn't need to do the sheet test).  So, I might just try it with my other jam and jelly recipes.

Happy Canning!

Mary Ellen



Disclosure

Mia Love - Republican National Convention 2012

Mayor Mia Love of Saratoga Springs, Utah speaking before the 2012 Republican National Convention.