This probably sounds a little silly, but I am patting myself on the back because I finally did something I've been meaning to do for a while now. I made jam! Laugh if you must, but for me this is an accomplishment, and accomplishments are hard to come by these days. I've been meaning to clean our bathroom for days now - still haven't gotten to it. We have a small library room that needs to be organized - on my "to do" list for weeks now.

Instead of wishing for more hours in the day and feeling down about not getting enough done, I've decided to do one thing each day that makes me happy. It can be as simple as reading for half an hour during the day when I have time to myself, or as challenging as trying something totally new. Today was the try something new day.

Yesterday, Kellan and I went raspberry picking at our favorite farm. His attention span didn't last as long as I hoped, so we didn't pick much, but I did supplement by buying raspberries. They are so delicious now and even better when preserved in  season. Not only was it worth the effort, but it helped me show Kellan how something that we would normally buy at the grocery store is actually made. He was very happy to lick the spoon once the jam was done.

If you are interested in canning and preserving, it's actually not difficult. It does help to read up on the subject to understand the process. I had an old magazine saved that breaks it down step- by- step. You can also do an internet Internet search on canning and preserving  to find a for a quick primer. Books are a great resource, and a good place to start without investing any money is your local library.

I'm not saying I'm encroaching ion Martha Stewart's territory with just one day of jam-making, but I do feel good about learning something useful. Oh, and the jam is pretty tasty too!