Domestic Goddess Day

Today we got a little crazy and decided to make raspberry freezer jam. I'm not much of a "Domestic Goddess." I have canned salsa and peaches before but I've always done it at my mom's house with her help. Let's just say my canning and preserving skills are limited. BUT...I do have a little confidence when it comes to freezer jam! I can make it all by myself and have yet to really mess it up! Go ahead..give it a try sometime.

This is a yummy and easy recipe that I use:
Mix together 2-3 cups sugar with 4-5 Tbsp. instant clear-jel (I get it from Kitchen Kneads)
In a seperate bowl mix together 1/4 c. lemon juice, 1/2 c. corn syrup and 5 cups of fruit. (Measure out 5 cups and then blend it.)
Pour the sugar/clear-jel into the fruit mixture.
Stir well.
Put into freezer safe containers.
Freeze! It's done.



Baby Brother is all ready to help out! He helped by not needing to eat, or have a diaper change!


C-Man helped as much as a 3 year old can help!


We are both ready to go in our aprons!



Our raspberries we picked at Grandmas house!
C-man and I had a few samples while we picked!



You need Karo, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Instant Clear-Jel and probably a Diet Coke!


First mix the sugar and clear-jel together.



Pour the sugar mixture into the fruit mixture and stir well!


Pour into freezer containers! Here is our finished product!



Lick off the dishes and you are really done!

All we were missing is a fat piece of homemade bread to put it on! Hmm..another lesson to learn.

Family Reunion Time

This was a brief but memorable moment at our Israelsen family reunion...The Zip Line!

Hang on C-man


I am yelling something like "Bruce, be careful!"



I have been going to Grandpa Israelsen's cabin since I was a little girl for a family reunion every summer. Now it just keeps getting bigger since my cousins are all starting to get married and have spouses and kids. We all still have a great time together. The theme this year was EFI (Especially for Israelsen's) so C-man was quite excited that he got a new T-shirt. I taught a little class called "Writing your Personal History in 1 hour." We had lots of other little classes like car maintenance, making candy, budgeting, etc. That was a new twist that we have never done before at the reunion. We still had the reunion classics like Dutch Oven dinner, the zip line, and lots of talking and laughing. Maybe next year we will actually want to stay over in a tent since Baby Brother will be a little older! Aren't families great!