Thanksgiving in June

I love Thanksgiving.  I love turkey. Anyone who really knows me knows that the smell of turkey roasting in the oven makes me weak in the knees.  I do "practice Thanksgivings" anytime that the grocery store has a turkey or a turkey breast on sale.  But today I didn't have either available to cook.

I've been trying to eat a lot of low glycemic index foods, and turkey is one of the best.  So last week, we bought some boneless turkey breast fillets.  It's a little chilly here this morning (oh yea, only 48 degrees) and to a turkey lover, it is the perfect time for a mock Thanksgiving.  We had some leftover buns and rolls from last week, so I used them to make some stuffing  dressing.  (I guess it's only stuffing if it's cooked in the turkey).  Using celery salt and minced onions makes the dressing a little faster than when I actually dice the onions and celery.  Some times I add an egg or some melted butter, but today I just did the basics - celery salt, minced onions, black pepper and some warm water.  I buttered the crock pot and added the dressing to the pot.  I made it a little wetter than usual to help avoid sticking.  I placed the turkey breast fillets on top of the dressing, added salt and pepper to the top, and turned the crock pot on high for the first hour since I was a little late getting started this morning.  Now I have the rest of the day to decide what to have with it.  I don't really think we need potatoes since the dressing is enough carbs.  Maybe I'll just do some green bean casserole minus the french fried onions.  That's one of our favorite veggies,

So, if you happen to see me later and I look like I'm in a trance, you'll know it's just the glorious smell of that turkey that's cooking.

Homemade Pot Pie - Warms the Soul and the House

As I child, I hated pot pie.  My granny made pot pie with fatty meat and very little flavor.  It was bland, and I gagged on the meat.

Then after Rod and I were married, my mother-in-law made wonderful pot pie.  I don't know if she made it the way the way I do, but what I make is "cheater pot pie".  Here's what I do. I buy a packet of McCormick's beef stew mix.  It uses 3 cups of water, and 1 pound of meat.  I use leftover roast beef, or today I'm using leftover prime rib.  Then I add the 5 cups of veggies that the stew mix calls for.  We use potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, peas, and a can of mushrooms (drained and chopped a little).  I put it all in a pot and cook it until the potatoes and carrots are tender.  Then I turn it off and let it cool.  I make this in the early afternoon and let it sit until an hour before dinner.  When I've tried to put it into the pie shell when the stew is hot, it has melted the pie shell and was a disaster.  And to make it simpler, I use refrigerator pie crusts.  Put the first pie crust onto the pie pan and then add the stew.  Put the second crust on top, crimp it, and cut a few slits in the top to let the steam escape.  One important detail - make sure that you put the pie on a sheet pan before baking it.  It will keep the pie from boiling over.  No, really.  If you put it into the oven without the sheet pan it will surely boil over.  But when I use the sheet pan, no spillage.  Better safe than sorry!

We woke up this morning to minus temperatures.  I had leftover meat and peas, and pie crust in the refrigerator and it just seemed like a pot pie was in order.  The stew is done, and the house smells wonderful.  Can't wait for dinner.

Happy Birthday to My Miracles

Flashback 35 years - my twins, Pam and Pat, are delivered 11 weeks premature.  The doctors all look very serious.  It's a very crowded delivery room - I have 4 or 5 doctors of my own and their staff of nurses, there's a neonatologist and his own crew of nurses, pulmonary technicians, and others for each baby.  And of course, Rod is there. They expected that the babies would weigh about 1-1/2 pounds each, but because of my gestational diabetes, they were a little over 3 pounds each.  But they are still severely premature and the doctors give them a 10% chance of survival.  I am devastated, Rod is strong.

Flash forward 8 weeks.  My babies are ready to come home 3 weeks earlier than expected, even though those 8 weeks haven't been easy.  Pam has done very well.  Pat has had so many setbacks.  One of her lungs have collapsed, her heart has stopped.  But she is a fighter, and nothing could keep her down. They weigh a little over 4 pounds each. They are on a three hour feeding schedule, and it seems like all I do is feed babies.  Oh, and change diapers.

And now today.  They are beautiful, confident, and loving women.  They have no children of their own, but do so much for their nieces and nephews.  You can always count on them when you need them.  They have taken Bubby for casting on his feet, they take Krissy to softball or band when needed, they take Izzy to Girl Scouts and choir practice when asked.  And I can't tell you how much they do for Rod and I.  They are a blessing for sure, and I thank God every day that they beat the odds.

