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.

Day Two of the Twelve Days of Christmas

What do you know about candy canes? There are many stories and "legends" out there about this simple little candy, but most of them evolved after the candy cane came into use. One story has it that a candy maker in Indiana made the cane to represent Jesus. The stripes represent the beating He took, the red for His blood, the three small red stripes for the Trinity, etc., etc. One story has it dating back to early Christians and being a secret symbol by which they recognized each other. The truth is that the candy cane didn't come into being until at least the latter part of the 17th century, by which time most of Europe was already Christian! And as for the Indiana candy maker, candy canes were around long before there WAS an Indiana, and they were originally all white. The stripes didn't get their color until the beginning of the 20th century.

The story I like the best is only part fact and part fiction, but I still like it. It says that a priest in Cologne Cathedral about 1670 invented the candy cane to help keep the little children in the live nativity quiet through the evening. Now, we know he didn't "invent" it, but he probably did have the canes made in the shape of the shepherd's crook to entertain the children. It was still all white, though.

The candy was originally straight, too. It was made as a decoration for the Christmas tree soon after Europeans adopted the custom of having Christmas trees in their homes. The bent shape made it easier to hang on the tree, too. Christmas cards from before 1900 show all white canes, and those printed in the early 20th century show stripes on them.

Whichever story you subscribe to, the candy cane is a great thing! It represents the embodiment of the season, because you see them everywhere, whether in a secular setting such as with a department store Santa, or in a religious context, representing Christ as the good shepherd who saved us all. (If you turn it upside down, it's a "J" for Jesus, too!) I love candy canes, so today's project is two candy cane recipes. One for the actual candy, and one for a scrumptious bread in the shape of a candy cane. Take your pick.

Mom's Recipe For Candy Canes
3 c Sugar
1 ts Peppermint flavoring
1/2 c Water
3/4 c Lt. corn syrup
3/4 ts Red food coloring
1/4 ts Cream of tartar
Combine the sugar, water, syrup, and cream of tartar in a large sauce pan and heat till the sugar is dissolved well. Divide equally into two saucepans, and bring to a boil, but DON'T stir until each is 280 degrees. Add 1/2 tsp. peppermint to each pan and add the coloring to one, leaving the other plain. Pour onto an enamel or marble table to cool. Oil the table first, so the candy won't stick. Now, like taffy, you have to stretch and pull the candy and form it it into ropes of red and white. Put one rope of each color together and twist them around each other to form your candy canes. Leave them on the oiled surface to harden. Voila! You have real candy canes. Give them to your family and friends (and don't forget the neighbors), with a little card attached sharing the story you like the best about it's origins or meanings.

Now for recipe number two. This is a candy cane coffee cake that is really yummy. I got the recipe from "A Taste of Home" magazine.

Candy Cane Coffee Cake
1 TBS active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 TBS sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
2 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1 TBS confectioner's sugar
1 jar (12 oz.) cherry jam

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sour cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Add the yeast mixture and flour. Beat until smooth, but do not knead. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top, and cover and refrigerate overnight.
For the filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until blended. Now punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and roll out each half out into a rectangle16"x10" and place on a baking sheet. On each long side, cut 1 1/2" wide strips about 3" into the center. This will leave about 4" in the middle uncut. Spread the filling down the center of each rectangle, and starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling. (I hope you can see from the picture what this is supposed to look like.) Pinch ends to seal and curve one end, forming a candy cane. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Carefully remove from baking sheets to wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Stir the jam and then spoon over the tops of the loaves, creating stripes. (Be sure to refrigerate your leftovers because of the eggs.) Do the same as above, with a little card telling the story you like best.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, kwwping watch over their focks by night." Luke 2:8

Remember, the Twelve Days of Christmas are not about how much you can give, but about spending time with your family and loved ones, doing good and enjoying each other's company. Here is a quote from Mother Theresa, who showed the whole world how to treat one another. "Spread love everywhere you go...let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." 'Night, Gramma G.

