Me and My Grandkids

Last night got pretty cool, and when I was sitting on the couch watching TV and playing with my laptop, Katie was sitting next to me shivering.  She doesn't shiver like a lot of small dogs, only when she is cold.  So I dug out one of her sweaters, she was so excited she ran and ran all over the house.  

Here she is - in a beautiful blue sweater with black polka-dot collar - what all the fashionable dogs are wearing. : )  And the shivering stopped.

My son, Tom, and his wife, Trish, are out of town for a few days and they needed help with the kids (my grandkids).  So, Friday I picked them up at school and dropped them off at home, where they have someone helping them with the kids.  I had wanted to spend some time with them while Mom and Dad were gone, but I've had a bug since I returned from Vacaville.  (I usually do come down with something when I get home from Vacaville, I think it's the change of weather.)  It's not too bad, but I didn't want to pass it on, just in case.

So, today at noon I picked up my grandaughter, Kennedy, brought her to my house for lunch and some playtime.  I always have my son's kids, who live nearby, come over for their birthdays and we bake a birthday cake for them, they get to help as much as they can for their age, and then they get to decorate it, and bring it home.

So, today when Kennedy got here, the first thing she wanted to do was bake a cake.  Not a birthday cake, an unbirthday cake.  I never bake anymore, unless the kids are here, but luckily I had a cake mix in the cupboard.  As Kennedy was putting it together and mixing it up, I realized I didn't have any "store bought" frosting, which I usually have on hand.  Out came the "encyclopedia cookbooks," remember them?  Sure enough, a ton of frosting recipes, including a simple white powdered sugar/butter frosting, just what I was looking for.  And boy, was it good!

Notice the Jelly Belly hat - I didn't realize I brought it home in the bag with the Belly Flops, and Kennedy happily wore it while baking.

I couldn't find my usual cake pans, so we used a large shallow pan, and I cut it up into squares so they would be easier to carry home with Kennedy.  Also, she got to decorate four cakes instead of one.  First frosting, then marshmellows, jelly beans and lots of sprinkles.  Great Job, Kennedy!  :)

Close up of these beauties:

I have a second bedroom that was my guest bedroom, then it was my office. Then it was my sewing room.  Now it's my craft room.  It has everything you can think of - that I haven't already sold on Craig's List - for making paper type crafts.  Kennedy is 7 1/2, and very creative.  She wants to be an artist when she grows up, and whenever I set her up at one of my tables with my supplies, she always comes up with something pretty great.  Here she is seriously concentrating on her work:

Here is the picture so far...we had to leave for "cheerleading class," so we left everything out so she can finish it next time.

A bit blurry - here's close ups of the parts:

She used lots of 3-D elements that were pretty cute - a bell over the roof of the house, a wooden sign on a post that says "Home Sweet Home," a ladybug on the flower.

Of course, palm trees for a San Diego house.

A pink cloud and "Kennedy."  So cute.  But not finished yet...

After cheer class, we picked up Kennedy's brother, Gavin, who is 5.  He was at his Little League game when I picked up Kennedy, and then he stayed to watch his friend's game, too.  The friend's parents brought him home, and we picked him up and went to McDonalds for dinner.  They also have a little brother, Graydin, who was two in April.  He's my youngest grandson, and stayed home today with the Nanny, while the other two were out and about.

I have five grandchildren - two are my daughter's kids, in Vacaville, and three are my son's here in San Diego. They are such cute kids, enthusiastic, smart, polite, and so much fun.  There are all the best!  But they do wear me out - so I am now going to get little Katie and we're going to bed.  Looks like she's ready!

 From Me and My Dog, good night everyone! :)