Grandma Camp, Warren's Day

I have Lilly and Warren, TOGETHER, every Friday and Saturday. But I decided it would be good for them to have some alone time. This week, it was Warren's turn...

It was a beautiful day -- and the activity was MINIATURE GOLF.

He took it pretty seriously.

Of course, the big bonus was having Uncle Ross play with us.

It was a stunning summer day..

This course has some beautiful little water features.

Warren was delighted with some of his shots.

It was a beautiful afternoon.

LK's new Sarcasm Dress

My cousin Linda broke her arm!! So, of course, I had to Frankensew something for her...maybe just an easy dress that she can slip over her head...

I had this lightweight gray knit dress...(here, I'm wearing it OVER my clothes)....so, yes, it does make me look fat.

The first thing I did was add a side insert panel...the gray t-shirt I cut up was almost the same shade of gray.

I decided that was too boring -- so I added a red panel on the other side.

Of course, I also added a much-needed large pocket (remember, her right arm is in a cast). The pocket needs to be big enough for her I-pad and a bag of chips...

The trouble with the pocket was that I sewed it too HIGH on the dress. Bummer. It would have been very tough to lower the placement. Hummm...

Then, because I thought the dress could actually be a little longer...I decided to add an extra 3" up in the bodice of the dress...which would kill TWO birds with one stone. Now, the pocket is lower...and the dress is longer...

The pocket says, "Sarcasm. Another Service I offer."

WHAT?? Short Spaghetti??

After last week's intense posts* about John's dementia -- I was eager to get back to MY REGULAR BLOG BUSINESS...which is about as trivial as you can get. My life in Iowa is about my friends and family -- a little cooking, a little sewing, a lot of thrift-store shopping...Grandma Camp,  laundry, bed linens...Frankensewing.

I AM SO GLAD TO GET BACK TO NORMAL...I can't even tell you.

So -- the other day -- I'm shopping at my local HyVee store -- and GUESS WHAT I FOUND??

POT SIZED SPAGHETTI..!!

Are you kidding me??

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN SOONER..!!

If you don't think this is a problem -- maybe you don't do much cooking for a crowd.

You know that moment when you drop the spaghetti into the pot and it's time to set the table, and people are starting to come in, and you forgot the bread under the broiler...it's THE NEXT moment when you realize you forgot to poke the spaghetti down into the pot, and now the bottom is all gummed together and the top 3 inches are still crunchy...

OF COURSE you can break spaghetti before you put it in the pot -- but then you get those little bits that bounce all over the kitchen.

Hey -- nobody can do trite quite like me.  I know -- I'm good at it...and DELIGHTED to be able to appreciate the little things in life.

You're welcome...

************

*It was cathartic for me to write about John's dementia.  And it was a joy to share our unexpected happy ending.

But I always knew I would take those posts down.  That'll happen soon

Broiler Pan

If you are really LIVING in your home -- things wear out. Honestly -- every now and then -- things just need to be refreshed...renewed...renovated...or REPLACED.

When we built this house in 1981 -- we put in a 30" stainless steel restaurant griddle. It sits right next to our stove -- and we installed two oven hoods. This was THE BEST THING WE DID IN THIS KITCHEN. Honestly -- we use the griddle for just about everything...pancakes, french toast, hamburgers, steaks, bacon, bruschetta...well, just about anything you can think of.

I think these hoods cost about $25 when they were new -- and they are officially now -- WORN OUT.

So, I ordered two new stainless steel hoods. Then, I had to get busy preparing the area for the new installation. I had to empty the worthless little cupboards above the hoods (actually, Carrie did that)...and we cleaned the tile surround (also Carrie).

When it was time to clean the oven (this is the worst job -- so -- I DID IT MYSELF)...I realized I left the broiler pan in the oven....and now it is going to be a disgusting mess to clean.  It always is, anyway.  And week old grease isn't helping the situation...

I always cook the steaks on a screaming hot griddle -- then finish them off in a 400 degree oven, on this broiler pan.