New Project Gone Bad

The new project that I've been working on has become a pain in the neck.  After fighting with the embroidery designs and then the embroidery machine, I finally managed to get four of the new Busy Buddies put together.  It's a little item that will be good to keep kids busy in church, in a restaurant, on a plane, in a car, or just waiting in a doctor's office.  The front cover is machine embroidered.

The back cover and the pockets inside are from a themed fabric.  And the Busy Buddy comes with a small notebook, a click pencil, and an 8 count box of crayola crayons.

The tutorial on which I based mine, called for fusible batting.  I chose to use fusible interfacing, which left them flimsy and the pockets over sized.  I finished 4 practice Buddies, all but the buttons.  Today, my job is to tear out the stitching on those so that I can try again tomorrow - this time with the fusible batting.  Then I will rest and try to beat this head cold that I'm fighting.  But like any busy bee, I will not give up, I will persevere, and I will win.  

Stay warm!

Starting Something New

It's always so much fun to start a new project.  I've been wanting to start this project since before Christmas, but the holidays interfered.  Then I had orders coming in and had to finish them.  But Monday I was finally able to get it started and it made me happy.

 It has been a frustrating experience to be sure.  It's a sort of kit for kids, and I wanted to use some of the licensed fabrics that I've accumulated.  And I wanted to incorporate embroidery designs for the cover.  I've done more internet surfing than ever before and have found most of the designs I was looking for.  But some of them show up on the computer and not on the zip drive.  Some of them have stated that were for a 4x4 hoop, but when I load them into the embroidery machine, it tells me that the design "exceeds the embroidery area".  Most of the people from whom I purchased have been patient, and so helpful.  They have either sent me the size I needed, or refunded my purchase price.  One has yet to be resolved.

So this week I've been working with the embroidery machine.  I figure I'll stitch our 20 or so covers, and then this weekend I can get started on the kits.  I'll post photos once they're finished.

Happy New Year, Steps to a New Me.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, because I have a history of breaking them within the first week or two.  This year I've decided to work on "goals" instead.  Over the last few years as my physical condition deteriorated (too much sugar and too little movement), I have relinquished control of my household to others.  My main goal for this year is to take it back.  I know it won't be easy, but hopefully by achieving other small goals along the way, I can do it.

Over the past two weeks, Rod has helped to clean my sewing room.  To say it was a disaster is an understatement.  I have a horrible habit of taking boxes that arrive and just tossing them into that room.  I don't put things away when I should, and the task of cleaning it up was just too overwhelming to think about.  Rod came up with a plan.  He took a large box into that room and began picking things up off the floor.  He brought it to the living room, and we began to sort it out.  We folded the fabric, sorted through all of it and threw out small scraps and ugly pieces that I knew I would never use,   It wasn't easy - I am a fabric hoarder.  It took two or three days, and we managed to clean out two large boxes and four garbage bags of trash.  I still have all the "stuff" we saved to put away, but it doesn't seem like such a daunting task now.

It has instilled in me a need to "de-clutter" other parts of the house.  The first area that I'm going to tackle is the kitchen.  I have more cookbooks than any one women should ever need, and I rarely ever use them.  Most of the cookbooks are going to be donated to Goodwill.  I have a baker's rack that is just loaded with junk and it's time to get rid of all that and put the rack to good use.  Today I started a new Weight Watchers journey, and I need to clear off that rack and make room for all my Weight Watcher's cookbooks and the new one that I got from Skinnytaste for my birthday.  I think that having all my weight-friendly recipes at my fingertips will be a big plus.

I want to try to find healthy snacks that will make me feel like I'm getting sweets.  Last night daughter Kristin brought a peanut butter dip made with Greek yogurt, peanut butter and honey.  It was very healthy, but tasted delicious.  She brought apples to eat with it, but I think it would also be good with pretzels or celery.  It's a keeper.  She also brought a pear-pomegranate salsa that tasted amazing on baked tortilla chips.  I need to get that recipe from her.  Another delightful discovery that I made last night was that I love snow peas raw. I have always loved shelling and eating raw peas from the garden, but never was brave enough to eat the pea pods.  With a light ranch dip, they were so good, and I can see myself having them for a snack.

