Happy Birthday Grandma!

Yesterday's sermon came from the book of Romans. During the message, Pastor had us turn to Ephesians 1:5, which reads; God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. nlt I pondered that verse during the rest of the sermon! I could not really tell you what else Pastor talked about.




We all want to be needed and loved. We all need to be needed and loved. It was an amazing thought to me yesterday that God knew in advance that He wanted to adopt me. Even before my Mom and Dad wanted me, God already knew He wanted me. How can you read that and not feel good inside? Not only did He want to adopt me, but it also gave Him great pleasure! That just put icing on my cake, or extra dumplings in my soup. Or more cheese on my pizza or ...!




Yesterday was also my Grandma's 74th birthday! She makes the best cheese potatoes in the whole world. Whenever she knows ahead of time that I am coming to visit, she makes me cheese potatoes. Since I could not go and visit her yesterday, I made cheese potatoes for myself at home. They were edible but nothing compared to hers. She makes some awesome hash browns, too, fried to just the right amount of crispiness, with lots of onions. They are usually fried in bacon grease, too! Probably not the healthiest way to cook and eat, but she has been cooking this way her entire life. You have to admit, that bacon grease does add a yummy taste to fried potatoes!




Grandma raised eight children. She has eighteen grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren that I know of. I have lost touch with a few of my cousins, so I know there are even more great-grandchildren, I just don't don't know how many more! She has cooked for all of us many, many times over the years. And she remembers all of our favorite meals. Any one of us can go to her house now, and she will have your favorite meal or dessert prepared, if you gave her advance notice. And who wouldn't give her advance notice? I'll call her a week ahead of time so I know she has the needed ingredients to make my cheese potatoes!

Add a little milk, flour and salt and you can make me cheese potatoes, too!

She also remembers all of our birthdays. Every single one of us gets a card from her every year on our birthday. Every year! She remembers all of our husbands and wives, birthdays, too. The King gets a card from her every year, also. What a woman you are, Gram!

The Christmas treats she makes every year, too. Oh my gosh, there must be fifty different treats hiding in her freezer, fridge, closet and any where else she thinks we don't know about! Then she sends them home with us after Christmas. I always go for the fudge and the wreaths made out of corn flakes and marshmallows.

When she knows I'm coming to visit, she puts the bug in Grandpa's ear, too. He fires up the grill so I can have a brat or a big juicy cheeseburger with a thick slice of raw onion along with my cheese potatoes. Oh man, Grandma is over the top terrific!

Happy birthday, Gram! I love you.