Saturday, April 11, 2009

~Easter Baking With Mom~


Each year when we were growing up, my mom made us her traditional Easter Bunny Cake : white cake, gooey seven-minute frosting, coconut..... Every year. So once I had my sons, I followed her lead, and made an Easter Bunny Cake just like my Mom's. Every year.

Last year, I decided to make 3 Bunny Cakes: a Mama, and two Babies.... one for Ella and one for Jackson. When I proudly set them on the table, Ella asked me who the bunnies were. I told her there was a Mama Bunny, an Ella Bunny and a Jackson Bunny. She looked up at me with her big green eyes and said, "Grandma.....that is VERY sad." I looked over the three cakes. They LOOKED okay. They each had jelly bean eyes and nose. And pink paper ears. Just like MY Mom used to make us. I was puzzled until she explained: "There's NO Papa Bunny, Grandma". Okay. I admit it. I felt awful. I had left out the Papa Bunny (my son!) . Bad Grandma. I learned my lesson. So this year, I baked the complete family: A Papa Bunny, A Mama Bunny, and two Babies.

And guess who spent this Holy Saturday with me? The original Bunny Baker herself: my Mom! She is out of the hospital and back at her assisted living home. She's on two new alzheimer's medications that are helping with her memory and delusions. She still gets confused at times, and talks about 'going home to her parents'. No....she doesn't mean heaven....she means back to the farm house in Uniontown, Pa, where she grew up once they came over from Italy. She forgets she's all-grown-up now at almost 89 years of age....and she gets confused. But when we picked her up this morning so she could come and help make the Bunny Cakes and pies....there was NO confusion on her face. She was a happy, determined mother-with-a-purpose: helping her daughter bake for Easter!

We had lunch and she laid down on the sofa with the puppies and snoozed while I made the seven-minute frosting for the cakes I had baked last nite. When she woke up, we iced the bunnies together. She giggled like a school girl and licked her fingers when they got too gooey....then headed for the sink to wash them and begin again. We had coconut everywhere!

I don't often stop to remember long-ago memories like watching my mother ice the Bunny Cake when I was seven...or eight....or nine. They came flooding back to me: my beautiful mom with her dark curls and big brown eyes standing in the kitchen, old-fashioned apron tied in a big bow behind her back. Determinedly icing that cake. I can see her like it was yesterday.

It was a beautiful Holy Saturday. One I will always remember. I pray that God let's us have her for a few more Easters. After all....there are still a whole lot of Bunny Cakes that will need to be baked!

18 comments:

Mel said...

Oh Carol..how incredibly AWESOME!!! I am so happy for all of you...what a gift...what a precious gift...

Beth in NC said...

Those cakes are adorable and what a blessing to have your Mom there to help!!! Such an Easter gift.

Many blessings!
Beth

Carolyn said...

I am so glad your Mom is doing better.My Mom also has done a lot better since they changed her madication over a year ago.She is much happier and relaxed now.I am so thankful for that.
The Easter cakes are so cute!
May you and your Mom continue to be blessed.
Carolyn

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Mel...It IS a gift!!

Beth...An Easter gift, for sure!

Carolyn...Thank goodness for those meds! Blessings to you, your mom, and your family!

Anonymous said...

What a blessing for you and your Mom to have been Easter bakers together, this year and every other year. I am so very glad that she was able to be with you for this year's bunny cakes, not just physically but also mentally. Have I told you lately that you're my heroine, Carol?

Love,
Kathi

CIELO said...

Blessings to you and yours....

cielo

Nel from Nebraska said...

What a special day for both of you, Carol, and what a gift!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Oh, Carol...this brought tears to my eyes...What an incredibly wonderful story! And what a precious gift this memory of time together is...Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Your kind words and comments mean so much to me...I am grateful for your friendship...it is lovely to have a friend for the journey...and my heart is with you as you travel a similar path to mine. Blessings to you this Easter! ~Janine XO

I'm off to Sunday services...but I'll be back to visit again!

Robin Beck said...

What a beautiful beautiful story-It really touched my heart Carol.
Your Granddaughter and Mom sound just precious.
The bunny cakes are so cute!
Have a very blessed Easter~
Robin~♥
P.S. Love those family traditions!

Martha said...

Happy Easter my dear dear friend!!! Thank God for all his small blessings... With love from the bottom of my heart!!!

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

It is so great that your Mom is able to be herself for awhile and help you. We will pray that her meds will help her and she can be with you for many years to come.
Happy Easter and what cute cakes.
Molly

Lynne Bolar Clark said...

I love how your family has so many wonderful traditions that you carry on with such meaning. It's so easy to let traditions go: we get too busy, we forget how special they are, we forget what it will mean to the next generation. You're an inspiration to me, Carol, to try harder to keep those special traditions alive and to even maybe make some new ones for my little granddaughter!

Hugs,
Lynne

bj said...

This is so sweet and I am bawling like a baby. I wish my mother could have been here this year but she has been gone for 21 years and...I miss her as much as ever. I am so glad you had your mom with you and if God sees fit to let her stay around for a few more Easters..wonderful. If not, you will always treasure THIS one.
Those little bunny cakes are too cute!
xo bj

bj said...

and...then I read your post below about Mary and cried even harder...whew...your posts sure hit home, girl...
and, as if all this cryin' isn't enuf, I just signed up to follow you...I am a glutton for punishment!! :O)

Woman in a Window said...

ah, so beautiful. What a gift to have her with you and having her lick fingers like that. The past suddenly married the present. Perfect.

Jeni said...

As wonderful as it was for me to read this post, I can only imagine how awesome it had to be for you to have your Mom "back" at least for a little while. Here's hoping the new meds help keep her more content and balanced in her day-to-day life as I'm sure it will help you immensely then too!
Peace and Cheers!

Patti said...

Those bunny cakes are so adorable! And your mom looks great at almost 89 - hope she continues to improve on the meds and your family shares more happy memories with her. I love to read about all your traditions that cross the generations - it's so heartwarming. Hang in there with your mom; she is so lucky to have you.

Amy said...

I am so glad your Mom was there with you. How wonderful to have those memories from your youth and these new memories you are creating today!!!!!
Amy