Homemade Happy Meals

Just in case you  might be trying to think of a fun little surprise for your kids; or perhaps you are hosting a birthday party, and wondering just how to serve a lunch to active little ones that don't really want to sit down at the table -- I just happen to have a good solution.  This summer when my sister, Molly, was hosting a rehearsal dinner for her son's wedding, she needed an idea for the meal for younger kids as she knew that there was a good chance they would not be interested in the Indian food that she had planned.  She came up with packing individual snacks for them that would keep their interest and fill them up.

Snacks of choice included an individual fruit cup of mandarin oranges along with a spoon, Gogurt, cheese and breadsticks, string cheese, Cracker Jacks, and a box drink. 

 

 

All fit nicely into a foil pie plate that just happened to have a snap on plastic lid.

 
 

 

 

My nieces then labeled each one with the names of the kids.  This part is good because when the kids walk away, they don't have to fuss over which one belongs to them upon their return.

 

 

Of course any combination of items can be placed on the plate; but a very nice thing about doing something such as this is that it can all be done ahead of time.  And who isn't all for getting things done ahead of time.

 

Fun Day Ahead

You have all undoubtedly heard that Disneyland is supposedly the happiest place on earth.  Well, I think that is debatable as I'm quite certain that today I will be visiting one of the happiest places on earth.  It's the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane, Washington.  I look forward to this show every year, and as a bonus, get to attend it with my sister, Megan.  I will take lots of pictures to share with those of you who aren't able to partake of such an exquisite event.  Here is a picture of her promotional poster .... now really, how cute is this!

To Facebook or not to Facebook

I started using Facebook about a year ago.  My sisters and my son convinced me that I should hop on the bandwagon.  After spending a year partaking in all of the fun, I have pondered whether or not it is worth it.  The down side is that you see a side of people that you never knew existed, and quite frankly, that you really wished you wouldn't have seen.  I guess the mere fact that people can sit in front of their computer, instead of facing an actual person, gives them the boldness to use language that they would never have used if they were speaking directly to you.  I've found that at times I am "out of the loop" and discover shocking things about people, or stumble across startling photographs.  But on the flip side, I have seen many positive aspects of the whole Facebook experience.  I "talk" to one of my sisters on almost a daily basis.  She lives a long way from me, and so it is a great way to stay in touch.  Cousins that I used to rarely see now pop up on my screen almost daily.  I can hop on over to their pages, and see at a glance what they are up to, hear about their kids, and every now and then get a good chuckle about some of their antics.  Keeping in touch with old high school friends has also been very enjoyable.  Being able to see pictures of a brand new niece within hours after she was born, and hear that everyone is doing well, is a blessing.  So you see I have many more "plus" items than "negative" items.  But one item to add to the "plus" side is that I was recently connected to a childhood friend that I would never have guessed I would ever have seen again.  She was the perfect friend -- a next door neighbor friend.  Someone who was always there; and there was never a question of whether or not we would spend a day together.  We spent summers riding her horse, wandering the countryside, eating rhubarb and strawberries out of her mother's immense garden, and just being friends.  Here is a picture of us.  Aren't we a rough and tumble looking group.  From left to right is my friend, Pam, me, and my sisters Megan, and Peggy.  We are holding some of our new puppies.

So to answer my own question, I think I will continue on Facebook.  The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

A Pleasant Surprise

This summer while attending a picnic celebrating a cousin's birthday, I was chatting with my sister, Kass. It was getting near the end of the day, and she had reached down and picked up her purse. It was such a cute red purse that I immediately commented on it. Without even pausing, she asked me if I would like to have it. I really didn't quite know what to say. I have never in my life (and probably never will again) have someone offer me their purse. She told me that when she had originally purchased it, she had thought of me. But that is just what kind of person Kass is. Extremely generous and thoughtful. So at the end of the day, Kass went home with her belongings in a brown paper bag, while I went home with a cute new red purse. I thought that because of the unusual nature of the gift, a special thank you was in order. I traced out a purse design on cardstock, decorated it with glitter, and wrote the thank you note inside. Now every time I pick up my purse I think of Kass, and her kindness. She's the best. Thanks, Kass!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Not long ago I bought some fingerling potatoes from Costco. I couldn't resist the purchase of a bag filled with little potatoes, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I remembered that my very sweet sister-in-law, Jill, had told me once that she had a great recipe for preparing them. She was right - they are great. I think that this is my new favorite potato recipe, at least for the time being.

Jill's Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

After washing and scrubbing the potatoes, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil (makes for very easy clean up). Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and rosemary (the amounts depend on your own preferences). Bake at 375 deg. until potatoes are tender.