And that's how it starts.  Eating more healthy will be a plus, and hopefully moving a little will lead to moving more.  Happy New Year!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Yesterday, we put up our Christmas tree.  It's always a bittersweet experience for me.  After using many of the ornaments that we have acquired over the years, I open the box of "treasures".  These are ornaments that have a special meaning for me.  In the past, I taught ceramic classes in my basement. I am a certified ceramic teacher, and we had a small shop set up there.  One year, I had a large basket of Christmas ornaments ready to paint, and asked each of my students to pick one out and paint it for me.  They were to sign and date it.  Last night, I pulled out the the nurse that Pap had painted, the Humpty Dumpty that Dee had painted, ornaments painted by my Aunt Sis and Aunt Eileen, and all the others.  There was the feathered snow owl given to us by Rod's brother, Brian just a few years before he chose to leave this earth.  There were other feathered birds so loved by my mom, and a trumpet for my dad.

The twins had made wedding soup for dinner, helped with the tree, and then baked chocolate chip cookies. But after they left and the house was quiet again, I started to think about holidays past.  When I was a child, my Aunt Betty lived next door.  She had no children, and was sort of a stern woman.  But when the family played pinochle, we saw a different side of her.  It was always the men against the women, and usually the men were victorious.  After losing a few games, Aunt Betty would get up and walk around her chair several times while shouting, "Wahoo!"  I'm not sure if it changed her luck, but it sure tickled us kids.  My Aunt Ethel would always accuse my Uncle Virg of cheating. As I got older, and was able to join the game as a "man", I realized that he didn't cheat, but talked little during the game, and concentrated on the cards that had been played.  We kids were given potato chips and pretzels to munch on while we watched TV, but were never permitted to have the Planter's mixed nuts that the grown-ups got.

I don't remember my Aunt Kit and Uncle Ray playing much pinochle.  My Uncle Ray was a wonderful wood worker, and introduced the family to "Marbles".  It was played on a board much like this one.   One year for Christmas, Uncle Ray made a marble board for each family, and I still have one of the boards that he made.   It was played much like the board game Parcheesi, but each player had 4 marbles in their color.  It was so much fun, and a game that we kids could play also. Each family had their own special bag containing their marbles and dice.  I still have my red leather pouch  which holds my marbles and dice. Aunt Betty's sun porch was quite large, and there would be several card tables set up in that room where there were marble games in progress,    After each game, people would switch tables to go another round.  If I close my eyes, I can still hear the laughter.

One of my favorite things about Christmas at Aunt Betty's was that she had a tree with bubble lights on it.  They fascinated me and I could sit for hours just watching those lights. Soon after we were married, I had a few strings of bubble lights, but they have all passed away. At this point in my life when so many family members have passed on, the memories of those Christmases past can still bring a smile.

Fa-La-La-La-La . . .

Oh yes, I'm thinking about decking the halls. I am definitely ready for Christmas decorating!   Rod finished the outside decorating yesterday, with the final lights on the front deck.

Normally, I sew up to Christmas Eve making last minute gifts for the family.  But not this year! Yesterday, I finished my last custom order for the store, packed it up, and shipped it this morning.  So, today my sewing machine gets put to bed until after the first of the New Year.  I have been loading free books onto my Kindle, and hope to do some serious reading over the next few weeks.

We had purchased Disney gift cards for our trip and somehow managed to return home with $500 of the cards.  We decided to use these for Christmas shopping.  I sold a $100 card to a family member, and used that money for some good deals on Amazon.  With the other $400, I bought gifts from the Disney store.  A few more purchases from J.C. Penney, Kohl's and Toys R Us, and my shopping is finished.  And, you can be sure, I did most of my shopping through Ebates.  I've earned nearly $1000 in rebates since I joined.  If you aren't a member of Ebates and would like to be, please use this link and I earn a little for referring you.

I still have to decide what food item I'm going to make to give to my neighbors.  In the past, I've done different quick breads, swedish tea rings, stollen, and carmel popcorn.  Do you do anything special food items for gifts?  Ideas would be appreciated.  Have a good week.

Little Bits of Everything

Is Mother Nature angry?  I'm thinking that she must be.  The weather lately has been more unpredictable than usual.  We were in Florida two weeks ago, and it was cold and rainy.  Not at all the sunny and warm weather that we expected.  Here in Pennsylvania, we have had highs in the 60's one day and then in the 30's the next.  And whether it is raining, sleeting, or snowing seems to depend on which side of the street you are standing.