A Good Night

Tonight is a good night. I have been working on ideas for the next book in the Baggy Grandma books. More Recipes for Mom. Disappearing ink, slime, more silly putty, face paint, things like that. I think it will be good. Now I have to get started on it. I'm not too sure why I'm doing this, but maybe someday something good will come from it. I'm also going to start on the Kid's Crafts series. Volume 1 will be full of ideas for everyday crafts, Volume 2 will be summer crafts, etc........there are 10 or 12 total, each with 10 ideas in it. Just small little books. I have them all outlined and the projects chosen, now I just have to write them up and draw the illustrations.

I have just been made the chorister in Relief Society, plus I am doing the bulletin board and the newsletter. All of this came at the same time, so I am feeling a little overwhelmed right about now, but as soon as I get into the swing of things, I'll be OK. I love doing the bulletin board, and the newsletter is fun, too. Leading the music is more work, and the RS sisters have been asked to sing in Sacrament meeting next Sunday! With time for only one practice! We'll see what happens. The ward music chairman chose Hymn #113, and that's a familiar one, so we should be OK.

I have a new recipe for you. I got it from HungryGirl.com, and if you've never seen that website, you should check it out. They give all kinds of ideas and information on ways to scale down on fat and calories. It a great site! Anyway, this recipe is an "instead-of" recipe for those frozen lemonades you get at fairs that are so good, but not so good for you.

Lemony Sip-its

2 tsp. lemonade powdered drink mix (Crystal Light)

1 tsp. fat-free non-dairy creamer (like Coffee Mate)

8-10 ice cubes

Dissolve the creamer in 1/4 cup warm water and mix well. Add 1 1/4 cups cold water and the lemonade mix. Mix well and place in a blender with half of the ice. Blend at high speed until thoroughly blended. Add the rest of the ice a cube or two at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a tall glass and spoon or sip your way to lemony satisfaction. For an even slushier drink, put it into the freezer for about 20 minutes before enjoying. Really easy and really good! And if you're on Weight Watchers, the whole thing is only 1 point!

If anyone out there is reading this blog and has ideas to share for humanitarian projects, email me and I will share your ideas with everyone. Or if you have a group that does humanitarian projects, let me know. I know you're out there. Speak up! My sister-in-law is knitting hats for veterans, and she has 88 done so far. She started out with a goal of 50, and then moved it to 100. It wouldn't surprise me if she does about 150 before Thanksgiving. She's really fast. I used to be, but my poor hands don't work so purty good any more. Last winter we did hats for the children's cancer ward, plus "chemo cans", which were gallon paint cans, decorated outside and filled with goodies like crayons or colored pencils, notebooks, coloring books, scissors, toys and games, slipper socks, all kinds of things. We collected beanie baby animals for months! I haven't come up with a new idea for this year yet. I don't even know what is needed in this new place we live. I need to do some research, but ideas would be helpful.

Well, I think its time to close for tonight. It's 1:51am and I need to get some rest. See you next time. Take care of you loved ones. They are you most important assets. 'Night, Gramma G.

It's Just Life

Life is getting back to normal, whatever that means. The house is getting cleaned and put back together, things have calmed down, the kids are calming down, too. Somebody told me today that Montana has two seasons; winter and company. I find that pretty funny.

Today was story time at the library. I'm a volunteer helper and I usually help with the arts and crafts projects. Today I also had the snack assignment, so it was pretty hectic. The summer reading program is in full swing and this year's theme is bugs. Everything is just buggy. This week was bees, so I made honey cookies in the shape of bees. I don't know if I'll ever do that again! I started out to make beehives with little bees on them, but I couldn't find those little bees I used to buy that were made out of black and yellow pipe cleaners with little transparent wings. Remember those? My daughter works at Wal*Mart and gets off at 10:30 at night, so I called her and sent her all over the store looking for something I could use. (This would be because I forgot until yesterday afternoon that I had to do the snack.) It was really qiute funny. For me, anyway, I don't know about her. First she looked for the bees, in two different places, then I sent her to look for cookie cutters, and guess what? No bees! Then she looked at the kid's crafts for foamy bugs, and there were dragonflies and lady bugs and butterflies, but, you guessed it! No bees! We thought about using a rubber stamp with food coloring and a few other ideas, but wound up getting some black and yellow frosting is those little tubes for stripes on the bees I made by hand. I used a heart cookie cutter for the wings, and rolled the bodies and heads and smashed them all together. The kids really liked them, so all the work was worth it, but staying up until 4 in the morning to make a snack is ridiculous!

