the hills of winter

I took this photo of the Flint Hills on Thanksgiving Day. I've seen this view a thousand times. As I get older, I find more beauty in them. As a child, I had no idea how fortunate I was to grow up in the heart of cattle country. I was surrounded by their beauty every day. It was my normal, which also meant it was easy to take for granted. Not so anymore.

The hills change with the seasons. Now, many wouldn't find the beauty in them. It's something that is much easier for natives to do. As I drive the road to home now, it is easy for me to get choked up; a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye. Probably sounds ridiculous to many. I know I am not alone though. There are others in my family who share the same affection for the hills that I do.

I pulled off the road to take this picture. I got out of the truck. I walked in the tall, dormant grass. I ran my fingers through it. I heard the crunch under foot. Breathed in the clean, fresh air. In the spring I will do it again. And the hills will be alive with new growth, color and calves. That's when I get choked up. The new life -- the tiny black dots on the hills -- tiny black angus calves against the lush green grass. One of my favorite views. Until then, I will enjoy the beauty of this season. 

vintage box of memories

This vintage recipe box holds memories of 3 generations of women - a great aunt, a grandmother, my mother, and me.

My mom passed this recipe box down to me a short while ago, including it's contents. I hadn't spent much time in reading the enclosed recipes until this weekend. I guess you could say I took the time this weekend in honor of Mother's Day.

I love the old paper -- it's torn and wrinkled from much use and stained with oil and other ingredients, an indication of a favorite recipe.  Better yet is the fact that there are many recipe cards in my mom's handwriting.

The recipes in the picture above are for baked goods. A chocolate sheet cake my mother made regularly, hence the stains on the paper; a recipe for Lacy Sugar Cookies in my elementary school day handwriting, a recipe for Grandma Griffin's Cocoa Frosting that appeared in her local newspaper.

Going through these recipes this weekend make me want to try several of them soon.  A recipe for Hamburger Chowder which I think may be the soup my oldest daughter fondly remembers eating at Grandma's house as a little girl; a bar cookie recipe that uses a cake mix, peanut butter and chocolate chips; and Tropical Chicken which includes orange marmalade in the list of ingredients. 

I think it is quite obvious that my mother instilled in me a love for good food and the pleasure of cooking and baking. Mom, thank you. I know I wasn't always a willing participant in the kitchen but now I see how fortunate I am to have had you to teach me. I hope my girls will be able to say the same thing in years to come.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

It's the Weinermobile. B3 spied this Saturday morning. She had no idea what it was. Neither did her sister.

It was parked in the grocery store parking lot on Saturday morning. The girls and I were on our way to my folks' house and we stopped for gas. As soon as I saw it, I started singing the theme song. Do you remember it? Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Mayer weiner.....

I suggested the girls go stand in front of it and I'd take their picture. No way. That would be so embarassing.

What Does that Make Me?

I like to dance. No, make that love to dance. Tonight I turned the kitchen floor into a dance floor. I asked B2 to locate a song on-line so she could play it for me. I wanted to see if it was what I thought it was. Sure enough.

She played Starry-Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold. I'd heard it on Diet Coke commercials and I instantly liked it.

Since B2 was playing it, I started dancing. Here's the conversation that followed.

B2 - Is that how you dance?

Me - Kind of, I'm probably exaggerating it.

B2 - Ok. Dance like you really would if others were watching.

Me - Sure.

B2 - Is that really how you'd dance?

Me - Probably.

B2 - Well, you're not such a bad dancer but you look so 80's.

Me - Hello!! When do you think I was dancing in the clubs? Honey, I'm a product of the 80's dance era. What can I say?

No reaction from her but laughter.

Here's my next thought....B2 thinks of the 80's as retro. What does that make me?

Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My.

Remember going to the grocery store with your mom as a kid? Did you get a treat at the end of the shopping trip? I did. Usually Cracker Jacks, with a surprise inside or Animal Crackers.

Earlier this week I saw a photo of the Barnums Animal Cracker box and it took me back to the days of my childhood.

Remember?

It makes me hungry for those tasty little animals.

How many different animals are in that little box? 18.

What is the newest animal to be added? The koala.

How many boxes are sold each year? Oh, only about 40 million. 40 MILLION!

I had no idea people still bought them. I bet you could count the number of boxes I've bought during my days as a parent on one hand. Maybe just 1 or 2 fingers.

I think I'll add Barnums Animal Crackers to my next shopping list.

Oh, remember the little string handle? I always thought it was to make it easy to carry my crackers with me. Wrong. It was so the five cent box of crackers could be hung on a Christmas tree. Bet you didn't know that.