Spring!

Progress on Earthdancer.

I finished the corner, put the feather she is holding - I have to rip out. I guess I don't know how to count. LOL!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies-1/2 C butter, soften & 1/2 C peanut butter. Cream together. 1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar. Add sugars and 1 egg well beaten. 1 1/4 C flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp soda, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well. Form balls, place on cookie sheet. Mash balls with fork that has flour on it. Bake at 375 for about 8 mins.

Glazed Fruit Bowl

This is recipe is great for church, family, pot luck gatherings. Or sometimes I freeze small portions in the freezer and refrigerate what I think will last a few days.

Glazed Fruit Bowl

2 cans (20 oz) unsweetened pineapple chucks

2 pkg (3 oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding mix

2 1/2 C orange juice

1 small cantaloupe, cubed

1 Honeydew, cubed

2 C fresh strawberries, halved

2 C fresh blueberries

2 C seedless grapes

2 med. bananas, sliced

Drain pineapple, reserving 1 C juice; set aside.

In saucepan, combine pudding mix, pineapple juice & orange juice.

Cook & stir over med heat, until mixture boils & thickens.

Remove from heat; cool.

In very large bowl, combine pineapple, melons, berries, grapes & bananas.

Drizzle with pudding mixture.

Refrigerate until serving.

It doesn't have honeydew in it, because the honeydew they had at the store, wasn't ripe. I had to make two trips to get a good cantaloupe. Bob bought the first one, when he brought it home I asked him if he knew how to pick out a ripe cantaloupe. He said nope. So, I went and bought a ripe one and had him smell it. LOL!

My Mom brought over some material, a few weeks ago and asked me to make her some pillow shames.

Dara and I have two baby showers to go to today, so we are splitting up she will be attending one and I will go to the other. I made the baby blankets for the showers and one for an on-line friend.

Bubbles (Dylan's cat) had to give his seal of approval.

Kayden is 10 months old today!

Any time I sing "Lean on me" the song that is playing. Kayden will sing (noise) with me. It is too cute. There are a lot of other songs I sing to him, but this is the only song he sings with me.

This picture was taken earlier this week. The little rocker he is standing behind is mine. My Dad brought it home when I was close to Kayden's age.

Kayden & Cooper playing the sock game.

Other things going on last week...

Spring is here and we have had a few good days of really nice weather. I raked the whole yard! We even cooked out on the grill last night.

Trying to find a babysitter for Kayden. We have found a young college girl that use to nanny in Michigan, until she moved here. She has come over three times so far. I haven't left her alone with Kayden yet. Kayden is use to having me or Dara around him all the time, (mostly me). So, I want Kayden and Gracie to get to know each other before I leave them alone. So, far they are getting along really good. Except for when he gets tired, then he just wants me. But he does that when Dara and Brandon are around too.

Cooper barfed on the love set that is in the video, as you can see it wasn't in good shape to start with, but I tried cleaning it 3 times and the smell wouldn't come out. So it is waiting to be picked up by the waste department.

I got my 4 workouts in last week and I have a lot more energy this week, could be alot to do with the weather.

Kids are on spring break this week and the work schedule is starting to take shape. Here is a video tour of the town I live in.

If anyone has any good salad recipes, please send them to me.

Award

Barb, thank you for the award! I appreciate it. I'll pass it on to 8 people.

Pamela J.

Mar

Stephanie

Shari

Renee

Nancy

Milly

Mary

Re-Do!

A big thanks to my SS for sending me the material, thread and beads I need for a few projects that I have in my to-do pile.

Progress picture of Earthdancer. I didn't get as much done as I wanted this week. I wanted to have the corner done.

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls -1 C peanut butter, 1/2 C butter, soften, Chocolate Melts or Chocolate chips melted.

Mix together & roll in balls. Freeze for 20 min or longer. Dip in melted chocolate. Freeze for a few mins to let the chocolate set. Store in frig.

Well, it is re-do time. Last summer I was down to the weight I wanted (98-100) and over the fall-by November I had gained 5 pounds. By the end of winter I have put on 8 pounds all together!!! So, I am back to working out again. I started with 2 times a week and this week I will be up to 4 times a week. Haven't weighed by myself for a few weeks so I don't know if it is doing any good. But my body feels better.