I'm busy working on some new infinity scarves for the Esty store.  I had an order for a special one, and when I went to order that fabric, I was sucked in by some others.  I cut 15 scarves the other day and am busy sewing them so that they can be photographed for the store.

My Christmas shopping is finally finished.  I had originally planned on making many of my gifts this year, but we returned from Disney with $500 in gift cards.  I used them to make a big dent in gift buying.  Some of the other gifts were purchased from stores that participate in Ebates, which doesn't save money immediately, but gives you  rebate shortly after purchase.  We hope to start decorating this weekend.

I didn't have good luck with the Isagenix, it caused serious stomach issues for me.  So, now I am praying for some guidance to find a healthy eating plan that I can stick to.  One that will help my blood sugars as well as weight loss.

As the weather will be turning colder, I have been looking for some new soup recipes to add to my favorites.  Tonight we will be having a Turkey Wild Rice Soup that is on the Skinnytaste  website.  I've used quite a few of her recipes and have pleased myself and my family with most of them.  For my birthday, Mary gave me the new Skinnytaste cookbook.  All her recipes are Weight Watchers friendly, and she even posts the points.  Another great site for Weight Watchers recipes is Laaloosh.  I see browsing these two sites in my future.

Linda B's Crafts Halloween Sale

Just a reminder to all that we are having a Trick or Treat Sale on both of our Etsy sites:  Linda B's Crafts and The Frozen Mouse.  Details below.

Answers Appear When You Least Expect Them

A high school classmate had posted a request on Facebook for people to complete a survey  for a book that she's writing.  She needed opinions from ladies over 50 for part of her research.  At the end of the survey, you could indicate whether or not you would be willing to participate in a one-on-one interview.  Without thinking too much about it, I checked the yes box.  She contacted me to set up an appointment, and at that point I became very apprehensive.  We were never really close friends, and now I questioned how much I was willing to reveal about my life.

Friday morning, Donna arrived right on time.  I told her how I felt, and she told me that if a question made me uncomfortable to just let her know.  And the interview began.  Her questions were not at all what I expected. Some were about my childhood, some about my past relationships.  She asked about my faith, my regrets in life, and where I saw myself in the future.  After Donna left, I sat and reflected on the questions that she had asked and the answers that I had given.  This interview was supposed to be for her, yet it was very enlightening for me.  I began to realize that many of the answers that I had given involved my weight.  And it became clear that I needed to get serious about weight loss.  I've said that more times than I can count, but this time I prayed for a solution to present itself.  I have a bookshelf full of dieting books, another with books about diabetes and, for me, the two go hand in hand.  But I have never had the will power to stick with any program.

I had noticed that my one daughter had been losing weight, and her moods and outlook on life had changed.  When she came that afternoon, I asked her about what she had been doing and she told me that it was Isagenix.  She explained the program to me, and I couldn't help but think that God had presented an answer for me.  Although the program is a little costly, I asked her to help me order the program. It's an all natural program, with no gimmicks.  My products are due to arrive tomorrow.   I will start on Thursday.  I know in my heart that this is my last hope since I refuse to have any type of gastric surgery.  I'm posting my before photo here.  Please bear with me if I post photos as I progress.  Also, please pray that God will give me the the determination, the patience, and the will power to make this journey.

OOPS!!!

I had intended that this post on my blog would be a special one. One filled with photos and reviews.  I have heard so much about the Lancaster Central Market, in Lancaster PA.  Rod and I have planned on visiting this market several times, but something always came up.  Last week, we finally had the opportunity to visit.  We left last Friday at about 3:00 pm and drove to Lancaster. At a rest stop on the Turnpike, we  shared an Auntie Anne's pretzel - my first and it was delicious.  We had such a good time in the car - laughing, listening to music and loving the fall foliage.  We had reserved a one-room suite at a Comfort Inn, and although we had planned on having dinner at a Cracker Barrel restaurant (we had a gift card), we made a quick stop at a Wendy's and took it to our room.

Our room was beautiful, very similar to this photo.  After checking in, we went to our room and enjoyed our gourmet  fast food dinner.  We relaxed and watched some weird TV - one show on a Russian who tried breeding human and apes by artificial insemination.  Hey, it was on the Discovery Network!!  We always sleep in separate beds on trips, just because that way I don't get kicked out of bed.  Comfort Inn beds are generally very comfortable, but when I crawled into bed, I felt like someone had left their knees behind and I was sleeping on them.  I got out of bed and slept sitting on the sofa most of the night.  The next morning, Rod accused me of taking the best bed - his bed wasn't any better than mine.  We got dressed like a couple of old people whose bones were creaking.  Then it was on to the breakfast buffet.


