Happy Plates

Here, on Sunrise Ridge, in order to coax small children to eat, I have resorted to  drawing ‘Happy faces’ on the paper plates -after they finish their meal.

After dinner last night, I mentioned that we would have French toast for breakfast, that was met with a lot of enthusiasm.

This morning, I make the French toast and fix the plates, great-grand Sarah takes about two bites of her breakfast and says, “I am done.”

That’s fine, drink your juice, put your fork in the sink…

And she remembered the cookies we had baked during yesterday’s ‘Snow Day’!

“Can I have a cookie now?”

Well, no, because if you are not hungry enough to eat your French toast, you are not hungry enough to have cookies.

Her plate was clean and ready for a big smile in no time flat!

The ‘hardest’ work I’ve ever done.

When our daughter passed away, in 2014, all her craft and quilting supplies were put away. This summer, in an effort to scale down some of the fabric stash and clutter in my craft area, I came upon the boxes and bags filled with her work.

Yes, I grieved again, while trying to decide what should be done with all this. Embroidery, crewel work and quilt blocks. Part of them went into a box to be passed on. I do not do embroidery or crewel work and never will. A disabled friend of a friend does and I know it will be appreciated there.

The quilt blocks and fabric remained, staring at me every time I went in the room. Finally, inspiration struck. I got out some of the blocks and started quilts for each of her three grand children.

I truly worked long and thought hard, since the children are three, four and six years old. Will they understand and cherish them? I do hope so.

But there were other blocks left, a small wall-hanging or lap quilt for each sister? Yes. Those are  in the works. And one for each of her two sons ‘on the drawing board’.

It hurts some to think of trips to buy fabric and all the fun we had in the planning, knowing she never got to see the fruit of this lavor. There are more than a few teardrops on some of the blocks.

Ir’s hard work, but it is bringing me comfort, as I hope it will to the recipients.

Once upon a time

A couple of weeks ago, one of the smaller granddaughters and larger great grand daughters spent a long evening with me.

We ended up snuggling in my bed, while I told stories. Fairy tales I grew up on and some that my own grand and great grand parents had shared. Tales of their child and young adulthood.

Last night, six year old great grand came over with her parents after dinner. The first thing she wanted was “Let’s go to your bed and please tell me stories!”

Needless to say, that made my day!

He’s not home!

After dinner last night, great grandson, Parker, age 3, treated me to a space voyage.
Our seat was in my big armchair, snuggled together, as he piloted our space rocket.
Parkers discourse:
The moon is made of rock and is solid, so you can stand on it.…
You have to have your helmet (half a large plastic Easter egg), so you can breathe while you are there.
There is a person inside, but he is not home right now!
Yes, I wore my helmet! I would not have missed this adventure for the world!

Thanksgiving at Gramma’s

Two of the great grand kids were present to assist in making our cranberry relish this year.

Cranking that old hand grinder gets to be a hard job when you are 2 and 3, but it part of the tradition is the young ones do it, with a bit of help and enthusiasm from the older ones.

Then the youngest girl felt it necessary to share her favorite book with Miss Lily before taking a nap.

It was a fine day, yews, a very fine day!

 

 

Traditions continue

If you read the recent post, “Green beans in a jar”, you know that I had some great help and fun with canning vegetables this summer.
Grandson Erick entered a jar of green beans and one of tomatoes in his local county fair last week.
I proudly add pictures of his blue ribbon winners.

Green beans in a jar

Three gallons of green beans arrived in the kitchen on Sunrise Ridge.
I shanghaied one of he current resident teenagers this morning and demonstrated the fine art of tips, tails and snapping to a more or less willing apprentice. Before long, aid apprentice got the hang of things and we raced through the last half-gallon to see who was faster. 😉
The next part of the lesson involved jar and canner preparation.
While water was heating in the pressure canner, the assistant finished heating beans and getting them properly into the jars.
Soon we had 7 jars of beans in the canner and a respite of time while they cooked.
I regaled my young helper with tales of long ago July days when canning meant keeping the wood stove going, and how glad we were when another was procured and set outside under a big oak tree. There was still a wood fire to feed, but being out where there was a breeze sure beat doing it inside.
Now, I admit, I am pretty sure my helper still has no idea about the wood stove canning and I hope never as to learn how to do that particular thing.
We got the second canner load ready and all finished by 11:30.
That gave us plenty of time to fix dinner and prepare for the second lesson.
We did tomatoes this afternoon, and assistant was pleasantly surprised to find out by dipping the lovely red orbs in boiling water for a few minutes then into ice water, the skins slip right off.
So, now the pantry shelves are filling. A teenager has learned some new things and I have had a very good day. Yes, a very good day!

Culinary casualties

Someone asked about the worst kitchen disaster you ever had.
I ran that through my brain and thought of this one: Several years ago, I was getting a ‘company’ meal ready. The dessert was to be a pineapple upside down cake. As I was removing the cake from the glass pan to cool, there was a knock at the door. Startled, I bumped the tray it was on and at the same time dropped the glass baking pan on the floor. It shattered, the cake went down right on top of the scattered shards of glass. Truly the worst disaster. Dinner was late, after the cleanup and I have no idea what I might have served for dessert that night.
The second worst, when I think of it, was one night when there was sleep over at our house. The girls decided to make fudge. You know how fudge is sometimes, this was one of those times. It did not set up. The girls poured it down the sink. You guessed it, it set up in the drain! Hubby spent much of the next day unclogging the pipe.

Busy boys getting things done.

The sun has been shining, the weather much more seasonable and reasonable the past few days. Yesterday, one grandson arrived to help Hubby with some things. The foremost, to me, was replacing a broken stair tread on our porch. It was becoming a bit scary walking down them when it was slick.
Today, three teenage boys are here, the pen for new chicks has been completed, a trailer of junk was loaded and removed.
Now they are finishing the stair railing on the porch steps. 🙂
Hubby is mentoring and supervising. Tools and training are available.
The reward for all this effort? It is not monetary, hot showers at end of the day, a good meal and being allowed to set up one of the tents in the yard for the night. Well, yes, there is a possibility of a campfire and s’mores.
Sleeping bags and pillows are provided by the management.
There will be more weekends like this coming! It’s time to get he garden ready and planted, school vacation will be coming and then the rewards grow into trips to the river, swimming and fishing.

Perspectives on birthday and Christmas 2013

If you counted the presents for my birthday, or what was wrapped up under the tree, it looked pretty meager.
If you count the well wishes, cards and calls, the family time, the home made food and cake, it’s a whole different story!
Hubby kidnapped me one day last week for an adventure with the camera. Hiking through snow near Current River, watching wildlife and exploring old buildings. A picnic lunch and ‘time’ to rnjoy the world of winter together.
No, no one took me out to eat, son-in-law made lasagna and the grandkids made a cake.

Family time, visiting, playing checkers and mancala, sharing thoughts, ideas, laughter, plans and love.
No one got me anything fancy or expensive, but I was very pleased to get craft supplies that will be used and are a pay it forward. More than likely someone else will end up with the things that will be made from them.
I did not make a Christmas dinner, we gathered for a pot of chili on Christmas eve, and enjoyed a dinner made by our daughter and grand daughter on Christmas day.
I don’t need a lot of ‘things’ anymore. I can count my blessings, be grateful for what I have and be very content with it. I am blessed and life for us on Sunrise Ridge is good.