Multi-purpose Furniture

Grandma and Grandpa’s latest building project will keep “Monkey” safe while helping in the kitchen. Now that he tried it out and enjoys it, we’ll tweak a couple things and paint it.

Items that have dual or multi purposes are necessary when living in a small space. Foot stools and end tables with storage, hide-a-bed, murphy bed, all those regular type things.

We’ve made some of our own creations when we can’t buy what we need, or if we can’t find the right size piece.

In my perfect world, I would be working with wood nearly every day because it’s my favourite hobby.

This latest piece might look confusing or overbuilt, but it transforms for four different uses.

In the top picture is it as a aid for my dish washing and baking helper. To grow with him it has four height adjustments.

The picture below it’s an adjustable highchair.

It also converts into an extra adult chair for at our table.

Plus, I can adjust it for a step stool when needing to access our high cabinets.

There’s building directions for lots of different styles of the four things mentioned  above on Pinterest, but I couldn’t find a multi purpose one. So, with a idea in my head, Mister and I started building this figuring out the arm system as we went.

Do you remember being little and standing on something so you could help in the kitchen?

Do you enjoy making things of any kind?

What Makes These So Easy

Are you craving homemade cookies but don’t have much time? Even, with little to no baking experience, you can impress family and friends with these yummy, “Jelly Slices”.

They’re quick and extremely easy to make.

The recipe was one of my mom’s favourites to whip up for unexpected company, or if she craved a homemade sweet at odd hours.

She also loved to bake with her grandkids, and these were a very popular choice.

What makes them quicker then most to make is the batch is baked, all at once, in logs, then cut into slices. So, no individually shaping cookies before baking multiple pans.

Top left picture – Showing the process before baking, a log, a log with indent, indents filled with jam. (You could put peanut butter, chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts, pie filling, pretty much anything you can bake in the indents, or even nothing.)

Top right picture – Them baked.

Bottom left picture – Sliced while still hot and on the pan.

Bottom right – Ready for tasting.

Jelly Slices

Cream Together

• 3/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar 
• 1/4 Cup Icing Sugar

Then add

• 1 Egg
• 2 Cups White Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla

Mix only until ingredients are incorporated. (Don’t over mix)

Divide batter into four equal parts. Squish each part firmly together, just so it doesn’t separate when rolling.

On a lightly floured surface use your palms to roll each part into a approximately 3/4”-1” thick x 11-12” long log and place on a non stick baking sheet.

I use the wooden spoon handle to make a indent down the middle of the roll.

Fill the indent with any flavour of Jam or Jelly. (Do not cut logs yet)

Bake at 350 degrees for roughly 15 minutes. Every oven and even bakeware cooks differently so when making for the first time check the batch starting at maybe 12-13 minutes. I like soft cookies so I take mine out just when the bottoms start to lightly brown.

Remove from oven and using a sharp knife immediately cut diagonally into about 1/2 – 3/4” slices.

Let me know if you try making these.

Do you have a quick go to recipe when you are needing or craving a sweet?

My Messengers

Golden Retriever, “Ruben” and Doberman, “Dobby” are helping me wish everyone “HAPPY NEW YEAR”

Ruben, 3 and a half years old, loves poising for pictures and is always willing to send messages, to and for, Grandma.

Dobby, a 7 month old puppy says, “Look Grandma, I’m sitting nice, but I really want to lick the camera.” I guess a sign he just wanted to eat.

Here’s hoping “2017” brings Good Health and Happiness to my readers.

May Wishes Come True, and you Reach Goals you’ve set.

To my Followers and Faithful Readers I also want to say, Thank you.

Your views, likes, comments, and patience while I’m learning the blogging process means a lot. These simple gestures encourage me to keep writing, and hint to what topics are enjoyed the most.

The goal for my blog in “2017” is to continue sharing experiences in hopes to entertain, or inspire readers, and I love connecting with you via comments.

As for personal resolutions, I try not to set myself up for failure, like saying I’ll exercise and lose weight, that one never turns out as planned.

But, here are my Top five “2017” Goals.

1)  I want to visit and Enjoy Family and Friends as much as possible.

2) Appreciate what I have, and don’t dwell on what I don’t. At this point in life the main thing missing is, youth.

3) Continue to live by the Golden Rule. (Do unto others as you would have others do onto you)

4) Worry less, this is always the hardest for me to control. Sometimes, I worry about worrying. 

5) Spend more time doing hobbies that make me happy. (I have so many, I worry about which one to do. See number 4, is a problem.)

Quarter horse, “Nugget,” wanted to send his well wishes too, but he said it was too windy to have that silly paper sign around his neck.

Do you have animals that put up with photography antics?

Do you make “News Years resolutions” or set yourself goals?