we be jammin

As I mentioned last week I got the homemaking bug and decided to make jam. And bread! because what good is homemade jam without homemade bread?

The results....

 • Even if you put raspberries and cherries in your jam if the majority of the fruit is strawberries it will taste like strawberry jam. Lesson learned.

• Using this article and this article was helpful and I am now a believer in Pomona's pectin.

• What is Pomona's pectin? A natural pectin that allows you to use honey or sweetner in your jam instead of sugar. Good stuff right there. (Can be found at Whole Foods for around $5).

• The calcium water it calls for comes IN the pectin packet. Learned that lesson the hard way... after asking two different people in Whole Foods where I could find calcium water and then calling up Orchard Supply.

• Side note... Whole Foods is a BEAUTIFUL PLACE. My grandfather owned a grocery store for 50+ years and we take our grocery stores seriously. Its what my dad likes to do for fun on a Friday night, just ask my mom.

• Whole Foods breaks the budget times ten. For that it turns me into a jealous teenage girl and I want to call it ugly behind its back (out of pure envy of course).

• I will be making more jam... soon I hope! And this time I want to do a little more experimenting with flavors. I grew up eating huckleberry-peach-strawberry jam and I'm not sure if there is a flavor that can top that right there. No sir.

• The bread turned out ok. My oven is fickle and I think I overcooked it slightly. But I have had it at its best and it was DELIGHTFUL! (thank you Elyse). It is easy to make and has a nice hearty feel to it because it is made with oatmeal. You can find the recipe here.

• You can make jam too! It really wasn't that hard and if you are super nervous then try making freezer jam. Its simple as pie...or jam.

ps. I am moving where//there to tomorrow for this week. Stay tuned!

Rule breaker

 I guess I broke the cardinal rule of not wearing white before memorial day when I wore these pants to the farmers market yesterday. What can I say, I am a rule breaker. Like the time my friends an I took an abandoned T.V. drove up the steepest hill in my home town and pushed it out the back. In the middle of the night mind you. I about had a heart attack when I saw a car come upon us from behind. Surely there would be some life altering damage when they hit that T.V. and it would be all my fault. Let's just say there was a lot of hoot'n and holler'n on my end and it wasn't because I was the life of the party. Rule breaker for sure.

On the agenda for this weekend....
• Making homemade jam with all the goodies we got from the market
• Swimming
• Going 3 for 3 on my running this week
• Cleaning house
• Naps

Lots of exciting things going on over here. What can I say... we are taking our R&R seriously these days.

(BTW these pictures are for you Chelse. Turns out posing isn't really my thing and photography isn't really Alden's thing so take a good look because this might very well be the last of its kind haha)

wear | there | paris

Paris isn't a real contender for our trip but I'm dying to go there. It's at the top of my list and watching Jordan from Oh Happy Day spend the last year there may have just secured it as numero uno.

glasses | dress | scarf | purse | shoes | photo

all tied up

Want a simple solution to spice up your wardrobe?... it might be kind of knotty (I couldn't help myself)! Hop over to Say Yes to Hoboken and check out my post!

ps. I didn't mean to leave you all high and dry over here...I've been swamped with life and have high hopes of committing myself to at least three posts a week. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for a wear//there post!

wear//there//new zealand

dress | shawl | necklace | bag | glasses | hat | boot | photo

My brother and his wife Chelse are off to New Zealand next month so I asked Chelse to send me some of her dream pieces to wear there. Don't you love the look she put together? It is totally her and totally New Zealand. If it weren't for the long flight I might try and sneak in their luggage. Have fun you two! Can't wait to hear all about it.