Hobbies

So since summer is finally arriving, I think it's time I get back to the things I enjoy doing and turn off that darn tv!  It's making me stupider by the day I swear! I asked my significant other if we should cancel cable awhile back, and you would have thought I said we are no longer buying groceries!

But it doesn't mean that once him and the baby are both sound asleep by 9:30pm each night, that I can't turn it off myself. I think it's come to that. (At least a couple nights a week) I have little things I love doing for myself, and I think it's time for this mama to pick a couple "me" nights and turn off the tv and turn on the imagination again. LOL that sounded so dorky! hahaha

I love making homemade jams and jellies, pickles, beets, all of it. I think its rewarding, relaxing and it's bringing me back to my roots of providing for my family.  So since it's strawberry season, I should really head out soon to my fave U-Pick and grab a few quarts and get to canning! Then it'll be blueberries, blackberries etc.  I am hoping to try some new recipes this year as well for other things like chutney, sauces etc. I really want to try my Nanny's recipe for blackberry jelly. I don't remember eating it as a child, she passed away when I was about 12 yrs old. But my mum talks about it all the time, so I want to make it for her. So that's the first thing on the list!

Secondly, my daughter's scrapbook. I scrapbooked every "first" for her first year and it's about 38 pages or so, and I love it so much.  I spent hours making it and put so much effort and thought into which picture was the best for each page.  My fiance would go to hockey once a week in the winter and I would pick that as my scrapbook night. All alone, baby asleep, and mama would get out the papers and tools and spend 1-2 hours creating something so beautiful to share with her when she's older. But now she's almost 2 and I have to catch up!  I want to create a book for the past year of all the fun things we got to do and learn and try, and sharpen my skills a little and try new looks and pages. It's another relaxing thing for me to do. I might even try card making....we'll see. One day!

And lastly reading. I used to read a novel a week. Reading was my escape from life and reality and take myself on a trip somewhere else for an hour or so each night (sometimes longer) and fall in love with characters. I have put reading on the back burner for a long time now. And I really miss it. I have a couple fun summer reads waiting for me to crack open and dive in.

Time for this mama to start enjoying what I used to love to do. The dishes, laundry and toys everywhere will all still be there tomorrow.