The Inheritance

I come from a long line of homemakers and I am so thankful that I have inherited a love for taking care of my family in such tangible way. It began with my great-grandmother who passed away when I was a little girl, who loved to sew (it probably began before her, but she is who I remember). In fact, my mom tells stories about how she made all of her clothes growing up. She even made her wedding dress, the same one that my sister wore in her wedding.

Then there is my grandmother, Nana. She passed away in 1996 but she left a strong legacy behind. I can still envision the inside of the kitchen cupboard where she had an envelope taped to the inside that had handwritten recipes in it. For me, it was the pies. Cherry in particular! Nana also had an eye for style. Even at night she was dressed impeccably, with a matching silk nightgown and robe. It's from her that I get my love of shoes!


My mom sews and quilts now. She can pretty much make anything--curtains (when I have the big reveal on my kitchen, you'll get to see her handiwork in my windows!), quilts, pillows, bags, purses, make-up bags, anything and everything that has to do with fabric. She's also a pretty mean baker. At Christmas, watch out...it's cookies galore. Every year she pulls out the same tins she has been using since I was little to store the cookies in. She even bakes the same kinds of cookies each year with a few new ones too. It is such a sweet memory.


Next comes Christy. Christy knows how to pull it all together. You walk into her home and want to kick your shoes off, sit down with the cookies she just baked and just relax. I always feel at home when I am at her house. Not because she is my sister and it would only be normal for me to feel that way, but because she really can make everything come together. Her one flaw...she moves her furniture around a lot. I am going to visit her this weekend and I can guarantee that the way it was at Christmas is not the way it is going to be when I am arrive on Thursday. I guess that "flaw" is actually a gift. My furniture will likely stay in the same place for the next 30 years. I don't like change.


Finally, it's comes down to me. It really wasn't until I moved away from home that I got the "Susie Homemaker" bug. And it didn't kick into full gear until I met Mike. To all of the single gals out there...it's true...the way to a man's heart IS through his stomach. Cookies were baked and meals were made. I realized that even as much as I loved doing it for him, I loved doing it for me. With the baking, there is a sense of gladness when I pull out the last try of cookies from the oven and put them on a plate for someone to enjoy. With cooking, it is the experimenting with something new and waiting to see what rating Mike will give it (it's a 1-10 scale and so far there has only been one dish below 7--turns out he doesn't like a fancied up tuna casserole).


I love it. I guess it's my way of showing love. I don't do it out of obligation because I am a wife and that's "my job." I do it because God blessed with me with wonderful women in my life who set the example for me on what it looks like for me to take care of my family. It's not about if you work in your home or work outside the home, because all of these women in my life have done both, in fact I work. It's not about doing and fulfulling the needs of others either. It's also not about if you can cook, sew, bake or decorate either. What is it about then? It's about serving those around you and showing them in a tangible way how much you love them and care for them. Whatever your gifting might be.

This one got an 8 last night. Mike said that if there was meat it would have been a 9. Italian sausage or shrimp would be good. Anything 8 or over gets on the "make again" list.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
1 12 oz. package dried pasta (any kind you like, I used spaghetti)
4 large tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 3 teaspoons dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 can sliced ripe olives, drained
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used shaved Parmesan)

1. cook pasta according to directions
2. Meanwhile, combine tomato and next 5 ingredients. Drain pasta and place in large serving bowl. Top with tomato mixture and sprinkle with olives and cheese. Makes 6 servings



And for dessert, you can't go wrong with No Bake Cookies...always a 10! YUMMO!