Pear Jam

in our backyard we have this pear tree, so Brigg and I picked a few and from it I made pear jam. It turned out pretty good, although I did less sugar than it said because it was so sweet, but none the less still delicious. I put the recipe below.

Pear Vanilla Jam

Yields:
44 servings (serving size: 2 tablespoons)
Ingredients
· 4 cups coarsely chopped peeled Bartlett pear (about 5 large)
· 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
· 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
· 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
· 1 (1.75-ounce) package pectin crystals
· 2 cups sugar
Preparation
Place pear in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Place pear, rind, juice, and vanilla bean in a large saucepan. Stir in pectin. Place pan over high heat; bring to a boil. Stir in sugar; cook 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Skim foam from surface; discard. Remove vanilla bean. Scrape seeds into pear mixture; discard bean. Stir 5 minutes to ensure fruit is suspended in jam. Cover and chill overnight.
Note: Refrigerate Pear-Vanilla Freezer Jam in airtight containers up to three weeks, or freeze up to six months.

Paper Mache Pumpkins

With my friend Ali Mae we made these paper mache pumpkins that I found on my sister's lightbulb blog. Anyway, they are really easy to make, take a day or so to dry, and the look awesome.

Anne's Hair

Since I was a little girl I have always loved doing hair, I guess you could say I take after my mother. Well Joy is so kind to let me do Anne's hair when ever I visit. She loved what I did the last time we were there. Of course Anne has been well trained by her mother on how to pose for the camera; she does a very good job at being cute.

Hats

Ya I know I've only done one post, but encouraged by my sisters I decided to actually keep this blog going. I actually will start posting stuff on here, I promise. For I actually do have stuff to post about, but I'm kind of lazy sometimes.

So last fall Brigg's cousin Cami was crocheting alot of hats and stuff and inspired me to start crocheting again and to try making hats. Well I've only made a few so far. I actually found a pattern online which I had to tweek to fit my head, but I was suprised how easy and fun they were to make. Anne was kind enough to be a model for me. This hat actually turned out to small for a regular adult head (even my smaller adult head), but it fit Anne's head perfectly. So now I think I can tweek the pattern to make more children size hats.

This was the most recent hat I made and it actually didn't turn out right, but then I added a ribben and suddenly I found a new style of hat. Yay! Brigg likes this hat the best.

And this was the first hat I made.

20 ways to use lemons

Did you ever realize that lemons can be amazingly useful in so many different ways? well here are 20 ways that lemons can be used.

1. Brass and aluminum can be polished with a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar. Another way to polish brass is by sprinkling salt on half of a lemon and rubbing it on the brass item. This method works on stainless steel as well.

2. Rub lemon on your faucets to remove lime scale, hard water stains, and soap residue. It also works on porcelain.

3. Whiten tennis shoes by spraying them with lemon juice and placing them in the sun

4. For a mild, stain-free bleach, soak your delicates in a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda for at least half an hour before washing.

5. Boost your laundry detergent’s power by adding lemon juice to a wash cycle for fresh smelling laundry, to brighten whites and remove rust and mineral stains.

6. For ink spots on clothing, apply lots of lemon juice to the stain as soon as possible. Wash the garment in normal cycle in cold water.

7. Remove unsightly underarm stains from shirts and blouses simply by scrubbing them with a mixture of equal parts lemon juice (or white vinegar) and water.

8. To get rid of mildew on clothes, make a paste of lemon juice and salt and rub it on the affected area, then dry the clothes in sunlight. Repeat the process until the stain is gone. This works well for rust stains on clothes too.

9. Grind citrus through the garbage disposal to get rid of nasty odours and freshen the drain.

10. Add half a lemon to the dishwasher load for sparkling spot-free clean smelling dishes.

11. Make your own spray cleaner by mixing two tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, and one teaspoon Borax into two cups hot water. Mix until dissolved.

12. Another all-purpose cleaning solution: combine lemon juice, vinegar and water in a spray bottle.

13. Add a nice clean scent as well as cleansing power to all liquid cleansers by adding two tablespoons lemon or orange juice.

14. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains.

15. Use as a natural furniture polish, combine 1 part lemon juice with 2 parts olive oil.

16. Create a wonderful natural air freshener by mixing lemon juice and water in a spray bottle.

17. Place half a lemon or an orange in a dish can help freshen a room. You can also boil up the peels to freshen up the whole house.

18. Clean your windows and glass by rubbing straight lemon juice on them and then buffing dry with newspapers.

19. Dry lemon or orange peels can be used to freshen drawersStud an orange with cloves and hang it in your closet to keep moths away.

20. Rub fresh orange or lemon peels over your exposed skin to keep away mosquitoes and gnats.