Childhood Musings - It's Sure Different Now!

This week JET Team member Nancy, of NancysCrystalFantasy, is in a rather reflective mood. Read on to find out more!

When I go to visit my grandchildren, their parents are so cautious that they don't go out the front door. They even have a special lock installed, that even I have to struggle to open. So many fears of children being abducted from their own front yard!

How different that is from sixty years ago when I was a child! I don't remember our doors ever being locked, except at night or when we left the house, and I certainly was not restricted from going outside. We didn't even have a fence in the front or back yard.

Regal Horned Lizard, aka the Arizona Horned Toad Photo: Creative Commons

There were so many interesting things to do outside - hunting horned toads, digging in the dirt, playing make-believe with the neighborhood children. No TV or video games for most of us. Our imaginations allowed us to make up our own games.

And when I was old enough to ride a bike, I could go just about anywhere in the neighborhood. If we got thirsty while playing, there was always a water hose from which to get a drink. Bottled water? That idea would have been absurd!

Photo: Jim Harmer, sponsored by Hose

My mother had a job in an office downtown, and from the time I was about ten years old I was allowed to walk to the bus stop at the corner of my street and ride downtown by myself. When I got there and reported in, I was allowed to visit the local stores, including my favorite - the five and dime.

Or there were two movie theaters downtown where I could go to watch the latest movie hit, like "The Sound of Music" or "Gone With the Wind." Such fond memories of those days and so many other activities that we were allowed to participate in. 

It's sad that those free times are gone for our children and grandchildren. But the world we live in is such a different place now, and I certainly understand the locked doors and surveillance cameras that now are found on so many houses.

Nancy

Wednesday Kitchen - Rose Petal Jelly

Welcome to another Wednesday Kitchen, featuring favorite recipes from members of the JET Team! This week, team member Carolyn of venusvelvet has been busy making delicious jam from rose petals!

I made this lovely and decadent jelly the other day. It's really easy to make and keeps for up to 2 months in the fridge. The jelly has a delicate rose flavour, but if you want a stronger rose flavour you can substitute a couple of tablespoons of culinary rose water for the plain water. This recipe also works great with violet flowers.

Ingredients

• 2 cups lightly packed, fragrant and unsprayed rose petals
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ teaspoon pectin
• 1½ cups water

To Make

1. Carefully sift through the rose petals to make sure no little creatures are hiding in them
2. Put water and roses in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes
3. Add 1¾ cups of the sugar and stir to dissolve. The rose petals will lose their lovely colour, but don't worry... when you add the lemon juice the colour magically reappears!
4. Add the lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes
5. Mix the remaining ¼ cup sugar and the pectin in a bowl
6. While stirring the jam, add the pectin mixture sprinkle by sprinkle to ensure the pectin incorporates without clumping
7. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes
8. Refrigerate when cool

Sunday Style - Fourth of July Fashion

Our hugely popular Sunday Style feature is back today after a short break! Yesterday was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, as well as my sister’s and brother-in-law’s anniversary, and barbeques and casual outdoor parties have been taking place all across the United States. So this week I have put together two very stylish outfits that are perfect for the weekend's celebrations!

The first look is a gentle version of Americana. First we have stars in the form of iheartfink’s knit shirt (1) with a hand silkscreened starburst pattern in gold. The gold buttons on the shorts (2) from ROSIEretroclothing reference back to the color of the starburst pattern, and also give the shorts the style of Navy uniform trouser. Add Foret’s Boho star earrings (3) with their golden amber.

A handmade clutch (4) from sewgoodandtrendy will hold your essentials without weighing you down. Add some more blues to the outfit with a teal stretch bracelet (5) from cooljewelrydesign and a fluorite pendant (6) from Poshracrafts, which both also feature silver star details.

