I give to thee...

The Favors.

Actually - they were suppose to be the favors -- my ingenious idea for incorporating a family recipe into a edible and delicious treat. However - one flaw in my plan.... accumulating enough supplies to make these wonderfully sweet pear preserves.

J's grandfather used to make pear preserves and we are still enjoying his last batch from 2001. Sadly when he passed...he didn't leave behind his secrets. Therefore - yours truly tried to replicated these pears and give them as favors. That is..until I realized that in order to make 200 favors....in 4 oz jars ... will require some 60 lbs of pears. Where in the world will I get 60 lbs of pears in Georgia??

Surprisingly, a friend of ours grabbed appromately 40 lbs of country pears from her dad's farm in Mississippi just for this mission. Ladies and Gentleman...we are in business!

Until I made my first batch....and realized that it would not be enough for 200 favors. So instead - they are now going to be Christmas presents!

I want to first thank Mrs. R for all of her help in teaching the basics of canning and letting me borrow her equipment!

I used this recipe for the preserves:
4 lbs pears (whole, halved or quartered)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
2 lemons, (I didn't use the slices like they advised - simply the juice)
Canning Jars (I used 8oz and 4oz bought from both Big Lots and Ace's Hardware Store)

For Beginner Canners (like myself) - I will show a step by step. Directions courtesy of Mrs. R's tutorial :)

First an foremost - Take the lids off of the canning jars. Put the jars in the dishwasher and turn it on (you can or cannot put in detergent) and leave them in there until you are ready to pour in the preserves.

Place the lids in a saucepan and fill with water. When the preserves are close to being done - boil the water with the lid on and sterilize the lids.

Peel the pears, core, and cube them. (or have your wonderful fiance do it)
Using a scale - measure out 4 lbs of pears. Boil 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the pears (I remove the actual lemon before pouring into the pot) Pour the pears into the pot and cook for another 15 minutes then add the rest of the sugar (2c.) and water (2c.) This is the fun part. Waiting :) Stir and boil...but make sure the sugar doesn't burn. The sugar will carmelize and you will get a lovely auburn mixture.
When your pears look like the picture above and the syrup is thick - they are ready to pour in the jars. Carefully remove the jars from the dishwasher (using a mitt) and pour the mixture in the jar leaving a 1/4 inch from the top. Tap your jar on the counter in order to remove the bubbles and wipe the mouth extremely clean. Place first the seal and then the ring on the jar and twist shut (not too tight). I use a hot water method to seal my jars. Simply place the jars on the rack over boiling water (see below) and put the lid on top. When there is consistent steam coming from the lid - start your processing time (20 minutes). Remove jars from the steamer, place on the counter on a towel, and leave them be for 12-24 hours. You will hear a popping sound which signifies that the lid is sealed and your product is safe from spoilage! If it doesn't pop - remove the lid, clean the mouth really well, and try steaming again. *Let me warn you before you try and double this recipe that it will take longer than you can imagine. I started around 7 p.m. and they were not done until 3 a.m. Just a word of caution.

Last but not least -- decorate them and pass them out to all of your friends!
The tags were bought from Design des Troy and are super cute!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

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New Rules?

I am a messy person. Actually...messy is pretty harsh...I would like to think that it is more expressively disorganized. I usually keep the kitchen and living areas very clean - but tend to throw my clothes and shoes on a chair, bed, or whatever ledge can hold it. I sometimes step over my pile of mail before I actually decide to open it and sometimes I leave the empty roll on the holder and simply put a new roll of toilet tissue on the countertop. Oh...and usually...you can find extra shoes and jackets in the backseat of my car. All these things irk J.

J is one of the cleanest guys I know except for my father. Growing up with a military father - one always had to have their rooms clean and beds made. I however always tried to slide around that rule because my contention is -- you are simply going to lay in it again. Don't get me wrong - I have no problem with cleanliness or presenting a tidy home to guests - I just don't see the point if it is me and the dog.

My logic on this must change. Because althought we keep our own systematic households at this time - we will eventually move in together. I can easily predict that J and I will be at odds all the time. I don't want to have the argument "You're a slob" ... "Well you are a neat freak...freak!" but I see it heading that way.

Please tell me...how did you do it? If there were differences...how did you compromise to prevent the high levels of annoyance that surely follow? Was it simply neat vs messy? Or are there other quirks I need to watch out for?

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Sweet Sentiments

Among all the hustle of this weekend (and me with my head in the books), we managed to discuss some of the wedding plans. All of the sudden J looked at me and said, "I am starting to get really excited!" Curious, I asked him about which part? He said so sweetly, "Just the thought of being married to you ... that makes me really excited." Thrown off...I simply snuggled back down on the couch with a smile on my face.
Ever had such simple words bring you down from the craziness of wedding planning and remind you the real reason for this celebration?

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Meeting LaRaine

I want apologize for the lack in posting lately - with school, work, and holiday activities ... things have been busy! But that is no excuse...so sorry! (on with the show...I mean...wedding dress hunt) When I decided I needed to hit up more bridal shops - it was prime football season in the south. And Saturday games leave little time for Saturday fun (outside of a tailgating party). So I decided to continue this hunt by myself. I didn't want to bother my girlfriends (who are all avid UGA fans), so this bee (GA TECH) tried to buzz off by herself!

LaRaine's Boutique was the only shop that Alisa from Kelly's Closet starred. She explained that I would absolutely need to go there.

I made a Saturday morning appointment and then wondered what would happen if I found the dress and didn't have a second opinion! I had left all my girlfriends out of planning because I knew they were going out of town for the UGA game in Athens. After getting yelled at by J (for not including the ladies and not having enough fun) and J telling his Best Man that he had to go with me (boy you should have seen the wide-eyed shock on his face), and calling my brother to find out that he would love to go - but he was already in Peachtree City, I called my MOH's Sister-In-Law. She has been helpful, informative, and very enthusiastic about all things wedding - so I was elated when she agreed. Little did I know - my Maid of Honor decided to delay her trip to Athens just so she could go with me too!! She rocks...

We met the infamous LaRaine and she helped us with all of our dresses. After she explained the layout of the store - we selected about 5 dresses that we wanted to try on. She lets you change by yourself in the dressing room and simply zips you up when you come out. It was quite nice! She was very helpful and it is funny because she also said that Kelly's Closet was the ONLY other salon that they recommended to their brides as well.

The three of us at LaRaine's Boutique in the Virginia Highlands. MOH on right.

Paloma Blanca above and below

This was pretty -- but walking would have been difficult!

And then I found this. Alfred Sung - Paradise. It was so different from anything I had seen - I loved the chiffon - you could swirl around and around and it felt so romantic! The downside was that could have also been a very beautiful maternity dress :( But...once I showed it to everyone else -- the majority of them were slightly amused rather than excited. Have you ever gotten that kind of reaction? Had your sights set on a dress (or something else) and everyone else simply disagree? Maybe it means a better dress is on the horizon?

....stay tuned for the second visit to La Raine's Boutique with both Maids of Honor and the Mother.

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