Operation Home Made Christmas......

is almost done!

I have my calendars at Staples to be cut to fit the CD cases, labels ready to go on jars, sewing is done, jewelery is done and all that needs to be finished are the baskets that some of the stuff is going into.

As for the rest

• Santa is ready for action
• Everything else is almost all wrapped
• Almost all the groceries are bought
• The house is almost clean (Thanks Mom)
• One more day of school tomorrow
• Guest/Playroom is ready for company
• Laundry is waiting

I think doing a home made Christmas was good for me this year.  I still spent way too much money and over bought as usual, but my mind was occupied and that kept some of my depression at bay.  I had some tears, and I know there will be more but keeping busy has certainly helped.  This is a really hard time of year.  To get a Christmas Card from Nana and have only her name on it was heart wrenching to read, as I'm sure it was as difficult for her to write.

We have helped out this year as we have every year.  Maybe a little more so than we have in the past.  Jo's school adopted 2 families and we sent along some new jammies and panties for 2 of the girls on the list.  Our niece adopted a family and we bought diapers and formula for them.  This year too we helped to make sure that 2 boys who are dear to our hearts will have a good Christmas.  At times I feel almost guilty looking at all the gifts under our tree knowing that there are so many others who are not as fortunate as we are.

My grandfather always that said that when you give, you get back tenfold.  Knowing that an infant will have the proper nutrition for a couple of weeks, knowing that 2 girls will be going to bed in new Pajamas and that 2 boys will have the gifts they wanted under the tree is my "tenfold".

Jo knows too about helping out.  She picked the pajamas and took them to school and we bought the infant stuff at the same time.  I hope she realizes just how lucky she is.....

She is a funny little girl at times!  We stopped the other day to pick up a basket of Christmas plants for my mom.  I walked into the nursery and turned around and she was nowhere to be seen.  I realized that the door to the store was still open.  Another car had pulled in a just as we were getting out of our car and she was holding the door open for them.  I think she waited holding the door open for 2 or 3 minutes.  If only she could put those great manners to work at home!!

Still here.....

Please remind me next year that if I'm going to do a bunch of home made gifts, that I might want to start in January!

I really am enjoying making them and will share a few photos!

It's been crazy...in a good kind of way..I'll update later this week about everything happening!!

NaBloPoMo Day 30 I did it!!!!

I managed to do NaBloPoMo and only once did I write a post ahead of time to publish while I was away shopping!! I'm still working on my Project 365.  I just need to find time to look at my pictures and post them!
I've been a little busy with my preparations for home made Christmas.  Last night I managed to get 2 gifts done for my niece Olivia.  She is getting a pillow case and a purse made from "Olivia Fabric".  I'm very pleased with the pillow case but the purse didn't turn out quite the way I pictured, but close.  I think today will be another Quillow!

Christmas Sewing

I started on my Christmas Sewing on Thursday and them my sewing machine started giving me grief.  Hubby took a look at it, there was nothing he could do.  I borrowed one from a friend and hers would only sew in reverse.  What else is a woman to do when there is sewing to be done and Christmas is less than a  month away?

You take your butt to Sears and get yourself one of these it was on sale!!!
I am now a happy camper again!

I did manage one quillow and 2 neckwarmers before the other one decided to break on me....I will be sewing again tomorrow!!!

Layers ready to Sew

Quality Control

Done!

Ready to fold

Part of the fold

In the Pillow

All Done!!!

Pumpkin Butter

I've made this twice this year now!  It is good on bagels with cream cheese, toast, warmed on vanilla ice cream and my sister said it's great just on spoon.  I also had a friend tell me that they used it to glaze Pork Chops and it was amazing!  Enjoy if you decided to make it!




I got the recipe out of a book called Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving.  I thought it sounded interesting so I decided to try it!

4 cups prepared pumpkin pulp, about one 8 inch pie pumpkin
2 cups of brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 ts salt
1/2 cup liquid honey
1/2 orange juice

Prepare your jars, I keep a pot of boiling water on the stove and boil the jars in there.  I keep a smaller pot with the rings and seals boiling as well.
Wash your pumpkin, cut it into large pieces and take the seeds and and stringy stuff out.
Boil your pumpkin until it's cooked, it will feel like cooked potatoes when done
I then put it into cold water to make it cooler to peel the skin.
Use  your food processor and puree the pumpkin.  It says in the recipe to put it all in and puree it, but I just did the pumpkin
Pour it all into a bowl and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil gently until thick.  I turned it right down to low and it still spit and spattered at me...stir lots!
Ladle it into the prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch of headroom at the top and then put the lids on.
Place the jars into a canning pot ( I used the same on for boiling the jars) and bring the water back to a boil.  Once it is boiled leave the jars in for 10 minutes.  Remove, cool and store.

