Katherine

This baby is 5 today.  The last one, the baby, but no longer a baby.

I was there when she was born and have been in her life almost daily since she was 8 months old.

You always wonder if you're going to love the second child as much as the first.  The first 9 months we were living here were difficult with Mike's health always being first on our minds, then losing him, and Emily starting her new job.  I felt overwhelmed with how much work taking care of two children under 3 was.  I loved her from the start, and she got used to me, but it took a while to form that bond that we now have, one where she looks at me with love in her eyes and whispers, "Mimi," when she sees me.  And one where my heart just melts when I hear her little voice and see her face.

We never had a day that there weren't cuddles and hugs and kisses.  She just fits perfectly in my arms, and there's nothing better.  Except the last time I touched her was March 12th - six weeks ago.  I wondered how we were going to make it being separated from each other, whether she would forget me and how sad it was going to be not seeing both girls every day, but both girls have done well with the new rules, and it seems almost as if the few visits are even more special.

Katherine started counting down to her birthday probably around February when Graysen turned 7 and she realized age 5 meant kindergarten and going to the same school as her sister.  This last week has been unreal with all her excitement, planning her birthday tea party and refreshments, inviting me every day, telling me how many more days it was every morning.

I didn't get to share much of her last day of being 4, just a quick visit on their way to the grocery store, but Emily sent an album of pictures that show just what a wonderful day it was.  I think she will probably remember this day simply because of it being so different and everyone working to make the best of things.

First, their next-door neighbor brought over the birthday sign. There can be no doubt about what's going on at this house.

They were all four walking to the grocery store to get her a birthday doughnut and stopped by to say hello.  Looks like she got a hummingbird balloon too.

Her portable "throne" is so funny to me.  She is perfectly capable of walking or riding her bike or scooter, but on a hike last week, they borrowed a stroller because of her possibly not making it all the way and not wanting to carry her.  Now that she experienced that, it's become her preferred method of transportation.

They stayed busy all day, walking to the park to decorate placemats (and fingernails) with jewels for the tea party.

A trip to the garden to plant some seedlings and check on the other plants.

They love the new truck a lot, and so does Ryan!

I'm not even sure what this is.  Chalk maybe?  It looks good enough to eat.

New matching nightgowns and a movie and popcorn plus some bouncing before bedtime.

And on the morning of the real birthday.

Cupcakes have arrived - with kitty paws - from across the street and a bunch of pink balloons from next door.

They're expecting some drive-by birthday wishes before the party.  

I bet I'll have some more pictures after the fancy tea party.  

Feeding My Flock

I have two of these cookbooks around, gifts from my mother-in-law Eleanor to Elise and me.  Emily has her copy, and I'm sure Stephanie does too.  I hardly ever use cookbooks any more since a quick Google search will find pretty much everything you need to know, but this is the ONE.

We have 3 go-to recipes that we never waver from in the FYF cookbook.

Taco Soup, Banana Bread, and Cornbread.  I've tried many others, but these are marked and spattered, and I know exactly what page they're on.

The first time I made the taco soup, it had yet to become popular, and I was just going on instinct.  My friend Karen and her husband were traveling from their home in New York to Atlanta - or vice versa - to visit her parents, and they stopped by our Greensboro home.  We had not seen each other in over 30 years, and I'm sure it was the taco soup that broke through the awkwardness of that reunion and helped make it such a fun visit.  That and looking through old annuals and pictures and doing a lot of talking!

I don't always follow the recipe as far as meat or no meat or what vegetables to include, but the taco seasoning and Ranch dressing mix are the secret ingredients.

I made enough with ground beef to send the Win-Bins 3 containers and keep one for Elise and myself plus one in the freezer.

Now I'll make the same recipe tomorrow with no meat, which is the way I like it.  

Another favorite, which I didn't make today but always make at Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially to go in dressing, is Charlie's Cornbread.

It's always so moist and really good, and it's hard to mess it up, but you'd better believe I have messed it up some way over the years.  I'm thinking about that New Year's Day in 2015 when Sherry and David were visiting us before we left Montgomery.  I did something with the salt, baking powder and/or meal.  I can't remember now, but it was just the worst.  I think David gamely gnawed on a piece before even he gave up!

And Jackie's banana bread.  I started using this recipe years ago and sometimes will veer away from it and try different ones but always come back.  It's just the very best and, even better, it always makes me think of Jackie and Joe and seeing them come in Mike's parents front door with a gift of banana bread for them.

I've also made a banana pudding from here, a broccoli salad, numerous casseroles, and most importantly the famous Eleanor's Sugar Cookies, frankly the best thing in there.  It was Jackie who made a batch of those for Emily and Ryan's wedding for a place of honor at the reception.

I can't remember very many visits to Andalusia that we didn't leave with a Maxwell House coffee can full of those melt-in-your mouth cookies.

Ryan and Emily are such good cooks and actually like it, so I don't ever think about cooking for them, but sometimes it's good to have something you don't have to worry about in the house.

I've already gotten the thank you texts, and Emily said Ryan was singing songs about the taco soup.  He gets a little excited about the brown rice that Kathy makes and the mushroom rice that I make too.

Now to the other two dishes I made.

This one:

I read a cute blog sometimes called Carolina Charm and get so many good ideas for the girls and recipes and all kinds of other ideas.  I need to link it to my sidebar.  Here's the link to this recipe.

