Adventures in Canning

I've been canning jams, applesauce and apple pie filling for years.  I feel very confident canning with my hot water bath canner.  :)  I have always been interested in canning other foods too, like vegetables and such, but would get scared when I would read up on it and see "pressure canning required".  I've always had visions of the canner exploding or something.  I remember canning green beans with my mom once and everything went well.  But when it came to doing it on my own, I was terrified.

A couple weeks ago, I got the strange idea to can chicken noodle soup.  Homemade is SO much better for you, especially when you feel crummy.  But it can be tiresome to make repeatedly, especially when you're the one sick and/or you don't have all the stuff on hand.  I scoured the internets for recipes and recommendations from the USDA until I found one I liked best.  Crystal has some other great canning recipes that I'm interested in trying in the future.  And she's rather quick to respond to questions.

So, I finally decided to face my fears and ask a friend if I could borrow their pressure canner...then I discovered mom did have one...buried in the depths of the stairs closet.  I was hoping to get this done earlier, but stuff can up and didn't have a large chunk of free time until today.  That and I didn't have all the jars I wanted either, until my grandmother mentioned yesterday she had a ton for me and a couple stockpots too.  Jackpot!!

Unlike Crystal, I still don't have a 14-quart stock pot, so I didn't feel comfortable letting the chicken simmer overnight.  However, after 2 hours today it still feel apart as I took it out to cool.  I chopped up 2 lbs of carrots and a whole thing of celery, along with 4 small/medium onions.  I hot-packed the jars about two-thirds full and filled them with hot boiling stock.

 Then came the moment of truth.  It took a bit for me to figure out how to regulator worked with my stove, but everything processed as it should.

Yummy!!

I managed to get 19 pints of soup!  Now all that is left is to assemble the "herb packets" that I will tape to each jar and add the label.  I found some removable labels that are meant for use on glass jars, woot!!  I'll let the jars cool overnight and probably put the packets together tomorrow.  And, yes, I am now more comfortable working with a pressure canner.  Now all I need is to get my garden to produce and canning can become a little more commonplace.  :D

A map and the TARDIS

Every once in a blue moon I get the chance to work on a project for me.  I love making stuff for people, but it's nice to treat yourself.

Awhile ago, I found a world map panel at JoAnn's and just couldn't pass it up.  I mean, I'm an elementary teacher, hello!!  I was also still a real noob at quilting, and figured it would be a nice follow-up to my t-shirt quilt.  Naturally it was pushed off to the back burner so I could finish up baby blankets.  But here it is.  I can either use it as a wall hanging, or for "carpet time", depending on what classroom I end up in.

Starry patterns have been really big this year, I've noticed.  So I figured that would be the perfect backing material...till last week when I found solar system fabric.  Still, I like how this one turned out.

I debating between quilting around the countries and the continents before deciding to use the longitude/latitude lines.  Less distracting and more even quilting.

Also, a few weeks ago, I went to the local ceramic shop with a friend.  It was place where you can pick a ceramic piece and paint it however you like and they'll do the final steps of glazing and firing.  There's always so many choices, but I eventually decided to make another hot pad to go with the Superman one I did about 8 years ago.

It's just a simple 8 x 8 tile.  After firing I realized I should have painted the S shield first, then the blue, but it still looks pretty cool.  In fact, the lady at the store had a hard time giving it up.  The store in Moscow puts selected pieces up for display until the owner comes to pick it up and they got a lot of compliments.  And it makes a great hot pad for the dinner table!

In honor of a very special anniversary, I appropriately made a TARDIS hot pad.  While the Doctor may not be able to take me on his adventures through time and space, he can at least save my dinner table from hot dishes.  :D

I would hoping the "glitter" paint would have a bit more glitter, but at least the shading turned out.

Now, if I were to make a third....what should it be??

Cleaning the Kitchen - Day 1

A year ago my mother passed away and my dad decided that it's really time to sell the house.  Now that I'm home, I have been tasked with the wonderful job of cleaning out everything.  I have been doing small things here and there, jumping between the inside and the outside of the house.  My biggest job has just been trying to catch up on dishes.

Today I had a friend come over and help me as we tackled the "spice cupboard".   We realized halfway through we should have taken before pictures, so instead we have "mid-way through" pictures and after pictures.  The cupboard doors were damaged years ago and things were just never cleaned so they could be replaced properly.

The spice cupboard after clearing off the first shelf.

I decided it was just easier to dump all the spices that were in Tupperware containers and run the containers through the dishwasher.

All the spices that were pulled from the first shelf.

It took M and I about two hours to scrub down the shelves and wipe down everything that didn't get tossed.  Hopefully this will encourage dad to get the doors replaced.  If anything things will be a little easier to wipe down since it won't have so much build up.  At any rate, here is how everything looks now.  "White" space is good.

 The cupboard above the stove minus some storage containers that are currently in the dishwasher.  Though I may find another place for them.  

The spice cupboard with a clear shelf denoted for cooking and a shelf for baking supplies.  Plus room for miscellaneous extra stuffs.

