We’re Cooking up a special menu to honor our moms and inspire you to pamper her on May 10th
Oh, My Mother-in-law!
My mother-in-law waited ten years for the baby she had always dreamed of and expected to have.
From the time her son was born, the love and affection she showed him would have been enough for an army of children. He was everything to her. She cared for him, fought battles for him and despite rumors that “only children” grow up to be pretty spoiled, she managed to give him great guidance, a sense of caring and a love for others that carried him through life with strong values.
Even though there are lots of horror stories and mother-in-law jokes, I can tell you, I have always felt so lucky to have had theperfect mother-in-law. She loved her son unconditionally, and although you might find a mother with such a deep love, unwilling to welcomed anyone into their circle, she always said, “If my son loves her, I love her.” Melts my heart to remember how much she loved our family as it grew.
She was a special mother in so many ways. Growing up, Mike loved animals. He wanted a German Shepherd and always dreamt of having a horse. As it became
possible, they moved to a place where they could have both and of course it all became another job for mom. Mike got to do the fun part like playing with the dog and riding
the horse, but mom did the hard part; caring for them all. She would always say, “It’s okay, honey, as long as you enjoy them!” drawing out the words in her Alabama accent that never diminished one bit even though she lived in Ohio many more years than she lived in the South.
Mike loved being with his friends and they all played baseball. Practices, games and tournaments, his mom never missed being there to watch and it was taken for granted that anyone who needed a ride could be chauffeured by Mike’s mom. She always took as many kids as could be packed in the car; those were the days of no seat belts and the kids didn’t care if some had to sit on another friend’s lap. Mom was always there no matter what the boys needed or wanted to do.
Having friends over to spend the night usually started out as an overnight stay event but would more often turn into a weekend retreat because none of the kids ever wanted to go home. Why would they when mom did everything and was such a great cook?
I remember her stories about punishments at their house. The very few times Mike did something that didn’t please her, she really did make an attempt to punish him. However, she always ended up feeling so guilty about a few harsh words that she would apologize and ask him if he could ever forgive her.
So much for the “Time Out” chair. When it came to practicing his music, she let him count his bathroom breaks in his required practice time! She was always there to provide a soft landing for every situation.
As Mike and I started our family, his mom and grandmother couldn’t wait for a baby in the family and to see our first born.
One day after our son’s birth, she shared she couldn’t imagine loving anyone like she had loved her own son, but she guessed she must have enough love to go around because her grandson brought such a thrill it was like having Mike all over again. Bless her heart, the second grandson was certainly not left out. She really did have enough love for everyone.
Loving, caring, nurturing, sharing, teaching, guiding, supporting…that’s what mom’s do.
I will always think of her fondly and wonder how one soul could have so much love to give away. Missing her every day and especially on Mother’s Day.
I hope you all have a wonderful day on Sunday. Pull out the picture box and take a trip back into your memories of Mom….and share them! Share them all so that a young generation can know that it is through our memories that we truly live on!
Loving Our Mothers on Mother’s Day
Loving Touch
Baby Girl Ornament
Baby Boy Ornament
Our Miracle
Here are two wonderful brunch ideas
Mother’s Day or Anytime Just For Mom Brunch Menu Recipes
When you’re a child she walks before you. To set an example.
When you’re a teenager she walks behind you.
To be there should you need her.
When you’re an adult she walks beside you
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together.
Memories of My Own Mother: I remember when I was growing up, a life that was much more scheduled and Saturday was the day to get everything done at home. My parents both worked. They went to work and came home at the same time every day, had weekends off even though they spent the entire weekend working at something. They went to the grocery store, together, every Friday night without fail and my mother did laundry and cleaned the house every Saturday while my dad worked in the garage fixing and repairing anything and everything for our house and every neighbor on the block. Nothing ever deviated very much.
I loved the Saturdays my mother baked bread…this was on top of her other chores. First thing before she started the cleaning chores, she put together the flour mixture for bread and covered it to let the dough rise. A few hours later she punched the dough down and I can still see her dividing the bread mixture into little balls and working each with the fingertip to make what would rise the second time as rolls. The way she twisted the dough made the tops of each little dough pillow as smooth as silk. I often wonder if all bakers used that same approach to preparing the rolls. The dough was left to rise again and at just the right time she put the pans, one by one into the oven to bake. She also made coffee cake with part of each batch of dough and sprinkled a sugar and cinnamon mixture on the top. What a wonderful smell that sent through the entire house and a great Sunday morning breakfast before church!
I remember short sleeve house dresses, washing dishes by hand, aprons…then, later each Saturday afternoon, our bathroom would become a beauty “parlor” and after I washed my hair, she put the wet strands into “pin curls” so they could dry overnight and be brushed out in the most relentless curly mass for
Sunday school and church. It was a welcome change with the invention of “rollers”! We put our hair up on rollers instead of pin curls and the result was still a curly mess, just not quite as tight.
I loved my mother’s stories and hearing about her experiences as she grew up in a house with seven sisters and brothers. My mother was in high school when her youngest brother was born and my most favorite sibling story of all time was the one she would tell about how she and her oldest sister fought over who would push the “baby buggy” when taking their brother around the block for a ride.
One day they were fighting so much about who got to push the buggy, they didn’t notice when the baby slid out of his seat and landed on the ground some distance back. They couldn’t believe it when they stopped arguing long enough to check the baby and he was gone. Then it was a fight to make sure each swore not to tell their mom of their mishap. In later years, sitting around a table with the two sisters at lunch, they would have the biggest laugh over that incident…a memory that makes me smile even today.
Make memories with family, love hard and live life because when we’re too old to do anything else…we’ll have great memories to lean on.
Did your mom have favorite sayings? My mother had a lot of them, and we still repeat them at our family gatherings and they still make us all laugh. Sayings like, “Settle yourself”! or “There before the grace of God go I”. What do you remember about your mom and what were her favorite sayings that come to mind?
COMFORT FOOD
Chicken Soup
Ingredients
5 medium carrots, peeled
5 large stalks celery, trimmed
1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
3 pounds chicken leg quarters (about 4 legs)
10 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces wide egg noodles (about 4 cups)
Instructions
Add 3 of the carrots, 3 stalks of the celery, half the onion, the chicken, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf to a large stock pot. Separate the parsley leaves from the stems and reserve the leaves. Add the stems to the pot. Cover with 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the broth is golden and the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes.
Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and put in a large bowl to cool. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or other container. Discard the solids. Wipe out the stockpot and pour the strained broth back into the pot.
Cut the remaining 2 carrots diagonally into 1/4-slices. Cut the remaining 2 celery stalks into 1/2-inch slices. Dice the remaining half of the onion. Add the cut vegetables to the stock and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until al dente, about 5 minutes, then drain and reserve.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and tear the meat into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones and skin. Add the meat back to the pot along with the cooked noodles. Chop the reserved parsley leaves and add to the pot. Season with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt and some pepper and bring to a simmer to reheat.
If you have a favorite comfort food recipe to share, please email me! laura@canadagoosegallery.com
The Value of Community
Caregivers that put aside their own safety to care for us: Nurses
