Upon deciding the girls & I would be venturing home during Abby's spring break, one of the first arrangements I made was with my grandmother to go to my grandparents' house for supper and our usual hanging out.
The day before I left for my trip I got an e-mail with the recipe for a dish a friend of a friend had made at a recent gathering. It was a simple dish, but a big hit. Knowing how much my grandma likes to try new things, I called her up the morning of our visit to ask if it would be okay if I made it and brought it along; she thought that sounded like a good idea.
The girls and I arrived early at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I put together the Baked Pineapple, and then went to the business of helping Grandma take a few misc. things upstairs and chatting. Upon entering Uncle David's old room to put away some holiday items, I saw my dad's baby book sitting on top of a basket so I brought it downstairs to read. While browsing through the aged pages I came upon a meticulously documented family tree and discovered that this very day, March 27th, it would have been my great grandmother's 110th birthday. And not only was it her birthday, but she was born in the very house we were sitting in, as my grandparents live on the family homestead. I was excited about the discovery, and felt in my heart it was more than just a coincidence.
One thing led to another. We had Grandma's classic hotdish for supper with our side of baked pineapple that both of my grandparents raved about. I'm not sure what led Grandma to dig it out, but from the back of the cupboard she pulled out another piece of family history: Great Grandma's recipe box. After supper was eaten and the dishes were done, we settled around the table to rummage through the treasure box. What I found took my breath away. First was the recipe I had been looking for, her recipe for Sunshine Cake. The cake she had made my grandpa for his birthdays in his youth, the cake I was hoping to make him next week for his 80th birthday. Perfect! The second, she had an enormous collection of various pineapple recipes. Hmmmm. Pineapple.
I never met my Great Grandma Bendorf. She passed away just three months before I was born. But I do have her diamond engagement ring, and many beautiful memories in the house she grew up in & raised her children in. And now I have her Sunshine Cake recipe, and a special place in my heart for pineapple.
The day before I left for my trip I got an e-mail with the recipe for a dish a friend of a friend had made at a recent gathering. It was a simple dish, but a big hit. Knowing how much my grandma likes to try new things, I called her up the morning of our visit to ask if it would be okay if I made it and brought it along; she thought that sounded like a good idea.
The girls and I arrived early at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I put together the Baked Pineapple, and then went to the business of helping Grandma take a few misc. things upstairs and chatting. Upon entering Uncle David's old room to put away some holiday items, I saw my dad's baby book sitting on top of a basket so I brought it downstairs to read. While browsing through the aged pages I came upon a meticulously documented family tree and discovered that this very day, March 27th, it would have been my great grandmother's 110th birthday. And not only was it her birthday, but she was born in the very house we were sitting in, as my grandparents live on the family homestead. I was excited about the discovery, and felt in my heart it was more than just a coincidence.
One thing led to another. We had Grandma's classic hotdish for supper with our side of baked pineapple that both of my grandparents raved about. I'm not sure what led Grandma to dig it out, but from the back of the cupboard she pulled out another piece of family history: Great Grandma's recipe box. After supper was eaten and the dishes were done, we settled around the table to rummage through the treasure box. What I found took my breath away. First was the recipe I had been looking for, her recipe for Sunshine Cake. The cake she had made my grandpa for his birthdays in his youth, the cake I was hoping to make him next week for his 80th birthday. Perfect! The second, she had an enormous collection of various pineapple recipes. Hmmmm. Pineapple.
I never met my Great Grandma Bendorf. She passed away just three months before I was born. But I do have her diamond engagement ring, and many beautiful memories in the house she grew up in & raised her children in. And now I have her Sunshine Cake recipe, and a special place in my heart for pineapple.
{On the Homestead: Great Grandma, Aunt Joyce, Aunt Glenice, Grandpa, Great Grandpa Bendorf}
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