Binkies and Briefcases

SUBSCRIBE

Why didn’t anybody tell me it was EASY to make homemade jam?

By: Stephaniecomment

This morning I woke up to two hungry kids and a problem, the blueberries were squishy. Let’s be real, I totally fed them Poptarts with actual blueberries on the side, it’s not like I was planning to attempt something homemade this morning.

But like I have said a hundred times, I am cheap, and I also lived with my Mommom for several years while I was in college. As a child of the Great Depression, she thought the worst sin in the world was to let food go to waste. Blueberries are expensive. (unless you pick your own, but we didn’t go blueberry picking this year.)They weren’t moldy or anything, just really too squishy to eat.

2 ingredient blueberry jam

So I looked up a recipe for homemade jam. I do not come from a family that does any canning or jam-making of any kind, so I was shocked to discover this “recipe” via Google:

(I’m paraphrasing)

1. Mix 2/3 cup of sugar in for every 1 cup of berries.
2. Squish the berries & sugar together (I used a potato masher)
3. Cook it, stirring occasionally, until it looks like jam.

Seriously?! All I had to do is add sugar and cook it? Why didn’t anybody tell me this before? I am seeing a whole new world of jam-making open up before my very eyes.

For comparison, this is the list of ingredients for the Smucker’s strawberry fruit spread that was in my fridge:
strawberries, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, pectin, citric acid, grape juice concentrate, and natural flavors

um…or I could eliminate 6 (two being corn syrup & high fructose corn syrup)and just go with berries & sugar.

Now, I don’t know about that whole canning business, so for now, I am just using one old pasta sauce jar and only making small amounts (like 2 cups at a time)but that is plenty for our little family for the time being. Just be sure to refrigerate the jar after it cools and try to use it within a week or so if you aren’t doing the whole canning process.

It only took 10 minutes and I even did it with a baby on my hip and let her help me stir occasionally. (You know, just to be extra Walton-y)

Happy jam-making!

Handprints

By: Stephanie3 Comments

I loved this idea when I saw it on Fun on a Dime! Had to try it right away.

I’ve made homemade play dough out of flour & water dozens of times, but it never occurred to me to let it harden on purpose.

DIY Handprint Keepsake

All you need to do is mix the following:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1/2 cup of salt
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • Add food coloring if desired.
  • Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes.
 

It will form a dough that you can use as play dough OR you can press little hands or feet into it to make keepsakes like these. Love them.

The mom from Fun on a Dime was brave and let her kids paint theirs. We just left ours as they were straight out of the oven.

So cute displayed on plate holders in little vignettes. Wouldn’t these make great gifts for grandparents/mother’s day/father’s day? Or use stamps and smaller amounts of dough to create Christmas ornaments. Poke a hole in the top before drying so you can string ribbon through to hang on your Christmas tree.

To make it even more special take a permanent marker and write a poem like this one from this website on the back along with your child’s name & date.

My Handprints
There used to be so many
Of my fingerprints to see
On furniture and walls and things
From sticky, grubby me.

But if you stop and think awhile
You’ll see I’m growing fast
These little moments disappear
You can’t bring back the past.So here is a small reminder
To keep, not throw away
Of tiny hands and how they looked
To make you smile someday.

 
I don’t know how these will hold up over time since they are made out of food products. I’m thinking maybe I should shellac them. Love them!

Once Upon a Swingset

By: Stephanie3 Comments

When we chose our current home it was for 2 reasons:
1. We could afford it.
2. This back yard.

 

Yes, inside there was brown shag carpeting, laminate paneling, and a kitchen that needed to be completely gutted. We had not yet “officially” adopted Nicholas and I wasn’t even pregnant with Abby. It was going to mean a move across 7 states and other major life changes (like giving up my career) but I knew that this back yard would give us moments like these…

Where a brother and a sister can read each other’s minds

and moments of sheer joy are found upon a swing set.

Where a little boy with a troubled past can be the king of his own castle

and a little girl can begin her journey with both hands on the wheel.

Where there is freedom to be nothing but a child.

 

There are things that have been taken away from my son that as his third mother I might never be able to give him back, but what I can do is try my very best to replace bad feelings with good memories, memories of bare feet, a plastic swing set, and what it feels like to be loved. Forever.
 
So that’s what we will do. One mommy, two babies, and a big back yard.

 

 

Weekend Bloggy Reading

What You’re Saying

Latest Posts

ALL I Never Knowed: The Book Is Here!

It’s finally here, in my hands. It has been a loooong time in the making, but our book, All I Never Knowed: Mental Illness, a Mother’s Love, and a Broken System, is available now. The official launch date is next Tuesday, Oct. 5th. But starting now, you can order from all major retailers. Here’s where […]

Save Money with Fetch

Hey everyone! This is Chelsea, Steph’s asistant, back with the simplest app for getting cash back on things you’re already buying! We’ve covered Ibotta, Shopkick, Coupons.com, Swagbucks and we’re all saving hundreds of dollars by now, right? RIGHT!? I’m really hoping you guys have jumped on the rebate app savings train because it’s just so […]

Splendid Spoon Review

I was excited to receive a box of products to try from Splendid Spoon this summer! They invited me to try their line of plant-based, ready-to-eat foods and delivered them right to my door. Check one in the pro column for convenience. I did receive these products free of charge in order to rate them […]

My Networks