she didn't feel wanted

our youngest,
our most recent college graduate,
just wasn't feeling too confident about
her future.
after all she has the degree, now needs the job. 
but so far, things weren't moving very fast.
patience is hard when your future is on the line.
   
late last week an email came from a school expressing interest. 
here-after known as school A.
AHA! 
her confidence began to creep back up. 

the next day came a phone call from another school,
she had an impromptu interview and got a job offer.
we shall call them school B.
(it was her birthday, too.)
confidence level vastly improved!

lots of research, discussion followed 
with her parents.

the weekend was over.
 it was time to make a decision.
good old dad was getting nervous for his baby girl.
" take the job!
call them NOW!
take the job!"
(referring to school B.)
and the mom was trying not to get on that train.
however,
the college grad had her own time frame.
she had a determined time when she was going to make the call.

before, yes before she can make that call...
she gets a call from another school.
we shall call them school C.
not even one she's heard from yet.
ever.
they want a phone interview.

now i get a call.
from the daughter-roo.
my little college grad is starting to float above the floor.
she is wanted!
she does have something to offer.
she is being validated!!!  

she puts a phone call in to the job offered school,
school B.
but the principal is unavailable. 
message is left. 
  
she calls home updating me on the process.
as we are talking she gets an email
from the principal at school A.
he wants a phone interview, asap.
  
okey-dokey.

this baby-college-graduate of mine 
is no longer grounded.
she is levitating 5 feet off the floor
in excitement and amazement.

lets see,
she does the phone interview with 
with school C.
they are nice, but not quite
what she's interested in.
they say they will get back with her.

the phone interview with school A 
is next. 

i am getting phone calls in between all
the calls she is getting.  
it's important to know
this is happening in about 1 hours time frame. 
honest.
it's c.r.a.z.y. 

our phone rings with the latest news...
interview with school A goes great!

this baby-college-grad has left the building.
she is floating in the clouds.
so excited i can barely understand 
what she is saying.

she loves the teaching methods,
concepts, and much much more.
she is offered a job.
it's even teaching her most preferred grade,
second. 

i ask,
"did you say yes?"
she:  "No, i wanted to talk to you."
me: " do you want to teach there?"
she: "YES"
me: "then call him back. now."
she: "Okay. mom they are sooo cool."

and she proceeds to tell me again all the things
she was excited about.

we got off the phone.
she called school A, accepting their offer.
so, now it's back to HR.
they do the official hiring.

if this all works out,
our baby will be just like her siblings
and spreading her wings.
she will be 16 hours away.

it's okay.
honest.
you know why?
as we got off the phone
she said,
"okay, you can finish fixing your lunch,

i'm just gonna be jumping around my apartment!"   


          

            
   
      
  

my favorite rose

facebook keeps asking what is on my mind?
my youngest child.
she is on my mind.
today is a big day.
she's getting that hard earned degree.
the one that makes her able to be a teacher.
yippee and hoorah don't even begin
to express it.

a few of my favorite people have
come to help us celebrate.
we've been giggling and smart mouthing
and laughing until tears ran down.  

this little corner of the state just 
doesn't realize how lucky it is to have
this much awesomeness gathered here.
all because we love our graduate.

graduations are a bit tricky for me.
i ALWAYS get teary eyed at pomp 
and circumstance.
so it will happen today too.
and not due to sadness. 
they are happy tears.
happy tears to see a dream realized.
to know the wide world awaits.
new adventures to have.

today we miss those who aren't
here celebrating with us.
especially her big brother.
we know he is just as proud and will be
thinking of us all as he sits in the middle of the 
gulf working but wishing he was here.

however, we shall party on
proud and strong.

you got this one daughter-roo.
and remember you shall always be
my favorite rose.  


    
    
 

red velvet cake season

ahhh May!
my favorite month.
flowers and trees are blooming,
spring is here, 
usually, 
and summer is coming. 
all great things. 
plus...
it's my birthday month.
it's red velvet cake season.
red velvet cake season you ask?
yes. 
officially it starts in May.
 
i've been eating Waldorf Astora Cake,
the official name for
red velvet cake, light years before 
it was cool to do so.  
over 45 years in fact.
mom always made it for my birthday
because i requested it.
we only had it once a year.

now in my home we have it two times a year.
our youngest child has adopted it as her
favorite cake too. 
she's also a May born baby, 
our birthdays are exactly one week apart.
hence "the season".
sometimes we've cupcaked hers.

this year she wants to serve it at her 
COLLEGE GRADUATION reception.
(insert her cart-wheeling parents here).
not that it's a miracle or anything,
her graduating, 
(however, cart-wheeling parents
would qualify as miraculous.)
anyway....  
certainly worth celebrating.
and certainly worth Waldorf Astoria Cake.

fyi, we never use cream cheese frosting.
that is wrong.
don't even think of it.
ours is a french vanilla frosting.
and mine always is topped with coconut 
and pecans.
the college graduate however does not 
add those. 
she's independent that way.
: )     

brown-eyed-handsome-man
makes my cake from scratch.
every year.
we've been married for nearly 36 years
and he's made it every year.
sometimes he makes more than one.
like the year i turned 50,
we had a party so he made an extra
cake or two.
the party was in the evening.
some of the guests stayed with us
and we decided to have some cake
with our lunch.
oh yes,
we had some cake.
the whole dog-gone thing!
it required another cake to be made
for the evening party.
but he ran out of red food coloring,
so tried green food coloring.
no can do.
it was horrid!!!
greasy-ish.
do not mess with a good thing.
we tossed the green cake,
made an emergency trip to town 
for red food coloring
and the cake was it's usual
perfect self.

red velvet cake season
has commenced.
don't forget to celebrate it.
and if you want the 
correct frosting recipe..
you just need to ask us.
we're the experts of course.
;-)