Taking A Break

Black Angus cows are hard to see at twilight.

I'm sharing a photo I made last night as we drove past one of our pastures. Something for you to enjoy while I take a bit of a break from the blog. I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Making And Giving

There is joy is making and joy in giving. Here is a look at some of the making and the giving that has happened around here in the last several weeks. And some of these makers gave things to me. There is also joy in receiving. 

I can barely keep up with the baby hats. The babies just keep coming. Don't you love the yarn bowl made by my friend Sue? It's made of clothesline so I can squish it up a little and pack it when I travel.

And one more sweet hat for a long anticipated baby. Jessica's co-workers look forward to "one of your mom's little hats" when a new baby arrives. (The how-to for making these hats is in a previous blog post.)  And they look forward to a "new mom" meal from Jessica, too. She makes delicious food and loves to give it when the need arises.

I love that I have friends with tremendous talent and skill. They love making AND giving. This linen handkerchief with a tatted edging was a lovely surprise in the mail a few weeks ago. It was made by a knitter friend Sonja who is skilled in many needlecrafts. She thought the mother-of-the-bride might need this for happy tears. I think she's probably right. In fact, I know she's right. There have been some happy tears already as I watched Jessica and her Daddy-O practice their father/daughter dance.

And another lovely gift given to me a few days ago. A finely handcrafted seam ripper. Have you ever seen anything like it?  Such workmanship. This was a thank you from a friend who borrowed my sewing machine when hers went on the fritz at the last minute while finishing Easter dresses for her granddaughters. Her son (father of one of the granddaughters) made this beautiful seam ripper. I am thrilled to have one. Lots of making and giving was involved in this exchange. 

For the last couple of months, my knitting energy has been focused on Jessica. I just finished a wedding shawl to keep her warm at the outdoor reception in the cool evening. She chose this pattern with a geometric design. She wasn't a fan of lace and ruffles as a little girl. She hasn't changed much. There is a lot of love knitted into this shawl. The bamboo yarn has a softness and heaviness that creates a beautiful drape. I hope when she wraps it around her shoulders, it will feel like a hug from her mother. I'll share a photo of the bride wearing it after the wedding.

And last week, I drove to a Chick Fil A on the south side of Atlanta to meet a dear knitting friend who had this stunning exquisite gift ready to give to me—a beaded lace shawl for me to wear at the wedding. This was probably the most elegant parking lot handoff ever! (The tiny beads don't show up well in these photographs, but they just twinkle in the light!) She had heard me say that if I had time after I finished Jessica's wedding shawl, I'd love to make one for myself. To be honest, I doubt that would have really happened. And she instinctively knew that. I am more grateful than words can say.

I tried to figure out what to give Jennifer in return, to thank her for this enormous gift of knitting and of time and of skill. She told me that she didn't expect anything. In her words... "I want you to know I give you the shawl freely to enjoy. I get an enormous amount of satisfaction knitting for someone who appreciates it and being a small part of your special day."

I've been on the receiving end of so much thoughtfulness lately. I love giving things I've made, but I also have loved receiving these special gifts. I fully appreciate the skill and time that went into the making of each one. So many wonderful gifts have come my way in the last couple of weeks that a song from The Sound Of Music popped into my head. Well, part of the song. These were the only words that I remembered. But I've been humming this for days now....

 🎶...somewhere in my youth or childhood,

I must have done something good.

To the many readers who commented (here, by email, & by text) on the previous post, On Being A Grandmother, I'm glad this one spoke to you. We grandmothers are entrusted with a precious mission...to pass along family traditions and stories, to care, to listen patiently, to love without limit—and to do it all with good humor. It doesn't hurt if you bake really good cookies, too!

(Before you tell you you don't bake, let me say that Tate's Bake Shop Cookies are also excellent. And I can find them in my small town grocery store.)

On Being A Grandmother

Grandmothering. It's a big deal. (If you are new here, that's how this blog started.) At times, it can be intense. When I arrive at their house, the little ones run to the door and I'm smothered with hugs and kisses. I love it. I don't think anyone else adores me like the young grandchildren. Lots of people love me. But these little girls love me and adore me.

Within 93 seconds of my arrival, Baby Girl lifts up a book and says, "Read to me, Mimi." And of course, I do. She and I fit nicely, side by side, in the leather wing chair. She sits tucked under my right arm. She snuggles up against me and we fit together like two matching puzzle pieces, And I read Iggy Peck Architect. And I read it again. And read it again. Thankfully, this book was fun to read. Some are not. I love reading aloud. I've said if I could earn a living doing that, it would be my dream job.

This adoration thing sometimes runs amuck. Little Sister hangs on the side of the chair and gently pokes her finger in my upper arm. "Mimi. Your arm feels kind of weird." I have on a sleeveless top. She pokes me a few more times and tells me, "Your arm is...pushy." I know what she means. She really means squishy. Or maybe even flabby. But "flabby" is not in her vocabulary yet.

