Last year after we lost Daddy, my church lady friend, Kristi (also known as Mrs. Burdette’s Egg Casserole) invited me, Mr. Bee, Miss Bee and Earnie to celebrate the day with their family and the Schumacher quints. This is the famous Chocolate Dipped Pretzel dipped Schumachers. It was so comforting to go and spend the day with them.
We behaved so nicely that she invited us back for the 2nd annual Burdette/Gode/Schumacher Easterfeast 2012. There’s always ham because Grandma can’t have Easter without it.
And a pile of other food like grits (what Southern household would it be if there wasn’t a grits casserole), pasta salad (this is going to be featured in the Heirloom recipes blog entry later this week), fresh tomatoes, corn casserole, fruit, mini quiches, rolls, and of course chocolate sheet cake, cupcakes, cake balls and Mrs. Schumacher’s pretzels.
Each family has beautiful, intelligent and kind children that you actually like to sit around the table with and engage in conversation. As an added bonus we got to be involved in Amy and Andy’s science fair projects — “The Tea Party” which tested our abilities to detect if the tea was sweetened with Agave, Splenda or regular sugar (I guessed wrong) and in exam room B. Andy’s test of “Are you for Real?” of guessing whether someone is giving a genuine smile or faking it. After we left I wondered if the real reason for inviting us was because they needed test subjects.
God has blessed our family in so many ways. He’s given us a treasured church family of loving, Christian people to grow old with. If I live to be 80, then I will be spending Easter at the Burdette’s (or their assisted living facility) up until 2044. I wonder if ham will still exist in the 2040’s?
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
