Eli and I baked cookies
I think baking together is a wonderful thing to do with children, it teaches so much and makes memories that involve all of the senses. Feel, sound, sight, taste and smell. (especially the last too).
I have many memories of baking cookies with my mother and I am so happy I can pass that tradition on.
Yesterday I baked the cookies using Greek yogurt instead of butter, and fresh ground sorghum flour instead of starches. (although I have to say making dessert more healthy seems pointless. Desserts are not healthy really no matter what you do, that's the point of dessert).
They turned out great and Eli and I had a wonderful time together.
Something special about me baking with my kids and my mom baking with me is the Bosch mixer we have.
The Bosch mixer is pretty special.
Here is the story:
My grandmother and my great aunt Marie purchased Bosch mixers at the same time, same order.
My grandmother used the mixer to make butter and mix cheese and all sorts of things.Grandma cooked alot so I am sure that Bosch felt very close to grandma. The the mixer was used and the mixer was happy and the mixer was busy.
Years went by and the Bosch stayed busy.
The mixer began to feel its age, but being an awesome "farm girl" mentality mixer, Bosch continued to work.
Over the years the kids in my grandmas family began to trickle out of the home and Bosch we can assume was less busy but still busy.
Somewhere along the way it got a big crack in the side of its stand. But Bosch continued to work.
When my Mother graduated from college she came home and "home" was the house they where building at cinder butte (that's in the middle of nowhere, no really) here is a picture of that location: i think this area is it
My mom made cookies every single week for the guys that where there to build the house.
And to make these cookies she used the Bosch.
I think mom understood Bosch. They got along well together.
When it was time for grandma to get a new mixer, Bosch went to my mother. That was fine with both of them they both loved making cookies.
Bosch helped my mom and her kids (including me, of course) make cookies for many many years.
Bosch got more tired and more dirty and more broken I am pretty sure Bosch worked only on one speed anymore, but none of that mattered, Bosch was the perfect cookies mixer and everyone knew it.
Bosch had its own spot in the appliance garage. Every time it was used it felt happy because it was used a lot, it never had time to gather dust or become forgotten. Every good mixer dreams of living a long cookie mixing life you know.
I (Melinda) grew older and began to use it more and more on my own as I learned to bake. Nothing could mix like the Bosch. I decided somewhere along the way that Bosch mixers where superior to all others (at least our Bosch was) it was definitive proof that mixers do not have to look beautiful staged on counter tops to be good mixers. (no offense Kitchen Aids we like you too).
When I was about 17 something happened that deeply affected the entire family, even good Ol' Bosch mixer. No in all seriousness something very sad did happen.
Grandma passed away.
We where all deeply sad, we missed Grandma.
It was around this time , that the Bosch mixer finally gave out, and went to the big kitchen in the sky.
I think perhaps Bosch knew where grandma had gone and went after her.
Whatever the reason the timing was sad. I think it was just one more thing at an already sad time. It was not a "no big deal " kind of thing to happen just then.
Because the mixer had been grandmas before it was ours it had a special history to it that could not be replaced.
Here is where Great aunt Marie and her Bosch come in.
Now for those of you who don't know aunt Marie I will just tell you, she is pretty cool.
When my mother (I suppose tearfully but maybe not) told her aunt Marie about the Bosch from grandma giving out, Aunt Marie (in her awesomeness) knew what to do.
"Linda" she said "I have my old Bosch from the same batch as your mothers, just sitting outside not in use, if you want it, you may have it" (*just a note I have no idea exactly how she worded this conversation I just know the end result).
So my mom took the mixer from the same time, same order as her mothers, home and put the mixing bowl from her mothers set on the stand, and made cookies.
The End....
Wait I forgot to tell you how I got the mixer.
Well I'll tell you.
Sometime in the mix there my father and mother purchased a brand-spanking-new Bosch mixer.
So the old Bosch sat on the self and was not used very often.
Which was sad because as I mentioned before, you may recall, mixers like to be used a lot.
Well a few years after this point I (Melinda) got married to Mitchell. Mitchell cant eat gluten. Which means I had to make my own bread. every. single. week.
Gluten free bread dough is very dense.
My arms got tired mixing , since my "mixer" was my own two hands and a mixing bowl.
So my sweet mother gave to me the Bosch.
The very special Bosch, The Bosch with a bowl from Grandma and a mixing stand from the same batch as grandmas, given to my mother by great aunt Marie as a replacement for Grandmas original mixing stand.
And I use the Bosch almost every week to make bread,
And the Bosch is happy.
And so are we.
The end of the End.
*All opinions of the feelings and desires of mixing stands are my own opinions fabricated from my imagination. But the story of how I got the old Bosch I have is completely true.
I tried to be respectful in all the tones of this story but I know the topic is sensitive. If anyone is in any way hurt or offended please know that was not my intent. I wanted the story to be a fun way for me and my kids to have a record of the cool old mixer we have, and its history, but I wanted the importance of the bowl of it being my grandmothers originally to be clear. I was very close to my Grandmother and would never make light of her passing or be intentionally disrespectful. The reason I love the mixer like I do is that each time I use it I remember both my mother and my grandmother (and my great aunt Marie).
I know that families can be Eternal and that I will see all my loved ones again. I know that someday I will see my Grandmother again. To learn more about Eternal Families and the Plan of Salvation follow the included links or click here.
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