Of course, when I do the dishes, I often forget the broiler pan is still in the oven. Bummer. It is the WORST job...

But -- on this day -- I remembered something wonderful. Awhile back, I found a brand new broiler pan at a thrift store for 88 cents...!!

Of course I bought it. Knowing -- one day -- my broiler pan would be so disgusting, cleaning it would be such a time-consuming job, I'd want to throw it in the garbage...

AND TODAY IS THE DAY..!!

This is my brand new broiler pan -- which I am PUTTING IN THE ROTATION..

Because the old, greasy, disgusting pan is GOING IN THE TRASH..!!

My New Frankensewed top

During a recent day trip to Cedar Rapids (more about that later) -- I found some wonderful tops ($2 at an estate sale).  I loved the graphics of this one...although, it was a size XL -- not quite big enough for me.

You can see the sleeve is too tight for my way-too-fat-upper-arm...and when I tried it on, it was a very snug fit.

Of course -- that NEVER BOTHERS ME. With a little Frankensewing, I'll just open up both sides and add a panel of some matching OR contrasting fabric. Humm...I'm guessing 4" on each side oughta do it...

The hardest thing is getting both sides the same.  You know how I hate MATCHING things...

Because I suck at that -- I've learned to do ONE side at a time.

And I quite liked this bold black and white stripe (cut from a size small Talbots tunic that cost 44 cents at the Goodwill)...

The thing is -- this striped fabric was very stretchy...and after doing just THE ONE SIDE -- I tried the top on again -- and it seemed to fit FINE.

So I stopped.  I decided to call it GOOD ENOUGH...and I love my new top!!

Lilly's Summer Book Club

LILLY LOVES TO READ.  I often have to tell her to put down the book and look at me when I'm talking...lol...

I am soo delighted.  So, this week, I'll give Lilly her FIRST book for the Lilly/TMBC Summer Book Club:

We're starting with this book mostly because the TMBC members have (mostly) read it -- and it features a young girl's struggle and triumph.

THREE books seems like a good number.  We'll have a luncheon/discussion for each book...and some of our other possibilities are:

• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
• Black Beauty
• The Outsiders
• The Boxcar Children
• Nancy Drew Mystery
• The Diary of Anne Frank 
• The Glass Castle
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Orphan Train

 The highlighted books are available at our library in their DIBS collection (a bucket-o-12-books) meant for Book Clubs.  So that probably moves them up on the list...

Lilly enjoys being a part of the TMBC activities (She loved the Hamilton Women luncheon)

Ritaluck and Carrie's Wish List!

A day just is not complete for me if I don't get to do a little "thrifting".  I'm always on the lookout for my usual suspects...fine cotton sheets, shoes for the kids, anything I can Frankensew...

Because my addiction is well known to my family and friends -- I often have a list in my head of things other people are looking for...

For example -- last Monday, Carrie said these words: "Rita, my cheapo sewing machine quit working, and I know it's not worth fixing. Mostly, I only sew Halloween costumes, but I miss it.  I'm afraid to buy a used machine because I wouldn't know what to look for.  So, if you ever see a nice one, pick it up and I'll pay you for it. .."

So, the following Saturday night -- when Lilly and I walked into the Goodwill Store -- SURE ENOUGH....

I spotted the Kenmore carrying case. I sewed on a 1971 Kenmore 158 for 20 years...that machine now has it's own Facebook page!! It was considered the "workhorse" of all sewing machines...

The price on this machine was:   $25.88.

It's not a 158 -- it's a 12 stitch Ultra.  From the late 70's.  But the CONDITION was the most remarkable thing.

Honestly -- the paper quick guide was perfect...and the instruction book looked like it had never been opened.

The little cardboard accessories was there, too...in UNUSED condition.

They had not used a single needle out of the original package -- and the seam ripper was still in cellophane.!!

When I plugged the machine in at the store -- it sewed...but made loud clanking sounds. Of course, if you've been sitting in a closet for 40+ years, you'd be stiff, too...

