Handmade Chocolate Covered Blackberries - Day 342 of 365, Tutorial Tuesday

I love strawberries. I love them with sugar, I love them without sugar. I love them covered with chocolate.

But I discovered something I love covered with chocolate more than strawberries. Blackberries. We still have a few berries leftover from Costco and it occurred to me that if chocolate covered strawberries were tasty, chocolate covered blackberries would be just as good.

I was wrong. Chocolate covered blackberries are even better. They are easier to make, easier to eat, and in my opinion, even tastier. 

Actually, they just might be one of the best things I've ever tasted. So today's tutorial is the quickest and easiest thing I've ever made (and certainly the best tasting).

Click on the video below for the directions:

Day 341 of 365

After much cajoling and encouragement (and harassing) by me, Pajama Boy finally went to work.

A full day at home by myself. Finally, a full day of doing whatever I wanted. Hitting the sewing room for most of the day was the plan. After the way I woke up this morning I was tempted to stay away, though.

When I do repetitive tasks, it's not my muscles that bother me. It's the joints. The swelling in the joints puts pressure on the nerves, which in turns makes body parts numb and tingly. With all the ironing and rotary cutting I've been doing lately, my right shoulder has been getting quite the workout. All through the night my right shoulder was bothering me and by the time morning came around, the shoulder/elbow/wrist/hand joints were so swollen my arm and hand were completely numb. Completely numb and not willing to return to normal. It took quite some time to get feeling back.

But I couldn't give up the sewing. I had to do it.

I did it almost up until that 3:15 run to pick hubby up from school.

When I came home I caught someone napping in my bed.

Day 340 of 365

I feel like I have caffeine in my system or something. I spent yet another day in the sewing room and I again started not long after the sun came up.

While I haven't had any caffeine, I feel like something has gotten me in gear. My mornings are still icky, but starting off the day sewing seems to be helping. Being surrounded by gorgeous fabrics is helping.  I'm sure the sunshine is helping. And probably looking out my sewing room window to see my empty vegetable garden plot is helping, too.

Looking out the window has made me think about spring and planting time. Last year I thought we were going to try raised beds, but we didn't. Then I thought about replacing the landscape timbers in the rose garden and using the old ones to outline the vegetable garden. Now that I'm thinking spring again, I've scrapped the landscape timber idea and want those raised beds.

This entire school year I've felt like I've managed to be able to work without taxing my body too much. I've been able to take my time getting up in the mornings. I wear arthritis gloves to keep down the pain in the hands. I've worked my year around pain and pretty much know what I can and can't do. I know what aggravates my body and how to best relieve it, or at least manage it.

Those raised beds will help. They'll help make my surroundings meet my needs. I remember the difficulty I had last summer pulling weeds, picking tomatoes and peppers, digging potatoes. I'll be hiring some cheap labor - my daughter and her boyfriend - to follow some free plans I found on Sunset.com.

My mind is also spinning with quilt ideas, especially after sewing all those blocks on Day 325. I've been busy matching up fabrics with the blocks and designing some quilt tops. Here's the first one I have put together. Next step is quilting it.

Day 339 of 365

Sunrise was at 8:01 this morning and not long after I was in my sewing room. Have I mentioned how much I love the sun streaming through the window in there?

With another beautiful sunny day, I couldn't resist spending the day sewing in the sunshine. Plus, I had a good reason to keep working on quilts for charity. After all, today was the community's auction and my husband was heading out at 10. Sitting in a metal folding chair for any length of time could set me back a few days so I rarely go. But finally my husband would leave the house and I would get my alone hiding-from-the-world time I had been so anxious to have. He would be gone all day and would deliver me the news about how much the quilt I made on Day 322 went for. The quilt he guilted me into making. He would come home and I'd feel good about the time I spent on it and the money my contribution raised.

No such luck.

Hubby is now past the 72 hour mark of not wearing anything but the same pair pajamas. Three full days of moping around and watching television non stop. Three full days of I don't know what.

