I hit a milestone this week. 10,000 page views on this blog. It took 5 years and 254 posts but I made it. 10,000 page views. It probably would have happened sooner but I lost a lot of readers when I changed URL's.
Nuff bragging..
Jimmys Mom was here for a week. It was a delightful visit. We spent most of our time eating good food and just chatting. DD's Pico was a big hit as usual. Maybe she will give me permission to post her super secret recipe here.... someday. I doubt it though. She guards it like Precious cuz it always makes her the most popular person in the room. I wouldnt give that up either! We stopped eating and talking long enough to make 2 batches of salmon berry jelly and one batch of blackberry/ cranberry jelly. Jimmy and I have been diligently gathering salmon berries for the last month. They are a delicate berry that look like raspberries but taste very citrus-y. They are also sparse, so we had about 10 sandwich bags in the freezer. One for each berry picking walk we took. While I was digging through the freezer to make sure I didn't miss any, I found two 1 gallon bags of black berries from last year that had somehow been overlooked. I also found a bag of frozen cranberries left over from the holidays. I have 2 dozen or so jars of jelly now ... and a big plus?....I now have room in the freezer.
When it comes to berries I always make jelly instead of jam. Those tiny little seeds wreak havoc with my dental work. I put them in the blender and then run them through a super fine strainer. What I have left is more than juice. Its very thick and pulpy and makes a rich flavorful jelly with lots of body. The season is upon us. In WA state the salmon berries come in in late May/early June. The raspberries and strawberries get here in late June/early July. When the raspberries finish in early August the blackberries suddenly ripen and they are everywhere until the end of September. My plan this year is to have a jelly making day at least once a weak until all the berries, plums,apples,and cherries are completely harvested.
More home decorating. The day after Jimmy's Mom left , I made two giant floor pillows to add to my 1920's (ish) living room. These were cost effective because I used three yards of fabric that Jimmy bought for a Halloween costume three years ago and the two big fabric stores in town are having competing sales, so I got a 5 pound box of fiberfill on the way cheap. I still have half of it left so I will probably be making a few more cushions. You can never have too many throw cushions.
With all the sewing I have been doing, my fabric stash is getting really low! I almost panicked when I saw how low it was getting. Now you know my dirty little secret. I hoard fabric! I think everyone who sews does this though because fabric is so expensive. When I find a piece that I like, at a price that I like, I always buy a length, even if I have no immediate plans for it. I take any and all give-aways as well. It pays off. I might not go near the sewing machine for a couple of years at a time but, when I do it becomes compulsive behavior. I cant just make one apron, I HAVE to make five. I cant just make two cushions, I have to make ten. One skirt becomes three. Maybe it is because sewing is so messy. If I already have the machine out and the fabric stash is all over the room ..........I might as well make everything right now before I put it all away for another year.....