Pete

I was born as #5 in a family of 7 kids. So by the time I came along, the toy boxes were well supplied with toys. I don't remember ever receiving my very first baby doll because we already had quite a few baby dolls that had belonged to my older siblings. All of the dolls had specific names, and didn't go by any other. They also all had a very unique quality in that each one had a very small blue ink cross drawn on their forehead. My older sister, Molly, had decided that they all needed to be baptized. :) I did receive one doll at a young age that I remember. She was a "Chatty Cathy". She had a string coming out of her back that when pulled, she would say various little phrases. She didn't last for long though because being a good little mother, I decided one day that she needed a bath. Thus ended her chattiness. But I do remember one doll in particular that I liked playing with probably the most of all. His name was Pete. I never questioned his name, or the fact that it was a boy's name. He wasn't really a boy, just a doll with the name Pete. He was one of my favorites. As the years passed, and I no longer played with dolls, my oldest sister, Miki, came home for a visit. At that time she had girls of her own, and before she left she took Pete to take home for her girls to play with. It was at that point in time that I found out that Pete was really Miki's doll. She was the one that had received him as a gift, named him, and undoubtedly spent many years playing with him. I had honestly never given it any thought. I had just assumed Pete was mine. Of course I was more than happy for my nieces to have Pete to play with; but it was always fun to tease my sister that she had taken Pete away from me. On my birthday many years later, when I had girls of my own, Miki sent me a gift. Yes, it was Pete. So here is a picture of Pete, modeling a reversible bib that I recently made for Miki's granddaughter. On one side of the bib is a cute cherry print:

And the other side was embroidered with a "Baby's First Valentine's Day" motif:

And if you would like to take a look at my great niece modeling it herself, you can find that here.

Embroidery

Of all of the needle and hand arts, embroidery is undoubtedly my first love. I didn't discover it until I was in 7th grade. At the time I was more interested in any kind of sports activity. We had moved to a new town, and I was amazed at all of the different sports offered for girls at my school. I signed up for every single intramural sport offered throughout the school year. Previous to our move, softball, tether ball, and jump rope were about all that was ever available for girls to play. But then in the spring, one of my sisters was in a serious car accident, and was laid up in bed for quite some time. She was unable to go up and down the stairs, so my parents set up a bed for her in our dining room. It seems as if my sister, Molly, had always been a fabulous seamstress. She could also knit and crochet; and seemed to excel at anything she laid her hands on. During her recovery time, she picked up embroidery. I remember being very fascinated with her work, and wanted to try it myself. There was something about it that I really enjoyed doing. I had never seen any of my friends doing any kind of sewing or hand work, and thought that I had better keep my new found hobby to myself. I guess it was just that good old public school peer pressure coming into play. But I didn't let it stop me from enjoying my embroidery. I have continued to embroider ever since. It was always one of the first things that I taught my kids to do as well. When each of them turned approximately 3 years old, they would always want to embroider with me. So I would give them a piece of cross stitch cloth, and a blunt needle, and they would have so much fun sewing with me. I saved all of those little projects that each of them had made. They hold sweet memories.

Last year I began a snowman redwork project. The pattern is entitled "Winter Wonderland" by Crabapple Hill. This is the first redwork that I have ever done. I only completed one block last year before I got busy with all of my gardening activities. But this year, I have placed this project on one of my lists of projects to finish during the year; and hope to continue on with it even through the busy gardening months. Here is a picture of my one and only completed block:

And here is a picture of the one I am currently working on:

And just to get back to my sister, Molly, for a moment. She did recover from her car accident just fine. And she has always been a source of inspiration to me. Even now, I still always think of her as being able to sew or make anything. She is extremely talented, and I am blessed to have her as my sister.

My Funny Chickens

My most recent, and probably last, project before Christmas has been my little chickens. They are actually pincushions; but I have been enjoying them just sitting around making me smile. My daughter has had them all lined up on the window sill in my sewing room, and they have really added a bright spot. I have grown kind of attached to them, but with Christmas drawing near, some of them will find themselves in a new home come Christmas morning.

I had a great time picking out all of the different kinds of fabric to use. I tried to choose patterns that would look very cheerful. After I had made a few of the larger sizes, I decided that they needed to have a little chick to go with them.

All of the other hens were in awe of the new little baby that was added to their little flock. You see, there has only been one so far, but maybe after Christmas a few more chicks will be hatched.

They even have funny little tails:

When I finished my first little hen, it just made me smile; and I immediately thought of my sister, Kass. She is always such a cheerful person, and always makes us smile. She is a very talented artist, and everything she paints or draws is very colorful, cheerful, and sometimes very whimsical. Whenever I see something that is very colorful and makes me laugh, I think of her. She has brought a lot of joy into our lives ..... thanks, Kass.