She (my daughter) is off tomorrow and Friday, so I will get a little break from the boys. I love them with all my heart, but I'm 53 years old, and I'm supposed to be past this raising children phase! It wears me out. I go to bed exhausted and I get up tired. Where's the fun in that? I would like to find something worthwhile, that I like, to do with the rest of my life. Not that the boys aren't a worthwhile endeavor, because they are, but I would like something more now that my own children are all raised. I would like to write children's books, or have a children's craft show on some little obscure TV station, or own my own bookstore or craft store. Some of the things that I've dreamed of but never had the time or gumption to try. I've wanted to have a crafter's bed and breakfast for years now, but have no capitol. I think it would be so much fun (along with a lot of work). I would arrange for craft classes and workshops of all kinds. It would be great! But it takes a lot of money! Oh well. Enough of that subject. I'm sure I will still be doing the same old thing when it's my time to go. That's life.

Before I go, here is the recipe for the Honey Cookies. These cookies are better with age, so make them a few days before you need them. These cookies are not too sweet, and have a lot of body, which make them excellent for making a cookie tree, you know those that are made with about 8 or 9 different sizes of star cookie cutters all stacked up. Anyway, the recipe:

Grandma's Honey Cookies
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp soda
5 cups flour
Mix ingredients well and refrigerate over night. Roll and cut out. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Well, it's my time to go for now. I'm tired and things are getting a little blurry. Remember to pass along a smile. You can change the world one smile at a time. 'Night.....Gramma G.

Cousins

Well, my two littlest grandsons are mad about their cousins! They think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. At the end of the week when Alex and Cyd go home, they will be sorely missed. It's kind of funny, too, that Rafferty, who is just like Cyd, has taken a shine to her, and Cyric, who is more like Alex, has taken a real liking to him. (And you thought opposites attracted!) Poor Alex and Cyd, they have two little shadows wherever they go. They can't get away from them. But they are really good with them. They play with them and entertain them and keep them out of trouble. I'm liking this a lot! I will miss them when they go home, too.
Today is a kick-back-and-do-nothing day. We are going to do an art project, but other than that I have nothing planned. We might take a walk to the school playground, but I'm not sure we'll even do that. We actually went to two parks yesterday, so I think we need a rest today.

We're going to do some scrapbook pages of their visit, and I think we'll start with the carousel rides yesterday. We all had a lot of fun, and we have a couple of small souvenirs to put on the pages, so they'll have a little extra embellishment. Our art project for the day is the one we were supposed to do yesterday! It's for Grandpa for Father's Day. I will post a picture when we are done.

I found the best recipe in a magazine the other day. It was an older magazine, and I cut out the recipe and now I don't remember what magazine it was, but here's the recipe.

Angel Lush with Pineapple
1 sm. pkg JELL-O vanilla pudding
1 20oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed
1 prepared round angel food cake
1 cup fresh mixed seasonal berries
Mix the pudding and pineapple in a bowl. Gently stir in the Cool Whip. Cut the cake into 3 layers and place the bottom laer on a serving plate. Top with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Do this with the other two layers. Refrigerate for at tleast 1 hour, and just before serving, top with the berries. Be sure to store the leftovers in the fridge. Serves 10.

Doesn't that sound good? I'm going to make it this week, I think, so I'll let you know if it's as good as it sounds. That's all for now. Hug a loved one today. It'll carry over into everything they do for the day, and it will make you feel good, too. Gramma G

Off to Yellowstone!

I'm posting early today because I'm headed to West Yellowstone tomorrow bright and early and I have to go to bed tonight. I'll be picking up my two oldest grandkids to come stay for a week. It's about a 4 1/2 or 5 hour drive from where we live. My husband is not too happy about my driving it, but he really can't afford to take the time off work, so that leaves me. And the two little ones. How do you occupy a 2-yr.-old and a 3-yr.-old on a trip that long? It's been so long since I've had to do it that I don't remember. We'll figure out something. It won't be a problem after we pick up the other two. Then there will be someone to entertain them. I wish I could afford to go through Yellowstone while I'm there, but with the price of gas, that's not going to happen.

