strawberry jam

Until our strawberry plants produce enough fruit as this, we will be making strawberry jam using the amazing ones we bought on sale at Wal-mart. They were selling them for $1.58 for a pint. Aren't they beautiful?? I hope ours will be just a yummy!
My friends Amanda and Tracy coached me through the process of making freezer jam. I'm hoping to get the Pressure Cooker for canning for my birthday. The 8 oz freezer container on the left is made by Ball and on the right is an 8 oz container made by Ziplock. They both come in packs of 5.


If my picture weren't sideways it would be easier to recognize the food processer. I think the texture of the strawberries would have turned out better had I used the potato masher instead. But this was my trial batch. I just used the Sure-Jell Pectin and followed the directions in the packaging!

I'm not sure if it was from using the food processer, but when using exact measuresments throughout the process, I ended up having double what I should have had...I think!? After processing the 2 pints of strawberries, it then called for 2 cups of crushed strawberries to be added with the 4 cups of sugar...I ended up with 4 cups of crushed strawberries!

All in all, I was able to make 10 ~ 1 cup containers of stawberry jam!

The kids LOVED it!

spring has sprung

Spring is here in FL! Our garden size was more than we anticipated!

But we are excited to see what we will be enjoying on the dinner table!
Tomatoes, Red Bell Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Banana Peppers, Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Yellow Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers! (We ran out of room...the okra, corn, and zucchini didn't make it in this year!)

We even planted strawberries!

We can't wait to see what will grow here! Blackberries, Blueberries, and Grapes!

It's beginning to take off! We'll be sure to post more pictures as it begins to flourish!

The kids always enjoy working outside in the garden!

Gator Showcase Soccer Tournament

Sydney holding her own!



Brothers hangin' out and enjoying the game!

All the girls! Beginning to warm up before the game.

Gator Showcase 2nd Place U10 Division!

A few weeks ago, Sydney's soccer team played at the Gator Showcase Tournament in Gainesville. (University of Florida)

The girls did an amazing job, taking 2nd Place in the U10 division!

We've watched all of the girls' skills improve so much this year. It is the first year they have all played together.

Sydney is learning to be more aggressive...most of the girls on the other teams tend to tower over her! But she is learning to hold her own!

We're so proud of you Syd!!