Medicine
Just when you thought we were eating healthy, we fell prey to Giant's special: four
Edy's Ice Cream half-gallons for $10. Our recently-purged freezer is now stocked for spring, full of
Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie,
Cherry Chocolate Chip,
Vanilla Bean, and
Cookies 'N Cream.
Go on...make your snide comments about "Fred flavors" and buying ice cream just because it was on sale.
VegetableLove
No indication that it's named in health-protest of
CakeLove, but nonetheless
Vegetable Love sounds like a must-have addition to a cook's library. I heard about this cookbook via
this segment from NPR's Weekend Edition. Give it a listen.
Last night
St. Patrick's Day came six days early in the form of
green chinos,
Guiness,
beer pong,
flip cup, sagging floorboards in a low-ceilinged attic, and a quiet, conversation-filled
nightcap with my lovely wife.
Memories
The last time I saw my grandmother alive was Christmas Eve 2005. I knew in a way that it would be the last time, and I think she knew too. She could not speak to me with words, but she had strength enough in her hands to touch and admire my earrings and to squeeze my hand tightly when I said goodbye. My grandmother had a profound impact on my life, and I am so thankful that I was able to share some wonderful memories with her over the past few years.
My grandmother was able to influence me at a time when I was quite impressionable. When I was 14 I spent a week with her and my grandfather, and I was never the same girl. My grandmother stayed up late at night telling me stories about her life and about my family. She educated me about my family's history, and I learned to appreciate my family heritage. I learned that my family is a strong family with a good work ethic, faith and a deep appreciation of family. I have remembered that.
The day I got engaged to my husband, my parents were so excited they practically begged to ask my grandparents over for drinks and dessert. Of course my grandparents accepted the invitation and soon joined us. It was not too long before they noticed the diamond and joined in our celebration.
On the day of my college graduation my grandmother presented me with a medallion that was once my great-great-great-grandmother's. I wear it proudly, and each time I see it I remember that hard work can make dreams come true.
On the evening before my wedding I spent the night at my grandparent's house with my future sister-in-law Sarah. We sipped champagne with my grandparents and chatted about where Chris and I were going for our honeymoon. The next morning we met my parents for breakfast at Wiener World. It might seem a strange place to have breakfast on your wedding day, but it made my day special. Later my grandparents were the first ones to see me in my wedding dress before I left their house. My grandfather urged my grandmother not to cry when she saw me. They were 2 of 25 people at my wedding - the most special day of my life.
After I was married I shared lots of other things with Grandma. She came over one evening with my grandfather, parents and aunt and uncle for "happy hour" just before Christmas. She teased me because we had no trash can in the kitchen and and no dish towels. Of course for Christmas she gave me dish towels. When we got a trash can a while later, we of course emailed her a picture of it to show her how sophisticated we had become.
Last year on my husband's birthday they came over to Lancaster and took us to dinner for his birthday. They didn't have to do that, but Grandma wanted to, and we had a great time.
She came over to our apartment for a cookie swap last year at Christmas and spilled a cranberry drink on my sofa. We merely turned it over, and she instructed me to tell my grandfather to buy me a new one. Honestly, I've never even washed the cushion, and it makes me smile now because I think of her whenever I have a cranberry drink.
That same December my husband treated me to dinner and a limousine ride for my birthday. We picked up my grandparents and parents as well and treated them to dinner. That was my 25th birthday, and the last birthday I shared with Grandma. It would have also been my great-grandmother's birthday, which makes it even more special. I still have the bottle of champagne my grandparents gave me for that birthday. I know I should drink it, but it was their favorite champagne, and it was the last birthday gift from them, and I just can't seem to drink it yet.
Last summer we went to our family cabin twice with my parents and grandparents. One evening our dinner was tomatoes, corn and salad. It was the perfect summer dinner on a perfect summer evening. I will always remember that dinner - how good and fresh everything tasted and how my grandmother smiled and enjoyed the tomatoes and corn. I also smile when I remember that Grandma went to bed early, and how we could hear her snoring. Chris and I slept outside in a tent, and we could honestly hear the snoring through the open bedroom window.
In the early fall we took my parents and grandparents to a Barnstormers game. My grandmother LOVED the game. She did not move the entire time. And, the Barnstormers came from behind to win the game that night. After the game there were fireworks. I don't think I've ever seen her that happy about a Penn State game.
Of course there were also the times I would have lunch with my grandparents when I worked in York. My grandmother would call or I would call them, and they would come pick me up in their big ass Buick and take me anywhere. Usually we went to "Panero". I will never call it Panera again Grandma called it Panero, and so Panero it is.
But perhaps the greatest gift was this past Thanksgiving. For some reason, and I think it was divine intervention, Chris and I decided that we wanted to host Thanksgiving. Bless our families for both agreeing to allow us to do it. My grandparents came, along with both sets of parents and siblings. We had the best Thanksgiving. That day is imprinted upon my mind, and I hold those memories close. I could not have been blessed with a better gift than to spend a holiday with the people I love most. I remember her in her red sweater washing and drying dishes and drinking Daniel's special Belgian beer from a wine glass. She never looked more beautiful, and I will always think of her in a red sweater, raising a celebratory glass, waiting for us to join her.