I usually blog late at night because it's quiet and peaceful and I can think. Right now, it's loud and noisy and crazy, and I can't seem to get my thoughts together. I'm thinking about what's for dinner, about the two little boys who are in my rocking chair rocking it as wildly as they can, and about my daughter, who is yelling at them. So if I am a little more scattered than usual, you understand.

I finally got MY photos in the slide show, but now it's too big and you don't see the whole photo. I have the same problem with one of the ads. They both run off the edge of the blog, and I don't know how to fix them. But I will persevere! I'm pretty stubborn about what I want, and I'll just be the squeaky wheel until I figure it out. I've spent some time in the last few days checking out other blogs, and I can see that I know even less than I thought I did. Some of them are really nice looking! Of course, there are others that are rather plain, too, so mine falls somewhere in the middle. If anyone out there is thinking about creating their own blog, http://blogspot.com/ sure does make it easy! They have a selection of templates that you just plug your info into, choose what elements you want on your page, and Voila! You have a blog! Now if I were just a little more computer literate, I could really make it great! I want to start a web page, too, but I think I will need to have help with that. I haven't found a place with plug-in templates yet. (LOL)

Today's addition is another recipe. It may sound a little strange, but it's delicious.

Corn and Tomato Salad
1 can Niblets Corn, drained
1 med. tomato, diced
2 TBS. of your favorite Italian dressing. I use Wishbone Light (formerly Just2Good) Italian, because it doesn't have that really heavy vinegar flavor.
Mix all together and enjoy! Its really good and quite filling, too.


Well, this is a short one, but I'll be back tomorrow. Remember, tell your loved ones often that you love them. They are your greatest assets. 'Night. Gramma G.

Of family and recipes.....

We're going to have company this weekend! My two oldest grandchildren are coming for a week's visit and I'm so happy. I don't get to see them very often, and I miss them a lot. I have some fun things planned for them that I hope they will like. They are my oldest son's kids, and Alex just turned 15 and Cydney will be 14 in another month and a half. I can't believe I have grands that old!!! Then when they leave, two daughters and 5 other grandchildren are coming! I hope they are staying for a while, but I'm not sure. The worst thing about living in Montana is that most of our family is in Nevada. We have 2 grands in Utah and 2 in Tennessee and 1 in Arizona, but the rest of them are in Nevada, along with 4 of our children, and my husband's brother and sister and their spouses. He has one other sister and his Mom in Southern California, (which is a lot closer to Nevada than Montana). I miss my family a lot, but I also have other interests. I make friends pretty easily, most of the time, because I go to church and I volunteer around town, but my husband is basically a go-to-work-and-come-home-and-watch-TV type guy, so he gets lonely. It wouldn't surprise me to have him want to move closer before too long. It's just so expensive to move, especially with gas prices the way they are right now, so it will probably take us a while to save the money. We really love Montana, though, so maybe he'll surprise me and we'll stay here for a long time.

My husband and I are opposites in the moving around way. He lived in one place most of his life and now he has itchy feet. We have moved so many times in our soon-to-be-35-years of marriage that I've lost count. Me, on the other hand, I was an Air Force brat, and we moved a lot while I was growing up. I went to a different school every year until Dad retired when I was in 8th grade, so I could settle down and stay in one place (as long as it was somewhere I liked) for the rest of my life. So we compromise....we move a lot, but sometimes to places that I want to try, sometimes to places that he wants to try. One of these days we'll find our perfect place and stay put. I THINK we will, anyway.

I'm going to start adding some new things to this blog. I'm going to have some recipes, patterns, kid's craft ideas, things like that. Tonight's addition will be a recipe that has been in my family for years. It was my mother's recipe and we really like it. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Hamburger Heaven
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 can tomato juice (I like Campbell's best)
12 oz. pkg. noodles
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
Start browning the ground beef in a large frying pan. Add the onion and celery and let them saute at the same time. When the ground beef is no longer red and the onion and celery are transparent, add the tomato juice. Bring to a boil and add the noodles. Bring back to a boil and turn down to low. Cover and cook 25-30 mins. or until noddles are tender. Spread with cheese, cover again and turn off heat. Let sit for about 10 minutes to thoroughly melt cheese. Easy and delicious!!!

Well, that's it for tonight. Cook up some Hamburger Heaven and think of me while you pig out. Until next time, 'Night, Gramma G.