Moms,food and chores

My mom has always been an amazing woman, she went out to the barn twice a day did chores, cooked three meals a day, kept a tidy house, spring and fall cleaned her house, was always willing to go help a friend butcher 100+ chickens, or put up bushels and bushels of sweet corn. She home schooled, kept the bills paid, made sure the taxes were ready to file, sewed our clothes, she stretched her dollars as far as they could go.

See she is always in the kitchen.:)

Mom never baked bread & didn't like to bake cookies, but she is a pie queen. :) Saturday morning was cleaning day, somehow she made sure the house got cleaned AND she baked 3-4 pies, made a huge noon meal and had it all ready by 11:30-12:00! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetable and fresh pie for dessert. :) Now don't get me wrong we had our share of  having to eat liver and onions, buttered beets, etc...

Sunday mornings were not a repeat of yummy Saturday... The day started with chores and then hot oatmeal "yuck"!!! Ugh, I don't remember how old we had to be before we could skip breakfast Sunday mornings. I never did acquire a taste for that  slimy goop! Sunday lunch was usually just  quick fix meal. like canned beef chunks and noodles, a can or pork and beans, but usually there was some of that pie left for dessert. :) 

Speaking of chores I can not see how mom could handle having to take her babies out to the barn. But it was either take them out or leave them in the house with the next older siblings. And I am sure by the time I came along my oldest sister was needed to help with the chores. I never have had a longing to just one more time have to wake up, leave the warm house, bundle up and go out to the barn to feed calves! Ugh, I suppose it was character building for us, but it sure wasn't pleasant. I remember trying to stay as tired as possible so I could go straight back to sleep once we got back in the house.;) Nope, I wasn't worried about eating some breakfast, sleep was much more precious.

 And then there was the days of my dad buying calves to fill veal barns, these babies had to be shipped clear to KY& they had been at the sale barn all day the day before with no food. Now of course we can't expect them to survive that long journey without some milk. So 5-5:30 am we had to go bottle feed 100+ calves.:( Now there is no way you can try to stay tired when you are feeding calves. Because you are either awake and paying attention or you will end up with the contents of that bottle soaking into your clothes! 

Mom no longer has to go out to the barn, BTW she has never enjoyed animals or chores but I never heard her complaining about her duties.

 She still stays busy sewing for people, cooking food or helping out at the church fellowship hall. She always has plenty of pie available when her children come home to visit. :)

She is still amazing!