the midnight scrapper

what a difference a year makes...

This time last year I was visiting with friends in Minneapolis (yes, that would be name dropping LOL) and we were heading out to a dinner party. We stopped to buy some wine for dinner and as I approched the cashier with my purchases she asked to see ID.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could it be possible that at 45ish I was being checked to see if I was old enough to buy and consume alcohol. Well I almost kissed that woman as I produced my drivers license with a flourish. Having proved that I was indeed over 21 (waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over as my sister and friends pointed out LOL) I payed for my wine and left feeling very smug.

Fast forward 1 damn year.

On Friday I was in Sydney visiting my sister and decided to catch a movie before I went home. I rocked up to the counter, asked for one ticket to "Beautiful Kate" and a choc top. Seemed simple enough. The girl was friendly, we made small talk, I payed and  walked off.

Then I checked my ticket, just to see what cinema I was in and that was when my heart sort of stopped, and then beat a little faster...

 

Do you see what I'm talking about?

A  senior ticket, she thinks I look over 60!

OMG!

I have not had my 47th birthday yet!

I need a makeover!

And then I see the silver lining...I saved $4.00 people, which made that choc top free!!!!!!!!

june completed, july on the way...

I nearly get caught up, and then it gets away from me again!

At least I keep taking the photos.

1 June - 7 June:

 

 

 

8 June - 14 June:

 

 

 

15 June - 21 June:

 

 

 

22 June - 28 June:

 

 

 

Just keep going Jody, just keep going. Ha!

channelling my inner laura ingalls...

A kilo of cumquats found it's way to my kitchen (from a workmates tree) and I was possessed by my inner Laura Ingalls to make jam, well marmalade in fact...for the first time ever!

In my ignorance I think that it can't be that hard.

I get a very simple recipe (how I wished halfway through that the recipe was more extensive LOL) and I start chopping and digging out the pips.

Add some water then it all soaks for a day. This stuff is easy...

 

Measure out how much fruit and liquid, add LOTS of sugar (seriously, I had no clue just how much sugar is in jam!!) and get it on the boil...

  

Why don't I make all our jam, this is a breeze...

 

Ok, now how long should this jam simmer away and just how will I know what the "set stage" is. Now a little panic has set in as the suggested time has come and gone and I don't think it's ready.

I google, I worry, I drop teaspoonfuls on a plate, I ring a friend. Her advice...just keep boiling that sucker and it will be fine (I have great friends).

Of course all my energy has been taken up with boiling jam and I realise I need to sterilise my jars so I grab another pot and get to work on that...

 

Luckily I make the decision that the marmalde is ready (still don't quite know how, that's where the channelling from Laura came in LOL) and I have to get it into the jars without causing myself third degree burns...

 

And that jam just kept coming. Emergency raid for more jars, more boiling and we are good to keep going, although stress levels are indeed elevated.

And that was it (well there was the big sticky clean up) all done and I had actually made marmalade from scratch.

 

Best marmalade EVER!!!!!

getting ready for some more CZ fun...

All signed up for Cathy's next class and I am very excited.

I have done my homework and now I just have to concentrate on filling up my letters.

The kids have suggested some great ones:

D is for Dog Nose, because I can smell all those awful boy smells that they can't.

C is for Clean Freak, because I live with boys who would prefer never to clean up, EVER!

L is for Lyrics Loser, because I don't let not knowing the words to a song stop me from singing it!

 Are you getting the picture here...they are so very helpful LOL  but I will continue to think it through a bit more.

 

 

Roll on Sept 3, and while I'm waiting I will be rereading Amy Krouse Rosenthal's An Encyclopedia of My Ordinary Life, on which the class is based.