Near as I can tell, this machine had NEVER been used.  When I got it home, I opened her up, and oiled every spot I could see....it was making a perfect stitch...but there was still a loud, annoying rubbing sound I couldn't track down.

I took a break.  Two hours later, it hit me that I hadn't oiled behind the bobbin.  So I took the shuttle out, added a few drops of oil....and...guess what??

YES.  PERFECTION.  That machine purrs like a kitten.  THANK YOU RITALUCK...!!

The Game of LIFE:

So, after our very late, very delicious Dutch Baby pancake breakfast -- we had lots of exciting choices for this first weekend of the summer. There was a Lumberjack Festival in Clinton (15 miles north)....and Bettendorf was having a music/craft event in the park (15 miles south).

But, because these last weeks at school have been SO BUSY -- and both kids were kind of crabby when I picked them up.....I decided we'd just hang around the house. It might be a good day to just relax on the porch and watch the hummingbirds...Maybe play some board games.

We got out the Game of LIFE. Remember this one? There's a "university path"...and another, shorter path -- where you don't get paid as much money....

The play pieces are little plastic cars, you add pink or blue pegs as your family grows....

So, why is Lilly so tickled? And Warren so annoyed...?

When Warren landed on the "get married" space, he got to put a peg in his little car. But he wanted NOTHING TO DO WITH a pink peg. So, Lilly cheerfully gave him a blue peg and announced, "Fine, if that's what you want.  Now you're married to a man."

And I said, "be careful what you pray for, buddy...after 50 years of being married to a man, I can tell you -- it's not easy."

Turns out, Warren wasn't ready for the Game of LIFE.  He'd rather play Legos...

We played for an hour or so -- and had a huge audience of hummingbirds. It was the perfect way to spend this beautiful summer day.

That afternoon, we did have to make one little trip to the Goodwill Store...AND YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT WE FOUND THERE...

GO HERSHEY!!

 Long Grove, Iowa is a little town of 800 people. Not far from me -- (Carrie lives there) -- turns out, there's a 93 year old Veteran...giving away chocolate bars...This story hit the national news. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS STORY...



CNN picked up the story -- (click on this link) -- and it turns out, Hershey has made a commercial using Bob Williams...AND they've decided to provide him with a lifetime supply of Hershey bars...

First Porch Breakfast!!

Lilly and Warren both slept on on the first day of Grandma Camp. When they finally got up, I put the Dutch Baby in the oven, while they set up the table out on the porch. After weeks of rain...and terrible storms...we are FINALLY having some beautiful weather. The hummingbirds are back -- FULL FORCE -- and we are about to have our first Hummingbird Breakfast of the season.

We need four place settings -- because we have a surprise guest!

Just as I was taking the Dutch Baby out of the oven, my brother stopped in for a cup of coffee.

He was fascinated by the way it collapsed when I pierced it...

We KILLED THAT THING...and were licking our plates! (there was also bacon -- burned just like they like it -- and fresh strawberries!)

Calvin is older than me (by 19 months) -- and he has NEVER seen a Dutch Baby pancake.

Having Cal join us for the breakfast made it an extra-special event. And HE told Lilly and Warren how lucky they are...to have been introduced to this deliciousness at such a young age...

It tastes like a popover and a croissant had a baby...Honestly...I've NEVER cooked anything that turned out so spectacular.

GREAT way to kick off our summer!!

Grandma Camp: Week One

So, as I was planning the first week of Grandma Camp...thinking I should be more deliberate about making MUSIC a part of our activities...

Lilly and I were watching the new show, Songland...

And she insisted I listen to Macklemore (?)...as she knew I would LOVE the lyrics to this song:





I'm not sure...

Dutch Baby Pancake

Finally, June 7th was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for Lilly and Warren. To celebrate the beginning of summer, I made a special steak dinner that night.

Saturday morning, to kick off Grandma Camp, I wanted to make a special breakfast.

