A Recipe, A Remodel, and the Rewards of Motherhood (just not in that order)

Lots of good things are happening around here. We just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary, followed by a really nice Mother's Day. The remodel is in full swing and I found a recipe with just two ingredients that only takes a couple of minutes to mix up!

The Remodel



The bathrooms half-done and partly functional. We only have one bathroom, plus a toilet and sink in our laundry room; so taking out the tub meant that we had to take what mom used to call 'spit baths'. That gets old. So Dean, our contractor, took pity on us and was nice enough to install the new tub right away so that we could at least take a bath. The past few mornings we've been tippy- toeing across the cardboard that covers the new tile (which will be grouted after the walls are finished and painted) and soaking in our roomy new tub while viewing exposed plumbing and walls. I decided to think it rather avant-garde; like those swanky city lofts with the pipes running across the ceiling...well almost like that...in my imagination anyway! So as it stands today, the tub is in, the tile is laid, and the walls were texturized this afternoon. Tomorrow we paint, and after that-the grouting. Then the vanity, lights, and fixtures will go in. Hope to be done by Sunday.


'Avant-guarde' ??? The big tub isn't shown, it's just to the right. More pictures are forthcoming.

The Rewards of Motherhood

My biological kids all live out of town, but they don't forget me on Mother's Day. Some pretty tulips arrived from son, John and family.  Sam and Heather and their families each sent me beautiful, sentimental e-cards. Don't you love those e-cards? I have an account with Jacquie Lawson (a talented British artist) that allows me to send all the e-cards I want for one whole year. With a passel of grandchildren this is a life-saver. That year-long deal allows me to send cards on those less-important holiday that I normally don't acknowledge. The link to her site is www.jacquielawson.com. But can you guess what made me that happiest on Mother's Day? It wasn't the flowers or cards, or the yummy brunch that Kelly took me to. It is seeing that my grown children have grown up to become even better people than I dreamed. That's the real reward of motherhood-having great children. So hang in there, all of you young mothers. Keep loving them, making them behave, and praying for them. Your reward is coming- trust me.

The Recipe



And finally, I came across the easiest recipe ever last week. Thought I'd share it with you. It's for seasoned creamed cheese spread. I served it on fancy little sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumber at the Royal Wedding Brunch I attended. But oh, my goodness... this stuff is fantastic on toasted bagels. It takes all of my self control not to eat one (or two) of these for breakfast every morning.

Savory Creamed Cheese Spread

A tub of whipped creamed cheese

A packet of dry italian salad dressing mix

Directions: Stir the creamed cheese to soften a bit. Dump a little of the dressing mix in it and stir. Taste. If it's great, stop. If it's not, add more dressing mix. Repeat the process until you are happy with the results. Serve on bread, bagels, crackers, or as a veggie or chip dip.

Don't blame me if you eat more than you should...you were warned!