Other things going on last week-
Kayden started saying "bob, bob, bob", Thursday on Bob's birthday. Bob said it was the best birthday present he could get. When Kayden wants something he gets on my lap and pulls on my arms, trying to get me to stand up. Then I will ask him, "Do you want ________" if that is what he wants he gives a little giggle. To darn cute.
Work - things are looking up. The website is done, except for updates here and there and a few pictures I still need to add. But I have had a few people say they really like the site. Water Wonders check it out, if you have the time and let me know what you think.

Retreats

Earthdancer progress picture. It was nice to finally stitch some color in.

Eclairs

Eclairs: same recipe as last weeks, but use heaping spoonful of Choux when placing them on the baking sheet and shape them in a rectangle, 3" apart, cook for 40 min. instead of 50 min. Then just add the Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze: 2 squares semisweet chocolate, 2 TBS butter, 1 C powder sugar & 3 TBS milk.

In 1-qt saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate & butter, stirring constantly. Stir in powder sugar & milk until smooth. Spread on tops of Eclairs. Cover & chill.

Meari, sent a link in to ILCS group "What song was #1 on the day you were born?"

My birthday was "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Mean Martin,

Dara's birthday "Cream" by Prince

Dylan's birthday "Again" by Janet Jackson

Kayden's birthday "Take a Bow" by Rihanna

Bob's birthday "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles.

Bob's was the only song that I could sing. I heard Mean Martin's but I couldn't sing it all. LOL! I wonder what the #1 country song was the day I was born. Anyone know where I can find out?

Other things going on this week... the temps reached up into the 60's and I went outside. LOL! Took Kayden out too. And Josh (Dylan's friend) said "Mom you left the house!?!" When I picked them up from the park.

Kayden is making the motor boat noise with his lips.

Two cross stitching retreats are coming up. Hoosier Stitches the first weekend in April in Southern Indiana and ILCS Retreat this June in TN. I am so looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new faces.

Woo-Hoo!!! It is March!

So, glad to finish the name tag on my canvas bag. Oh man! did my finger hurt from stitching on the canvas. I went through 3 band-aids to get it done. LOL! It looks rough, but it is not easy stitching on canvas. I am so looking forward to the Retreat with the ILCS group in TN, this June.

Very happy with the progress on Earthdancer. For just picking it up Friday night, I think I got alot done. Last update picture was about two weeks ago in this blog.


Cream Puffs

Vanilla Pastry Cream

In 2-qt pan, combine 3/4 C sugar, 1/4 C flour and 1/4 tsp salt; stir in 1 1/2 C milk. Over med heat, cook, stirring until mixture thickens & boils, about 10 min; boil 1 min. In small bowl with fork, beat 6 eggs yolks slightly, beat small amount of milk mixture into yolks, slowly pour egg mixture back into milk mixture, stirring. Cook over med-low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and coats spoon well, about 8 min (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill well, about 2 hours.

Choux paste:

Grease 2 large cooking sheets. Prepare choux paste: In 2-qt pan over med heat, heat 1/2 C butter, 1 C water and 1/4 tsp salt until butter mixture boils. Remove from heat.

Add 1 C flour all at once. Vigorously stir until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of pan. Preheat over 350.

Add 4 eggs-one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth. Cool mixture for 15 to 20 min.

Using large spoon and rubber spatula, drop batter onto cookie sheets in 12 large mounts, 3" apart. Bake 50 min

Remove from oven, cut slit in side of each puff. Return to oven; bake 10 min. Turn off oven & open door; dry puffs in oven 10 mins. Let cool.

When puffs are cool, slice top off each, fill each shell with the chilled Vanilla Pastry Cream; replace top. Sprinkle tops of cream puffs with powder sugar. Cover and chill.

Kayden is 9 months old!

Yesterday he started to give me leg hugs. Just the best thing in the world, when the little guy comes up and squeezes one of my legs.

I am so happy that it is March!!! Spring is so close! I saw the 14 day forecast and the first to weeks of March are suppose to be nice for Northern Indiana.

Other things going on this week...we had a few business meetings and have decided to bring in someone for sales. He will just be doing sales calls. I finished the newsletters and they have been mailed. Still working on the website and new price sheets. They finally put up our logo at Find it Local 411.