I nearly wrote about Jellybeans today. See, one day a couple years ago our family stopped at a mall that had a delicious chocolate store that was going out of business and so everything was on sale. And when I say sale, I mean it was like a childhood dream come true. There were jellybeans galore, and I, well, might have ended up buying a LOT of them.
But then I decided to ditch that idea and instead go with…
I guess it would make sense to talk about making jams. And I tried that once. I ventured deep into the briars, braved the blistering sun, contented with fussy little sisters (this was a while ago, folks), and emerged hours later with a pitiful bucket of blackberries to show for my labors. And I made jam. Jam that took forever and a day to boil down and work on, then only produced a small amount of gooey goodness. I’m pretty sure I was so horrified by the lack of yield that I simply stashed the jars in the back of the pantry, determined to hide them until I found an occasion suitable to celebrate by eating them. (And, shhhh, we won’t mention if the jars are still back there or not.)
But no. This is actually a different type of jamming. This type of jamming consisted of me lighting the world up with music while working in the kitchen with my little siblings.
I’ve enjoyed dancing around the kitchen with music playing in the background all my life. There’s something about familiar songs filling the house that makes the work seem faster and easier. Back when I was a kid though, it wasn’t always the most peaceful of occasions. See, I had this habit of liking a little bit more excitement than just one measly song playing at a time. So, I would commision my two little sisters to search the house for everyone’s CD players (this was back when those were still the norm), and then we’d line them up on the counter, put a different CD in each one, and let them play at full blast.
Looking back I’m sure this was extremely healthy for our ears (NOT), and there’s just a slight chance that it contributed to the interruptions in our house, ya know, since we were kinda training ourselves to be able to block things out.
Thankfully I don’t enjoy chaos as much as I once did. Although my kitchen time still flies by faster if I’m listening to music or an audiobook that generally happens with earbuds playing softly for me personally.
What I Listened to While Blogging:
Speaking of nice and calm… This
Where I Blogged:
My office
Fun Fact:
The tradition of pairing lemon and fish started in the Middle Ages when a lemon slice was served with fish because it was thought the juice would dissolve any bones that were accidentally swallowed
Question of the Day:
Do you perfer working with music or silence?
Noveltea 
Oh, definitely with sound! Music if I’m in the mood, or just listening to discussions on the radio. If I am listening to music for my writing, I put on appropriate music for what I’m writing. When I was writing some historical fiction about Australian bushrangers for an anthology, for example, I played Irish music or Australian folk tunes. A story about the Beatles’ visit to Melbourne was written to Beatles tunes. And so on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
AH YES! Putting myself in the right mood by listening to the right kind of music is so important when writing. Sometimes I find myself having a chapter turn out totally differently than planned simply because of the music I was listening to, so I have to be careful. 😉
LikeLike
I enjoy loud music while cooking, but oh my goodness, I think multiple musics playing at once might actually kill me. How utterly atrocious! I don’t like to listen to music when I write, either. I like it quiet quiet quiet, except for the birds outside the window.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, I wouldn’t enjoy it nowadays. This was back when I was a kid. I like music while writing though, so I’m different from you there. But birds outside the window? Those are pretty great, too. 🙂
LikeLike
I made raspberry jam once. It was for the filling of a two-layer chocolate cake I was making for a bake sale. My dad helped, he had this odd contraption where you spun the handle and it pushed the jam through by not the seeds. My only regret is that I didn’t get to eat the cake myself… I should have made two, but hindsight is twenty twenty.
I hate silence when I cook, I either need the tv on or music or an audiobook playing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds utterly delicious! I’m kinda glad I don’t have any of it in front of me right now, because it makes my mouth water just to think of it. 😉
I like silence, but I also like listening to stuff.
LikeLike
You reminded me of my mom who still puts on music while cooking. It’s like a ritual for her. Enjoyed reading your post.
-Surbhi
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll probably be one of those moms, except when I have little kids around then sometimes I feel like music just adds to the noise….
LikeLike
Very fun post! 9 times out of 10, I listen to music when I write. I even have songs for specific chapters or characters. I also have playlists to get myself in the right mood for writing certain emotions. Thanks for sharing 🙂
https://katseaholm.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/j-is-for-journey/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve heard of people who have certain playlists like you – it sounds like #goals, but the most I ever do is just listen to certain movie soundtracks for certain books. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I listen to music when I cook. Well I try to . I both try to cook – lol and try to listen to music. My kids come in the kitchen and turn that damn rap on and it drives me insane. I’m glad I found your blog. I need all the cooking and kitchen tips I can get.
Melissa @
Sugar Crime Scene
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that sometimes too much stimulation can make my cooking suffer. 😉
LikeLike
When I cook I usually prefer silence because the sounds mixed together wrack my brain; the exhaust above the stove, the sound of my knife on the board, all the cooking sounds mixed with perfect music is just not right. 😛
Loved reading this! It was funny. XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha – I can understand that to a point. When I have to turn the fan on in the kitchen then I generally turn the music off because it gets a little too crazy for my tastes. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, that’s what I do hehe 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I’m writing, I definitely prefer music. I like to say that my brain distracts me otherwise. I can’t have two different things playing at once, though. Even if I have my headphones in with music playing and the tv is on, it can get on my nerves(I’m really weird about noises. I don’t know why). When I’m cooking or doing chores, though, I’m usually listening to an audiobook.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah yes, I find it very hard to write if there’s something with talking. Sometimes I can’t even stand to write with lyrics playing. Driving I like music, and while working I like audiobooks.
LikeLike
I agree that music does make things go faster and seem easier. Jellybeans are good, but this was a great post.
Thanks for stopping by my A to Z https://writingiscommunication.wordpress.com/category/a-to-z-blogging/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! And yes, jellybeans are pretty great, but after buying so many I discovered they aren’t my favorite candy… 😉
LikeLike