A Mother's Thoughts On An Early July Morning

"Being a mother at any age is a blessing, but as we age and our children become interesting and productive adults, we really begin to savour the joys of the harvest, the fruit of our labours. How could we have known when they were young and the demands so constant that we would ever have the luxury of simply enjoying their loving companionship."
~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

When I was a little girl, all I ever really wanted to do was to grow up and become a mother. Other little girls dreamed of one day being ballerinas and nurses, but I wanted to be Aunt Bea . . . As a teenager, my best friend, Mary, had a baby sister who was only about 2 years old. I used to envy her that. I so very much would have loved for my mom to have had another baby so that I could have taken care of it. I used to love babysitting the little girls that lived across the street from our house. The family had two older girls, but also a baby girl, and I can remember waking the baby up from it's nap on purpose while I was there . . . just so that I could play with her.

I think mothering was in my blood . . .



Nothing on earth could ever match the joy I felt in my heart when I found out I was expecting my oldest child . . . that is, unless you count the other four times I experienced the same thing . . . likewise the joy I felt on the days that each one of my five children were born. Holding those precious little newborns in my arms was a feeling like none other and to this day my heart is overwhelmed with wonderful feelings when I hold a newborn baby in my arms and feel them snuggle in close . . . hear their little newborn baby sighs . . . and smell those little newborn baby smells . . .



I loved my children's growing up years. It was a busy time, and I can honestly say there was never a dull moment! With five busy and very active souls in my care, life was certainly never boring. There were days I would have given anything to have sprouted an extra pair of hands or arms, or even legs . . . not to mention a few extra hours in the day . . .

There were small joys and simple pleasures . . . like first steps and first teeth . . . first days of school . . . bedtime stories and prayers . . . snakes in the basement . . . tree forts in the back garden . . . proud, smiling faces bearing report cards and end of the year certificates . . . school recitals and plays . . . sticky kisses . . . fresh cookies after school and tender hugs . . . giggles and laughter . . .



There was chicken pox . . . scary accidents . . . hospital stays, cuts and bruises . . . broken fingers and arms . . . petty childish arguments . . . homework that didn't get done . . . boys that broke hearts . . . and hearts that got broken . . . plenty of tears and tender teaching moments . . .



On Sunday morning my last fledgling finally leaves the nest for good . . . he has joined the Canadian Air force and is off to boot camp in St Jean, Quebec . . . My heart is filled with many feelings. Remorse that I did not get to finish bringing him up these last few years of his life as a child, and young adult . . . pride at the wonderful, decent young man he has become . . . and the fine soldier I know he will be . . . the fear that only a mother of a soon to be young soldier can't help feeling . . . and the uncertainty of what that future may bring . . . and my heart is full of the love that only a mother can have for her son . . . her baby . . . her boy . . . now a man.



It seems like only yesterday I was slicking down his hair, strapping on his book bag and sending him out the door to catch the bus on his first day of school . . . and now he is going out the door and closing the final chapter on his childhood . . . and soon will be a man . . . nevermore a boy . . .

My goodness . . . I am all choked up here as I re-read my words this morning . . . such is the joy and pain of motherhood, but what a beautifully wonderful pain it is . . . a pain I would not trade for anything in this world . . .

A perfectly scrambled egg is a beauty to behold, and to eat! Here is my fool proof way of making the perfect scrambled eggs and after that a delicious recipe to use them in!



*Perfectly Creamy Scrambled Eggs*
Serves 4

When done right, there is nothing more delicious than scrambled eggs. Soft and trembling on your plate with a few slices of buttered crisp toast they are food for the gods . . .

2 TBS unsalted butter
8 large free range, organic eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Whisk the eggs together in a medium sized bowl, along with the sea salt and black pepper, until the whites and yolks are completely combined.

Melt one TBS of the butter in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Once the butter begins to foam, tip in the whisked eggs and let sit un-disturbed until they are slightly firm on the bottom and beginning to set around the edges. Immediately begin to stir them with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, with gentle movements, stirring and cooking gently until they are no longer runny, about 2 to 3 minutes. You want them to be slightly moist as they will continue to cook after you remove the pan from the heat. Add the final TBS of butter and stir it into the cooked eggs.

Remove the pan from the heat. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Divide between 4 warmed plates and serve immediately with warm buttered toast.



*Tasty Breakfast Quesadillas with Scrambled Eggs and Crispy Bacon*
Serves 1 (can be multiplied easily)

2 pieces of streaky bacon, fried until crispy and drained well on paper kitchen towelling
2 large, free range organic eggs, scrambled as above
1 ounce grated medium cheddar cheese
1 ounces grated red Leicester cheese
1 large flour tortilla (I like whole wheat ones)
1 tsp of olive oil
fresh Tomato Salsa to serve

Sprinkle the red Leicester cheese on one half of your tortilla. Top with the scrambled egg and bacon. Sprinkle the grated cheddar on top and fold the other half of the tortilla over to cover. Press gently.

Heat the olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet. Add the quesadilla and toast until slightly crisp on one side, before carefully turning it over to toast on the second side, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Serve warm, sliced into quarters with some fresh tomato salsa on the side.