What do you Even Feed These People.....Day 61....ohmy..39 more days....

I have accommodated many pallets in the course of this family life, however, I never cooked a stitch in my own home growing up. Mom did not like a messy kitchen, and it was explicitly HER kitchen. We did frost cookies every Christmas season, that was as close to the kitchen as I ever got. And, honestly, I could have cared less about learning to cook, ever. My Mom was an excellent cook, I ate her food every day, and she did not need help. Even when she worked, she came home from work and would whip up the best meals. I did not care, she did not ask. I have never made one single meal in my mother's house.

When Carl and I got married we lived on LUV. That was it. We had no money for food. We looked forward to the one good meal we would consume at my Mom's weekly, which was The Sunday Dinner. It was our sacred meal that had to meet all the food groups we lacked all week long. I remember at one point, maybe a year into my marriage to Carl, I was complaining to my Mom I was not feeling well. She asked me what I had eaten that day, and I was like....hmmmmm....not sure. She said, Ok, dear, you need to eat. Get a bag of brocolli, and some pasta and spaghetti sauce, you can at least eat that, right dear? I remember telling her we had maybe $15 a week for groceries....my Mom was harsh. She's like, well, you need a budget...ohmyg MOM I have no money to budget....and then I hung up, still hungry, but very skinny...so...yeah...

Eventually when we graduated college and got jobs we had money for food and gained weight because we ate regular meals. I remember at one point Carl saying something to my father about getting a "gut"....my Dad looked at him and said..."Carl, you do not look like a refugee camp victim anymore, and neither does she..glad to see you are eating..."  

I really started cooking, official real meals, when Carl and I moved into our farmhouse in Hermon and we started having people over. I remember the first meal I made for a pastor who was in the area on a Sunday. I called my Mom and she walked me through the meal. It came out quite well. We also had large groups over because Carl was in a paid staff position at the church we attended, so, we'd have groups of 20 over or more, so I had to figure out how to cook ham, turkey, copious amounts of spaghetti and meatballs...  I learned to make my Mom's bread...its awesome...and her chocolate cake recipe...another mouth watering delicacy, and pretty much, I cooked all my Mom's meals, only in my house now.

After I had children I made what they liked. Macaroni and cheese...homemade. Hot dogs. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Eggs and toast. Ziti and noodles of all kinds. Chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. And always broccoli with melted cheese. The girls loved broccoli!!! Carrots and mashed potatoes were the other two favorites.

Carl has always been easy. He would eat ice cream for dinner. Seriously. Add to that cereal, he's happy. I love to eat, so I am the one who cooks. I have changed my meals to fit who likes what in the house. I have had a sandwich lover in the house, and I had to buy only mayo with dill pickles, because nothing else would do. I've had people like pasta with no sauce, so no mixing in the sauce. I've had ramen noodle lovers. Oatmeal with all the fixings must always be available. Chicken pot pies. Lasagna lover, lasagna haters. Pasta haters. Vegan only diet...the soups I can make now. But I love to make everyone happy around my table, so I do what I need to do so we could all sit together and be happy and eat and commune together. I cherish those moments. I truly miss those moments. When people say, if I could speak to a person in heaven for one day, who would it be?  Well, my One Day would be to have everyone around my table again eating, laughing, saying a prayer together. 

The funny thing about tonight that led me to this post? I had toast for dinner. Along with a glass of sparkling cider and 2 mini packs of reeses pieces and 3 hershey kisses. I am not joking. Carl had a bowl of orange salad I made yesterday to go with our Sunday Dinner...for just us 3...and Daniel had heated up hot dog with mac and cheese. It sounds so sad, really. But, its life. Its so weird how when your home gets so small you simply don't know what to do with yourselves. I do have a pork roast in my crock pot that was suppose to turn into pulled pork for dinner, but it took too long to cook...tomorrow night maybe? I made a roast yesterday with all the fixins. I tried to invite 2 different families over....but they could not come.  

Have you ever just felt like saying....PLEASE COME>>>>> do you know how lonely I feel? 

I know you have your full houses still, and your busy families, and all is happy and well in your home...

Just PLEASE 

Come to my house and fill it and make it feel not so lonesome.....

I Miss My Brood. 

As you read this and if you have little ones and they drive you crazy because they simply won't sit still for a meal, they won't eat your fancy foods, they throw stuff on your almost clean floor....

Let me tell you..

I Miss My Brood.

I Missed them all this Sunday. And I love my Son, he's wonderful. And I love my Husband, he's super super super wonderful.

And I missed the rest of these people. 

Love on Your People. Be blessed by the Crazy. Embrace the Noise. I'm glad I have my memories, but sometimes that is very hard. So, if you are hungry, come by...I will feed you...!!!!!

Blessed in the Nest,

Julie Erb Robbins