This up-close inspection is part of the process. On previous visits, I've heard about the lines that go from my nose to my mouth that "go away when you smile." This visit Baby Girl checks my toes and toenail polish carefully. (The rule at their house—to reduce allergens—is "shoes off when you come inside.") "Mimi, this toenail looks funny," I'm happy it's only one of them.

At bedtime, I have mastered putting on my pajamas while never showing more than an inch of skin, because I typically have an audience, These little girls are anxious for their bedtime story. (Maybe they're afraid if I shoo them out and close the door, I won't let them back in?)  But that inch of skin happens to be at the eye level of a 4 year old. "Mimi, your tummy is all crinkly. Why? Mine doesn't look like that." Well, a half century ago, mine didn't look like that either.

Still. I'm okay with my jiggly arms and my lined face and crinkly tummy because it means I'm old enough to have grandchildren. And grandchildren outweigh everything else that comes with advancing years. It makes me work a little harder to stay healthy. I don't want to miss anything.

If I weren't spending time with the littles, I'd miss the preschool wisdom that is shared in the back seat of the car. With Jessica's wedding coming up in a couple of weeks, we've all talked a lot about getting married. The two little ones have also talked about weddings and marriage. Four year old Baby Girl told her sister last week, "You know, once you get married, you're permanently a grownup." Let's hope she's right.

And I'd miss hearing Little Sister read to me. She picked a book of Bible stories for children that happens to be a favorite of her little sister. She read to us quite proficiently, only stopping when she came to a big word she didn't know. No problem...because her little sister quickly filled in the missing word. Baby Girl has the whole book memorized.

Even though Baby Girl has heard the Bible stories many times, she still has questions. Like when we read about Noah's ark coming to rest on a mountain top after the flood, "Mimi, who made that mountain?" "God makes mountains. And he makes all the animals," I answer. And she adds, "And cows and horses make fertilizer." Yes. Yes, they do.

These times are precious. And they are fleeting. I am fully aware that my super-grandmother status is not permanent. As these little girls grow and their world expands and they venture forth, my role will shrink. And that's as it should be. I do wonder sometimes if they will remember the special times we've had together. I'm 100% sure I will.

Busy Day Kind Of Cake

Seriously. I am meeting myself coming and going up and down the interstate lately. I'm in a season of life that is a busy one. But like all seasons, it will fade and pass into the next one. A slower one, I think. The wedding is less than a month away. Last minute details need attention. Truly, I'm not the one in charge, but I do have a few duties.

Before we left last week for a final look at the venue, I finally unpacked from the TWO previous trips. Those two were so close together that I dropped a suitcase and picked up a smaller bag and went again. For three days this week, I have the luxury of being at home—if luxury means doing laundry and catching up on neglected chores. And today I'm completely happy to be doing that.

And I wanted to spend a little time in the kitchen. Notice I said "little time." Supper tonight is just a bowl of soup. Perfect since it's been cold enough for us to have a fire going for the last two days. And because Daddy-O will be here by himself for a few days at the end of the week, I wanted to bake him a treat to enjoy while I'm gone. An easy treat.

I bake a pretty good lemon pound cake. But some days, like today, don't have enough hours to get everything done. There was certainly no time for baking a homemade pound cake. That's when I want easy. I want quick. I want convenience.

One of the earliest convenience foods was boxed cake mix. I think cake mix is better when you doctor it up, so I tried a recipe from my friend Duncan...Duncan Hines. I made a recipe straight off the side of the box because I also had a box of pudding mix in the pantry. I figured that was a sign that this was the right recipe to bake.

Homemade pound cake it is not. Not pound cake that is dense and fine-grained smooth textured like a good homemade pound cake should be. (I can't even call this one pound cake, although that's what the recipe on the box says.) But it was surprisingly good. Good enough for a church dinner. Good enough to take to a neighbor. Good enough that I'm putting the recipe here so that I can find it again. (Who knows what recipe will be on the next box of cake mix I buy?) Then I added the finishing touch—a homemade lemon glaze that is just stirred together.

EASY LEMON CAKE

1 box Duncan Hines Signature Lemon Supreme cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) box instant lemon pudding & pie filling mix
4 large eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt cake pan. (I used Baker's Joy spray.)
Put cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until well blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack placed over waxed paper. While cake is cooling, make the glaze. Use a toothpick or a fork and poke holes in the cake to let the glaze soak in. Spoon lemon glaze over warm cake.

     Lemon Glaze:

     1-3/4 cup powdered sugar
     juice of one large lemon (about 1/4 cup)
     1 tablespoon melted butter*
     1 tablespoon water or so, if needed to thin it

     Mix all together with a whisk until smooth and you can drizzle it over the cake.
     If the glaze it too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time until the property
     consistency is reached.

     *If your butter is unsalted, add the tiniest pinch of salt.

In the interest of full disclosure here, I didn't measure anything for the glaze. I just eyeballed the amounts. You can get it to the right consistency by adding a little more water if it's too thick. Or add a little more sugar if it's too thin. And then taste it to see if you need to squeeze the last drops of juice out of that lemon and add that. That's all there is to it!