Ingredients:

• 18 oz of frozen mixed berries
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

• Thaw, rinse, & drain berries.
• Place a saucer in the freezer for later.
• Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in bowl and mix well. Leave out at room temp. stirring occasionally for two hours.
• Transfer mixture to saucepan & bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to prevent burning.
• Mash to thick puree then reduce to medium heat and gently boil for about 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken & stirring often.
• Remove from heat to test jam for gelling point. Drop a teaspoon full onto the saucer from the freezer and place back into the freezer for about a minute. Test by pushing the jam with your finger. If it is ready, it will wrinkle on the surface. Cook a few minutes longer if it fails to do this and test again until it gels.
• When ready, ladle jam into a clean jar. Place in refrigerator when cool. Jam will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Here are some of my favorite links this week, in case you missed them:

Awk, Nawk, and GNU Awk Cheet Sheet – Skip the man pages and Google by keeping around this handy cheat sheet.

Make a Custom iPod Cover – Dollar Store Crafts blog has a post on how to take those cheap clear platic iPod covers and insert papers or other goodies to give your iPod a designer look. The best part is it is cheaper than a latte!

Cobra Starship is Broadcasting Recording of New Album – Absolute Punk has posted that the band Cobra Starship is broadcating the recording of their new album on Stickam as well as Twittering when something cool is going on.

DIY: Homemade Windshield De-Icer Fends off Frost – Lifehacker has a post on how to make your own windshied de-icer. The best part of this recipe is that it can actually prevent icy windshields in addition to clearing them off.

Solar Energy: Some Tips – MAKE Magazine has some tips on solar energy you might want to be aware of if you are thinking of trying to at least edge off the grid. The post includes information about what works and what doesn’t so you don’t find yourself with expensive solar panels and a gigantic energy bill as well.

Did you find a blog post especially insightful or inspiring this week? Let me know in the comments.

The army of monsters for the children…

monster & wrist warmers…

and another set of both…

Last set of both wrist warmers and a monster…

Littlest one with a knit hat & a cuddly monster…

A few pictures of one of the lap quilts…

And a few pics of the shopping totes…

A simple navy quilt for another Grandma…

and last but not least, my knitted flower hat with crochet trim.

There are more but I forgot to take pictures of them.

I have been busy and am still knitting and sewing requested items. :)

This year I made a pledge not to buy already made gifts. I have been making everything I have gifted this year because I am tired of the hassle that comes with shopping for people. It usually winds up with buying something that someone *might* like because it is in my price range. For the kids, I have always made their gifts (Santa brings the other junk they ask for). Every year they are guarenteed to have a new blanket, scarf, pajamas, stuffed toy, or other homemade thing under the tree and they *always* ask to be able to open it on Christmas Eve and that makes me feel good. They enjoy the homemade and know that time was spent on making it and they cherish it. At least my craftiness has instilled at least one good trait on the children. :)

Homemade items are personal and take time and if someone makes something for you, it is way more valuable than anything they could have grabbed at the mall. If someone took the time to make something for you with their own hands (even if it is just a tea mix, card, or letter) then they consider the relationship you have important enough to spend time on.

This is post number seven in a series of 100 Things About Me.