The recipe says it makes 4 250ml jars.  The first single batch I made only made 3.

Pumpkin ready to boil

Ready for the food processor

Ready for the pot

In the pot bubbling

My set up

The finished amount of 4 batches!

Where to start today...

I had a good cry last night and although I'm still feeling a little down today I will make myself get things done.  All in all yesterday was a productive day...

I started by blanching and peeling about 30 red tomatoes and then I spent another 8 hours boiling it all down to make Tomato Jam.  It is excellent on meat and can almost be used like ketchup.  This is another recipe from my grandmother and so far everyone who has tried it, like it.  I think it might be good in meatloaf.  I normally use either tomato soup or salsa, but maybe I'll go and get some hamburger today and try it in a meatloaf.

Beautiful Red Tomatoes

In the pot with sugar added

After cooking for 8 hours and adding spices this is how it looks!

I made another batch of the green tomato relish and then I tried something completely different.  Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce.

At the beginning!

I should have wiped the jar before the photo!  I ran it through the food processor and I think the next time I make it, I will chop all the ingredients that way.

I like peaches and thought I would try it.  It is delicious.  I found the recipe in this book.  I made a double batch and with the little bit of left over that didn't go into a jar, hubby put it on the pork chops last night while he cooked them on the BBQ.  I made a small mistake and instead of adding the hot pepper flakes using a teaspoon like the recipe said, I used a tablespoon.  I scooped a bunch of it out and it has just enough bite to make it zesty, but not the bite that has you looking for a glass of water.  I was really happy with the way it turned out!  I am just about out of jars and I still want to make some more Lady Eaton Relish and try a Pumpkin Butter too.  The small jars are going to be perfect to put into baskets for Christmas.  I plan to put tags on them listing the ingredients and maybe some ideas on how to use them with your meals.  Home made Christmas is coming along nicely!

The hat that I had on the needles is finished!  Unfortunately it didn't fit the intended recipient so I have cast another one on and hope to have it finished tonight or tomorrow!

I still have enough of the orange yarn left to make the bigger one and the smaller one just might get mailed my cousin!

I am hoping for another productive day.  I think I will take a break from the canning and will clean the kitchen and get some laundry done.

It's a wet cold rainy day that feels like November...maybe I'll just turn on the fireplace and sit and knit....hhmmmm

Pop, Pop, Pop

It's been a very long time since I have done any summer jam or fall canning.  Before parenthood I would spend forever making all kinds of jam, pickles and relish.  I even made jars of dilled garlic for the guys in the hunt camp.  They used to fight over the garlic in the jars of dills, so I used the same recipe and made the pickled garlic.  It has been a long time since I have done any of this and I LOVE the sound of the jars popping as they seal.  While on vacation this summer my aunt gave me a jar of green relish.  It's a recipe that my grandmother found in her house when she and my grandfather married.  I can remember being a kid and her making the relish, she teased me once that the leftover half jar of relish with no lid was the one I would have to hold all the way home.  I was more than ready to hold it for the 6 hour drive.  She of course was teasing and I got a mason jar with a lid to bring home!  After getting some from my aunt and then making tartar sauce with it for a fish fry I remembered how much I loved the taste of it and decided to make some.  I figured, why stop there.  I made Lady Eaton Relish and the Tomato Jam.
14 tomatoes with sugar, vinegar and some spices got me 2 jars of jam, so I think I'll have to get a few more baskets of tomatoes and some smaller jars.

While I was making this stuff today I had one of my bright ideas!  Homemade Christmas.  I have a little over 3 months and numerous gifts to make so I am thinking that everyone just might get something homemade this year.  I can knit, make jewelery, wine charms and preserves.  So seeing as how my blog is relatively new and very few people actually know who I am and that I am blogging I am thinking that I'll share the things that I am making as I go along, provide recipes, photos and patterns....

Wonder if I can do it!  A few years ago this blogger did it, Here is some of what she did one year...I think it's a great idea!! And if you know who I am....keep my secret..OK?

Green Tomato Relish, Lady Eaton Relish and Tomato Jam!