It was so simple to put together.  I did text Ryan and ask him if the girls cared about green peppers and onions in food.  I've already forgotten.  He said peppers were okay for sure and maybe onions, so I just left out the onions.  I don't love chopping them anyway.  

But obviously I left off most of the salt, because as beautiful as it is, my one taste of it was just as bland and tasteless as could be.   I worry about making things too spicy for the girls, but next time I will season this one a little better.

I just hope they will add the salt and the girls won't hate it the first time.  I used to make a breakfast casserole with croutons, but this one has hash browns, eggs, milk, and cheese.  This is definitely worth trying agian.

The last one is the one I liked the best, enough so that I stole enough for myself for supper.

I got the idea for baked spaghetti from the Carolina Charm blog but ended up using this recipe.

She calls it spaghizza, and I saw some who called it pizza-ghetti.  I took the easy route, and it was really good to me.  I think it's just the thing kids will like too.  They can add their own pizza toppings.  I don't have a finished picture, but this is before I baked them.  Sometimes at least one of the girls is not liking "yellow" cheese, so I used mostly Mozzarella.

Next time I will break up the noodles more to make it easier to eat, and I will try the one with ricotta too. But this is one I'll check off as a repeat.

Half the blueberry oatmeal bars are gone, I hear, so I'll spend a few days at the end of week doing this again.  I really need to feel like I'm helping in some way.  My payback is going to be to ask Ryan to smoke something for me next time he has the smoker out.  And letting me come to the birthday tea party this weekend.  I'll have to make myself a Fancy Nancy mask!

Seriously Hard

I guess I have it easy - physically - compared to a lot of people, but I'm just letting this crazy life get to me.  I think I have too many loose ends and disorganization at a time when I have all the time in the world to get my act together.

There are some really good days and some surprisingly low days for me lately.  Or not really days but just periods of time.

There's not enough in my life right now to post anything very often, and then I tend to forget all the good things when I do.

Going back just one day:  This was a Memorial Day and probably the most blah one ever.  No plans.  Cool weather and rain.  No food in the house so forced to go to the grocery store.  So that's where I went.  I never liked going to the grocery store that much before but never really dreaded it.  Now I do.  It's like uncharted territory because of masks, barriers, one-way aisles, lack of certain items.

It was okay though, and I didn't mind it at all.  There were fewer people than before, and it's quieter because of no one talking much.  Everyone seems friendlier over their masks with looks of apology for being on the wrong aisle or just kind of a feeling of camaraderie of everyone just weathering this storm.

Emily and I had talked about ways I could possibly help out since I can't physically take the girls, and we decided I would do some cooking along for them - not my strongest suit and not that fun for me, but I did get a few ideas and the ingredients bought to do it.

I stopped by with a blueberry oatmeal bake for the girls on the way to the grocery store.  I love ringing the doorbell and hearing running feet and excited yells that Mimi is here.  Never gets old.  We had a little visit at the door, and they made me so happy.  One of Emily's co-workers had given them a huge box of clothes their daughter had outgrown (and most too big for the girls right now) and another bin of almost new toys, puzzles, books, etc.  So much excitement.

You can see Emily just hanging out in the background, on her third day of being inside with the girls.  Muttering something about her parenting.

 I think I can see this in a future Pajama Day at school - but hopefully not in the next year or two.

Picture that came later showed Katherine supposedly enjoying the blueberry oatmeal bars.  I probably used too many frozen blueberries and made it soggy, but they liked it, so that's all that counts.  

I had such a good day Sunday in the middle of all this gloominess on my part.  I didn't have a thing planned and wasn't even all that excited about reading the Sunday paper, but Noreen texted and said she was drinking her coffee on her porch - makeup optional.  Like I've worn makeup in weeks!  I had gotten up and washed my hair and dressed, so I took my cup and basked in the sunshine and had some good conversation and laughs with her.

Then I stopped by to pick up the mail and felt like walking, so I circled around the apartments and ran into my downstairs neighbor on HER sunny porch.  So envious of no stairs and sunshine!  I hardly ever see Pam because, even though we park our cars close to each other, their porch is on the opposite side of the building from my balcony.  We've waved a few times from the car but never talked much.  But that day we just found everything funny and crazy, and I ended up standing there 45 minutes talking with her.  Then her husband Marvin came out to see what was going on, and I enjoyed talking to him too.  Their sons and daughter-in-law have been very strict on their going out - even more so than my daughters - and they are getting a little antsy.  I'm so fortunate to have found a couple of sweet friends within a few steps of my door.  I think we'll get together more often, keeping our distance, of course, as it gets warmer.

After I left there, I went over to see the Win-Bins.  I had texted Emily over an hour ago that I might go by on my walk, but I think they weren't looking for me after all that time.

I never get tired of coming down this sidewalk and seeing the girls outside.

They were all outside that day, tackling that flower bed.  Emily had ideas for the azaleas, and Ryan was there to do her bidding.

All the planters looked so good yesterday when they finished with them.  Emily is proudest of her Lenten rose because of the love her dad had for it.

Well-thought out path.  One side for foot traffic and another for bikes and scooters. 

The girls are into musicals lately and watched Les Miserables.  Emily was once obsessed by this sound track and knew pretty much every song and all the words.  Looks like Graysen is following in her footsteps. 

One is into Broadway shows and the other into rocks!

I guess I'll go cook a little bit.  I made taco soup last night and have that done, so I'll try a breakfast dish and some spaghetti for the girls as well as some chicken and broccoli.  Maybe not all today.  There IS a limit to how much I enjoy being in the kitchen!