spaghetti sauce.

Last Thursday my sweet mom and aunt spent the night working their butts off just for me.  We canned spaghetti sauce.  We picked the tomatoes after work and spent the night canning 24 quarts of spaghetti sauce.  This year I've not really felt up to canning anything but spaghetti sauce was one thing I wasn't willing to give up for the year.  Thankfully my aunt and mom helped me whip out these 24 quarts.  I am so thankful for their help!  And this yummy spaghetti sauce :)

Speaking of my mom, she texted me this today.

Gotta love The Help :)

Kelle Hampton It.

Do you ever plan for your weekend to be fabulous only to be disappointed Sunday night?  Like you think of all the fabulous things you're going to do for the weekend.  And in your head you concoct the perfect blend of relaxing and productive, funny and romantic, lazy and exhilarating.  It's like the perfect mix of everything that's going to happen.

Especially on Saturday.  You plan to get up early and go for a run.  Then come back and clean your house.  Have the floors mopped, the baseboards wiped down, three loads of laundry done, your bathroom sparkling, and your refridgerator cleaned out.  All before 10 a.m.  Then for the afternoon agenda, sew and finish your photography website.  Order business cards.  Start an Etsy store.  And clean out the attic. 

So all OCD dreams are fulfilled for the weekend.

But, simulatneously you expect the weekend to be relaxed and lazy and dreamy.  So you plan to sleep late and wake up to snuggle your husband for another half hour.  Then mozy into the kitchen and make a fabulous pot of coffee.  Do your quiet time on the screen porch while enjoying your coffee in a paisley mug with french vanilla creamer.  Then, you shower and get ready when you finally get to it and head out to....I don't know, that's where the dream gets fuzzy for me.  I got to Target and maybe to a couple of thrift stores.  Have a relaxing lunch, outside with a cool breeze and then wonder over to the bookstore to browse a bazillion different books.  It just makes sense.  

But then, Sunday night you realize that you've accomplished neither.  In trying to get everything done, you missed the opportunity to snuggle with your husband and enjoy your coffee.  And in being relaxed you totally stressed yourself out with your house is still being a wreck.

  Plus on Sunday night you realize that it's ridiculous to think that you'll clean your baseboards considering you haven't cleaned them in months.  [Don't be too grossed out].  Or that you'll actually finish your photography website that you've been working on for months.  Then you also realize that you don't really like to sleep late.  And that the cool breeze at an outdoor lunch?  Ummm...it's July.  Let's get real.

So, all of that to say...

Last Friday I showed up to work and had a twin.  And we had the whole conversation that I mentioned above.  So, we determined that in place of another weekend with ridiculous, unrealistic plans, we were going to Kelle Hampton it.

Oh you haven't heard of Kelle Hamptoning It?  Well, it's probably because we made it up.  But it's like saying that you're going to rock it. Except you're going to rock it time a bazillion.

Have you read Kelle Hampton's blog?  Well, first of all...you should.

And, once you read it you'll quickly realize that you want to Kelle Hampton It too.  Because she always finds the positive in everything.  Like everything.

And she...how does she put it?

Oh yeah, sucks the marrow out of life.

So, last Friday my "partner in crime" and I decided that we were definitely going to Kelle Hampton It.


When we left work, we both went home and painted our fingernails a shade of watermelon.  Yes, because Kelle Hampton did.  Well that and because it was going to be our visual reminder that we were going to suck the marrow out of life.  Even the little pieces.  Even when things are frustrating.  Finding a little thing.  That's so exciting.



And I went with the toes too.
Just for extra special measure.


It was a long weekend, ya know.


So, here's a little snapshot of my weekend.  Kelle Hampton style.




First a lazy Saturday morning. Check.
Quiet time with fabulous coffee on the front porch.



Looking at this across the street.
Could it be better?
Seriously?



We then moved on to green beans.
Picking, stringing, breaking, canning.



Talk about a ton of work!
But so worth it.
20 quarts :)


After canning green beans we went to the community 4th of July parade.
It was sweet.  Even though it only lasted 15 minutes :)



Once the parade was over, we docked the number one family get together with my dad's family.
Definitely ranked number one in the last few years.


We got together and had a cookout around 8:30 on Saturday night.  We planned the cookout around 7 that night.  Mom called all the aunts and said let's just throw everything together for a cookout right quick.  So we showed up at my grandpa's house with a hodgepodge of cookout items and a firepit for good measure.  I'd say the firepit definitely made it.  Homemade icecream, s'mores and a fire.  Could it get any better?



On Sunday afternoon we headed to the New River Trail in Virginia to bike along the river.
It was a twenty mile ride that was so.much.fun.  Exhilarating and hard.  But amazing to feel the breeze on your face and just soak it all in.



Such a beautiful place.



Such a wonderful family.



Then, in continuing to be Kelle Hampton - esque, I found the joy even in getting car sick to the point of laying in the grass in front of KFC on a major highway.  But all was okay.  Because my wonderful mother photographed the event and my wonderful husband went back to the KFC counter three times to get my bland mashed potatoes just right.  How hard to mess up, right?   But, my sweet husband was willing to get everything just right.




Then on to fireworks.
Which were so much fun.  Sitting all in the back of the truck beds all lined up and the bag chairs all sat  out in front of the trucks.


What's crazy is that there are plenty of weekends I spend with my parents.  In this gorgeous setting.  With such a fun and love-filled family.  Doing so many fun things.  But how often do I truly suck the marrow out of this life?  This crazy, exciting but sometimes ordinary life?  Not enough.



So here's to Kelle Hamptoning It.


And, FYI, my nails are watermelon again this weekend.

strawberries.

you know strawberries are in season right now, right?




and you know that you can make strawberry freezer jam in like 30 minutes, right?


well....if you didn't, you do now.
and you should.

so if you're looking for a quick suzie-homemaker project for the weekend, here it is!

first buy a gallon of strawberries.

it's best to buy locally grown.

and fun to make a day of picking the strawberries too.

but if you don't have time, they typically have some that are already picked.

so you can just buy them.

rinse the berries and then cut off the tops of your strawberries and slice them in half.

then you smash them.

or, if you're lazy, just throw them in the food processor and chop them a few times.

you'll need two cups smashed.

[a gallon will give you more than enough - but of course you have to buy a gallon because you know you or someone will eat quite a few]

then you add 4 cups of sugar and mix.

yes, 4 cups.

just don't think about it.

allow that to sit for 10 minutes.

then [i forgot to take pics of this part] but you take your sure jell and add it along with 3/4 cup of water to a saucepan on high.  continuously stir the mix until it starts to boil.  then allow to boil for one minute while stirring.


pour this mixture into your strawberries and sugar.
stir continuously for three minutes.

then pour into your containers.
leave them sitting out for 24 hours.
then store in the freezer.

jam will last three weeks in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer!


happy friday!

i got the receipe from here. just thought i'd repost it with pictures of my process :)