Three steps forward, two steps back and Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is dedicated to Shaun. It is also dedicated to someone who loved me enough to tell me that although the end result of my work is not what I expected, it is not the end of the world. I especially want to thank Penny for sharing this rose with me and the world which was a special gift from her husband. Sometimes they are more beautiful when left to grow according to God's plan.






Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoonful baking soda
1/2 teaspoonful salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoonful vanilla extract/flavoring
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 12 ounce bag (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix butter and shortening with mixer on high 30 seconds then gradually add sugars, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the flour and mix by hand until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased baking dish about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

Shaun is the son of my niece. That makes him my first great-nephew and he has always owned a special part of my heart. This year he married a wonderful girl and he became a dad. With these changes, his priorities began to change too and he was willing to openly admit he loved his bride and his son more than he thought he was capable of. He also openly admitted making a cooking mistake. He was making cookies and substituted baking powder for baking soda. He said he thought the cookies looked different but the real test was tasting them and he will never forget the difference in the taste. It was definitely not the taste he was expecting. I told him that every cook who has ever lived has made a similar mistake even if nobody knew it and we never forget what that taste was like. He took two steps forward and slid back one. He had a plan, it did not work out as planned but he took responsibility and learned something in the process. The part that means so much to me is he shared that process with me and others.

That's what life is about. Stepping out, trying and sharing the results with the people in your life who care to listen. I am so blessed.


Psalm 31:3 Since you are my rock and fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Love,
Nana

Gifts of my son to me and Potato Soup

This story is dedicated to the soldiers who have fought for centuries for what is right but especially for those who took up the sword for our country. Today is Memorial Day. I pray we never forget why it is set aside as a holiday and who made it possible.







Potato Soup

Stock:
Place chicken skin and fat in about a quart of water. While the water is coming to a boil, cut up a whole onion, several stalks of celery and two carrots. Boil until the onion is clear. Pour the stock through a colander and toss the chicken skin and vegetables. Stock can be stored in the refrigerator, frozen or used immediately.

One quart chicken stock
4 cups of quartered potatoes (more or less... I never have measured it)
1/2 stick or a good size spoonful of butter/margarine
salt
pepper
more water
instant potatoes if you want the soup thick

Place the stock in a large pot bring to a boil and add the potatoes. Add water to the stock to cover the potatoes and have a good broth. Bring to a boil then turn down to medium high or place in a crock pot. Cook until potatoes are tender. You can finish it now or if you put it in a crock pot it will stay warm for several hours. You can serve it just as it is with a clear broth or add instant potatoes slowly.. a tablespoonful at a time until it is the thickness you like.

** Some people use flour to thicken their soups. I like to use instant potatoes instead of flour because it does not change the taste or become lumpy.

I remember the slow dance of mom and son at his wedding and I tried so hard not to cry but Scott put my head on his shoulder and brushed my hair. It was a beautiful day, his bride was amazing and I did not want to spoil it. As we heard the words to the song You Lift Me Up, he reminded me that his new bride would take care of him but she did not know how to make the soup he always wanted when he was sick; my homemade potato soup. I would always be welcome in his life.

A few months later I got a call from Abigail. Scott was not feeling well... could I share with her my recipe for this soup and I remembered his words. I am thankful for such a loving daughter-in-law and to know that God's plan for me is so much more. While I gave him life, my son and his wife gave me something that is so valuable to me... acceptance. I don't fully know His plan for me but I am taking steps to go forward as He leads me. Sometimes the only thing I can do is make soup. Some days that may be enough.

Isaiah 58:8 Your light will break out like the dawn.

Love,
Nana

Why Grandmas are Grandmas and Mommies are Mommies and Strawberry Shortcake

This blog is dedicated to Abigail who is glowing as her tummy grows and her heart expands beyond anything she thought possible. She is a mommy in waiting.















Strawberry Shortcake

Fresh Strawberries
Store bought glaze
Pound cake

Cut up the strawberries, mix with glaze and serve over generous slices of pound cake. Sometimes life should be simple.


There is a story of a woman who had a baby at 60. It was considered a miracle and her friends came to visit her. She served them tea and generous portions of strawberry shortcake. They sat with her and she began to talk to them about what was new them until somebody finally asked her "where is the baby". She sat quietly for a moment then said "I am waiting for him to cry so I remember where I put him".

