100% Summer

It's definitely summer in these parts. I'm behind on the jam making already, but did get two batches of strawberry jam made today. And making jam means something really big at our house....it means that the kitchen is functional! It actually has been functional for a while now...so why wasn't I making jam before? Who knows.

These jars looked so pretty this afternoon, sitting on the counter with the sun shining through them. I came across these little 4 oz. jars last year late into my jam making, but loved them because they helped me to stretch the jam that I had and give it to more people as gifts at Christmas. I'm stocking up on them now and hope to be able to give an assortment of jams this year. So if you know me, the odds are, you're looking at part of your Christmas present.

There are gallons of mulberries waiting in my freezer and by the time we return home from another road trip, it will be blueberry and blackberry picking time. Just need to make sure I hold on to enough to get us through to the next year. I had to buy a few jars in the past few months and I don't love it nearly as much as when I know it came from my kitchen.

In addition to making jam today, the girls and a neighbor friend took a romp through the sprinkler. Sarah knows how to tackle a sprinkler - always be prepared. I fear I may have gotten the goggles a tidge too tight on her, as they seem to be rearranging her face. That may explain why she didn't wear them for long. Or perhaps their usefulness with sprinklers was overestimated.

And then there was this brilliant idea. Get chalk wet and grind it into a paste to paint yourself with. Even after rinsing in the sprinkler, my bathroom towels suffered from this one. It made me happy today, watching the girls romping around in their swimsuits in the yard, drippy wet, grass clippings stuck to their bare feet, cooling off from the heat of the day (and it was hot! and humid!) and just being kids. This is what summer is supposed to be.