Thursday, May 19, 2011

Puttin' Up Strawberries

Howdy out there,
Well life has been a little crazy here on the East coast, go figure. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Atlanta to visit my dear friend from college. We picked out bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming wedding in August, and spent some time getting reacquainted with one another. Its amazing how you can keep in touch with someone through letters, phone calls etc., and still not be aware of all the changes going on in and around them until you are physically with them. I have never dealt well with change, so it was difficult for me to process all the changes and understand where she is and how she got there. However, I serve a merciful God, and through all my melancholy, tactless blunders and emotional spasms, God gave us a sweet and memorable time together.

I promise, I WILL get to the strawberries...

Two more things to note:
1) I recently saw the latest adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's, "Jane Eyre," and was sorely disappointed. Apparently, (according to the afore mentioned friend's fiance)literary critics consider the portion of the story surrounding Jane Eyre's cousins to be unrealistic and disconnected with the rest of the story. This is because they view Jane Eyre as an independent woman striving out into the world to proclaim her independence and her will to be free from any master. This is a feminist viewpoint which is not only inaccurate but also offensive. How dare they turn a such a deep meaningful story about a woman's search for love and righteousness into a story about a search for independence! Jane Eyre is a love deprived person who wants nothing else in the world but love and familial connections. She feels a void in her latter days at school and seeks to fill it by finding a governess position. She is not seeking a career, she is just trying to find out what the ache and longing is within her and is under the impression that she will be joined with a family this way. She is forced to leave there against everything that she feels. She wants to be tied forever to Mr. Rochester, but she leaves because she knows that she will answer to God for her actions if she does not. When, with St. Jean, she finds out that she is a rich woman, she ALSO FINDS OUT SHE IS INDEED RELATED TO HIM AND HIS SISTERS! She weeps with this discovery, She is SO happy to finally have found what she was looking for. She never wanted independence. She wanted love. Alright, I'm off my soapbox now.

2) I recently made my own skin care line: cleansing grains and moisturizer. I will post pictures and such very soon. I have not yet made a toner.

OK FINALLY! What you've all been waiting for, the first glimpse into my 2011 canning season. It has begun!

















All of my materials gathered and clean. We're ready to start!





















Beautiful berries, rinsed and ready for the sauce pan.




















Boiling berries, filling the house with a heavenly smell.





















Putting it in the jars is tricky. Not boiling your fingers off is the key.




















The finished product!

See folks, not as hard as you thought! More to come....

Maria

1 comment:

  1. Well, praise the Lord for sweet fellowship!
    I've had similar experiences with friends
    and I see what you mean.

    So sorry that you didn't like the new Jane Eyre! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter, very enlightening and quite true!

    The strawberry jam sounds and looks so delectable! Currently I am devoted to peanut butter and honey/jam with baked oatmeal for breakfast, so I'm very much in the mood for a good jam. This post has inspired me to branch out and make some soon!

    I miss you and love you dearly, my friend.

    ReplyDelete