recipe for mixed berry jam

1 cup frozen strawberries , thawed                                            
1/2 cup frozen cherries, thawed and remove the pits
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
2 15 oz cans of pears in pear juice,drained
1 packet of freezer jam pectin
1 cup of sugar

place thawed fruit in food processor, blend til smooth. add packet and 1 cup of sugar. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes. place in freezer containers and put in freezer. It is YUMMY!

Emily's birthday present, Valentine pillow

the joy of painting

1. I have not painted my own bedroom since I was 13 yrs old.
2. Most of the places I have lived in were rentals that were painted white and I was not allowed to paint them .
3. Having 4 babies in 6 yrs -therefore being pregnant and nursing for the first 8 yrs of marriage is not easy. I had no desire to paint much of anything....

see this color, this is the color of my new bedroom. I have been wanting to paint it for a few years. My lack of knowledge and fear of failure have kept me from jumping in and working on this project. With the help of Greg and the children, the room is now finished. It was a lot of work and it looks cozy and clean. The children were a big help, they all took turns, helping with tape, cutting in/rolling the paint, bringing me cups of water to drink, using spackling and other tools, putting on music for me to listen to while I was painting. It took 3 coats around the room and some trim work to get this deep cranberry color .I just really wanted to do a good job and make it look nice. Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do , do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men. My research before taking on this project included  asking questions about painting from friends at church. I took a class at Home Depot to find out more. Books from the Library and reading on the Lowe's website was some help too.  It took more than 2 weeks to complete and I had some trouble with the blue tape not wanting to come off. I will post a picture of my new cozy bedroom retreat.

Jon playing with my camera, self photos