Est. August Third

Seasons

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Don’t forget to take a step back, breathe, and savor every bit of this season in your life. Maybe you are struggling with being content with what you have, or maybe you are feeling overwhelmed with all you have been blessed with. Wherever you are, don’t rush through this season of your life. Find joy in the small things...and big things that make this season unique. There is always something to be thankful for.

Today I am especially thankful for: my husband, homemade grape jelly, dinners with my family, friends that live close by, pumpkins, a clean house, nature walks with the daycare kids...and a lot of things in between.

Raspberry Honey Jam

What you will need:

1. 6 packs of raspberries

2. 1 ½ -2 cups of honey…it just depends on how sweet you want it

3. 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (I use bottled organic lemon juice)

4. 2 granny smith apples

(makes enough to fill about 4 8oz. mason jars)

Instructions:

1. Puree your apples (I use my blender)

2. Put your raspberries, apple puree, and honey in a large pot and stir.

3. Heat the mixture on high (stirring occasionally) until it begins to boil.

4. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

5. After 20 minutes, use a potato masher to mash the berries.

6. Continue to let it simmer for an additional 20-40 minutes (the longer you let it simmer, the thicker it will be).

* while your jam is simmering, sterilize your empty jars.

7. After your Jam is done, you can either freeze or can it.

If you choose to can it:

8. Pour the hot jam into your sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch of headspace(be sure not to contaminate by touching the rims, the under side of the lids, or the inside of the jar).

9. Wipe the rims with a damp cloth, then place the lids and rings on the jars.

10. Carefully place your jars in your boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

My favorite way to eat it is on a homemade English muffin!

* link to information on how to sterilize jars: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_01/sterile_jars.html

* link to more information on canning jam: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/prep_jam_jelly.html

September 9th

4 years ago: Jake asked me to be his girlfriend.

1 year ago: Jake was baptized & asked me to be his wife.

In the past year: We have planned a wedding, bought a house together, got married, and done a lot of things in between!

I love you Jacob Murphy!

Excited to see what this next year brings!

The Honeymoon

In late spring we were contemplating whether we would go on a honeymoon or not. When we decided we were going to, we had no idea where we wanted to go. I love the beach, but didn't love the idea of a long trip. We also wanted to do something a bit different, and since we both had been to the beach before, we decided we wanted to start looking into other options. I had heard about Gatlinburg TN before, and through a Facebook friend I found Black Bear Ridge Resorts. They had so many cabin options, and they looked absolutely beautiful! We decided to book the "Beneath the Stars" cabin through them which was a one bedroom cabin equipped with a whirlpool, a full kitchen, a living room, one bathroom, and a pool table. Oh and did I mention the rocking chairs and hot tub on the deck that hung over the mountains! They did not disappoint! During the week we visited Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. Each town had so much to see and do. Here is a breakdown of some of the stuff we got to experience.

Sunday: We left around 5:30pm and drove through Illinois. At 11 pm, approximately halfway through the trip we stopped for the night at a hotel in Greensburg Indiana.

Monday: We drove the rest of the way through Indiana, passed through Ohio and Kentucky, and finally arrived in Pigeon Forge Tennessee around 5:30 that night. The view from our Cabin was beautiful! Although the pictures are lovely they just aren’t the same as actually standing there looking out over the mountains.

Tuesday:
*We ate some lunch in the cabin, looked through brochures, and decided to visit Laurel Falls. The hike there and back was a bit over 2 ½ miles. During the hike we saw a bear that had her four cubs with her. She was about 100 feet from the trail which was a bit scary after we learned from a nature guide that she had charged at him the week prior!

that tiny black spot in the middle is the bear

Wednesday was a very busy day. We:
* Went to the Hollywood Wax Museum
* Visited the Moonshine Distillery and sampled all but two flavors (peach, strawberry, lemon drop, pink lemonade, apple pie, blueberry, blackberry, hunch punch, grape, and white lightning)
* Tasted some wine
* Went to Ben & Jerry's (Our first time ever at an actual Ben and Jerry's which I was very excited about since their chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream is my favorite!)
* And...Jake attempted to teach me how to play pool.