How about a DUTCH BABY PANCAKE!!

PERFECT.

Basically,  it's the Popover recipe, but made in a cast iron skillet.

It's one of those things that's more technique than recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put your well-seasoned iron skillet in the hot oven, and preheat it as well. (at least 10 minutes)

Add a tablespoon of oil and butter to the hot skillet -- then pour the popover batter into the screaming hot skillet.

Bake for 25 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door.

When you get it out of the oven -- it should look like a beautiful brown basketball.

Those few simple ingredients -- and it makes this SPECTACULAR Dutch Baby...

Use a knife to slash the top to release the steam...the pancake will collapse into itself.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar...

Slice into wedges, and serve with butter and syrup. (or, fresh strawberries and whipped cream).

Oh yeah -- Grandma Camp is off to a great start!!

Why Hobbies

So, with summer coming on -- and Grandma Camp -- I've been looking back at my own childhood.  Those summer weeks I spent at Grandma Dodds' house -- learning how to crochet....

I'm thinking Grandma Camp is a good opportunity to introduce Lilly and Warren to some possible hobbies...and I'm going be more deliberate about pushing a "hobby agenda".

So, with that in mind...

READING IS THE BEST HOBBY EVER...For one thing, you can do it all by yourself, anywhere, at any time.  You don't need a team of players or a lot of equipment.  You don't need to practice, or make any noise.  You can do it even if you only have a few minutes to spare...Reading has always been a big part of Grandma Camp.  Both kids are already signed up at our local library for the Summer Reading Program.  And, this year, we're starting the first Lilly Summer Book Club...

SWIMMING is on our agenda for sure. It's a wonderful hobby -- and you can do it well into your old age. I spend a lot of time at the YMCA pool, and I see people at every age of life LOVING their time in the water.

I spend five or six hours a week in this beautiful swimming pool...

MUSIC:  I'm going to be more deliberate about making MUSIC a part of Grandma Camp.   Lilly already loves singing...and I'll try to encourage her to prepare a song for the Princeton Days Talent Show....or maybe the County Fair.  Warren always says he's going to be a piano player when he grows up.  So I'm going to start giving him piano lessons.

My point is -- hobbies are worth fighting for.  And maybe, hobbies could even be the GIFT you give to this next generation....a gift that could last a lifetime...

Hobbies

According to the dictionary:

Hobby: An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.

When I was growing up, there was little talk of hobbies. Mom's day was filled with raising six kids, and the things she did, e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e d.a.y were mostly for survival. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, sewing, canning, gardening...

Honestly. Her days were JAM PACKED -- there was no actual "leisure time".

Looking back, maybe that was a problem. Because, when her children started moving out of the house, Mom's world was blown up by the "empty nest" torpedo.

I certainly didn't understand it then -- but as we all went our separate ways -- Mom was no longer taking care of a house full of kids -- and she had time on her hands.

Clearly, Mom didn't know what to do with "leisure time"...

Unfortunately, drinking became Mom's hobby.

Let's just say it was a dark time in my family's history.

When I think back to my childhood -- it seems Dad had time for many hobbies. He played poker every weekend, and he belonged to a hunting club...so there was deer hunting, duck hunting. In the summer, he was an avid fisherman and in the winter, he would sit for hours, picking the black walnuts he collected and cleaned in the fall. Many of Dad's hobbies became daily habits. For example, reading every page of the daily newspaper was always a part of his day.

I don't think my parents were unique. Maybe that's just the way it was during that time. But that was then...and this is now.

How important is it to have hobbies? And how do you pick?

Lilly's Summer Book Club

These women are the main players in our Summer TMBC.

Linda P., Sharalan, me, Linda K. and Sandy

Another OG (Original Gangster) -- Jackie -- now lives in North Carolina.

Many years ago -- when we started our Book Club -- we'd get together at Jackie's house once a month to discuss a book we'd all read.  Some I remember...The Red Tent, The Kite Runner, The Secret Life of Bees, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons...