Our life is about stages and we don't always understand them a we go through them. It's not just about children but other things in our lives like pets. Little dogs belong with young girls who also have boundless energy. Fat cats belong with older women and grandmas. In between we can have a variety of pets; I have no pets yet both fat cats and a little dog follow me around. That might not always be the greatest for them. This morning I fed the cats but I forgot to feed dog. I started to feed him. On the way to garage to get his food, I put the bowl on the washer but then I did something else. I knew I was forgetting something when I walked into the laundry room so I came back. I tried to remember and in the meantime, I put in a load of laundry. For the life of me I could not remember what I forgot do so I did something else. That little dog was under my feet everywhere I went! I stopped for lunch. There he was under my feet again! Before I put him outside so he would not annoy me, I decided to look to see if he ate... I looked all over the kitchen and patio but I couldn't find his bowl. Finally, I spotted it in laundry room. The washer was filled with the laundry that I almost started earlier. I started the washer now 5 hours later from when I put the laundry in. I feed the dog for real now and when my tummy growled I remembered my own lunch on the table.

That's why I think grandmas are not supposed to be mommies. Grandmas and nanas have a special role to play with new babies. We smile and enjoy being part of the process. Today I learned I am too old for the little dog that follows me around, too young for a fat cat that we associate with grandmas and retirement...perhaps I need a fish.

Genesis 1:1 "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". He knew what he was doing then and His timeline is perfect for us now.

Love,
Nana

Mom's Day and Sun Tea

I chose this menu from a pharmacy in the '50s and 60's because it has a special memory to many people. Buntings had the best hot dogs in the world and loosing the pharmacy has left many of us missing a time of simpler things. This blog is dedicated to Roberta, Penny, and the many others who can remember what it was like to walk down our main street and feel like you were at the best place on earth. Special thanks to Penny for finding the words of the original poem that set our mothers schedules... and the revisions that all of us can apply to our lives today. Mom... this is for you. Thank you for teaching me to take life a day at a time and giving me the tools to be organized which I need to use today.

Sun Tea... according to Henry and in memory of him

Choose a glass or plastic gallon jug with a lid. Clear is the best. Fill close to the top, add 10-12 tea bags. Place in a sunny area until done. Add your favorite sweetener and lemon if desired. If you are in most places, you can have tea for dinner. Here in the desert... tea is ready before the ice cubes freeze.

Monday: Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my
selfishness and vanity, so I may
serve you with perfect humility
through the week ahead.

Tuesday – Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out
all the wrinkles of prejudice.
I have collected through the years
so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday – Mending Day
God, help me mend my ways
so I will not set a bad
example for others.

Thursday – Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust
out all the many faults I
have been hiding in the
secret corners of my heart.

Friday – Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop
wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all
others in need of love.

Saturday – Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a
big kettle of brotherly love and
serve it with clean, sweet bread of
human kindness.

Sunday – the Lord’s Day
O God, I have prepared my house
for you. Please come into my heart
as my honored guest so I may spend
the day and the rest of my life
in your presence.

Times change... one thing I avoid is ironing and shopping is no longer reserved for Friday which was the traditional payday then. We don't do things in order then wonder why we get nothing done... we say we have "no time" for things we should and could do. I can do better than I do. We all can. It just takes more organization and having your priories spelled out. Take time for the little things and the big things will not seem quite so burdensome. Our time is now... it was chosen and ordained by God for His purposes. Don't miss a moment of it in worry or regret. Tell the ones you love that you do and resolve the pain in your heart between yourself and your loved one and yourself and God. Today is Thursday... guess I better get to cleaning.

Psalms 139:16 All the days for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Love,
Nana

Water Lillies and S'mores

This story is dedicated to my childhood friends Sandy and Penny and to my daughter Susan who finds beauty in the simplest things. It's for Abigail also because she taught Scott how to make S'mores after they were married. How did I manage to not teach him that?



S'mores
Hershey chocolate bars
Toasted marshmallows
Graham crackers
Friends and a campfire

Gather with friends at a campfire. Toast marshmallows over the fire on a stick or metal clothes hanger. Place the toasted marshmallow on top of the Hershey bar which is placed first on one graham cracker. Top with a second graham cracker and enjoy the melted chocolate and gooey center with giggling friends.

I love this picture of water lillies. I remember the first time I saw these beautiful flowers on a lake when I was a young teenager at church camp. My friend Sandy talked me into taking a rowboat to see them up close. It was not until I wanted to touch them that she told me she could not swim and had never been in a rowboat. She was clueless as to how to get back to shore. I was so surprised and asked her "why did you suggest we come if you did not know how to row or swim?". She said "I trusted you and knew if you did not know how, you would say 'no'". Great! I probably weighed 80 pounds and here I am in the middle of a lake with no other boats around with a girl who could not swim. Luckily, the camp had life vests in the boats so I was relieved that if she fell in, there was a chance she would not sink.

