Carole’s 10 on Tuesday this week was about your fall knitting plans.  I obviously didn’t get this done on Tuesday, and I’m not sure I have 10 things on my to-knit list (realistically anyway), but I thought making a list of my knitting goals for the coming months would be helpful anyway.

1. I’ve been working on a herringbone scarf for J and it’s taking me forever!  Who thought fingering weight yarn was a good idea?  Oh wait, that was my idea…

This thing is huge! It’s 34″ wide and my original thought was to make it roughly square.  However, it may not make it to that size.  Because the whole point of a scarf is to have it to wear when the weather is cold,  not next summer.  The yarn is Sweet Georgia’s Cashluxe Fine in Ginger and Bison (I believe).

2. Socks.  I just started a pair of plain socks because patterned socks don’t seem to get done at my house.  Plain ones, you can work on those anywhere.

3. A sweater for me.  We’ve had some colder, fall weather this week and it’s making me want a new sweater.  I’ve come to the realization that the style of sweaters I like to wear are simple and basic.  I like stockinette.  Sure, it’s fun to knit cables and colorwork, but when I don’t know what to wear, I go to the basic sweaters in my closet.  I did some searching around on Ravelry and found Pole, which I put in my favorites in January.  It’s an aran weight sweater, which should be a quick knit.  I’m thinking of maybe using some Quince & Co. Osprey.

So, that’s it for my list for the foreseeable future.  Nothing earth shattering and who knows what will actually get done, but we’ll hope for the best.

After much debate, and some stress, I decided that I wanted to try some canning.  I’ve always thought that canning was hard.  There’s that whole jar sterilization, water bath processing, cooling, sealing, and what if you screw it up and it tastes terrible or someone gets sick!!  Well, I bought a canning cookbook, read it cover to cover, and decided what the heck.  Why not give it a shot?  And in typical Stephanie-fashion, I may have gone a little overboard on this project.  Shocking, right?

First thing’s first, the book I bought is Canning for a New Generation.  The author takes you through the process, step-by-step, and makes it seem easy (including adjustments for altitude).  Then she gives you a whole bunch of great recipes that have less sugar than traditional recipes and she has some recipes for things I never would have thought to try (and some I’m not quite sure what they are).

The local food co-op had peaches for sale – 20 pounds – and I figured I’d start there.  I canned on 3 different days over the Labor Day weekend – one recipe each day – and ended up with what seem to be very respectable results.

The sliced peaches in vanilla syrup were first on the list.  As you can see, I didn’t quite get the “pack fruit tightly in jars” down, so there’s space in the jars from where the peaches shrunk after I cooked them.  However, I think they’ll still taste good (or I hope they do – what I taste-tested was yummy though).  Next up was the peach jam.

The recipe doesn’t use pectin (like SureGel), but instead has you use Granny Smith apples to provide the pectin necessary to thicken the jam.  As far as I can tell, it worked like a dream.  This jam has some nice peach chunks and is sweet, but not so sweet you feel like your teeth are rotting out.  It’s more like eating a fresh peach – a little sweet and a little tart at the same time.

Last on the list was peach cilantro salsa, and of all the things I tried, this one made me the most nervous.  I think because it’s hard to know how hot something is going to be until you actually make it and try it.

This recipe has peaches (obviously), a red bell pepper, onion, lime juice, a serrano chili, cilantro, and just a bit of mint.  It has a little heat, but isn’t hot at all – my sister will be sorely disappointed in that fact because she thinks everything should be so hot your eyelids sweat when you eat it.  The book says that while this is great with chips, it’s also good as a glaze for pork or fish.

All in all, my first canning experience went well.  Next up, sour cherry preserves and a couple of things with 25 pounds of plums that are arriving next week!

Yesterday I mentioned there have been a lot of changes in my life over the last year or so.  The one I’m most proud of is starting my own business.  This is something I brainstormed and pondered for a good long while before I jumped off the pier into the murky waters of self-employment.  I’m still figuring things out as I get up and running, but I have a great website that Web Design People did for me.  I figured that if I was going to have an internet-based business, it was probably a really good idea to do it right, which meant hiring a professional!

Last week, I finally got my business cards.  There’s something about having business cards that makes me feel like things are real!  Silly, I know, but I’ve always loved paper so maybe that’s why it makes such a difference to me.