I'm debating if I want to go back to the Tupperware spice containers.  I prefer the spice bottles and then refilling them from the bulk section at Winco.  I don't know, I'll see if any of my siblings want them first before I start making a yard sale box.

Sólás Caomh

Several months ago, a friend posted a pin on Pintrest asking if any of her friends could make this blanket for her.  Naturally I volunteered.  It was quite the challenge, but still fun to do.

Here is the finished blanket.

And here is a close up of the weave pattern.

I definitely plan on using this pattern again.  Though I may use a smaller weight yarn and not a color that is only available on a limited supply online.

SitRep: Plants

Wow...haven't posted since April.  Yeah, the end of the school year just got really busy with end of term projects and graduation.  Found out I had to redo my PACT which was more stressful than it needed to be. (Yes, I did pass it the second time around.)  Then moved back to Dad's, went to a regional Young Single Adult conference then spent a week in Maine for the Hobbs family reunion (more on that later).  Plus remembering to transfer pictures from my iPod (better camera) to my computer...I know, I know, excuses, excuses.  But, hey, I'm back and here's the situation with my plants...

Raspberry plant:  dead...methinks it got over-watered, or too much sun or some combination of the two.  I'll try again next season with a fresh plant.

Herbs: I give up!  Two years in a row and complete failure!  I was just sent an article about herbs, I'll read that and see if it will give some insight to what I'm doing wrong.

Garden plants:  So the garden spot at my dad's needs a little more work than I originally thought and there is no way I could get it done before I needed to transplant my starters.  In fact the entire yard needs a lot of work, so that is my project for the summer.  Get the weeds out and re-line all the beds, maybe even plant a few bushes.  Basically get it back under control and then I can focus on planting a garden.

Flowers:  I think there was something wrong with the bulbs because they did not look right once they started to really sprout.  Unfortunately the pot was knocked over and broke so I will have to start all over with those.  No biggie.

However, my Peruvian Lilly has bloomed it was absolutely gorgeous!!

 Still waiting on the Orientals to bloom though.  So there was some success.  Hopefully next year I'll get even more!

Plant Update

So, I meant to post this Monday about how my raspberry plant is doing.  Considering the sudden cold snap and now to high winds, it's holding up pretty well.  I trimmed it Monday morning so more nutrients can now go to the living leaves and hopefully make the branches stronger.

Here's what it looks like, after its trim.

While trimming, I noticed one of the stronger branches is half broken.  I need to do some research to see if I can re-attach it or just start a second plant with it.

This morning when I woke up, I noticed several other plants are starting to sprout...

My Oriental Lillies

My tulips

My herbs

It's so exciting to see things start to grow.  Hopefully I can actually keep my herbs around long enough to use them.  Last year didn't turn out so well.  I also got my starter tray set up with roma tomatoes, green beans, green onions, spinach, and cantaloupe.  Two other containers now hold red and yellow onion bulbs.  I timed everything to be ready to transplant once I move back over to Western Washington.  My dad has some garden space, it'll need a little work and TLC to be ready.  I think it'll be a great project for my brother and sister to help out with.

Music Stand Bag

I play in the local community band and our season is slowly starting.  Summer is our busiest time.  As more and more performances are cropping up on our calender, it just makes sense to keep certain items in the car, my music stand for example.  My first summer I just borrowed a stand from a fellow clarinet player, but I always felt bad about it, that I wasn't as prepared as I should be.  Last summer I found a fold up one at a yard sale for super cheap...then I would forget to bring it.  This season, I told myself I would not forget my stand, and in order to help with that, I made a bag to keep all the pieces together and make it easier to carry around.  The design came from the bag my camera tripod came in.

What you need is:
*some scrap fabric (about a 1/2 yard or so)
*cording (the length of the bag + the width of the bag + a little extra so it can hang off your shoulder)
*cord stopper
*item to go in said bag (my music stand, for example)
*rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
*gauge
*basic sewing supplies

First you want to cut a length of fabric that is about 6-8 inches longer than the stand.  I cut mine on the fold, so I only have one seam to worry about.

Next sew up the bottom.  Be sure to re-enforce it!  I used a standard 5/8" seam allowance here.

Now comes the detail work.  Make a 1/4" narrow hem on both sides at the top.  Have the hem go down about 6".  This will make your opening nice and neat.

Then press over 1/4" at the top and then fold over another inch to make the casing for your cording.

Next, feed your cording through and add the stopper.

Then keep the cording inside the bag and pin it where you want it to attach at the bottom.  Mine is about 2" from the bottom seam.  I have my cording stick out a little bit from the edge, so I can see it better when I sew the seam up.  Re-enforce where the cording is to make sure it stays put.

Finally, trim the corners and flip it right side out.  And, ta-da!  You have your very own music stand (or whatever) bag!  You can press the seams if you want, but it's not necessary.

This stays in my car and it keeps all the pieces together so they don't go sliding around everywhere in the backseat.  And with the shoulder strap, I can carry it easier to and from performances.  It's also big enough that I can stick my phone and a water bottle in there too!