Oh I Love This One!

Yesterday afternoon I baked a cake.  While literally running through my house like a twirling top.  I admire people who can do one thing at one time.  Concentrate fully to the task at hand.  I do not operate on the one thing a time spectrum.  At all.  I'm more of a spinner. 

Pour a cup of coffee.  Transfer pictures to new computer.  Dust the coffee table.  Put the oven on preheat.  Switch the laundry.  Transfer another file of pictures to new computer.  Clean the toilet.  Talk on the phone.  Text on the phone.  Get mixer out of cupboard.  Dust the dining room. Transfer another file of pictures to new computer.  Pour a cup of coffee.  Design new blog look.  Clean the wood floors.  Transfer another file of pictures to new computer.  Get ingredients out for cake.  Realize there is no vegetable oil or canola oil in the cupboards.  Call Momma Debi and say, "I'm making your birthday cake and I have no vegetable oil or canola oil...can I use olive oil?"  After her quick conference with the friend whose house they were staying at for the weekend, "No.  No you can not.  Melt butter instead."  Put ingredients in bowl.  Melt butter.  Melt it too much.  Let it cool.  Switch laundry.  Transfer a file of pictures.  Text on the phone.  Put butter with ingredients.  Whip that cake up.  Pour it in the pans.  Get the camera.

Slow down enough to have a moment.  A moment for the fact that I use my grandma's pans.  A moment for the fact she used those pans to make more birthday cakes than I can even begin to imagine.  A moment to remember the goodness she was in my life and continues to be in her ever little reminders of presence. 

Put the cake in the oven.  Transfer another file of pictures to new computer.  Finish designing blog header.  Glitter it up.  Get ready for the birthday party.  Put Wranglers on.  Don't put mascara on.  Don't do hair.  Put t-shirt on.  Take cake out of the oven.  Get the camera.    

Slow down enough to have a moment.  A moment to marvel I still have the potholders my grandma crocheted.  A moment to imagine her hands making them.   A moment to remember the goodness she was in my life and continues to be in her ever little reminders of presence.      

Let cake cool.  Talk on the phone.  Fold last load of laundry.  Finish the pot of coffee.  Read some from latest book club book.  Organize frosting ingredients.  Make frosting.  

Slow down enough to have a moment.  A moment of knowing that frosting recipe has been used by my family for longer than I have been around.  A moment to know the tradition will continue because now it's me making it.  Stirring it until smooth.  Having the gut feeling of it's ready.      

   

Frost the cake.  While wearing Wranglers.  Wonder what I have become.  A girl who wears Wranglers on a Sunday while frosting a cake.  A far cry from the city girl I once thought I'd be.     

Accept the fact the plate will also be frosted.  Accept that I can't conquer the ever elusive smooth finish. 

Slow down enough to have a moment.  A moment of truly accepting imperfection and feeling mighty fine about it.  A moment of celebrating how far I've come in learning to let the unimportant go.  A moment of actually enjoying the rustic look.  A moment of the imperfect is good.   

Load cake in the car.  Drive out to my brother and sister-in-laws where they know how to do a party.  Get greeted by four precious munchkin faces who had been in full preparation mode. 

 

Celebrate Momma Debi's birthday with my entire family.  Laugh with them.  Eat cake off unicorn plates.  Watch a "show" put on by Firecracker and Easy Rider.  Put on a show to Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue" with Sister Pister.  Dance and sing like a fool to show embarrassment isn't an option.  Play Simon Says with the entire family.  Get the feeling of I'm one of the lucky ones.  Literally yell, "Oh I love this one!!" during Momma Debi's teaching of her kindergarten hand rhymes to the littles.  Watch my family laugh at me and my twenty-eight and a half year old self becoming excited about something so juvenile.  Laugh at myself.  Hope I don't ever forget to laugh.     

Be reminded of just how precious the blessings are in my life.  Grandma's cake pans.  A serious case of ping pong get a ridiculous amount of things done.  The family frosting recipe.  My pictures that were backed up.  All of them.  Still here.  My family.  My family.  My family.  Blessings.  I am full.  "Oh I love this one!"