Friday Favorite: The Whole Family Together Again

When we found out our kids in TX were coming to NY for a visit, we suddenly realized it was the perfect opportunity to get the whole family together for some pictures.  After we found a date when the other kids were available, we began inviting grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. for a picnic on Sunday afternoon.  I CAN'T BEGIN to tell you what a pleasure it was, having all these people traipsing over our house, carrying paper plates laden with potato salad and pulled pork, chatting and laughing and passing the baby around.  I loved sitting on the edges, watching the smiles and listening to the banter as four generations interacted with each other.

What a blessing.

The highlight came when we all took a short drive to a nearby camp where we were able to choose from a variety of different backgrounds for group photographs.  We had invited a family friend who is a great amateur photographer to spend the day with us, and she took some marvelous pictures.  This is my favorite of our kids:

So, quite without realizing it, we hosted our first family reunion.  It was over far too quickly, but the memories linger, sparked every time we scroll through the photos...

How about you?  Did you attend any great get-togethers this summer?  What are your favorite memories from them?

This Week's Second Favorite: The Most Dangerous Cake in the World!

I discovered this week's second favorite yesterday afternoon.

Tim and I had finished our schoolwork, and he decided to make lunch (cheddar-chicken ramen noodles - yum!). We ate together on the couch, discussing the inauguration ceremony. Then when he asked if I wanted anything else, I told him I wanted just a little something sweet and chocolatey. He thought a moment and then jumped up and left the room. I thought he was going to raid his "secret" stash of chocolate candy for me, but he didn't come back for a while, so I went looking for him.

He was running back and forth between the computer and the kitchen, making me a "surprise!"

This is what it turned out to be:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

1 coffee mug

4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.

Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

Tim slathered peanut butter over the top, and it melted and drizzled down into the airholes of the cake in ooey-gooey goodness. It was far too rich for one serving, though. He ate the top half, then gave me the rest. It was delicious!

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

This Week's First Favorite: A Phone Call. A Gem. A Reminder.

Looking back through old blog postings reminded me of the fun I used to have posting weekly "favorites." They gave me something good to look for each week and something to write about while keeping in touch with my friends and family. The former smiles returned as I looked back over these seemingly inconsequential moments of my life.

Vagrant thought: How can any moment that brings a smile be inconsequential?

Somehow in the dry spell I've been traversing, I've lost sight of the wonder of looking for the bright spots. And I've decided it's time to do that again. And guess what! No sooner did I start looking for blessings than I started noticing them everywhere! Amazing how that works.

So the #1 Favorite of this week so far would have to be the unexpected, totally out-of-the-blue long-distance phone call I received this morning. It put a giggle in my voice, a sparkle in my eyes, and a huge grin on my face that has lasted a few hours now. Not so amazing, because that phone call brought me a visit with my old college friend, SueSam, pictured here.

Don't ask about her nickname. It was a college thing. I could explain it, but suffice it to say that it's one of the links that still connects us after 20-some years.

Ask me instead what it is about this particular person that always brings a smile to my face.

Unfortunately, I can't explain that. She's bubbly and funny and serious and thoughtful and kind and outgoing and introspective and a gem in my life.

I have a few such gems, a handful of enduring bright spots in my life, each one harking back to days of long ago, each one more precious to me than any earthly treasure.

They bring to mind the song we often hear during this month - Should old acquaintance be forgot?

No.

No!

A thousand times NO!

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but if I were to make one this year, it would be to keep in better touch with the gems in my life. For as another song reminds us:

Make new friends, but keep the old... One is silver and the other gold.