A Different Kind of Day: Memories with Grandchildren
Do you. have memories with grandchildren? Mine all came flooding in this morning))
This Saturday morning found me at my desk, taking a stroll down memory lane through some of my earliest blog posts from the beginning days of Trendy Tree. If you’ve been with me a while, you may remember that I started the business in 2007 and began blogging a couple of years later. By January 2010, I had officially retired from my nurse practitioner career to focus full-time on growing Trendy Tree. My husband had actually stepped away from his role in manufacturing management the year before, and together we quickly realized—this “side project” was more than a hobby. Trendy Tree had turned into a full-time job for both of us! 😊
Those early blog posts—some dating back to 2010—are now 15 years old! It’s incredible to look back and see just how much has changed over the years. Products, trends, and even the customer base have evolved into something completely different. As you can imagine, there are hundreds of posts that could probably stand to be updated, hidden, or even deleted.
Memories with Grandchildren
While browsing, I ran across a post from July 2010, during my very first summer of retirement—though I was already fully immersed in the business! The post was titled “A Different Kind of Day.”
One of the joys of owning your own business is having the freedom to take time for the things that matter most… like spending time with your grandchildren. Back then, Trendy Tree operated out of a little shop adjacent to our home, long before we moved into the warehouse Carrie and David use today.
Reading through the post made me smile—but truthfully, I don’t even remember that day! What really surprised me, though, is that I shared such a sweet story with no images. Maybe they were lost during a website update or data transfer… who knows?
Either way, I’m resharing the story here, and I’ll see if I can dig up a few photos that feel right for the moment. 😊
A Different Kind of Day
July 2010
Still new to the blogging scene here……and torn between trying to keep all the blog posts “professional” and not too personal. My goal for this blog is to give you tips and ideas for holiday decorating and to talk about Christmas! But, some days there are just other things going on!
Today was one of those days. Our grandchildren are staying with us some during the day this summer and today I felt like giving them a cooking lesson)) AJ is 9, Maggie is 7, and little Matt 2.
Cooking Lesson
I proposed to AJ and Maggie that they take $20 and purchase items to prepare for our supper tonight and if they had any money left, the change was theirs! (3/25 This was a tactic that my mom had used with me except it was meal planning for a week.)
They started with thoughts of tacos, chicken nachos, strawberries with whipped cream, and chocolate cake! They finally settled on tacos, dirty rice, tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, and chocolate cake))
Grocery Shopping
It was interesting to watch them pick out the ground beef……going for the cheapest first…..but then settling on ground chuck even though it cost a little more. I told them anything I already had in the cabinet could be used and that way they would have more money to spend. Instantly they interpreted this as “more money left over.” So instead of taco shells, they figured they could eat tacos on hot dog buns just as well which were in the cabinet.
We had rice, so they only had to buy beef broth and onion soup mix for that. Cheese, sour cream, butter, and chocolate cake mix were the last items. Their first thoughts were to make a cake decorated in “Ole Miss” colors of red and blue and when they found they would have to buy extra icing and coloring, they opted to go with chocolate frosting that could be made from ingredients at the house. (I know how they have always loved David’s Dirty Rice, but this was 15 years ago!)
Back to the Kitchen
The first thing they prepared was the cake batter. It went surprisingly well. It took the both of them to figure out the directions but they quickly got the hang of it. They took turns measuring the water and oil.
Maggie opted to let AJ break the eggs because she said…..”she just wasn’t that good at it yet.” They took turns running the mixer and we had no disasters.
The oven was set to pre-heat and they prepared the cake pan with oil and parchment paper. I’m surprised that neither one of them even asked about the paper going in the bottom of the pan…….you would have thought it would have provoked at least one question. They poured the batter into the pan and AJ put the cake in the oven, all the while with Maggie saying “I get to put the rice in the oven!”
What is it about the oven?? Maybe it’s because it’s always hands off….at our house anyway. It seemed that they liked dealing with the oven as the best part!
The Ground Beef
Our stove is gas, so I didn’t let them turn the burner on, I did that, but they did adjust the flame up and down. The ground chuck was the next thing to go. We talked about the importance of washing their hands of course before we ever started and especially after handling the meat. They were amazed at how quickly the meat started changing colors. “Awesome” I believe was the word. They used salt and pepper and when the meat was done, took it up into a pan to drain and set aside.
The Dirty Rice
The rice was next. More measuring and pouring. Using the can opener wasn’t quite as easy as it looked to Maggie, but with some help she got it done. Kitchen scissors were very handy for the paper packages. The broth went in along with the onion soup mix and some water. The dotting with the butter went from some small pretty good pats to a couple of large lumps. at the last. But what the heck, it all melts. Maggie put the rice in the oven, as promised and we were just about done!
When the rice was ready to come out, by gosh Maggie was on a mission to get that hot dish out by herself. I really was worried that she couldn’t reach it well enough to manage and took over the task myself until I saw the look of disappointment on her face. I had no choice but to stand back and bite my lip. She got it out, put it on the counter, and looked pleased as punch. Just burnt her finger a little she said, not bad.
The Tacos on Hot Dog Buns😳
They shredded cheese. They love cheese and took time out to eat a few bites, then shredded more. AJ chopped tomato and lettuce and then they set the table. They set out the taco sauce and sour cream along with some chips and fruit from the fridge.
We didn’t get into making the tea this time, but they thought tacos called for Coke and Dr. Pepper anyway! Okay……Coke and Dr. Pepper. I didn’t say this was necessarily a nutritious supper…..it’s just a start)))
The Cake was Ready!
The timer went off and the cake was ready! They had watched it like it was a chick hatching out! Another big step…..taking the hot cake out of the oven.
Man, they really liked this part…..I just gave them potholders and stood back and said……as any doting grandmother would say…..”You had better not drop it!”
The cake made it safely to the counter with no burned fingers. It was puffed up in the middle pretty good, but that happens to the best of us. We didn’t purchase frosting, so we had to make it from butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk. It was more like fudge filling. They measured the cocoa and the frosting was pretty much black. Chocolate lovers they are.
They poked holes in the cake and spread the chocolate frosting letting it soak into the cake. One would pour, one would spread. Both had high hopes of having a spoon or knife to lick, which they did. The cake looked…..well….it was chocolate. It’s amazing though how cutting cake pieces into squares and placing them on individual dessert dishes can perk something up in appearance! Now, it was really looking good to them.
Dinnertime!
They both started watching the clock for their Mom and Dad to get here so we could all sit down to eat. Matt was hungry and kept getting into the shredded cheese and they kept herding him out of the dining room. All the food was on the table, ice in the glasses and they were so nonchalant when their parents arrived. Two seconds later, they were beaming. We fixed supper! Let’s eat! It’s going to be good!
So, eat we did and it was good! I was very proud of them and told them so. They did a good job and they worked together. I have a feeling there will be another meal on the horizon pretty soon.
The Reward
Oh, I failed to mention. Yes, they had some change left over……I believe it was enough for 2-3 candy bars each.……yes, I know……but one small step at a time)))
Grandchildren Today
These three unique, loving characters have given us enough memories with grandchildren to fill more than a few volumes. 😊 It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks, Matt will be 17, Maggie 22, and AJ 24—and now married to Taalor, who we love just like a second granddaughter.
I can’t help but reflect on how extraordinarily blessed we are that Carrie and David gave us such wonderful grandchildren. Each one is remarkable in their own special way, and their parents deserve all the credit.
How blessed am I? Truly, more than I deserve is all I can say. 💛