1. Handmade Top, iheartfink
2. Navy Shorts, ROSIEretroclothing
3. Ethnic Star Earrings, Foret
4. Handmade Mini Clutch, sewgoodandtrendy
5. Silver Star Beaded Bracelet, cooljewelrydesign
6. Fluorite Necklace, Poshracrafts
7. Lace up Greek Sandals, GreekChicHandmades
8. Skateboard Wooden Sunglasses, GoWoodSunglasses
9. Golden Honey Lip Butter, soapopotamus

Mix in a little more gold with fun lace up sandals (7) from GreekChicHandmades. Sport a pair of funky skateboard sunglasses (8) from GoWoodSunglasses, and slick on a light layer of golden shine to your lips with soapopotamus’s sweet golden honey lip butter (9), and you are ready for a day of fun!

My second look is a much more traditional Fourth of July outfit. I describe it as traditional, but it’s really louder Americana - bright red and blue, with stars and sequins, and American flag prints. Start with ICaughtTheSun’s fun 4th of July tank (1) with white stars on a blue background and a bright big shiny sequined red star on the chest. Add white jeans (2) with handpainted red and blue glitter outlined stars from RetOriginals.

1. 4th of July Shirt, ICaughtTheSun
2. Patriotic Embellished Jeans, RetOriginals
3. Red, White & Blue Earrings, cserpent
4. Red, White and Blue Necklace, DesignsbyCher
5. Patriotic Kumihimo Bracelet, NancysCrystalFantasy
6. Stars & Stripes Nail Wraps, SoGloss
7. America Beach Bag, RowdyRiver
8. USA Flag Kimono, AnytimeScarf
9. American Flag Flask, LiquidCourage

Now is the time to adorn yourself with bold red, white, and blue jewelry from the JET Team! Start with cserpent’s pearl and crystal dangle earrings (3). Then pop on a red, white and blue necklace (4) from DesignsbyCher, and finish with a patriotic kumihimo bracelet (5) from NancysCrystalFantasy.

A stars and stripes manicure (6) from SoGloss would look so cute with this outfit! Throw a blanket into a fun RowdyRiver tote (7) and head off to the fireworks. Remember to bring something to keep the chill off your shoulders - like the Americana kimono (8) from AnytimeScarf - or carry something in LiquidCourage’s American flag flask (9) to keep you warm!

Have a fabulous weekend, see you all next week!
Lori

Whats On My Bench

In today's edition of Whats on My Bench, Carolyn of VenusVelvet shares what she's been making this month...

Lately, I have been creating a lot of custom necklaces for sweet mamas with little ones that need distraction while nursing or baby-wearing. 40 custom orders over the last month and a half!

The solid links provide comfort and distraction for the wee ones. I'm told they love to play with the links, feel to coolness of the metal in their little hands, watch the sparkle created when the light hits the faceted surface of the links, and listen to the soft jingling sound of the links hitting each other!

The mamas get to look smashingly good with a little bling around their neck... and these necklaces are rugged too.

The custom pieces each have a little personal story - some mama's like to choose to add a little 14k gold accent hoop for each child, some choose a mix of silver and gold to represent each family member, and some include charms for little ones lost but never forgotten. I call them Mother's Little Helpers (or MLH for short).

Thank you Carolyn - your MLH designs are beautiful!

On behalf of the JET Team, I would like to wish all our US readers a very Happy Independence Day. Have a great weekend everyone!
Val

Wednesday Kitchen - Collard Greens with Blackeye Peas

Welcome to another Wednesday Kitchen with the JET Team! Everyone seems to be on the Kale wagon these days, but we really don't care for Kale here. Instead, we like Collard greens. These are Brassica cultivars, from the same family as Brussels sprouts and cabbages - with health benefits reputed to include lowering cholesterol.

I went to the farm the other day and picked some Collard greens, and I have to go back and get more as this dish was delicious! I like to saute the greens with blackeye peas, but you can substitute white beans or leave them out entirely. Either way, this makes a great side dish!

Photo: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch Collard Greens
• ½ Pound Blackeye Peas or White Beans
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 3 Small Shallots
• 1½ Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

To Make

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil
2. Roll up the leaves and cut them very thin, up to the stem





3. Add the greens to boiling water for 3-5 minutes
4. Drain and rinse the greens quickly with cold water to retain that nice green color





5. Rinse the blackeye peas





6. Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil, with the salt, pepper
7. Add the greens and blackeye peas, and cook on low light for another 8-10 minutes





8. Enjoy!

Michele