...And the Story Continues...Sunday, December 8, 2013

Mother and Daddy married in 1951.  Mother was 19 and Daddy was 28…she always joked that she was an “old man’s darling.”  NOW, mind you, NEVER did Mother refer to Daddy as “her old man” and NEVER did Daddy call Mother “his old lady” or “his woman”…THEY were husband and wife.  They did NOT speak negatively about each other and always showed respect for each other—in public and in private.  They were NOT lovey-dovey, but I have no doubt they loved each other.  

Mother and Daddy met on a hayride.  Someone had joked that “Robert could NOT be caught.”  Mother joked and said SHE could catch him….she did!  There was a funny debate if DADDY ever asked Mother to marry him.  She told him one night when they were having a milkshake at the place that was at the bottom of the hill—I can’t remember the name—that she dreamed that Daddy asked her to marry him.  He replied, “Well, why don’t we.”  NOW, that is ALL I know that is fact.  When and IF there was the “PROPER” Question remains a mystery.  Mother got her diamond on Valentine’s Day of 1951.  They married on July 18, 1951.  It was on a Wednesday.  The reason was that Mother worked at a bank, and banks closed on Wednesdays.  Mother knew her friends would be able to attend the wedding.  In order to save money, they did not have a reception.  They instead had their cake and punch after the wedding rehearsal.

When Mother and Daddy were dating, Daddy would bring her a pack of Wrigley’s Doublemint gum.  I love the thought of such simplicity.  My life was filled with little pleasures like that.  While I never wanted for anything, I was always given small tokens of love and was taught that is what you do for the people you love.  My parents led by example.  I think that is why they were so well respected by so many.  They were not perfect and they did not raise perfect children, BUT they were good and raised us with GODLY values and WHEN they told us NOT to do something, we knew it was something they did not do or believe in doing.  They were the personification of wysiwyg (What you see is WHAT you get).  =)

I think I will share one of Mother’s favorite recipes.  She always was baking and cooking for us and for neighbors.  I have her stack of daily journals that she kept.  I was searching for something the year I was born, and I don’t think there was more than two weeks when someone was not invited to our house for a meal!  SHE was the HOSTESS with the MOSTEST!   Peanut Butter Bars was a recipe she found around 1978.  She made them for EVERYTHING and shared them with many.  The measurements are EASY—nothing has to be exact and you can have them ready to eat in about 35 minutes with ingredients that you have on hand!  I hope you will give them a try.

I hope your day is snuggly warm and comfortable…kick back and enjoy this day that was created for us to REST!  Think back on your favorite SNACKS when you were a child and the last time you had that snack.  Think of how it made you feel…I KNOW you will be smiling in just a bit…ENJOY…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte♥

Peanut Butter Bars

½ c  peanut butter

1 stick margarine

1 ½ cup sugar

1 cup self-rising flour (dip into bag and smooth off top)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 whole eggs

Melt peanut butter and margarine (butter) on low in microwave (IF you overheat, it will make the bar tough).  Add other ingredients and stir with a fork.  Spray 9x13 pan with vegetable spray, then spread mixture into pan.  Sprinkle unbaked batter with chopped pecans or black walnuts (optional).  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cut into squares while still warm.  Leave in pan to cool.