Tag: Family Traditions

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Waffles, Vaccines, and Apple Sauce: A Cozy Weekend Tradition

Written October 27, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night, my wife requested waffles for breakfast, so today, instead of cereal, I made a couple of waffles for us to enjoy. 

Shortly after moving to Tennessee, I made waffles every Sunday for a while, but it resulted in my wife and I gaining more weight than we wanted. So, we stopped eating waffles every Sunday but still enjoyed it occasionally.  

My wife and I awoke today to soreness centered on our vaccination points. Yesterday, we got two vaccines: a COVID booster and this year’s flu shot. The soreness seems to be impacting my ability to mix waffles.

We usually eat our waffles with blueberries. I love blueberries, and I eat them every day. Blueberries are one of the foods recommended for people like me with a kidney condition, so I eat a little portion of them every day. Blueberries go with waffles very well. We sometimes eat applesauce with our waffles. Unfortunately, we have no more applesauce left from last year. The applesauce we made yesterday is too new to consume. We have maple syrup, so our waffle will still be good. 

Speaking of our applesauce, the applesauce marathon was successful; we peeled, cut, and cooked 3 bushels of apples and made around 7 gallons of applesauce. We canned it into several quart and pint jars and divided them between us, but it’s less applesauce than we’ve made in previous years, so we might make another batch after Christmas. 

While my wife and I don’t eat that much applesauce, my sister’s household eats much more and might want more after a few months.  Perhaps dividing the year’s applesauce into two batches will become our new preferred strategy, as we were all tired by the end of the day, and processing another bushel of apples would have added at least another hour or two. 

One concern is that apples may be hard to find or too expensive to buy in large enough quantities that late in the year. We’ll have to see how the later batch goes to determine whether this strategy is viable. 

I enjoy making waffles and applesauce despite the work we need to put into them. I love seeing my family happy with what I or we produce, which makes me happy.

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A Heartwarming Mother’s Day Gathering: Games and Family Joy

Written May 13, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Yesterday turned out to be a remarkably successful day, far surpassing the achievements of the day before. The credit goes largely to setting more realistic goals. The highlight was our visit to my mother’s house for a delightful Mother’s Day celebration with her and my sister. It’s a day that had been in the works for months, planned by my sister and my wife. In fact, she had selected her gift for my mother three months in advance, coordinating the details with my sister to ensure everything went well.

Mother’s Day is a special occasion in our family, not just for celebrating our mothers but also as a time for family bonding over games, a tradition we all cherish. Our family adores gaming together—it’s our way of connecting and creating memories. Whether it’s board games or card games like Bridge when the extended family joins, these playful competitions are a core part of our gatherings.

This time, we played “Shadows Over Camelot,” a board game that’s a favorite at many of our family events. My niece, who has recently begun to join in on the board game fun, chose me as her partner. She was adamant about playing King Arthur, embracing the role with enthusiastic determination. Peeking at my wife’s character choice, I saw she had picked Sir Percival. Despite her claim of never having played this board game before, her excitement was palpable. She has always been enamored with the Arthurian legends, and her eyes lit up as she spoke about the characters. “If I could, I’d choose to be Sir. Lancelot,” she confessed, her fascination with the knight’s tale evident in her voice. The cooperative game was filled with laughter and strategic collaboration, making it all the more enjoyable.

Gatherings like these remind me of the importance of family. Seeing my mother’s joyful expression as she spent time with us reminded me of the simple pleasures in life. The ease of laughter, the shared strategies over game boards, and the warmth of being surrounded by loved ones all came together to create a memorable day.

Such occasions are precious, not just for the fun we have but also for the opportunity they provide to reaffirm our bonds. As we delve into adventures on a game board, we also strengthen our connections with each other, making each game not just a play for victory but a celebration of our family’s unity and love.

Ultimately, what makes days like these genuinely remarkable isn’t just the games we play or the food we enjoy but the company we keep. The joy of being together, sharing stories, and supporting one another is what Mother’s Day—and indeed every family gathering—is all about. We cherish these moments, filled with laughter and companionship, long after the day is over, and they remind us of the enduring power of family ties.