Some fun for Gramma and Grandkids

Strawberries are out there and I could not resist yesterday.

Even though we are leaving tomorrow for a week of camping, to Spectacle Lake Resort,  and I have yet to pack.

These also arrived in the mail yesterday and I wanted to put something IN them for the cooler.  I am always looking for ways to make the grandkids some treats, without all the sugar. 
You freeze them and them you squish it out, or drink it out later. They have a nice non-leaky lid. I know we have all gotten the "popsicle" makers. Always going to make our own healthy stuff and then all 1000 pieces end up in the "tupperware" drawer until the last child chews the last plastic stick in half.

 I have been doing, eating,  100 days of  real food since Easter. I don't necessarily agree with all she does, but she has some good recipes. I prefer to not add all the honey and maple syrup she does. Also she eats tons of bread things. I tried all that the first week and gained 6 pounds, so not for me! I did not start this as a "diet" or to loose weight, it is just kind of what we have been moving towards for a few years, and I wanted to see if it would work for us. It was not that big of a shock for me. I don't drink pop, eat artificial sweeteners, or too much junk. I never used a lot of boxed foods and cereals. So no withdrawal for me.  I feed my husband well, and he still stops for his own ice cream.

Any way, today Cohen and I opened up the box of  Silicone ice pop makers and had some fun.

I mixed up some fresh strawberries and some of my Grace Harbor Farms plain, NOT homogenized (so the cream rises to the top-yum) Yogurt. In my food processor. ( I love this stuff plain. )We got a big bowl of this:

I put it in the pop maker and froze it. I had my taste testers standing by. 

No complaints, he sucked the whole thing down. 

Then pleaded for more. He always gives us this pitiful, I am SO hungry look. 

I guess he had worked off his strawberry breakfast crepes. 

I put the leftover mix into lined muffin tins and froze it. When the kids come, we peel off the wrapper, put it in a dish and it gives all the thrill of ice cream, only no sugar and other not so good for you things. 

Maybe even Grampa will like it enough to give up some of his ice cream! 

Well, now I really better get camping. I am REALLY looking forward to this trip. Especially because when I return, maybe, maybe the raspberries will be ready!! 

Freezer jam done!

Car packed and ready, done!

A little motherly reminder: Always check you boat or trailer to make sure the tail lights are working (we may be up all night) 

AND

Label everything you put in your freezer, believe me, you will NEVER remember what it is, or when you put it in there! 

The Quilt

I love to quilt. Find the fabric, cut it, put it together. Put warm flannel on the back. And then give it away. I have made quilts for all my grandchildren. Special, amazing beautiful kids. Last week was a sad and happy week. I finished Cohen's quilt. He is grandchild number 5, his brother Carter, grandchild number 6. Each one so precious and special. I had great plans to have the quilts all done for the boys, in opposite pattern. I cut them both out, laid them on the floor, gathered them up in the exact order, and made sure the colors were in opposite spots, so we could tell them apart. I would present them to Jana at her shower. God had other plans for our family the past 6 months. Cohen and Carter (I LOVE saying their names together!) were born at 25 weeks. Much to soon. Carter passed away at birth. Cohen continued the fight for his life.130 days in the NICU at the University of Washington. Carters quilt was done, early, before the showers, before the homecoming.I sewed it in one night. Thru more tears and anguish than I ever imagined. But it was done for him. For his burial.   I finished his quilt in a teenie tiny version, a 2 lb and 13 1/4" version. He was wrapped in it and laid to rest.  Forever loved. Forever with Jesus. How we miss him! Over the days and months, I tried to finish Cohen's blanket. I wanted him to have it to come home in.  I could not quite muster the energy. When I realized he was coming HOME I got to work on it. It seemed so much bigger, than I had first laid out. But I kept on sewing.  Heck, he can use it for a toddler bed, or take it to college... I showed it to Jana, and pointed out how I had included a square from Gramma Rineharts fabric stash. Jana had written about Gramma and Carter after I had typed this post, but did not publish it. (which does not surprise me, we had many "thinking of Carter" moments at the same time.) I was thinking of Carter, Gramma and quilts all week. How much I miss her. How much I miss Carter. She would have cried with us and talked with us and loved and prayed for Cohen and his journey. What I love about quilting is the history, the stories each quilt has to tell. Cohen's quilt was extra big, because I had not realized, until it was done,  I had included all the extra pieces of Carters quilt. As I sewed Cohen's quilt, I kept thinking of Carter and his identical tiny little quilt. Cohen's quilt  had Carters pieces in it, a piece from Gramma, and I had also stuck in one piece of fabric I used to make a quilt for Jana in college. So there are the generations. The 4 generations, which have so shaped our families story. My special connection with Gramma was the quilting and the love of sewing, and of course her son! She loved each and every grandchild and great grandchild. she would have been SO excited about Jana having twins. The first EVER in ANY Rinehart history! I understand her great love and excitement for each and every grandchild. I love them all so much. Gramma Rinehart is watching and rocking Carter for us, for now. And we are loving Cohen to bits!