right supracondylar humerus fracture, which resulted in surgery to perform a closed reduction percuaneous pin fixation to owen’s right humerus fracture.
try saying that ten times fast.
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believe me when i say this, canning is simple folks. maybe a wee bit time consuming, but otherwise painless, totally easy & completely worth it. a cupboard filled with homemade goodness is like heaven on earth. your hubby will think you’re a godsend, your kids will be licking the jars clean, & let’s just say your neighbors and friends will be very, very impressed with your domesticated diva-ness. don’t worry, you don’t have to tell any of them how easy it is… it will be our little secret. ready to start our adventure in canning? here are some recipes to get you started. i wish i could say they were old family recipes passed down from generation to generation, but truth be told – they are come straight off the box (of sure-jell fruit pectin, that is).
the actual canning “process” is the same for all of the jams, the only difference is the ingredients. so, i’ve listed all the ingredients & then below you will find the instructions for canning. before you get started though, here are a few tips & tricks i’ve discovered to be super useful:
* the smaller the jam jar, the better. smaller jar sizes are better for some many reasons – less water needed in your stock pot when “processing” the jam, which means it takes less time for boiling. smaller jars are perfect for gift giving. plus, refrigerated jams are only good for 3 weeks – if you don’t go through jam all that quickly, a smaller jam jar prevents less spoilage. but, if you do go through jam super quickly, a smaller jam jar enables you to have more variety of jam, more often. the quicker you go through the small jam jar, the sooner you can open a new flavor.
* i think it’s easiest to use a potato masher to crush the fruit, you can also us a food processor, but i like my jam with little chunks of fruit, instead of velvety smooth – i don’t know, it makes it seem more “homemade.”
* after “processing” the jars, i like to let the jams cool upside down, as an additional means of ensuring the jars seal… you definitely don’t want to slave over a hot stove all afternoon, only to realize the next day that your jars didn’t seal properly!
* for perfectly sized, mason jar jam labels go HERE.
* for a great, hands-on, step-by-step guide to canning (plus a slew of recipes & tips) go HERE.
* while good on just about anything & absolutely everything, the best way to enjoy homemade jam is on homemade bread.
red raspberry jam
4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 2 qt. fully ripe red raspberries)
6-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine
1 pouch CERTO or SURE-JELL fruit pectin
strawberry jam
4 cups prepared strawberries (buy about 2 qt. fully ripe strawberries)
7 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
1 pouch CERTO or SURE-JELLFruit Pectin
peach jam
4 1/2 cups finely chopped peaches (about 4lbs. peaches)
3 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
1 pouch CERTO or SURE-JELLFruit Pectin
raspberry peach jam
3 cups crushed raspberies (about 2 pt. raspberries)
1 cups finely chopped peaches (about 1lbs. peaches)
3 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
1 pouch CERTO or SURE-JELLFruit Pectin
BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
CRUSH fruit (& mix in lemon juice if called for in recipe). measure exact amounts of fruit into 6- or 8-quart saucepot.
ADD sugar; stir. add butter to reduce foaming. bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. stir in pectin. return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. remove from heat. skim off any foam with metal spoon.
LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. wipe jar rims and threads. cover with two-piece lids. screw bands tightly. place jars on elevated rack in canner. lower rack into canner. (water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. add boiling water, if necessary.) cover; bring water to gentle boil. process 10 min. remove jars and place upside down on towel to cool completely for 24 hours. after jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (if lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
* store unopened & properly sealed jams in a cool dry, dark place up to 1 year. refrigerate opened jam up to 3 weeks.
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for your canning pleasure… easy, breezy, downloadable mason jar labels for jam (raspberry, peach, strawberry, raspberry peach), applesauce, apple pie filling & canned peaches. that’s right,you can download your very own, perfectly sized mason jar labels right here (although, if you’re using wide-mouthed jars, you’re on your own).
print raspberry jam labels HERE.
print peach jam labels HERE.
print strawberry jam labels HERE.
print raspberry peach jam labels HERE.
print applesauce labels HERE.
print apple pie filling labels HERE.
print canned peaches label HERE.
print labels on paper (& tape or glue down), or use avery sticker paper. then, cut out with a sharp pair of scissors, or a 2 inch circle punch.
now you too can play little house on the prairie.
linked up with today’s creative blog’s get your craft on tuesday & skip to my lou’s made by you monday.
