What Ana Does

Tonight I went to a canning demonstration at my library by the author of Preserving by the Pint. It's small batch canning for folks like me with a CSA membership and just a bit too much fruit on my hands -- but not enough to put up a few dozen jars. Marisa, the author and writer on this blog , made a vanilla plum jam in the hour-long session. All that was left to do at the end was cool the two half-pint jars and eat them. That. Was. It. And I was so PUMPED after seeing how easy it is. I bought the book several months ago and still found the whole canning thing difficult to imagine. My Mom never canned/jarred, so I've never seen it done. Just reading about preserving food sounds exotic and risky. I don't want to give anyone food poisoning from a jar of my homemade jam, for pete's sake. But her step by step was so simple, and we got to interact and ping questions as she did each task. I'm a doer-learner, ya know? And watching a demo, I'm SO ready to ma...

One night this week I was doing my usual Pinterest-ing and started to see these neat-o lists for "100 Things to Do This Summer." I thought (as I often do while trolling Pinterest), " What a GREAT idea! " Today, Leah and I stopped by Michaels for a big piece of tag board and we sat at the table and started a list. By about 8 this evening, it was all filled up. In fact, it was A LOT easier than I thought. We all got involved and everyone's ideas were added. Come on over and join in! Our 100 Things to Do This Summer list ** the camera cut off the bottom row -- there are 100, I promise.

It occurred to me on the drive to the farm for eggs (I missed the farmer's market on Saturday ... and farm-fresh eggs just taste better!) that there are a few special places in the area that I really want to visit before we skedaddle. Here's my working list (and, yes, I'm fully aware of what a geek I am): - The Thomas Edison Lab : you can walk the lab Edison actually used to make all the cool stuff we take for granted -- phone, tv, movies! And it's just 20 minutes down the road in West Orange. Not sure what I'll do with the kids while I totally indulge my nerd side, but don't think I'll let it stop me. - George Washington's Headquarters in Morristown : Again, just 20 minutes away is the winter camp that housed General Washington and his army during the Revolutionary War. You can walk around the estate he stayed and strategized. I'm not a crazy Revolutionary War buff, but how can you not see that? - The Metropolitan Museum of Art : My own mec...