Hanging Out With The Kids

Today I spent all afternoon hanging out with Andy and Rynell's kids (minus Audrey) to give the parents a break. These munch kins have a lot of energy!
Here they are at the library, all being well behaved. I was very impressed that there was no screaming, running or fighting. They know how to act in the library. One of their family rules is that they can't check out more than they can carry. Melina and Max had comfortable piles of books to carry, but Josh had a pretty big pile and almost lost it a few times.

After we left the library we went to the park. There's a nice park not too far from where they live and there's a duck pond. One family that came to the park brought two bags of bread and shared it with all the other kids. So, Melina, Josh and Max all had the opportunity to feed the ducks. Above is a picture of some of the ducks that swam over to be fed. All the kids were laughing and having a great time. They even got to see some of the ducks fight over the bread crumbs.

Then, when the duck feeding ended, we ran and sat in the grass. A couple showed up with a dog and Josh went over to play and run around with the dog, Petunia. He had a blast and the couple was very nice to let Josh play with Petunia.

Well, after leaving the park the kids weren't finished playing outside. So we hung out in their backyard and gathered leaves and sticks. It kept them busy and entertained for a while and I was very exhausted by the end of it.

Once we got inside the kids took their baths and we watched a video together. Andy barbecued some salmon and chicken for the kids. After they ate I took off for home. If the kids are as tired as I am, they should sleep very well tonight.

My New Niece

Here I am with my new niece. This week Audrey was born to Rynell and Andy. Congratulations! I'm happy she arrived safely and that mom is doing well.

Fabric

I had a computer crisis at work today. So, in an effort to keep my sanity I left work to go to JoAnn's to find some fabric for the snowflake quilt I'm planning. I found two fabrics with blue background and snowflakes. Then I also found some white silver speckled fabric. I really wasn't planning on going for the glitter, but it really is eye catching. Also, I didn't think I was going to get fabric that already had snowflakes on it, but the pieces to the pattern are so small, that I think it will work well.

I have a couple of quilts that I need to bind before I even start on the snowflake quilt. Here are a couple of the quilts that I have worked on this year.

The neutral and bright lap quilts are sample quilts that I made from classes I used to go to when I was living in Orem.
The baby rag quilt above is for Andy and Rynell's little girl they are expecting (hopefully in less than a week). Rynell gave me the pink and floral flannel fabric that she used for making burp clothes. Then I found the purple and green and came up with the design. I had to really concentrate on getting the squared in the right place so everything would like up properly. I was impressed that I got it right.

Hopefully by the end of this month, or beginning on this month I'll be able to post my Celtic knot quilt.

Frosted Pineapple Cookies

I experimented with a new cookie recipe yesterday. If you like pineapple upside down cake, you'll like these cookies. The pineapple makes the cookie moist and soft.

Frosted Pineapple Cookies

Cookie
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple, well drained, reserving liquid
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Browned Butter Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 tablespoons reserved pineapple liquid

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add pineapple, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix well; Stir in walnuts. Drop teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

To make frosting, place powdered sugar in small bowl. heat butter in heavy skilled over medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently. Pour into powdered sugar; stir, adding enough pineapple liquid for desired spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies. 5 dozen cookies.

I did a couple of things different. I didn't have any crushed pineapple on hand so I used pineapple chunks. After I drained the pineapple I put the chunks in a freezer bag and used my rolling pin to crush the chunks. It worked out pretty well. Also, I didn't have any walnuts so I used pecans. This will definitely be a recipe I use again.

Weekend

So far, this has been a good weekend. This past Friday Donna and I went to see Eagle Eye at the movie theater. It was a nice action-filled movie. One of the books that I read for book group was 1984. The movie had themes from the book, so I think that is one reason why I was able to enjoy the movie.

Saturday morning, Linnie and I ran the BYU Homecoming 5K. On our way to BYU there were a few snowflakes and the temperature was 37°. We felt this would be good practice if we decided to do the Nutcracker run or the New Year run. Anyhow, it was a good run and we really liked the route around the campus. We had an incline at the beginning of the race, but afterwards there was a nice down hill stretch. I felt the race went faster than what it was mainly because I was already familiar with the area.

Later that day I went to the Desert Gypsy tryouts. DGDC is implementing a new requirement where members and prospective members of the troupe are required to tryout every year. I think back to my first tryout which was a nerve racking experience. I never thought I would have to do anything like it again. Oh well, it happened again though. It wasn't too bad. I don't doubt that I will be on troupe for next year, but the thought of being evaluated by two individuals not related to the DGDC is scary. Maybe I'll let everyone in on the evaluation when I received it back.

One last thing that has happened this weekend....I was asked out on a date for next Saturday night. (Details will not be posted!)