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seriously, who in their right mind would pass up running with 11 of their closest friends (or in my case, complete strangers), on a 200 mile adventure, running all day & literally all night? “beach bunnies. movie premiers… starting in beautiful ventura, the party in your van will only get better as you leap frog your way down the beautiful pacific coast. you’ll see stars as you run through hollywood and feel the ocean-spray as you fly past the “south-swells” of huntington beach. the race (and your stamina) will wrap up where the spectacular bluffs meet the crashing waves of dana point.”
with a total of 36 legs of the race, that meant everyone would run 3 different times. personally, i was responsible for legs 10, 22 & 34 (a total mileage of about 17-ish miles) of the southern california ragnar relay…
leg 10 was a 5.5 mile run through the hills of agoura. i felt fast, passing lots of runners along the way, finishing in 45 minutes & 50 seconds (running about 8:20/ mile). after getting as much sleep as one possibly can, sharing a suburban with nearly 6 other sweaty, smelly runners, underneath the starry skies & bright lights of the santa monica pier, it was time to hit the pavement once again.
leg 22 was supposed to be a quick 3 mile jaunt, or foot tour rather, through the heart of torrance, at about 4 in the morning. my hip (which i had injured the week before), was becoming more & more painfully obvious, however i still managed to pass 3 other runners as i finished the 3 miles in 26 minutes & 15 seconds (running about 8:42/mile). after an early morning nap, on the sand in huntington beach, it was time to load up & move out.
leg 34, my final responsibility was an 8.8 mile run… uphill, running into the wind, up & through laguna canyon (i know, i know, it sounds like one of those “i walked uphill, both ways” stories, but trust me – this is all true). this run nearly killed me, literally. by now, my hip wasn’t just hurting, it was throbbing, & i was walking and running with a very noticeable limp. runners i had passed in previous legs were zooming past me. with less than a mile to my “finish,” i started to realize that it was very unlikely that i would even be able to finish, unless it was on a stretcher. luckily, my team came to my rescue. one runner took my baton, while the others practically carried me to car.
200 miles, in just 2 days? you can only imagine what we experienced… little to no sleep, lots of bengay and white chocolate macadamia clif bars, cramped & tired muscles, breathtaking views, costumes galore, lots of questions about my team sparkle skirt & kt tape, not to mention stories & experiences that will last a life time. definitely something i’d do again, in a heartbeat.
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open my cupboard doors & you’ll find a rainbow of jars filled with all sorts of homemade goodness… jams (raspberry, peach, strawberry, raspberry peach), applesauce, apple pie filling & canned peaches. i guess i finally fulfilled my lifelong dreams of playing little house on the prairie.
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according to the calendars, january is the start of the new year. but let’s be serious – we all know that the new year really starts in september… that’s when we swap lazy days at the pool, for our hectic & busy schedules, complete with packing lunches, carpools, after-school activities & homework filled nights.
i don’t know about you, but i for one am just a wee bit nervous. i’m the first to admit, this summer i’ve let things slide…
just a touch. my house seems to be in a state of constant disaster, the laundry piles up too quickly to even put it away, & let’s just say there hasn’t been much of a “dinner plan” since early june. but don’t worry, i have a plan – & it involves YOU!
as much as i wish there was a dinner saving superhero, i’ve done the research – & let’s just say he doesn’t exist. praying to the dinner gods & making a wish for a dinner menu to magically appear doesn’t work either. so, i’ve finally concluded that it’s time i buck up, put in the time & effort and develop a dinner menu. because we all know… deciding what to make for dinner is much more difficult than actually whipping up a meal.
but let’s be honest. whipping up one (or even two, or three) weeks of menu plans is easy. but once you’ve run out of your favorite, go-to, tried & true meals, menu planning starts getting a bit more difficult. but… what if everyone developed a menu plan, composed of their favorite, go-to, tried & true recipes? and then (hold onto your horses, this is where my plan gets really good), what if we all swapped said menu plans? a menu exchange of sorts?
so here’s the plan… after the huge success of our virtual soup exchange, i figure – let’s take it one step farther, let’s go all the way… let’s exchange ENTIRE menus. just imagine, a collection of weekly dinner menus, made up entirely of people’s absolutely favorite recipes?! never again, will you be scared to hear the words “what’s for dinner?”
ready for the details? your participation is simple, totally easy & practically pain-free…
step one: develop one (or more) week’s worth of dinner menus comprising of your family’s favorite, go-to, tried & true recipes.
step two: post your dinner menu(s) to your blog, including (or linking) to the recipes. (if you don’t have your own blog, no worries. just skip this step).
step three: leave a comment, email (accordingtokelly {at} gmail {dot} com), or tweet me (@according2kelly) your dinner menu & recipes, or the link to your dinner menu post, to me at , by thursday, september 2nd, so i can compile them all & make a download-able cook book for all to enjoy! (& of course, i will contribute all recipes to whomever submits them, after all, they are your dinner menus & your recipes. so please, let me know how you want me to refer to you… for example – menu & recipes submitted by kelly of www.according-to-kelly.com).
woot! woot! i’m getting super-duper excited. an entire cookbook chock full of entire week’s worth of dinner menus, comprised solely of people’s absolute favorite recipes?! sounds like dinner will be planned for months… or at least it will be if one or two of you play along. run along now, let’s start exchanging menus. already, my menu plans are forming in my head – planning dinner is so much easier when you limit the menu items to just your favorites.