So no news on the quilt I worked so hard on. The quilt I made sure was the kind of quality that would make him look good. Maybe it's for the best. If it only raised $25 I don't want to know about it. I don't need anything making me feel any more incompetent about anything in my life than I already do.

I do feel somewhat competent doing kids' quilts. I finished what I'm now calling Rainbow Bright.

Day 338 of 365

It makes me sick to think about how hard it used to be. How hard it was just to get myself to work every single day. I remember the torture it was getting up, showered and dressed. I remember all too clearly the severe pain that filled my mornings. The pain so severe that I cried day after day on my way to work. The pain that stayed with me all through my work day.

Looking back, I don't know how I did it. But I'm sure glad some things have changed.

This part time work is a better fit for me and my issues. There are some days where it is hard to get myself up and out the door, but there is comfort in knowing I can sit when I arrive at work. That I can throw myself into whatever I'm doing - which usually involves sitting - and keep my mind off of it. It's not like it was before when, despite how horrible it was, I was spending the entire day teaching 25 kids. There is also comfort in knowing that I have days off each week for me to regroup.

Today was the second day of my attempt at a five day escape-from-the-world plan. And the second day of it where my husband stayed home.

So I plopped myself in my sewing room and worked the whole day. The quilt top from yesterday is progressing nicely and I freshened up my little plastic drawers with some jazzy labels.

Day 337 of 365

What the hell.

Yesterday those words popped out of my mouth at work. My coworker and I were talking and they just slipped right on out. Hearing those words in an elementary school building is quite unusual. (Thank goodness we were in my office.) What was even more unusual about those words was how loud the one word came out. I had started into a whisper and when I got to that last word it unintentionally exploded from my mouth. We had quite the laugh about it.

I thought about using the same phrase today at home but there would be no laughing involved this time.

My quiet, alone, disconnect from everyone and everything five day respite is off to a bumpy start. My husband picked today to stay home. There's nothing like a mopey, TV-watching husband who stays in his pajamas all day to throw a wrench in your plans.

I was practically giddy last night knowing I would get time to myself. Lesson learned. Back to one day at a time living. Stay away from thinking ahead.

Today's picture is the one I was originally going to post yesterday. The dark border is being chopped to make it a bit narrower and a white border is going on. Hopefully tomorrow's picture will show more progress on it. (Oops, gotta get away from thinking about tomorrow.)

Day 336 of 365

I'm going into hiding. I'm dropping off the map.

The huge project I've been working on at work ended today. The preliminary report from the State Reviewers who were on site today was quite complimentary. Now it's time for me to breathe. To rest. To cut back on these 10 hour work days. I'm taking five days off to start anew.

What better way to make a clean break and come away with a clear head but to disconnect from everything. They'll be no working on school stuff from home, no going into work this weekend, no looking at the Blackberry. (Don't worry, the blog will continue.)

Five days of no driving. Five days of no dress pants and no makeup. Five days of nothing but becoming reacquainted with my cleaning supplies (my long days have left my house lonely and devoid of shiny surfaces).

It goes without saying that the bulk of my time over the next five days will be spent working on kids' quilts for the Quilts for Kids organization. I have a couple of quilt tops in progress, and today I finished up a quilt top from the blocks I made on Day 329.

I'm not happy with the dark outside border and was thinking I'd make the border a bit narrower and add an additional white border. I took a picture of it, hoping to get affirmation that my idea was a good one. After picking up my husband from school, using the car for the last time until Tuesday, I was going to post the picture.

But that picture isn't winding up here today. For when we came home and pulled into the driveway, I noticed the front screen door ajar. We usually use the side door that leads to our carport so it was quite by accident I noticed the door.

There was a package in the door. A package from Paula. Paula O. is a reader of this blog and frequently comments. The other day she told me about some extra fabric she had and offered to send it my way. Free. No charge. She wouldn't even accept my offer of postage. It felt like Christmas as I was going through the box of gorgeous fabrics and threads. Of course my mind started racing with the possibilities.

I am so blessed to have caring folks reading along as I wander through my days. 

Paula, thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity, and boy - am I ever glad I have five days to work on quilts!