Strawberry Season

A friend commented yesterday that I was knee deep in strawberries . . .
she was right . . . four flats stacked, come about that high.
I had actually picked up more than I needed for myself, intending to pass half of them on,
but ended up cleaning and blending them all when I saw how soggy they were.



For many years now I've divided the jam making process.
I wash, hull and blend them in the evening and then
I put the blended up fruit in containers in the fridge.
When our kids were small, they were in bed and I had no one tugging at me.
I blend it just quick-like, so that there are still some chopped berry pieces.



 (At this point you can also label the amount of cups in the pails and freeze to cook in small batches when needed.)



The next day, it's just measuring and stirring.



A good, large stainless steel pot is the best.
The jam has to be cooked on high heat and
. . . if you ever have to make a decision between a gas and electric stove . . .
I've found out that gas heat is much more consistent
and the jam will not splatter as you stir.
But if you have an electric stove . . . like I did for many years,
find your best element and make sure the recipe is small enough
so that when it boils there is lots of room in the pot.



Once the jam has cooked the required amount of time, keep stirring it for a few minutes, then ladle it into clean jars. If I seal the jars, I use warm, out-of-the-oven jars, but mostly I freeze the jam ( to keep the fresh taste) - so no need to seal.

For our favorite jam, check this recipe . . .



A canning funnel is very important. I would not want to go ahead without it. 

  

You'd think I was opening shop, but this is not even enough for our family yet!
I may not be one to hand out candy to them,
but jam for sure!

Naomi's Baby Shower

It was around the end of January when another nephew, Andrew, called to tell us their news.
We were surprised . . . since they were still just newlyweds.
The fact that he called . . .
told me they were happy about this change in their plans.



For the baby shower I chose to decorate with frames on the mantle, walls and table
 to depict the beautiful truth that

God has a story written for this baby girl.




I found a verse in Jeremiah 1:5 where He says,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
Before you were born I set you apart . . ."

 

 

The grandmas on either side are excitedly awaiting their first grandchild next month.

 

My girls helped me pretty up the room.
Kristal took the time to make the puffs
and Julene prepared cutlery with glitzy stickers on them just like I saw here.
Oh . . . and she volunteered Chris to paint my stack of old frames.
I have to smile when a son-in-law gets involved.

 

The shower pages of my copy of Celebrations are well worn in after preparing for this event.
Maybe I'll list some of what you see in the collage:

Lovella's rhubarb sorbet
my mom's fruit Platz (not in the book)
Bev's ham and cheese pinwheels
Betty's cream filled strawberries
Charlotte's red pepper jelly tarts
Ellen's cucumber tea sandwich bites
and Ellen's west coast chicken filling with
Lovella's croissants

We had a fun time eating and chatting and did not run out of things to talk about,
even though most of the same group was together for a shower last week.

Naomi posed with a flannel rag quilt lovingly made by Andrew's mom.

We enjoyed every gift along with her . . .

 

And as she opened each one, the giver shared their favorite "photo frame"
memory or stage of life. 

Andrew and Naomi,
may God bless you as you guide your little girl's steps -
knowing that, in this ever changing world,
His love is constant and
His wisdom is there for you.

with love,
aunt Anneliese

Learning New Things and Hanging on to the Old

A few weeks ago I sent out my very first evite
 . . . all on my own!
How much more efficient could it get?
My family and friends know that
sometimes this fifty-something Grammy does not want to learn anything new,
but when she does, she feels good!



After that I made a list:

pink paper tissue flowers
baby food jars
candles
old frames to be painted white
pink ribbon
pink napkins tied around cutlery
fresh flowers
old rocking horse (pulled out from storage)

 And prepped food for the freezer:

rhubarb sorbet
ham and cheese pinwheels
savory tarts
croissants
cream puffs

And once again, I tried something new . . .
While even just a week ago I did not know what a macaron was . . .
one email changed all that as I started googling  and
watching videos . . . several of us MGCC did.
You'd think there was a minor competition going on!

And after grinding and sifting and beating and pan banging .  . .
I put my first batch in the oven.
As you can plainly see . . . a French cook I am not.
 

but to my delight . . . I saw that my macarons had feet!

And why all this?
I'll be telling all about it later this week.

As We Wait for the Heir

Last Christmas, when we were all together as extended family at the lakehouse,
my nephew had an announcement to make.
Standing up, he began with how he was born, in June of 1982 . . .
when the big news was all about Prince William's birth.
At the time . . .
Opa had referred to him as Prince Nathan and the other one as Billy the Kid.
( Maybe you had to know my dad to understand his sense of humor)



The announcement went on to tell of how Opa would have appreciated
that he married a hot brunette by the name of Kate.

And then . . .
then he announced how proud Opa would have been to know that
his prince Nathan and Katie would be expecting a baby
within weeks of the royal couple's expected date. . .
There was hardly a dry eye in the room . . .
remembering Opa . . .
knowing how Nathan and Katie have waited years for this child,
and realizing a miracle in the making.
 

So . . . on Monday night . . . my first day back . . .
Kristal hosted a beautiful baby shower
with a bird nest theme.

While the farmhouse window view depicted an 80's era
with Nathan and Katie's baby clothes on a line

and the coffee table was decked out in blankets made by great-grandmothers . . .

the family joined Katie around the table.

We already know that it is never a good idea to eat before one of these events.

We sat around a coffee table laden with gifts

appreciating the joy of giving to the unknown gender . . .
the prince or princess coming in July.
 

With each gift, Katie read a little card with wishes for baby . . .
what we wished for him or her to be like mommy
what we wished for him or her to be like daddy
our favorite memory about daddy or mommy
and one piece of advice.

The grandmas on either side were just as excited as she!

and this little guy?
I just loved how he just matched with the colors of the shower!
Just a small detail.

Nathan and Katie,
May God bless you as you anticipate the arrival of baby
and give you joy and wisdom day by day.
With love,
aunt Anneliese

 

One More of Saskatoon in June

By now we all know why I agreed to attend the Saskatoon book signings, so I won't apologize for dedicating a whole post to our prairie buds.



As you can see, the rain did not make an iota of a difference to Teddy,
who always found a fun spot to disappear to in the house.

Here she is just coming out of the indoor playhouse that Daddy and Papa built last year.
 She thinks she can easily go up and down the staircase inside . . .
probably still giving momma a bit of a heart flutter at times.

This time around Daddy and Papa constructed a sandbox in the back yard.
When they started it was pouring rain . . . did I already say something about that?
They actually covered the area with a tent.

By the time the box was built it had let up and the tent was moved.

The box was lined with landscaping fabric.

And the girls had fun watching.

Sand was unloaded from the truck bed parked in the back lane. . .

and tested as soon as it was leveled out in the box.

On Sunday afternoon we played outside on the, still sopping wet but, beautiful lawn . . .
we were introduced to ladder ball (which I did not get a photo of)

Lacey's budding soccer skills

and inherited golf skills.
It was her time to show off!
I loved observing her enthusiasm - as if to make the most of the time.

Back inside, Teddy was woken from her nap and we had a short story time

Before heading back to the airport . . .
where we got a text report from Lacey,
"I want Papa and Mimi to stay three more days!"

And that about sums up our four day whirlwind trip to the Prairies.