A couple of days ago,

I decided that 

Facebook 

was creating too much strife

in my life.

I decided to

deactivate my account—

at least until 

after the election.

Even though I miss it,

I don’t miss all

of the hatefulness going on. 

I decided that it was time

to devote some of my energy 

to myself!! 

Caring for an invalid Aunt

takes up a lot of my time.

I’d be the first to recommend 

to anyone in this situation 

to care for themself first.

But we rarely 

take our own advice.

Last night,

with my husband’s encouragement,

I decided it was time 

for a nice luxurious soak.

Ahh!!

The soothing properties 

of lavender and hot water

are just what the doctor ordered.

My best advice to you is to

take good care of yourself 

before you commit to caring for others!!

Blessings to all who visit here.

Lynn

Lucky me!!

I received a text

last Friday

from a lifelong friend

who lives in South Carolina.

She said she was coming

to visit her parents 

and asked if I’d like some

PEACHES!!

I responded,

“I’d love a bushel”. 

On Sunday,

she pulled up

in my yard...

with not one, 

but two

baskets of fresh peaches.

There were 

TWO

five gallon buckets full!!

Yesterday morning,

I picked out the ripest peaches,

got a pot of water boiling

and scalded my peaches 

to make them easier to peel.

To scald peaches,

just drop 6 or 8 peaches

in boiling water

for approximately a minute.

I use a slotted spoon to remove

them from the water 

and let them drain

a few minutes before I peel them.

The peels just slide right off.

Next I use a cabbage chopper

to chop the peaches

into a coarse chop.

Before you start cooking your peaches,

you should prepare all

of your ingredients 

because you have to

stir the peaches

the whole time 

you are cooking them.

You should also

have your jars sterilized. 

To do this,

I wash my jars

in the dishwasher,

then place them in my oven

at 220 degrees 

for 10 minutes.

I leave them in the oven

until I am ready 

to fill them.

I put my can  flats (lids)

and rings

in a sauce pan,

covered with water

and boil 

for approximately 10 minutes.

I leave them in the hot water

until I’m ready to use them.

You will need:

4 cups of chopped/diced peaches 

1 package SureJell 

2 Tablespoons Real Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon butter

5 1/2 cups sugar.

Place peaches, lemon juice and SureJell

in a large pot.

A six quart Dutch oven

works well for this.

Bring to a boil,

stirring constantly,

that will not stir down,

on high heat.

Then,

add all of your sugar,

along with the butter,

at one time.

Continue stirring 

until mixture boils again.

Once you get a

full, rolling boil,

keep on boiling and stirring 

for one to two minutes.

Be careful,

and reduce your heat as needed,

because this mixture 

is extremely hot

and will boil over.

Remove from heat

and let sit about

3 minutes.

Then skim off any 

foam that is floating 

around the sides 

and on top of your peaches.

Fill your jars,

leaving a headspace.

I generally fill mine

to the bottom of the ring threads.

Be sure to wipe 

any excess jam off 

the top of your jars

before

putting on your flat 

and your ring.

Process in a boiling water bath

for 15 minutes.

When your jars have finished processing,

remove and place on dry towel.

Do not touch the flats 

or tighten the rings. 

Soon you’ll be rewarded 

with the sound of “pings”

and you’ll know your lids are sealed!!

Today, I’m already ready 

to do it again.

Thank you for visiting me.

Have a blessed day!!

Lynn

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED

Ever since I was a child,

I was interested in hand-crafts.

I learned to knit and quilt 

almost before I learned to read.

Even then, 

it seemed important to me

for artisans to be able to 

ply their trade.

 My sweet daughter

had taught me some of the basics

of making jewelry - 

but then I decided 

I wanted to learn more....

That led me 

to use

my camera and computer

as an artistic outlet.

I now make

custom made necklaces 

and offer them in my Etsy Store.

They are unique and affordable.

Stop by and see me sometime.

Blessings to all who visit here,

Lynn

A GLUTEN FREE DELIGHT

For quite some time,

I had been looking at

the Magic Bullet.

 Since I like to have 

smoothies for breakfast,

I thought it would

be a great tool 

to have in my kitchen.

I just couldn't justify

the space and money

when my blender 

would do the same jobs.

About two weeks ago,

my husband and I were 

shopping at Costco

and the Magic Bullet

was on sale for $39.00.

I put it in the cart

and have never looked back.

It is a great kitchen tool

and do I ever enjoy it

for making my smooties -

much easier clean up

since you can drink 

right out of the same canister

that you mix your drink in.

            

 I still haven't figured out

where to put all of these pieces,

but the base and

two of the canisters

are on my counter

because I use them daily.

  

 This morning,

I started with a 

one serving

of 

Greek Coconut Yogurt.

 

 Next I added

a package of 

Classic French Vanilla

Instant Breakfast.

 

 About 3/4 cup of frozen pineapple.

 One cup of skim milk.

It only took about 30 seconds

for it to be mixed

into one of the best smoothies

I've ever had -

In fact it was so good

that I would consider

it a milkshake!!

And to top it all off,

it is gluten free.  

Blessings to all who visit here,

Lynn

***all pictures downloaded from 

Google Images.

      

WHITE PIZZA DIP

As I am ever

on the lookout

for new gluten free recipes

to try,

I stumbled over this one.

I can't say it's "tried and true" 

because I haven't tried it yet,

but it sure does sound delish!!

White Pizza Dip

serves about 6-8

1 pint grape tomatoes, tomatoes cut in half

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 (12 ounces) blocks cream cheese, softened

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated

8 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves

Gluten free crackers, bread or chips for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt, then roast for 20-25 minutes, until bursting. Set aside.

While tomatoes are roasting, mix softened cream cheese with about 7 ounces each of provolone and mozzarella, then and parmesan. Stir in fresh herbs, garlic and roasted tomatoes, mixing well to combine. Transfer mixture to an oven-safe baking dish (mine was 6 x 4 round). Sprinkle with remaining provolone and mozzarella. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly. Serve immediately with crackers, chip or toasted bread.

     

I plan on giving this a try

over the holidays -

when I do,

I'll let you know how it was.

If you try it first,

please let me know.

Blessings to all who visit here,

Lynn

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

My husband and his co-workers

exchange 

Christmas cards every year.

Instead of sending just a card,

I try to jazz it up a bit

and send a little treat.  

 Some years,

I wrap individual bags of 

microwave popcorn

and attach a card that says,

"We're just poppin' in to say

Merry Christmas".

 

 One year I sent ingredients for 

"Snowman Soup"

 This year,

I found cute little bags at

The Dollar tree

  

 I scanned one of the bags

into my computer

and made 

cards that had snowmen

and snowflakes on them

with the greeting,

"Don't snicker,

at least you got something".

 

 Put a fun size 

Snicker

in the bag

and attach the business size card.

 

It's always a greeting that 

they look forward to every year.

Blessings to all who visit here,

Lynn