Service projects and Cookin' with the Kids

We have a Humanitarian Service evening coming up in Relief Society.  If you are not Mormon, that is the ladies organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons). We will be making receiving blankets and baby booties, binding a couple of quilts, making file folder games, and love bears. I am busy making invitations for the evening, which includes a guest speaker and refreshments. It's a good thing they don't have to be done today, because my hands aren't working well today. I sewed myself a jumper yesterday and then cut out three more, and that was too much in one day, I guess. My hands are getting worse and worse. I have carpal tunnel, which I can't afford to do anything about, and  rheumatoid arthritis, so I have good days and bad. Actually, no good days anymore, but some OK days.

I have decided that it's time to teach the grandchildren to cook. Last night we made these cute little Sugar Cookie Tarts. I found the recipe and great photos on a blog I really like called LDS Craft Project. Its written by a great gal from California and has some really fun stuff! She used a tool from Pampered Chef to make the tart cups, but I didn't have one, so I made my own tool out of what I had on hand. I found a wooden bead just the right size to make the indentations in the cups. I had a piece of dowel that was a little to big for the hole in the bead, so I whittled it down to fit, and !Voila! I had a very technical tool the kids and I call the "masher". We had a lot of fun, and we have enough supplies to do it again tonight!

They were so-o-o-o good! They are filled with a mixture of cream cheese, Cool Whip and powdered sugar,
and we had fresh blackberries, just picked, and kiwi and bananas. Yum!

I got an idea from an article in Family Fun Magazine for making a "license" for cooking. You make it kind of like a driver's license, with their photo on the front and everything. They will be like learner's permits. I'll put a list of things they need to learn on the back, with a check box beside each item. Then we can check it off when they learn it. Some of the items will be how to peel fruit and vegetables, how to fry hamburger, how to measure properly....those kinds of things. And we'll choose together five different kinds of cookies for them to learn to make, too. Also very important...How To Clean Up! The kids are 10 and 11, so they will be able to do things that younger kids couldn't. You just adjust your list to the age of the child. I think they'll really have fun.

 I know that one of the cookie recipes will be my mom's Krispy Cookies. The recipe is at least 35 or 40 years old, and has always been a favorite of everyone who tastes it. You'll get it here next time! That's it for today, but I want to leave you with this little message....If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be certain he didn't get there by himself. A proud turtle would tell you what a good climber he is, but a humble turtle would praise the grace of God that put him there. Until next time, Gramma G.

Recovering Slowly

Wow! Time sure flies when you're really busy! I didn't realize that so much time had gone by since my last post! Between doctor's appointments and tests and everything else, I have not had the time nor, sadly, the inclination to write. And now they have found some nodes on my husband's thyroid and he had to have a fine-needle biopsy to find out if they are cancerous. They stuck him with 9 needles, 3 on the right side of the neck, and 4 on the left side, plus 2 more to get some stuff from one of the lymph nodes on the left side. This was last Thursday, and his neck is still sore! We haven't heard the results yet, and probably won't until mid-week. Then they want to get his thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) up, because its a little low, before they do surgery to remove parts of the thyroid. I thought we were pretty much in the clear, but I guess that's what I get for thinking!

But there is some good news, too. He was finally approved for disability, so we will be getting a check every month starting in September. It won't be a lot, but it will pay the bills and let us help the kids with rent or utilities or whatever they want to use it for, and still have gas money and a little for fun. Very little, but a movie once a month or dinner would be nice.

I have been spending a lot of time doing arts crafts with my grandkids this summer, and I will be posting some photos of projects. We are in the middle of making a calendar right now, and when we get done, I will post photos of that, too. It seems to have turned into a yearly tradition, usually for moms and dads, but this one is for me!

These were Father's Day projects. Do you remember making these when you were young?

The blue one on the bottom was made by my just-turned-five grandson.
I don't know why all the eyeballs, but that was what he wanted.

They made Mother's Day gifts in school, but Dad's usually get left out because school is out when Father's Day comes around. Although my kindergartner did do something. They took photos all dressed up like Dad. They were so cute! This is my adorable grandson, Cyric.

Isn't he cute?

Well, I will close for now. I promise not to be such a slacker in the future. Keep up the good work and remember, things can always get worse. Benjamin Franklin said, "If a man could have half of his wishes, he would double his trouble." I think I'll stick with what I have. Until next time, Gramma G.