Muscadine Jelly!

      Yay! I finally got some muscadines and made jelly! I made nineteen jars and man, is it good. I have more muscadines and am waiting for them to cool so I can strain them and refrigerate the juice. You're not a Southern girl if you don't like muscadines and scuppernongs. I don't think my Mom has enough scuppernongs to do anything with, but I will keep a check on them.

Delicious nectar!

      I've also been putting up okra. There again, you're not a Southern girl if you don't like okra!

      Please keep Yasmine and her Dad (Bobba) in your prayers until Sept. 30 because they are in Morocco until then. I miss her terribly!

Yasmine is being held by her Bobba (Dad). Layla's first birthday!

I should be vacuuming, but

      I thought I'd take a little time and share with you. I have gotten interested in sewing again lately, so I've been browsing websites dedicated to this. I signed up for a pattern drawing and they chose my entry! I am so excited! It's the little diva pants I wanted! I can hardly wait to get started on them! Around tuit and pink poodle bows are the ones who sponsored the drawing. I love their websites, and pink poodle bows is the one who has the patterns. Check them out if you like to sew or know someone who can sew for you. I hope to get started sewing later this week.
      I am trying out my "new" bread machine today. It seems to be working so far. I scored at thrift stores again yesterday, purchasing some cute patterns for 29*! I also got some cute material and some more sheets. Along with the pattern I won, they sent me a tutorial on how to make flowers out of material, like for hairbows and embellishments. I bought some lady's blouses, paying a small amount for them, that can be used for the flowers.
      I am going to my first sewing class tonight at Material Girls on Broad Street. I'm really looking forward to that because we are going to learn more about hemming and making button holes and covering buttons. I hope they can show me more about my sewing machine, but I guess the more I use it, I'll become more familiar with its features. Well, you know what I've got to do next. Oh yea, I'll probably be making muscadine jelly and pear preserves this week or if they're not ready, next week. That will take up at least a day for muscadines and a day for preserves. Enjoy these photos.

Check out the shoes!

Winterlynn and Mommy.

At Aunt FeFe's house.

Mortar and pestle used to crush fennel seeds for meatballs.

Meatballs cooked in pressure cooker.

She likes to wear her hat when she eats.

Sweet Summertime!

      I love summer! I've been so busy lately with my latest infatuation, canning. My sister and I canned ten quarts of tomatoes and okra (out of her garden!) yesterday and it took all day! I never dreamed it would take that long, but we did it at her house on her older stove that I'm not familiar with. I was a little apprehensive about turning the eye all the way up, so I kept it on seven. It seemed to take forever to reach ten pounds pressure. Then we had to do a second batch, but it didn't take as long. I got to spend some time with Winterlynn while I was there, so that made everything better.
      My garden is kind of at a stand still, except for the figs. My pepper and eggplants are growing nicely, though. I am dehydrating some figs now. I've found that with the way the figs are coming in, a few at a time, that is the best way to preserve them. I can make fig preserves using dried figs. There are also many other recipes I have that use dried figs. I'm really happy about my summer food preservation. I have more things  canned than I thought I would. There are also things that I would like to have, but didn't get, such as corn. We didn't plant any this year because we are still working on our raised beds. Hubby put in another one this evening. The farm where I purchased tomatoes doesn't have any either. Guess is wasn't a good year for corn around here.
      I can't forget to mention that I scored lately at the thrift store, purchasing a Zojirushi bread machine for $9.88! I was so excited because I had looked for one a couple months ago, but they didn't have one, so I got a bread machine from my sister. Now I can give hers back. Another thing I scored on was sheets. I have gotten interested in sewing again, even signed up for a class. Simplicity has their patterns on sale this week for 99*, so I scored at Hobby Lobby, too! I got two for the kiddos and two for me. The sheets are for making pillowcase dresses that I've never made, but I think I can!
      We're also getting ready for school to start Monday, so school supplies had to be purchased, as well. I finally got the disk from my Dad that has the birthday pics of Layla's first birthday. Have a great weekend! Oh, I'm going to sell my tanning bed, if anyone is interested. Leave me a comment on my blog or call if you have my #.

Yasmine and Uncle Ran watching the chickens.

She's so skinny!

She's shy.

Layla's first birthday cake.

Layla, Yasmine's sister.

Three good men.

Sweet family.

Eden and Canisha. Eden is Yasmine's best friend.

Layla loves her Nanny!

Winterlynn and MeMe.

Layla's personal cake.

Mommy and Layla.

Layla's dad Betiff and Yasmine.

She got all in that cake.

What a sweet face!

Layla and aunt FeFe.

Yasmine and Eden playing on the slide.

I had Winterlynn yesterday and today!

      She is such a joy to be around! She is eighteen months and smart as a whip! I have some photos of her and my recent canning experiments. I stayed up until 2 am working on the tomato relish, but it was worth it. It is delicious! Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!

She loves "side" outside.

Trying to stomp a bug.

Trying to put on a boot.

Taking insole out of boot.

Wearing Skylar's flipflops.

Mommie gave her a bath.

Is she picking them up or spreading them around?

Kept on getting up and down from the swing.

Cherry tomatoes and figs from our garden. Veggie soup in jars. Also, Italian tomato sauce.

The makings of home canned baked beans.

Baked beans in canner. My first time using it!

Everything I've canned had to be at ten pounds pressure.

More cherry tomatoes. 

Seven quarts of baked beans.

I add kidney beans to baked beans so I canned a bunch of kidney beans, too.

Beans, soup, and fig preserves on top.

Homemade zucchini muffins. Some for eating, some for freezing.

Tomato relish, good on beans or even toast!

Pickled cherry tomatoes.

I LOVE!!! to CAN!!!

      I never thought I'd say that, but it's true! I finally got the courage to use my new pressure canner I got for Christmas and I have used it almost everyday for a week! It is such a blessing and it works so good! I finally took a break from it yesterday but I'm back at it today. This time I'm using a water bath. Today I cut up peaches from Norris Farm to use in a cobbler I'll make later. I am going to finish up with the tomatoes I got from the same farm, using them in a tomato relish. I will probably be as busy the rest of the summer canning and making jelly, and if I can get clear jel, pie fillings. If you don't hear from me often, just know that I'm thinking about you, but I'm really so busy. That almost sounds rude, but you have to get the fruit and produce when it's ready, or it will rotten! My sister has a muscadine vine that I can hardly wait to get my hands on when they get ripe! She also has a big pear tree, and a friend told me I can get some of her pears. It will be interesting to see what I do with all those pears! I would love to find someone who has apples to share, too. Well, got to get back to what I love to do! Have a blessed weekend!

Layla reaching for Aunt FeFe.

Loving that watermelon.

If I could only capture the magnificent aroma of this antique rose!

Preacher-man.

Sil being escorted by sons at 25 wedding anniversary celebration.

Hubby performing the ceremony at Convention Hall.

Is that a smile?

Happy family!

Happy couple!

They had this at the celebration. Jasmine loves it!

Likes to be in there by herself.

I kept them for a few days while their Mom was at the beach.

Layla like watermelon too!

Loving their bath.

Skylar loves the babies!