Strange Weather

March eased in like a lamb this year. It had been pretty cold (the schools were even closed due to icy roads Wednesday) but started warming up by last weekend. Yesterday afternoon the temperature even reached 70°, but by this afternoon a cold front had moved through and the skies were spitting snow.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! I’ve mentioned before that Derek and Amanda Dee were expecting their third child. Well, Tanner Brooke made her appearance last Monday (February 25). I think I was told she tipped the scales at 8.5 lbs. We haven’t visited yet but her pictures sure are cute. I know Riley and Harper are thrilled to finally meet their new sister. Derek, I know you are a proud papa, but if you ever need a respite from your gaggle of girls just give me a call.

LETTING GO. Vicki’s new job has been a major topic for the last few weeks so I am going to look at the other end of it now. Vicki called me up during the day Thursday. She was pretty choked up because she had clocked out from the Y for the last time. Six months after Jenna was born Vicki spotted an ad in the paper where the YMCA was looking for part time nursery workers. She has been doing that at least morning a week for the last nine and a half years. As we all know, opening a new chapter in life means closing an old one which can be happy and sad at the same time.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, YUM! Last Friday was designated as Reading Day at East Robertson Elementary. Ben’s class got to visit Leigh Ann Wright’s classroom during the day. Leigh Ann, who teaches fourth grade, is a local girl. Her family are neighbors and we all know each other well.

Back on Friday. Leigh Ann served all the kids visiting her room strawberry shortcake and passed out a recipe as part of her activities. (I think the story she read had something to do with cooking strawberry shortcake.) That day Jenna and Ben got off the bus at Aunt Mar’s. Ben was so excited about the dessert he’d eaten that he wanted Mom to take the recipe and make some more for him right then. They didn’t have any strawberries, but like a good grandmother Mom promised Ben she’d have everything they’d need for the job when he came back Tuesday.

True to her word Mom had everything ready to go when Ben got off the bus today and he and Jenna helped make the dessert. Ben inhaled two servings (so much for supper), but he was a little puzzled. He thought it was good but it didn’t taste like the shortcake he’d had at school. Mom herself had questions because the recipe did not call for as much sugar as she thought it should (and from what I understand sometimes older recipes don’t use much sugar). Mom called Leigh Ann to see if she had done something wrong when she learned the truth of the matter. Leigh Ann, having over 100 kids to serve, had not made the recipe, but had bought Little Debbie cakes to make her preparations easier. Lynn, you may need to get Ben a box of strawberry cakes the next time you are at the Little Debbie bakery.

As a parallel story Aunt Mar decided to make her mother’s strawberry shortcake recipe for Jenna and Ben as well. When it was done they noticed it didn’t taste quite right either. That’s when they noticed their baking powder had expired in 2001!

Joe