The buffet was amazing.  What we thought were little pancakes were actually egg white patties.  There were sausage patties, lots of bread products, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, and juices.  The dining area was packed, and the other guests were friendly and pleasant.  We finished eating, checked out, and headed for Central Market.  It was raining, and a not so pleasant day.  When we arrived, we parked in a paid lot, and started to walk around the building to find an entrance that didn't have any steps.  Once inside, I was shocked at how crowded the market was; aisles were narrow, people were rude and pushing, and market items were much more expensive that what we have found at other markets.  We stayed only an hour, I bought some biscotti, some vegetables, and some loose tea.  Rod wasn't feeling well, so we started for home.  The further we drove, the sicker he got.  We were stopping along the turnpike for him to be sick.  Finally he said that he didn't think he could drive home.  I texted the twins, and they agreed to meet us at one of the exits.  Pam drove our car home, and Rod rode in the truck with Pat and was able to lie down in the back seat to sleep.  I was so glad to arrive home.  He finally started feeling better by Sunday evening.  It wasn't quite the weekend I had hoped for.

But on a lighter note, the Turnpike Commission has closed several service plazas along the turnpike, making opportunities for bathroom stops farther apart.  A little birdie told me that on the trip out, one of the twins (who remain nameless, but her name starts with Pa) stopped in a contruction area and used the portajohn that was there.  We are still laughing about that one.

Busy Bee

Things are buzzing here in the hive as I continue to work on items for my new Etsy store, The Frozen Mouse.  I've been working on wristlets from some of the new fabrics that I've ordered.  I've finished up Dumbo and Seven Dwarfs wristlets,and also the pink Minnie Mouse that had sold out, and today cut wristlets, lining and interfacings for bags made from Disney villainess,  101 Dalmations, Olaf, and two Star Wars fabrics.  I'm planning on having a special sale soon, but haven't decided on when.  I've had to rework the pattern to fit an iPhone 5 in the inner pocket, and then what does Apple do ??? They release the iPhone 6.  And it's even bigger.  In order to make the wristlet fit the larger iPhone, I not only have to increase the overall size, but also buy longer zippers.  And that means more cost.  Thus far, people want the larger size, but aren't willing to pay the increased cost.   Since I just got an iPhone 6 with an Otterbox  case, I need a new bag before our Disney trip in November.  But which will I choose?  Hmm, so many choices.

September

Years ago when I was in grade school, we had to memorize the poem September by Helen Hunt Jackson.  I loved memorizing poetry and, all these years later I still remember most of those poems that we memorized.  Fall has always been my favorite season of the year, I was married in the fall.  I've lived all my life in Pennsylvania where fall nights turn chilly and the daytime air is crisp.  Aromas of fall, those of apples and pumpkins are so beloved in our house that we burn candles to keep those smells in the house even when we're not baking.  As I sat on the deck this afternoon, I thought of those words of Helen Hunt Jackson.  Our apple trees are holding fruit, "fish" have formed in the milkweed pods, and the goldenrod is definitely yellow.  I rejoice in the colors, sounds and smells of fall, and I almost look forward to the soups of winter.  I hope you also smile and think lovingly of fall as you read this excerpt from one of my favorite poems.

September

by Helen Hunt Jackson

The goldenrod is yellow

The corn is turning brown.

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun.

In dusty pods, the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

By dewy lanes at morning

the grapes' sweet odors rise.

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens,

September days are here.

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer

Doing The Happy Dance

Today, I am doing the Happy Dance. There are several reasons why I dance today.  First, my hubby, the love of my life, my partner for nearly 40 years, has been 18 days with No Cigarettes!!! And that's amazing, unbelievable, courageous, and the best gift I've ever received.  And I love him for it!

I'm also dancing because we have 60 days until our trip to Disney, and last night (or early this morning) daughter Pam got online to get our Fast Passes for our trip, and was able to get a Fast Pass for a meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa.  This is Jake and Izzy's first trip ever to Disney, and when you ask Izzy who she most wants to meet on this trip, she replies Anna and Elsa.  Jake wants to meet Darth Vader, and we're going to try to sign him up for the Jedi Training Academy.  I'm so excited for this trip.

