Warm Weather and Cookie Baking

Its a beautiful sunny day--highs should be in the 80's.  I'm going to enjoy it!  

Laura Beth, Nick and Mason arrived Friday night.  Family visiting and we went to the local steakhouse Saturday night.  Ken ordered the "Tyler Burger".  

Tyler Burger

Ken loves burgers. He was in 7th heaven--but said it was a family meal!  Three 1/2# patties.

Remember--I promised Mason we would make cookies?  Sunday morning BEFORE I HAD MY COFFEE Mason was asking "we gonna make cookies Grandma??"

Mason waiting for Grandma

Yes, we made cookies in our PJ's.   Mason sifted the flour.  

Packing brown sugar

 Packed the brown sugar.  Cracked the eggs.

cracking eggs--no shells Mom!

We made M&M with chocolate chips cookies.  Mason liked measuring the M&M's--a few were eaten!

Soon we had them mixed and were ready to bake.

Mason with cookies ready to go on pan

We used a small scooper to form the cookies.  See???

Hey Dad--see my scooper?

See Dad???  (Nick kept busy taking pictures for me.) Thanks Nick!

Soon we had a pan out of the oven ready to eat.

Mason with first pan done

The cookies came out pretty perfect!  Yes, a few bits of dough fell on the floor.  Mason had two casualties (two cookies flew off the plate as he was running to share them with Dad).  But there were plenty of cookies.  Mason took some to Great Grandpa John, and we packed a large container for Mason to take home. 

Mason--are the cookies all gone?  Grandma is ready to bake some more!! 

Another Beautiful Monday

The sun is shining and the temp to be in the 70's today.  Another beautiful Monday.


I remembered to take pictures of the most recent "auction treasures" Ken bought.   I love old enamelware, and he bought a whole box full a few weeks ago.  

A covered deep square pan (reminds me of a refrigerator drawer) a larger rectangular pan, an 8x11 baking pan, a covered pot with lid.  A large mixing bowl.  My favorites--a pitcher, a covered pan with fruit decals, a colander and a drinking ladle.  One stray lid.  

This pan is a favorite-the colorful decals are so cheery.  Some of these will go on my "treasures" shelf, and I know I will use all of them.  


And I have been sewing.  Last week I worked on the blue Jacob's ladder blocks.  The Sister's Choice blocks.  A blue/white Irish Chain.  "Mason's brother" quilt.  That means I worked on three UFO's.   None are close to a finish--but they are getting there!


I have another round of the blue/white swap in a few weeks.  I made this sample block--do you like it??

I like that the outer tips of the pinwheels point into the white hourglass portion of the block--they look like they're floating.  Most blocks made in this pattern are turned 45° and there are flying geese instead of the hour glass blocks.  Its a rather bright blue with white polka dots--I may try making another one in a softer blue.  I not sure everyone shares my love of bright "poke your eye out" colors.

This weekend Laura Beth, Nick, and Mason are coming to visit.  I promised Mason we'd make cookies together.   

Beautiful Monday

Today is a beautiful day, the door is open on my camper and a slight breeze is blowing in.  I can hear the roar of water going over the spillway on the dam and the crickets are busy singing.   The weather is going to change and become cool with perhaps some rain in a few days.  I hate to think that its fall already.  

A few weeks ago a fellow quilter from Yankton called and invited me to a trunk show--I think the local guild in Yankton sponsored it.  Pat Nagle--Eleanor Burns's sister was the speaker.  Lots of quilts and patterns and tools from Quilt in a Day.  But my favorite moment was this---

Pat is talking about this quilt and FORGOT that the gentleman behind the quilt was holding it.  Yes, those are Van's(??) Merrill's(??) legs!  It wasn't quite caught on the top and he's standing behind it with aching arms!   Thank you Jeanette for inviting me!

Lest you think I am slacking off in my quilting--here it the picture of my table today.

I started a baby quilt for "Mason's brother".  Most of the blocks for it are pieced.  Next I worked on the last of my nine patches, I'm sewing them together in pairs.  It was a block a day quilt-a-long from Crazy Mom Quilts.  I had a lot of fun making them--enough for 3 large tops!  These are the last ones.  These all have brown points turning them into Sister's Choice blocks.

I pulled out a UFO stored in the closet in the camper, I thought it needed more sewing, but it's to the pressing stage and needs some background fabric.  None here, it will have to wait.  

On Mason's birthday he baked and decorated a cake with me.  He's good at cracking eggs, loves to run the mixer (grandma helping!) and scraping the bowl.  He picked out some "sprinkles" when we were at the store to put on top the cake.  

Mason sprinkled enthusiastically and dug into the frosting with the jar--then licked the frosting off!  A small hole in the cake--we just added a LOT of sprinkles in that spot!  You can see some of our mess in the background.   

And then a picture of Mason being hugged by grandpa---

Life is good!

I Had A Coupon.......

Don't you just love having a coupon??  Me too!!  On the way to Mankato to visit Laura Beth and family, Ken obliged by stopping at my favorite fabric store.  And---it was 50% off everything that wasn't already on sale--with a coupon!   I thought I had read about Judy suggesting stash enhancement but I was wrong and Katie said it was using stash and setting goals.  Oh drat---too late!!  I didn't dig out the slip to add the totals, but its a "fair dab" of fabric.  I need more blues for a project.

A "fair dab" of fabric

We're in Minnesota for Mason's 3rd birthday.   

Mason blowing out candles

 Mason with punked up hair and Laura Beth.   

Next Mason showed me a new game at their house--

Yes, Mason is getting a baby brother in December!  New quilts are needed.  The only sewing I've done this weekend is hem five pair of pants for Laura Beth.  But, I did buy a new book--

Tomorrow we'd heading home.  I'll read the book and plan on the way.