Fall Happenings

A few snippets of life around here lately.

'Tis the season for grape juice. I have fond memories of drinking home canned grape juice as a kid. When we had friends over my mom's snack specialty was canned grape juice and air-popped popcorn.  This is Mom's grape juice recipe:

1 cup grapes

1/2 c. sugar

Put grapes and sugar in quart jar. 

Fill with hot water. 

Process at a boil for

10 minutes. Let sit into November.

Short and sweet. I need to write on my recipe card to remember to stir the grapes/sugar/water before putting the lid on them otherwise the sugar doesn't get dissolved. 

I use a mix of 1 and 2 quart jars. And some that are in between that amount. But I treat them like 2 quart jars.

I remember seeing pictures Mom would take of her canned goods. So here's my attempt at an artsy picture. (yeah, I'm not really photogenically artsy, it's true). You'd never know we live in a city, based on all that greenery outside our window. I love it.

We are slowly finishing up the 3rd floor room. Our futon cover was old and dingy (and not a real futon cover, so it didn't fit well at all), so we're going to be getting a new one made. I was going to attempt to make one, but I have decided I'd rather have a professional make this for me.

I have taken on the task of sewing roman shades for two windows in the 3rd floor room. I love fabric, and I love being able to make drapes and curtains. When we lived in Baltimore, I made roman shades for our bedroom windows, and I loved them. It was incredibly satisfying to make a shade that I could pull up and down (Such things excite me, yes. I'm a bit of a sewing geek). I am following similar directions (I had used an official pattern then and am using it again now) but tweaking them a bit because I am hanging them differently. So until they are done and hung, I feel a bit nervous about whether they will actually work. I keep reminding myself that since I made them once before and they worked out, they should this time too, if I just follow all the steps.

This little girl has gotten so busy. She learned (very quickly) from her older siblings, that she can push a chair over to the counter and climb up, and find all kinds of goodies. I really need to keep an eye on her now. Especially when I am cooking.