OBVIOUSLY, we enjoyed our get-togethers so much, at some point, we decided to make it a WEEKLY event.  We never gave up reading...but, along the way, we did a lot more sewing, some quilting, some day-trippin, and ALWAYS -- B.R.E.A.K.F.A.S.T.

And, who are we kidding?  TMBC is mostly about REGULAR, high-quality girlfriend time!!

Hey -- WE STILL READ BOOKS!!   Just not in the organized all-at-one-time way we did it back in the day.

However -- now that summer is here -- and Lilly is such an AVID reader -- we are kicking off our first Grandma Camp Lilly Bookclub.

AND -- HERE'S OUR FIRST SELECTION...

So far, three of us have already read it...and I'll give it to Lilly when she's officially out of school.

Then, it will be fun to plan our FIRST EVER GRANDMA/LILLY BOOK CLUB PARTY. And I can't wait to see what Lilly thinks of the book...

This is just a for-no-particular-reason-random photo of Jackie, Linda K. and their Mom...

Memorial Day Festivities

On Memorial Day, our little town has a lovely ceremony, and John never misses it. This year, it was a beautiful summer day.  Our Community Center is the former grocery store, and it sits right on the Mississippi River.

The LeClaire American Legion did their 21 gun salute.

This photo shows the river (which is out of its banks AGAIN)...

We had a respectable crowd -- even some patriotic cupcakes.

Karl (married to my cousin Linda) is one of the hard-working members of the American Legion.  They did 16 events in two weeks.  YIKES.  Karl and John are both Navy veterans.  As a matter of fact, both of them are submariners.

Lilly, Warren and MUSIC

I cannot even begin to tell you what it's like to be driving along in my car, on a typical Saturday, with Lilly at the radio controls. At the age of 10 -- she knows EVERYTHING about the current music scene. Most of the time, I have absolutely NO IDEA who is singing what.

Last month, I watched the Grammy's (because Kelly Clarkson was host) -- afterwards, trying to look cool, I asked Lilly, "do you like BTS?"  (the very hot Korean rock group).  She wasn't even impressed...but, instead, said..."No.  They look like seven Justin Biebers standing in a row..."

I laughed, and then Lilly said, "But I do like Black Pink"

Hummm...two days later, I Googled, and discovered that BlackPink is the K-Pop GIRL band...

This girl LIVES for music. Her favorite singer is Billie Eilish. Two weeks ago, we were driving along, and a song came on the radio. I was in the middle of a sentence when Lilly "shushed" me. I listened to the song...then said, "who was that?"

Lilly said, "that was Billie Eilish song, Grandma -- and that's like finding a unicorn. They don't play her songs on the radio very much."

I didn't understand what the song was about....Lilly said..."Billie doesn't discuss the meaning of her songs. Because she wants you to take your own meaning from the words...when she writes a song, she is inspired by symbols or colors...the one song she sings about her friend who committed suicide..."

And, well -- on it went.

Last Saturday, we were in the car (again) -- and I ask Lilly about every song she is singing along to (she seems to know EVERY word of EVERY song). Most of the time, the singer is Ariana Grande -- and Lilly proceeded to tell me about her biggest song, and why she wrote it, and how many hits it has on YouTube...

I mean -- honestly -- IT IS AMAZING.

At one point, a song came on the radio -- and I thought I knew who was singing. I said, "is that Miley Cyrus".  Big mistake..Lilly gave me a pitying look...

then she said..."No, Grandma. Miley Cyrus hasn't had a song on the radio since I was 4 years old...Wrecking Ball...right now, her Dad is more popular than she is.

Me (hopefully) -- Billie Ray Cyrus has a hit song?

Lilly:  Oh, yes -- he teamed up with Lil Nas X (I had to look up the spelling)...to do the remix for Old Town Road...

No matter where Lilly goes, Warren is close behind. And, always the eager student, he listens to music, and has his own favorite artists. Warren told me his favorite singer is Sam Smith...

So, excuse me while I go Google...