Whitman's Sampler

So, I got this done today...

I removed the part where you can see my messy stove.  You're welcome.

2 things are weird about this photo: I only got 3 jars out of this batch, instead of 4 or 5, and the fruit is PERFECTLY distributed top to bottom, which never ever happens.  The only thing I did differently was to use powdered pectin instead of the liquid kind.  Does that have anything to do with it, Jennifer?

I know, the rest of you found that riveting.  But seriously, I think Jennifer would care.  She's like that.

What else? Well, I managed to locate black basketball shorts and a plain grey crew neck T-shirt for Rachel to wear to Civil Air Patrol on Physical Training Night.  If you think that was easy, you have NEVER gone clothes shopping with a 12-year-old girl.  To be fair, Rachel was fairly amenable. But no one makes girls' tees without something stupid written on them, and I could find no basketball shorts that are tailored for the fairer sex.  We ended up picking up the needed items in the boys' department at Kohls, and I am just glad Rachel is still young-girl skinny enough to make that solution work.

Ever since we returned from vacation, I have been slacking off on the exercise thing.  Apparently, I felt that hiking up a mountain a week ago gave me a pass from any more physical exertion for the rest of the month.  Luckily, my fiendishly fit friend didn't agree with that theory and dragged me out for a bicycle ride this morning.  I survived.  But I would still rather be knitting.

Actually, I want that cute baby more than the sweater. 

Speaking of which, I finally picked up the baby sweater that I had started on a whim a number of months ago.  Wouldn't it be nice if, when I start knitting a pattern, I would mark down which size I was attempting to make?  Instead, I had to wear out my eyeballs and my brain counting stitches and trying to do the math to figure out how many stitches I would have if I had done the 6-9 month size versus the 9-12 month size. Once I got past that hurdle and actually finished up the body of the sweater (I was that close to finishing it - why did I leave it for 3 months?  Why?), I discovered that I didn't have the right-size needles to do the sleeves.  That's odd, I thought.  Didn't I order those from KnitPicks ages ago?

You know, you receive online orders much faster if you actually submit them.  Turns out, those needles have been sitting in my shopping cart for months.  Months.  Probably because I was 33 cents short of the $50-order needed to qualify for free shipping.

I am nothing if not indecisive.  Also, cheap.