Dennis was back to work today but I still have a full, glorious week off. I started my day with (what else) coffee and sat down to do my to-do list. A four page list, by the time I was done. I realize that it's a bit ambitious but with a full week at home I really would like to get ahead on some projects (sewing, preserving) and get the house in order.
So what was on today's agenda? First up - jam! I made two kinds this morning. Cinnamon Apple Pie in a Jar and Strawberry Vanilla. The Apple jam was from a book called The Canning Kitchen: 101 Simple Small Batch Recipes. I had a taste before I put it in jars and while it was a bit sweet, overall the flavour was delightful. The strawberry jam was from the Put 'Em Up. I liked that it had only three ingredients: strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. While many jam recipes call for almost equal amounts of sugar, the ratio in this one was much lower - 8 cups of strawberries to 2 cups of sugar. Both made small batches, which works better for me given that Dennis doesn't eat a lot of jam.
After that, it was into my cleaning frenzy. My mother-in-law Carole had given me her set of 8 Golden Rose china place settings when we were out last week. They are vintage-y and so pretty. I made some room in the hutch and also took the opportunity to just generally go through cupboards and cull things.
So what was on today's agenda? First up - jam! I made two kinds this morning. Cinnamon Apple Pie in a Jar and Strawberry Vanilla. The Apple jam was from a book called The Canning Kitchen: 101 Simple Small Batch Recipes. I had a taste before I put it in jars and while it was a bit sweet, overall the flavour was delightful. The strawberry jam was from the Put 'Em Up. I liked that it had only three ingredients: strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. While many jam recipes call for almost equal amounts of sugar, the ratio in this one was much lower - 8 cups of strawberries to 2 cups of sugar. Both made small batches, which works better for me given that Dennis doesn't eat a lot of jam.
After that, it was into my cleaning frenzy. My mother-in-law Carole had given me her set of 8 Golden Rose china place settings when we were out last week. They are vintage-y and so pretty. I made some room in the hutch and also took the opportunity to just generally go through cupboards and cull things.
The extravaganza continued in the basement! I tidied up my sewing area (it was really getting out of hand) and did some general sorting and tidying up. I also vacuumed and managed to somehow suck up a spider. I really hope that it died a quick and painless death. Dead being the operative word. I don't know what kind of witchcraft spiders have but they seem to have more lives than a damn cat. Ugh.
After that, I managed to fit in a quick run. It was the first time I had been out in a while as my knee has been giving me trouble. So far so good although the real test will be tomorrow morning.
And that was the day! Well...along with a few other miscellaneous tasks thrown in. All and all it was very fruitful and productive - just the way I like to relax on my holidays!
After that, I managed to fit in a quick run. It was the first time I had been out in a while as my knee has been giving me trouble. So far so good although the real test will be tomorrow morning.
And that was the day! Well...along with a few other miscellaneous tasks thrown in. All and all it was very fruitful and productive - just the way I like to relax on my holidays!