Potatoes for Eight

When you are used to cooking for two, the thought of planning meals for eight can be quite challenging! For the past two days, I've been watching my mom kind of re-live parts of her life. Gone are the days when she was responsible for the nutritional needs of growing teenagers and pre-schoolers. Planning pleasing meals for a big family has become foreign territory and the days of cutting up 5 pounds of potatoes for a single meal are but a distant memory for her.

In her day, she could do it better than anyone I knew. Perhaps if we lived closer and were in each other's company regularly, these skills would not have gotten so rusty. But, check her out! She's hit a home run every night and we have been so blessed to have her here to help us. I guess it's just like riding a bike! Familiar smells and sights of my growing up years are teasing my senses as I see my mom running things in the kitchen. She is amazing! She always has been.

If I close my eyes, I can almost transport myself back in time to the days when I was the self absorbed teen in the house completely unaware of what it takes to run a home and care for a family. Thinking that I knew it all and was the enlightened one. Completely taking for granted the love and care that went into everything my mom did to make sure that we were all happy and comfortable. There were some things I could always count on. Mom would be home when I came home from school and we'd have a great dinner at the table as a family almost every night.

That is a gift she gave me and one that I try to give my own family. Family dinners are very important to us.

My sweet grandmother has been right in there helping things run as smoothly as possible. My children are so blessed to say that they know their great grandmother as well as they know her.

Now, I'm not usually so proud of my tomatoe slicing skills....but since this is my first real contribution to any meal in almost a month, I'm gonna brag on them!!

I think my kids are really enjoying having Nana and "Great" Nana here. They lend a bit of security and a nuturing quality that we really need right now.

Check out how much Michael has grown in the past 4 months! I think he's aquired an extra two inches just out of the blue!

And of course Bren is in Nana Heaven!!! She came home with "Blade" after a shopping trip out with Nana and Great Nana.

Tonight is family fun night. We've had this tradition for the past 4 years. Every Friday we order pizza and watch a movie together. Tonight we lose two regulars. Zachary and Michael are going on a retreat with the youth group and wont be home until Sunday. But we also gain two. I'm sure my mom and grandma will welcome the night off of kitchen duty!