image via anne taintor
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you’ve asked, & i’m answering. making home-made, practically from-scratch, red velvet cupcakes is easier than you ever could have imagined. my particular recipe was found stashed away in a recipe book, scribbled on a scrap of paper… almost like the recipe had been waiting there for me to discover it. sometimes i wonder who was this brilliant, ahead-of-her-times woman? using a cake mix, instead of baking from scratch?! do you think she told her friends, or was it “her dirty little secret?” whatever the case, it is now “our dirty little secret.”
red velvet cupcakes
1 package of german chocolate cake mix
1 small package (3.4 oz) of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1, 1-oz bottle of red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. mix cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, food coloring & eggs in a large mixing bowl until well mixed.
3. using a spoon, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
4. fill your cupcake pan, or cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.
5. place pans in the oven & bake approximately 18+ minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, or the cupcakes “springs back” when lightly pressed.
6. cool for approximately 15 minutes before frosting.
* more concerned with how red your cupcakes are, as opposed to the chocolate-ness of the cake? start with a white or yellow cake mix instead.
cream cheese frosting
1, 8-oz package cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4+ cups of powdered sugar
1. mix cream cheese, butter & vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth & well combined.
2. slowly add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired taste achieved. be sure to scrape down the side of bowl with a spatula.
3. once well combined, beat for an additional minute or so, until everything is creamy & fluffy.
4. using a pastry bag or ziplock bag, smother your cupcakes in mounds of yummy & delicious frosting.
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making mason jar cupcakers is seriously just about the easiest thing in the world. really & truly, it takes just a few simple steps… bake up a batch of your favorite cupcakes (whether it’s from a box or made from scratch), then you smoosh, frost & repeat. see i told you it was easy-peasey. but just in case you need a wee bit more direction, i’ve whipped up a little tutorial for you.
step one: as i said before, the first step is to whip up a batch of your favorite cupcakers. honestly, everything tastes better when eaten from a jar, with a spoon. people have raved about my straight from the box fun-fetti cupcakes (okay, so maybe i throw in an extra box of pudding) & begged for my red velvet recipe (they usually fall in love with the mini chocoloate chips which gives it an extra little umph!)… but really & truly neither of these recipes are all that special. but, when you are eating from a jar, with a spoon…. ahhhh! it’s like holding a little bit of heaven in your hands.
step two: throw away what you know about baking cupcakes, at least for the moment. when you’re making mason jar cupcakes no fancy-pants cupcake liners are needed for this job. so break out the pam, & apply liberally. go ahead – spary the dickens out of the pan, you definitely don’t want your cupcakes sticking. plus, you need the cupcake “sides” looking good & ready for their closeup. considering all you really see of the cupcake is their sides, you want those babies smooth & looking good!
step three: filling the cupcake pan has never been my forte! i always struggled trying scoop the batter into those itty bitty holes, without spilling batter everywhere. luckily one day it finally occurred to me to cheat. these days i use a makeshift pastry bag (a ziplock bag with about a 1/2 inch of the corner snipped off) to fill my cupcake pans quickly, cleanly & with an incredible amount of precision. & since filling my makeshift pastry bag can get complicated with just two hands, i like to put my water pitcher to work “holding open” the bag as i fill it.
step four: fill your cupcake pan according to your recipe (usually about 2/3 full), & then bake. this is my favorite part. i love the smell of baking cupcakes wafting through the house.
step five: now the fun begins. first select your mason jar of choice. personally i like the 8 oz. jars, because they fit two cupcakes absolutely perfectly. (although the 4 oz. jars are darling with a single cupcaker, & the 12 oz. can fit three cupcakes… so really it’s up to you.) next, you place your cupcake on top of your chosen jar & smoosh it all the way to the bottom. you don’t have to worry about man handling the top of the cupcake too much, because it will soon be covered in frosting.
step six: if you haven’t already, whip your frosting (whip it real good). or, if you’ve chosen the slightly quicker, but probably just as tasty route, scoop your frosting from the can. & just like before, once again i am going to use the “ziplock cheater” method. seriously, if you’ve never tried it, promise you will – soon! it will literally change the way you feel about making cupcakes.
step seven: time to frost! using a ziplock bag or a real pastry bag (trust me, you’ll want to use one or the other to get down near the bottom of the mason jar) & top the cupcake with frosting. i like a lot of frosting, so i usually do about a 1/2 inch worth – but do what ever you are comfortable with. & again, you don’t have to worry too much about how “pretty” it looks, because you are going to to be smooshing another cupcake on top of it. 
