life in my cookie jar: Jams & Butters

My mom is a doer. She goes on vacation and works. But she makes it fun. That's a skill I need to better develop.

Now, I know she came out here to help me with having a baby, not to go on vacation. But even then, she cleaned and cooked and cleaned some more everyday that she was here. And I don't even live in my own house! My sweet mother cleaned and organized my mother-in-law's house for her as far as she was allowed to (and even when she wasn't allowed to). She's such an angel of a woman. No wonder my Dad chased after her and didn't take no for an answer years ago when he was first trying to date her! What an incredible lady.

So, along with all of the cooking and cleaning she did, I told her that I wanted to make strawberry freezer jam and apple butter while she was here. So we did!

I have these memories from my childhood of my mother once or twice a year making enough strawberry freezer jam to fill nearly half of our big freezer in the garage. Then for dinner most nights, she'd make southern biscuits from scratch to accompany the meal. All of us, especially us kids, would load that jam up on them and just binge eat dozens of biscuits that way. My brother Ben taught me to cut them in half, dig out the inside of the biscuit, and then fill it in with extra jam. We'd have to eat those in one bite or the jam would spill everywhere. Truth be told, we still eat them that way, even as adults with kids of our own. I'm pretty sure that will never change!

So my Mom and I made strawberry freezer jam the evening of April 5th, and later that night I went into labor and delivered Graham the following night. I've heard several women say that they did the same thing and then shortly thereafter they went into labor too. Funny how canning and making jam will do that.

We found a bunch of miscellaneous jars and spray painted the lids red.

Beautiful strawberries in beautiful Southern California.

strawberries, sugar, and sure-gel

My mom's wonderfully care-worn hands.

Made of pure deliciousness.

Ten days after having Graham, my Mom and I made apple butter. But we took a shortcut and made it the easy way. Instead of buying loads of apples and taking hours to peel them and make them into sauce, we just bought a bunch of cheap apple sauce, added the sugar and spices, then cooked it down for a few hours until it was done. And it is SO good!

I don't look half bad 10 days after having a baby!

Smells like magic and Christmas!

Letting the lids seal.

Apple Butter perfection.

Thanks, Mom, for all of your help, for all of the meals you prepared and left in the freezer for us, and for your wonderful company that I can never seem to get enough of! I sure wish you lived closer or could come and visit more often, but I'll definitely take every phone call and email that you and Dad you have to offer. I miss you already!