Being a marketing company, having something unique and classy was important to me.  I love letterpress – it’s a tactile thing, so I splurged and got a fancy letterpressed card.  I designed them to be a less common 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch square and had the edges colored red to match the dot and the lines on the front of the card.  I had them printed at The Mandate Press in Salt Lake City.  They were wonderful to work with and their price was SO much better than I could find anywhere else.  What do you think?

Tomorrow:  quilting talk.  I have pictures of Swoon to share.

Hi.  If anyone’s still out there reading, please know that I’ve missed you.  The blog has been on an unquestionably long hiatus and I debated about resurrecting it or closing it for good.  I’ve decided to give blogging another try and see if my life changes can result in my being a better blogger.  I suppose only time will tell.

What life changes, you ask?  Well, in the last year I’ve gotten divorced, left my job, started a new business, and have a new guy.  I’ve been knitting infrequently and it seems that what I do manage to finish, I somehow also manage to felt in the wash.  After all this time you’d think I’d have a better understanding of how to wash hand knits.  Apparently, I’ve lost my ability to pay attention to what’s going into the washing machine in any particular load.

I’ve been quilting quite a bit and have no less than 4 quilts in progress – it’s ridiculous really.  One started out as a block of the month quilt in 2010 and is still hanging on while I lament the sheer number of flying geese in my future.  Yet another one started as a quilt for my bed, and since the life changes has been reassigned as a gift for my brother and sister-in-law – if I can ever find the time to work on it.  I recently HAD to have Swoon so I’ve been sewing on that all summer.  I also just finished a baby quilt and dropped it off to have it quilted last Monday.  Hopefully I’ll have it back this week so I can bind it, since the baby is arriving via c-section on Thursday!  As you can see, my propensity for waiting until the last minute hasn’t changed one bit!

As the weather cools off, I need to dust off my spinning wheel and get back into the swing of things there.  I have a lot of lovely fiber to spin (from my good friend Talia at International Fleeces) and I hope I’ll have more time this fall and winter to spend time making yarn (so then I can knit it into clothes that I hopefully don’t felt!).  I also want to try some canning.  I got a great book on canning and have read it cover to cover.  I hope there’s some peach jam, maybe sour cherry jam, and some tomato sauce in my future.  We’ll see how it goes, but the idea of canning has always intrigued me, so why not give it a whirl.

On a professional front, I left the University of Wyoming early this summer and spent the summer getting my new marketing business up and running.  I’m really excited, and also very nervous.  If you’re so inclined, check Marquiss out at www.marquiss.co.  If you know anyone who needs marketing, branding, or writing help, please send them my way!

So, what have you been up to?  What have I missed?

Steph

Jason threw his keys in the bowl on the table as he came in the door of the penthouse.  It was obvious that Elizabeth was home because there was music playing on the stereo and a fire in the hearth, but she wasn’t in the great room.  Jason smiled because he knew he would find her in the same place he’d found her every night this week.  He climbed the stairs and went directly to her closed studio door.

Jason knocked briefly and opened the door to poke his head inside.

“Hey, I’m home.  How’s your painting going today?” Jason asked.

Elizabeth jolted in surprise and lifted her eyes from her canvas to her impossibly handsome husband.  In the two weeks he’d been home, it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how handsome and kind he was.  She jerked her gaze back to the canvas, than lifted it again to meet his eyes.  “It’s going ok.  I’m almost done with this one.  Another day or two and I’ll be ready to show you.”

Jason had avoided looking at her work and wasn’t looking forward to explaining to her that he didn’t understand art.  He figured she’d be upset since it was such a big part of her life.  Maybe he’d get out of having to give his opinion.  Or at least he hoped so.

Elizabeth dropped her brush in a jar filled with turpentine and started rubbing the paint off of her fingers with a rag.  “What time do we have to be at the MetroCourt?”

Jason winced and pulled on his hair, “Carly called me when I was on my way home to remind me that we needed to be there by seven.” Jason was really not looking forward to tonight, but it was for a good cause, so he’d suffer.

Elizabeth grinned at his obvious discomfort, “Carly explained to me that tonight’s fundraiser is to benefit AIDS research, which is especially important to you because of your sister Emily.”

