Ray of Sunshine

It has been very rainy here and my backyard looks like I should put in a pond instead of a garden. Mothers Day got some of the bushes and my rhubarb planted. From what I've been told next year I will have my own supply of rhubarb. For now I will have to make a trip back to Montello to the Garden Center to see my friend Jean and pick some up. That visit is always wonderful because she knows me very well and we talk each other out. I stopped there on Sunday before the birthday party and it did my heart good to sit and chat awhile. I do miss her after our move but am trying to keep in touch. While there she did pass on what sounds like a great recipe for that rhubarb.

Rhubarb Custard Cake

Ingredients:

Two-layer yellow cake mix
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pint whipping cream (2 cups)

Procedure:

Prepare batter for cake mix according to package directions; turn into greased and floured 9x13" pan. Dump the chopped rhubarb on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the rhubarb. Pour the whipping cream (unwhipped) over the sugar. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Cream, sugar, and rhubarb sink to bottom, forming a custard layer. Makes 1-18 (depending on how you cut it!!) 

My grandson Mike turned 15 on Monday, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. 

Tabitha is so excited about Fridays upcoming field trip, we are off today to find her a rain poncho or coat because they go to the zoo rain or shine and you can never be too safe.

   I have been working on mermaids and hula skirts over the past few days and have a few new patterns I would love to sit down with. I better hurry though school gets out on the 6th and then my piece and quiet will be over. LOL

Today after my rain poncho quest I am going to work on the pants set and then hopefully a new hula skirt order. They are calling for rain so that will be a perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

Just Like Gram

Grwoing up whenever we needed a gift for the crossing guard or a friend...Gram was there with the perfect something that she had made. Hankies in a thank you card the perfect baby sweater set for the friends new baby and so on over the years. Gram has since passed away but now I find I AM Gram.  My Granddaughter Elizabeth has once again put in an order for a friends baby gift.

camo booties, owl hat, sweater with owl button and a 12 point star blanket.

It is nice for a change to do little boy items but I will be more than ready to get back to pinks and fun colors after all this.
I have to admit that now I know how my Gran felt when people admired the work she did and saw the littlea gifts on the kids in our lives. Customers often send me photos from photo shoots and I love it.

Organizing My Time

This has been a whirl wind year. We have moved and went from a household of eight to ten depending on the day to just a couple with the occasional overnight guests. That all took some getting used to. Then once again I felt that it was up to me to step up and help out a family member, so we brought Tabitha my niece up from Tennessee to stay. She is five. Now I am back to getting someone off to school, reading bedtime stories and making sure there are freeze pops in the freezer for her new group of friends. All of this plus taking online college classes and running Grammas Gifts. Busy yes, but loving it. I think we all have a purpose and when my Gram was ill and I went to care for her, I thought she had trained me for this, then my Mom came up from Tulsa after my Brothers death and I stepped up to make sure she was set up and alright. We checked up on my Uncle until he passed and now a little visitor. I think this is my purpose, to make sure the others are all taken care of, and I am good with it.

This is Tabitha, and she loves to model hats, how wonderful!

With the new house came yard work and we were starting from a blank slate so for Mother's Day the family came together with gifts of plants and did some gardening for me.

Liz in the grey sweatshirt is our nursing student and is helping Tabitha get toiknow all the family members

Samantha in the black jacket should feel right at home, as a kid she was always picking up bugs and frogs and like today WORMS!

JJ would like to stop gardening and take the worms fishing!

The shop has stayed fairly busy and I added a few new items to the inventory

Luau anyone?

A knotted pixie hat

and a few more cute photo props or shower gifts