And last, I'm dancing because I have been so busy sewing and filling orders for my two Etsy sites, Linda B's Crafts and The Frozen Mouse, that I've decided that I need a day for me.  So, today is officially Linda's Day - a day for me to do whatever I want, whenever I want.  So far, I've had a nap, and worked on my blogs, and who knows what might happen later today.  I may read for a while since I haven't done much reading lately.  I think that having a Linda Day on a day when I Happy Dance is a very good idea.

Can I Hear Big Wahoo??!!!

Yesterday was doctor day.  Rod and I both had an appointment.  We see different doctors in the same practice.  Unlike most visits, I was called back first.  We had a bet as to who would be done first.  So, I was pretty hopeful that  I would win the bet.  Turns out I have an ear infection, which explains why I am having trouble hearing out of that ear.  Since I didn't get a flu shot last year, I figured that I should get one this year.  And I guess that's what caused me to lose the bet.  When Jake and I emerged from the exam room, Rod was already at the check-desk.

Rod was doing a little dance while teasing that he won.  But the good news is that his lungs are clear, and he's released to go back to work on Monday without no further oxygen therapy.  Rod is a pretty active guy, and he's just not accustomed to sitting around. He was driving me buggy being here with little to do.  And he's very glad to be returning to work.  His boss told him yesterday that they had brought in 3 guys to carry his load.  I guess that's job security.

But here's the best news - my hubby has been 10 days without a cigarette!!!  He has smoked since he was 14, usually a pack a day.  But he says that he has no desire to start again.  I am sooo very proud of him, as are all the kids.  When Kristin told Jake that Pappy didn't have to be on oxygen anymore, Jake replied, "Oh Good!  Now he can get that shed painted."  Jake figures that there's no rest for the weary . . .  or the sick!

Problems with a Shed

We decided that we needed to replace our old shed with a new one.  The old one was built in 1976 when I was pregnant with our second daughter, and as you can see, it definitely needed to be replaced.  Rod took a day's vacation, and began to tear the shed down.  And soon it was down.  Rod decided to burn the old lumber, shingles and all.  The dark smoke puffed each time a new piece was added to the fire.  But soon the burning was finished, and the clean up needed to begin.

The twins came down to help,  and soon Kristin was home from work and pitched in to help.  Even Jake and Izzy got involved.  It didn't take too long before the old concrete floor was ready to meet its new top.

 Saturday morning the building began.  The twins helped son-in-law Jimmy to start the walls, and soon they were up.  

We noticed that Rod wasn't looking too good, and was having a hard time breathing.  But, he kept assuring us that he was ok.  Sunday morning he seemed worse, but insisted that he was fine.  By Sunday evening, his breathing was worse.  By Monday afternoon, his temp was 104 degrees and he was ready to go to the emergency room.  They didn't waste any time getting him onto oxygen and determined that he had pneumonia.  He was admitted, and they started tests, blood work, chest x-rays, and an EKG.  By Wednesday, they had determined that he was suffering from legionella pneumonia and tried to figure out how he got it.  The only thing we could figure out was that it was from the dirt and lumber from the shed.  They just kept stressing to us that he was very ill.  He was treated with antibiotics, steroids, inhalers, and breathing treatments.  Friday, the doctors decided that his lungs were clear enough for him to return home.  I don't know which of us was the happier.  He's on oxygen here at home and hasn't had a cigarette in 7 days.  He says that he feels better today than he has in 10 years.  I am so proud of him, and glad to have him home again.  

The shed isn't finished yet, but it's coming along.  Jimmy has half the roof shingled, and the windows are in.  There's still a lot to do, but we have time.  

Where Has the Summer Gone?

The kids are back in school already - and of course, we are scheduled to have some of the hottest days of the summer.  It was a fun summer.  I really enjoyed having all the grandkids for the summer.  We watched a lot of movies, ate some good lunches and had quite a few giggles.  The older three have all returned to school - Krissy in 8th grade, James in 5th grade, and Izzy in 1st grade. And next Wednesday, Jake starts preschool three mornings each week.  I know that I will still have all of them after school, but it saddens me that my days of keeping the kids while their moms work are coming to a close.  Rod says to appreciate the years they are all in school because it will just be a few more years until I have him all day.  I look forward to that time.

My new Etsy store, The Frozen Mouse is doing fairly well.  I'm having so much fun working with all the different Disney fabrics.  And coming up with new ideas is always a challenge.