Jason reached up and scratched his chest as he shifted from one foot to the other.  “Emily is HIV positive.  She got HIV from her boyfriend when she was a teenager.  She’s doing really well, given the new drug protocols available, but harasses me to support AIDS research.  She and Carly have been in cahoots for over a year to do this big fundraiser.  I tried really hard to be out of town on business, but even Sonny conspired against me.  There will be tons of people, all trying to out dress, out drink, and out spend each other and it’ll be a horrible evening.  However, I think they’ll raise a lot of money to support AIDS research, which is all I really care about.”

Elizabeth smiled at his long-winded explanation.  Jason rarely said more than five words at a time, so she knew he was really agitated about having to go this event.  “I’d better go shower and get changed – we wouldn’t want to be late and have Carly mad at us before we even get through dinner.”

Elizabeth brushed past Jason and stepped into the hallway, “I picked up your tuxedo from the cleaners this morning.  It’s hanging in your closet.”

Jason turned and stared after her as she shut her bedroom door.  She’d picked up his tuxedo.  She’d had it dry cleaned.  She was being really nice to him and doing things for him on a regular basis.  She bought groceries, did his laundry, and made dinner.  Jason wasn’t sure what to think about all of that, but he had to admit that it was nice to have someone take care of him.

*~*~*~*

As Jason and Elizabeth stepped out of the limo in front of the MetroCourt, Elizabeth reached out to grasp Jason’s hand.  Jason glanced down in surprise and noticed the apprehension on her face.  “Nervous?” he asked.

Elizabeth looked up at him, “Yeah. I hate these society things.”

Jason couldn’t hide his surprise at her announcement. “You do? I thought you loved things like this.”

Elizabeth smiled, but Jason couldn’t help but notice it was a sad smile. “Let me guess, that’s what my mother told you.  She likes to think I enjoy these kinds of things, or she thinks that by saying it, it makes it true.  She’s never really understood me, and as far as I can tell, she doesn’t want to.”

Jason squeezed Elizabeth’s hand and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “You’re in good company because I hate these things too.”

When Carly saw Jason and Elizabeth walk into the lobby of the MetroCourt, the first thing she noticed was that they were holding hands and smiling at each other.  And that they looked perfect together.

“Hello!  Don’t you two look fabulous,” Carly said as she kissed Jason on the cheek and grasped Elizabeth’s other hand.  “Elizabeth, that navy blue dress is stunning.  I think it was a great choice.”

Elizabeth smiled “Thanks Carly.  I’m glad you talked me into it.”

Carly smiled at her new friend and then looked more closely at her best friend. “Jase, I like the tuxedo without the tie – very fashionable.”

Jason couldn’t help but squirm under Carly’s scrutiny.  “Elizabeth said she didn’t think I needed to wear a tie, and you know how much I hate them.”

Carly smiled, “I think you look very handsome and the tux with no tie is a fabulous compromise.” She glanced at Elizabeth, “Great idea!  You guys go mingle and check out the awesome auction items.  I’ll see you at dinner.”

Jason and Elizabeth looked at each other and headed for the bar.  After securing some liquid courage, they made their way to the ballroom to “mingle.”  Before they could find a safe place to hide, a short blonde woman stepped in front of them, blocking their path.  Elizabeth could feel Jason tense as if bracing for an attack.

“Mrs. Morgan, I’m Lulu Spencer from the Port Charles Herald.  Can you tell me how you feel about being married to Jason Morgan, who is reputed to be the most lethal mob enforcer on the eastern seaboard?”

Before Jason could step in, Elizabeth squeezed his hand and looked directly at Lulu.  “My husband is a coffee importer, as you very well know.  You should be careful what you say because if you aren’t, someone’s going to hit you with a libel suit.  My husband and I are very happy and I couldn’t be more blessed.  I’m married to a wonderful man.”

“Mrs. Morgan, are you aware that Mr. Morgan’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha McCall, has gone on record saying that Mr. Morgan was emotionally abusive during their relationship?” Lulu pushed.

“Ms. Spencer, I could quite frankly care less what Ms. McCall has alleged.  The fact is, Jason Morgan is a kind and generous man.  Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re here to support a cause very important to both me and my husband.” Elizabeth squeezed Jason’s hand again and pulled him around Lulu towards the auction items.

