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Stolen Candy




What kind of grandmother would steal candy from her grandchildren’s Easter baskets?  Me.  I’m guilty and so convicted, I baked two loaves of pumpkin bread to send home with them as a guilt offering.

The shutdown, as well as my family, cancelled Easter travel plans last month.  Papa and I felt disappointed and we knew where those chocolate peanut butter eggs hid in their baskets so we ate them!    Papa loves to buy the little’s Easter baskets and fill them to the full with fun goodies, mostly crafts, but always some rich candy too.

Last week when the family called to ask if they can visit, we made a mad dash to the store to replace the chocolate.  That's when I baked pumpkin bread. We celebrated a late Easter and early Mother’s Day.


Now the house is empty and I miss the kids, their mom and the dog.  I liked the pizza that Auntie and Uncle brought, the fun time in the park, coloring eggs, playing card games and baking Chicken Enchiladas. 















We enjoyed our early Mother’s Day and my heart is full.  Motherhood, though difficult at times, comes with rewards.  I’m happy to feel accepted, forgiven and blessed and know my children do not expect perfection.

Life doesn’t come with a manual.
It comes with a mother.
                                                                                                                 Unknown

For me, when I think of mothers and look at Scripture, I see two things.  God’s Word instructs us to honor our mothers and fathers.  Sometimes it’s easy, but if they’re difficult, we set boundaries, of course, and make sure their needs are met no matter how they treat us in return.

Secondly, I like to think on the fruit of the Spirit.  Who doesn’t need kindness, patience and love?

I hope your Mother’s Day celebrations are special despite the lock down.  Mamas, Aunties, Step Moms, Bonus Moms:  you matter!  Enjoy your day.  You deserve it.

Honor your father and mother
So that you may have a long life
In the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace
Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self control.
The law is not against such things.
Galatians 5:22-23




Hazel’s Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread or any fruit (Makes 2 loaves)
3 cups white flour
1 tsp soda (or ½ tsp each soda and baking powder)
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
Stir dry ingredients then Mix in separate bowl
1 small can pumpkin 15 oz (not pie mix)  or 2 cups chopped apples.
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
mix wet ingredients and stir into dry mixture

Optional:
1 cup chopped nuts
I line 2 bread pans with a 2 inch strip of wax or parchment paper instead of greasing the pan.
Bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Cool and Grab the paper and the bread will come out whole.


Comments

  1. "What kind of grandmother would steal candy from her grandchildren’s Easter baskets? Me"

    Thank God for His forgiveness for all of our sins!!! He's probably smiling/laughing as you peeked on those candies and He already knew before you even took 'em. LOL.

    Kidding aside, your grandchildren are so big. Time flies by so fast. When we first blogged, they were just tiny ones. Sometimes I wonder, how do we get back to normal when a lot of people are afraid after this pandemic? But so glad you had a wonderful time with your lovely family. The enchiladas looked good and thank you for the recipe!

    Happy Mother's Day sister Mary and sending you love, prayers, and of course, coffee that will go well with the pumpkin bread ;) God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haven't the kiddos grown, Rosel? The enchiladas are so easy; I'll teach you. So good, too. The pumpkin bread is Hazel Moon's recipe passed down over the years. Tom says it's a ten!

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  2. Lovely family photos!
    The dogs seem to be a very integral part of your family life.
    The picture of the white dog contemplating the lying dog is amazing! The same applies to the sweet girl
    'cheek to cheek' with the dog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The dogs got along, Duta. They even enjoyed one another!

      Delete
  3. Those chicken enchiladas look amazing! We so miss not having 'real' Mexican food here in Alabama. Your family is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing these heartwarming images.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Myra, for the kind words. I'll share how Carrie makes her enchiladas. So good.

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  4. Aww I'm glad you two had such sweet visitors. I'm going to try that recipe. We were in your neck of the woods last week. My daughter wanted to look at a specific sewing machine that she saw Quilters Quarters in Cottonwood( I think that's the name) sold. Of course when we got there it turned out this sewing machine (Eversew) they don't keep in stock and they'd have to order it with deposit. We decided that was a bad idea because she didn't want to order a sewing machine without knowing whether it was a good fit or not.
    So we went to the sewing machine store closer to home in Prescott Valley and she ended up buying a lovely BabyLock which was on sale. She was very happy.
    You have a wonderful Mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love this story! So glad she found just what she needed.

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  5. Happy Mother's Day Mary!! So special to be have a real live visit with your family!! The pumpkin bread sounds delicious!! Many blessings!!♡

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  6. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to one of the sweetest mamas I know! So thankful you had that special time with your dear loved ones, and confession - I would have stolen the chocolate, too! LOL! I have a can of pumpkin in our pantry, and I think it is screaming for me to make this bread. Oh, I just thought - I have some walnuts to put in it, too! I am going to try it using honey since I try not to eat white sugar. I hope it turns out good! Thank you for this uplifting post. I am SOOO thankful you are back blogging again and my Bible study partner, too. You are precious to me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my goodness! I love the pictures of you all and girl...I am afraid I would have ate the candy with or without COVID! LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  8. Hi Mary,
    this was a lovely post, and I have to say 'Join the club' regarding loving certain sweets and 'chocies' :-) I am the world's worst at it. If you saw what was in one of my kitchen cupboards you would not believe it. I have forced myself not to eat much of them daily as I was gaining weight around my middle. I am doing ok so far. Lovely pics, glad you had a nice mother's day. Mother's day is on a different date here.
    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just to add, Mary, there is a lovely young Irish singer called Owen Mac. He sings a song called 'If Jesus comes tomorrow' on YouTube, I think you would like that.

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  10. That pumpkin bread recipe looks amazing! Thank you for sharing!

    I love that little quote: "Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother."

    I always try to keep at least a little chocolate in the house. You never know when you are going to need it... ;)

    I'm so glad you had a lovely Mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. OMG, I steal the grandchildren too but only sometimes I replace it. I will confess to them that I got a sugar attack and just took one of two pieces and then I ask for forgiveness, which they always give me. Happy Belated Mother's Day.

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