step eight: REPEAT. that’s right, this is where you get to smoosh & frost again. when you’re frosting this final time though, try not to go too over the top. remember, you still have seal it all up, & “over the top” frosting is just going to get squeezed out. so, try to keep your frosting as level with the rim of the jar, as possible. & when you are all done… seal it up baby!
step nine: once you’ve put your lid on & you are all sealed up, it’ time to pretty up the jar. using some ribbon, or a scrap of fabric, tie a square knot. (you remember how…. right over left, left over right.)
step ten: attach a fancy pants label… download perfectly sized, blank mason jar labels HERE. then, handwrite, or using your favorite editing software such as photoshop or picnik, write a sweet note. print on paper (& tape or glue down), or use avery sticker paper. & finally cut out with a sharp pair of scissors, or a 2 inch circle punch.
step eleven: slid a vintage (or plastic) spoon through the knot & viola! you’ve got the perfect gift, thank you, party favor…
see. just like i told you… making mason jar cupcakes are so quick, easy & definitely addicting. not to mention, your cupcakes will taste so delicious & moist – just like heaven in a jar. yum! yum! yum!
linked up with today’s creative blog’s get your craft on tuesday & skip to my lou’s made by you monday.
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once upon a time, in a land so very far away… a girl met a boy. the setting was picturesque, a quaint little ski village nestled away in the mountains.
as the fates would have it, late one afternoon we find both the boy and girl – alone, in this magical winter wonderland. & as if destined to meet, together they rode the last chair lift of the day, to the top of the mountain. just as their journey began, the snow softly started to fall, each little snowflake glistening like diamonds. with the sun was slowly setting, casting a beautiful, soft candle lite glow. and, just like in the fairy-tales… it was love-at-first-sight. by the end of that momentous chair life ride, they had fallen madly in love, each knowing that they had finally met “the one”.
okay, so maybe that really isn’t exactly how it happened. but we did meet at sundance, & for one of the parties involved there may, or may not, have been aslight inkling of love-at-first sight, although it may have taken the other party a couple of months to notice (let’s just say that i am definitely a blonde, & often times can be a bit oblivious. i thought we were just friends). & it definitely was fate, because honestly, i’m really not that good of a snowboarder, & to think that someone actually hired little ‘ole me to instruct others in the art of snowboarding? yes! no question about it, it was definitely fate. but, nine years after pledging our eternal love to one another, we are still just as happy, & more in love than ever.
as they say “life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” and together, jeffy & i have had plenty of take your breath away type of moments: we’ve feed the sharks in bora bora, rocked out at more concerts than i can count, survived the wilds of australia. had two wild & crazy boys, a baby girl (with a boys name) & a pup named gigi. sailed the spanish coast. remodeled our entire house – ourselves. got literally lost in italy (to this day, i’m still amazed we aren’t still lost wandering around the italian countryside). went to the winter olympics. surfed in hawaii. cheered for the angels more times than i can count. snowboarded beneath the shadows of the matterhorn (the real one, not the one at disneyland). made it out of canada alive. practically lived at disneyland – we’ve been so many times. lived like the flintstones in turkey. kissed with the eiffel tower looming overhead. graduated law school. passed the bar exam. kissed the blarney stone. finished my MBA program. scootered around greece. attended the tour de france, ran a marathon, survived postpartum depression, competed in several triathlons (jeffy has even completed 1/2 ironman), gotten down & dirty, & to many other adventures to name.
what’s even more amazing? as of today, it’s only been nine long short years. we’ve still got the rest of our lives ahead of us. i’m not saying our life together has been “practically perfect in every way.” we’ve definitely had our share of ups & downs. but if we’ve made it this far, i know we can weather every & any storm. i can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. i’m definitely looking forward to continuing to live… happily ever after.
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my first (but definitely not my last) triathlon. exciting, exhilarating, breathtaking & absolutely terrifying all at once. even though i experienced a panic attack during the swim & took a bit of a tumble on the bike (flew over the handle bars, head first into a patch of poison oak), i still managed to take home 3rd place in my age group. (& before you ask, yes! there were more than 3 ladies entered in my age division.) considering i am not a swimmer & the thought of moutain biking still makes me nervous, taking 3rd is a HUGE accomplishment.
1/2 mile lake swim: 13:42
15 mile mountain bike: 2:01:56
3 mile trail run: 38:29
total time: 2:58:26.4
team sparkle & team poseidon, as a group, pretty much rocked the race. brenna came in 1st place in her age group, and both elise & carrie came in 2nd place in their respective age groups. oh, & the husbands didn’t do too shabby either. my jeffy came in 1st place in his age group & skyler (elise’s hubby) came in 2nd in his age division, & 4th overall! & we can’t forget the princess – at just 7 years old, she was the youngest girl to compete & still managed an impressive 5th place finish! all i can say… speaking from experience, nothing is impossible when team sparkle’s got “your back.”
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