Jason and Elizabeth stopped in front of an elaborate jewelry display.  While they pretended to look at the millions of dollars in diamonds and precious gems, Jason’s mind was reeling.  Not only was he shocked to hear that Sam had accused him of emotional abuse, but that Elizabeth had felt compelled to defend him to a reporter.  “Elizabeth …”

Elizabeth turned and smiled sharply up at Jason, “Don’t say anything about that dreadful woman.  How dare she accost us at a fundraiser and then say such horrid things about you.”

Jason leaned in and pressed his forehead against Elizabeth’s, “Elizabeth, you don’t need to feel like you have to defend me.  People say awful things about me all the time, and for the most part, they’re true.”

A tingle went through Elizabeth at Jason’s touch, “Jason, I know what you do for a living and I don’t care.  Being an enforcer is just your job – it has nothing to do with the kind of man you are.  Furthermore, I don’t believe for one second that you were emotionally abusive to whoever the heck Sam McCall is.  I only told that disgusting woman the truth.  You are kind and generous and have treated me with respect, which is all I’ve ever hoped for.  I’m very happy to be married to you and I won’t have someone using me to poke at you in the press.  Now, let’s at least pretend we’re having fun so we don’t give her any more fuel for her disgusting article.”

Jason couldn’t help but smile at his tiny spitfire of a wife.  She was so mad on his behalf that he wouldn’t have been surprised to see her stomp her foot.  But he was also touched.  No one but Carly had ever felt the need to defend him, and Elizabeth hadn’t even known him very long.  She had defended him, not because of their long and complex history, but simply because she was stuck in an arranged marriage with him.  And despite what she said, he hadn’t always treated her with respect.  When he’d been in Puerto Rico, he had been anything but respectful.  She had stood up for him anyway.  He vowed that she would never again feel like he was anything less than what she wanted and needed.  Despite this arranged marriage, Elizabeth was making the best of it, and Jason was going to be damned sure to do the same.

Jason had to admit, dinner wasn’t as bad as he’d expected.  Elizabeth kept Carly occupied so she didn’t feel like she had to draw him into conversations he didn’t care about, which meant he got to talk to Sonny and watch Elizabeth.

Elizabeth noticed that Jason had seemed preoccupied throughout dinner, and when Carly left the table to coordinate the live auction she leaned over and asked, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah.  I was actually just thinking about how much I appreciate you being here.  You talked to Carly so I didn’t have to.”

Elizabeth smiled and laughed.  “I’m glad I can help out.”

As the auction began, Elizabeth watched a stunning redhead make her way through the room wearing one of the necklaces that had been on display earlier.  It was a large rectangular emerald surrounded by diamonds on a chain studded with diamonds.  “I don’t see how anyone can wear something that large.  It has to weigh a ton and it’s so big.  I’d be afraid something would happen to a piece that expensive.”

“There are a lot of women who think the larger the piece, the better, and by buying the big pieces is how their husband or boyfriend proves his love.” Sonny added as he sipped his wine and watched the auction.

Half way through the auction Sonny suddenly straightened in his chair and started to pay close attention to the auctioneer.  The redhead was now wearing a dazzling diamond choker.  Elizabeth gave Jason a questioning glance and he just smiled in return.  Elizabeth watched in amazement as Sonny bid determinedly against a tall blonde man a couple of tables away.  Elizabeth continued to watch as the auction ended and the necklace brought the unbelievable price of $250,000.

Sonny smiled in satisfaction, “That should make my lovely bride happy.  And I’m sure she’ll think of an appropriate way to show her thanks.”

The next item in the auction line-up was drastically different from the diamond choker Sonny just purchased.  It was a delicate choker of creamy pearls with small square diamond spacers.  The necklace was gorgeous, but very feminine and much daintier than anything else that had been offered.

Elizabeth watched as a pretty blonde walked around the room displaying the necklace and thought to herself that it was the only thing she’d seen so far that she would even remotely like to wear.  She saw a couple of men at nearby tables bid, and was completely taken aback when Jason raised his finger and entered the bidding.

“Jason, what are you doing?” Elizabeth whispered to him.

Jason leaned over and whispered back, “I’m bidding on a necklace.”

“Yeah, no kidding.  Why?”

“It benefits AIDS research and I thought someone special might like it.”