This weekend, Rod is starting to put up a new shed.  The old one has seen better days.  Not surprising since it was built the summer of 1976.  I helped a lot with that one, even did shingles.  This one will be a different story since I don't have the mobility that I did then. Hopefully, some of the kids will be around to help when he needs them. I've been planning some food that I can make ahead so that it's ready to eat when the "carpenters" are.  I've decided to make some pinwheel appetizers with flavored cream cheese and lunch meats.  And also some sliders made like subs.  And I want to have plenty of cold drinks.  Hope you have a fun and safe holiday.

Sorry I've Been Neglecting You. . .

But I've been really busy.  Daughter Mary talked me into opening a new Etsy shop (She beat me and pulled my hair -NOT).  It's called The Frozen Mouse and specializes in handmade items with a Disney theme.  We decided on the name because when it's cold and snowy in Pennsylvania, I dream about being in Walt Disney World.  I should note here that I am in no way affiliated with Disney, but rather hand make my items using licensed fabrics.  If you are a Disney fan or have one in the family, stop by and check out the shop.  I've had such a good time making new wristlets and water bottle carriers with Disney fabrics.  Currently I am awaiting some fabrics from Japan and Thailand.  They are beautiful fabrics that aren't available here in the states.  I have become an international shopper and have ordered zipper pulls from China and Lithuania.  I'm surprised at how quickly they have arrived.

Today I am working on some drawstring backpacks with Disney fabrics.  I started these as birthday gifts for my grandkids, and am planning on including a pin lanyard and a gift card for them for our upcoming Disney trip.  I ordered fabric without knowing how much fabric the bag took, and was pleasantly surprised to discover than I could get three drawstring backpacks from one yard to fabric.  So, I have will have two of each to list on Etsy.  Bubby picked out this Mickey Mouse fabric, and I think it will make a really cute wristlet, too.

Jake loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and chose this fabric for his bag.  I love that it has Captain Hook on it, as I've always been a fan of Peter Pan.

And Izzy chose Doc McStuffins for her bag.  I just hope she doesn't decide to be a vet like her Mom.  I wouldn't want her to go away like Kristin did.

And I decided to use some fabric from my stash to make a few Buzz Lightyear bags.

I can't wait to see them finished.  So here I go to sew!

Luncheon is Served

I have the greatest job in the world - being a stay at home grammy.  Every day at my job someone tells me that they love me.  We do some pretty great things while the 4 grandkids are here.  We watch movies, they put on plays for me, they have dance parties, and sometimes they fight.  But I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

Once each week, I like to make them special lunches.  Most days we have lunchmeat or peanut butter sandwiches, but once a week or so, Krissy and I make something special.

The first week, we made "undersea hot dogs with seaweed noodles", and watched Finding Nemo.  We dyed Oodles of Noodles green with food coloring, added a hot dog in which we cut legs, and then added goldfish crackers and Swedish fish.  I thought it was a really cool idea, but I have to tell you that the kids were a little freaked out by the green noodles.

The next special meal was heart shaped pancakes with sausage inside.  I have a little cooker that makes heart shaped cakes, so we put the pancake batter inside and added three sausage slices to it and then baked them.  In the smallest section of their lunch containers, they each got syrup for dipping.  They were a big hit, and are on the list of things to make again.

Today's lunch was corn dog muffins.  We made up two boxes of Jiffy corn bread muffin mix and put it into regular sized muffin tins that had been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  After filling the cups 1/2 full, we pressed 1/3 of a hot dog into each muffin, and them baked them at 400 degrees for 18 minutes  When they were done, we left them sit a few minutes before removing them.  We served them with two cookies and some fruit salad.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them.

I have a few blocks of cream cheese that should be used soon that are in the refrigerator.  Since they all like ranch dressing, I think I'll add a ranch dip packet to the cream cheese and make roll ups with sliced ham, maybe a pickle, and a few soft tortilla shells.  The next day for lunch, we can slice them and voila - our own take on "sushi".  I pinned an idea for "fortune cookies" made with fruit roll ups, and think it would be a great lunch to serve while we watch Mulan.

We'll blink twice and they'll be ready to go back to school, Krissy in 8th grade, Bubba in 5th grade, Izzy in 1st grade, and Jake will be going to preschool three days a week.  I'll miss them terribly, but Izzy and Jake will stay come after school.  And as we all know, time marches on.