I touched the water lillies. They were slimy underneath and the roots went to the bottom of the water. They were not magically floating flowers as they appeared from a distance. They had roots nobody could see and their beauty is not fragile. They are meant to be seen but not swept up like other flowers. I was so thankful that I got the chance to see them up close but quickly gave a quick "thanks" under my breath to my dad and brothers who taught me to row a boat and swim.

My friend Penny is like those water lillies. From a distance, she has always seemed so serene and her quiet personality made our school friends think she was shy. To some degree she was and is but up close, she remains steadfast to her faith and no waves in life are too tough for her to weather. Look closer at your friends. You may get a glimpse of beauty that you did not see before, but God always has enjoyed.

Proverbs 16:3 "commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established".

Love,
Nana

Crossroads and Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

This blog is just for Susan. She is at a crossroads in her life and has decided that making a decision is better than just staring at the choices and wondering what to do.


Pineapple Upside down Cake

3 1/2 T butter or margarine
1/2 C brown sugar
1 can (No 2) chunks(the short can)
6 maraschino cherries
1 1/4 C sifted flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/3 C shortening
1 t vanilla
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 C pineapple juice

Melt the butter or margarine in 6 to 8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle sugar over it once it is melted. Arrange pineapple (1/2 inch thickness)into flower-shaped pattern; place well drained cherry in the center of each flower. Let that sit while you prepare the batter.

Sift four, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Add vanilla to shortening and gradually add the sugar creaming until fluffy. Add egg to this mixture and beat with mixer until blended. Add flour and pineapple juice alternately to this mixture, stirring until blended after each addition.

Spread the batter over the pineapple. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Turn onto flat plate immediately. Serve warm or cold.

This was the very first desert recipe that was successful for me. I made it first when I was in junior high school and trusted it would always come out perfect. Other cakes did not turn out so well. There were no plastic tubs of frosting to buy in the grocery store and I just could not seem to get any of the recipes from books to look like the picture. Sometimes the results was a complete failure so I came to rely on what I knew would work. I left the other cakes to those who could make them with ease. You just have to know what you can and can't do well.

Susan has some major decisions ahead as she enters college and she will find that some of the things she loves to do (like me making upside down cake) will not help her in the studies there. She will learn not only about the subjects but about herself. For the first time in her life she will have many choices instead of a few under the shelter and guidance of her parents. Some of the choices others present to her will be energetic and insistent with loud voices... "come on. It will be fun! You are on your own and it is your choice... you are over 18 you don't have to ask permission from anyone!" If the voices are too loud or make her feel like "no" is her best answer, I hope she listens to the logical side of her brain but if it will be fun and she is just not sure of herself, I hope she does experience life at it's fullest. She chose the college all by herself, researched it then invited me and her dad to tour it with her. She registered for classes for both summer and fall and did her own research for her best financial options to pay for school. She understands she does not have to ask permission for her choices but she also seems to grasp that with choices also comes responsibility. Today she is going to work. She has saved about ninety percent of what she has earned to pay for school. She is head and shoulders above most of the people in her graduating class in being prepared for this crossroads they all are at now. We are very proud of her confidence.

One of my favorite hymns is Softly and Tenderly. The voice of the Master is both soft and tender. He will call you to Himself and sometimes He knocks at your hearts door and the sound is very soft... He is a gentleman and will not enter your heart or life without invitation. He may ask you to befriend someone others shun because they are shy and do not seem to have much to offer the group. Sometimes He may just want to sit with you and hear your burdens but He is always soft and tender in His approach. I have asked Him to be with Susan as I have asked Him to be with all my children. The wonderful thing is she also invited Him to accompany her on life's journey so I know He is with her anywhere and everywhere she goes. He will help her sort through the loud voices of the world and draw her to Himself. Invite Him into your life and He will help you with your crossroads too.

Revelations 3:20 I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.

Love,
Nana

Just a day in the life...

If you have made it this far into my blog, you are very patient. Hopefully, whoever you are, you will find humor in this and not think I'm a complete fruitcake. I am not complete. I am a fruitcake in progress.













There is a story about a retired couple who were watching television. The man got up to go in the kitchen and asked his wife if she wanted anything while he was there. She said... "sure, I'll take a dish of ice cream". He asked "anything else" and she said "sure add some chocolate syrup". He asked "anything else" and she said "sure add a few sprinkles". He asked "anything else" and she smilled sweetly and said "no thank you". He returned a few minutes later with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. She looked at him and smiled and said "you forgot the toast".

I was also going into the kitchen and asked if my husband wanted coffee. He said "sure"... he was not as amused when I finished the dishes first because I forgot that I promised to bring him coffee. Guess that story was not too far from real life.

Sorry 'bout that...

1 Corinthians 11:33 When you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Who knew good manners was actually Biblical? I just thought it was a "southern thing" to wait until everybody is served.

Love,
Nana