Elizabeth abruptly sat back in her chair.  It had never occurred to her that even though she and Jason were married that he might have someone special in his life.  As she pondered the implications of Jason buying a necklace for a special lady, she wondered why she was surprised.  They both knew theirs was a marriage of convenience and a business arrangement shouldn’t preclude either of them from having someone.  But she was hurt all the same.  She really liked Jason and a couple of times over the course of the evening she’d felt a spark when they’d held hands and especially when he’d leaned his forehead against hers.  She couldn’t help being attracted to him – he was gorgeous and he’d been really nice to her since he’d gotten home from Puerto Rico.  But if there was someone else in his life, she certainly wasn’t going to stand in his way or ask him for something he wasn’t willing to give.

Jason noticed Elizabeth’s distance, but didn’t think much of it.  He was focused on getting the necklace.  And like anything Jason focused on, he got what he wanted – for the bargain price of $100,000.

The rest of the auction was as uneventful as a group of rich men buying jewelry at inflated prices could be, and before Jason knew it, it was time to collect his necklace and go home.  He would never admit this to Carly, but he’d actually had a pretty good time tonight, and he knew he had Elizabeth to thank for that.

“Elizabeth, is there something wrong?  You’ve been pretty quiet.” Jason asked.

Jason watched Elizabeth swallow and pull her bottom lip in to chew on.  She sighed and fidgeted with the clasp on her evening bag before finally raising her eyes to his.  “Jason, I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up anything or anyone in your life because you had to marry me.  It’s really important to me not to be a burden to you.  I don’t want to ruin your life just because of a business deal between my father and Sonny.”

“Elizabeth, you’re just as much a victim of this business deal as I am.  Who or what do you think I’ve given up because of our marriage?” Jason wasn’t entirely sure what Elizabeth was getting at.

This is where it got sticky, but Elizabeth was determined to be open and honest with Jason during their marriage.  Even if they would never actually be a married couple, maybe they could at least be friends.  “You said you were buying that necklace for someone special, and it hadn’t occurred to me before that that you might have someone special in your life.  I certainly don’t want you to have to give up your girlfriend just because you got stuck with me.”

Jason sat back against the seat in the limo and wondered how someone as sweet and innocent as Elizabeth had come out of the Alcazar family.  “Elizabeth, there’s no one in my life.  Sam was the last serious relationship I had and you heard how that ended.”

“Then who…”

Jason reached across the seat and clasped hands with Elizabeth.  “I bought that necklace for my wife.  The woman who has made it her mission from the day we got married to take care of me, including doing my laundry and dry cleaning my tuxedo.  She’s also defended me to the press and made it so I enjoyed a social event for the first time that I can remember.”

Elizabeth stared at Jason, “What?  Jason, I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, but I do know that I like you.  You’re sweet and funny and you’ve made my apartment a place I enjoy coming home to.  While we’re married, you’ll be the only special person in my life.” Jason flashed his killer grin, “So get used to it.”

They exited the limo in the secure parking garage and rode up the elevator to their penthouse.  Elizabeth didn’t say anything – all she could think about was that she couldn’t believe her luck.  She’d thought she was marrying a ruthless, hard killer and instead she’d gotten a sweet, remarkable man.

As they stepped into their great room, Jason grabbed Elizabeth’s hand to turn her back towards him.  He reached into his tuxedo pocket and pulled the pearl necklace out.  He draped it around Elizabeth’s neck and clasped the diamond clasp.

“It’s perfect for you – dainty and elegant, just like you.”

Elizabeth brushed her fingers over the cool pearls, “How did you know that this was the only thing at the auction that I liked?”

Jason smiled, “I didn’t – I just knew it reminded me of you.”  Jason let go of her hand and reached up to brush a stray curl behind Elizabeth’s ear.  His hand stayed to cup her jaw and tilt her chin up.

Elizabeth went up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Jason’s waist to pull herself closer.  As their lips touched Elizabeth gasped – the electric shock shot through her entire body and left her fingers and toes tingling.  Jason was rocked back in surprise and groaned at the sweet taste of her mouth.  He deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue between Elizabeth’s lips.  The kiss went on as their tongues dueled and they tried to fit their bodies more tightly together.  Eventually they reluctantly pulled apart, both gasping for breath.

After a moment of staring up at him through passion-clouded eyes, Elizabeth took a crucial step back.  She lightly brushed her thumb over Jason’s bottom lip before breaking contact completely.  “Good night, Jason.  Thank you for a truly wonderful evening.”