Mom's Birthday

This is the final spring birthday post!

Mom's birthday fell on our college finals week... While Melissa, Molly, and I really desired to spoil Mom, it was hard to balance school and a full-blown celebration.

Mom at Hoover Dam, NV in January 2013

We had a quiet morning. I headed off to work while Melissa went to classes. Molly worked on school and, despite strict orders to not do any "work", Mom made a pot of her fabulous bean soup.

In the afternoon, Mom headed to redeem her massage gift card (from Christmas). She figured that since we kept telling her to stop doing things (laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.), she may as well enjoy a 'non-work' activity. The massage received our full approval and a birthday activity.

For dinner, we got Chinese takeout and two quarts of ice cream -chocolate mousse and mint chip. Dad got stuck at work, so we had an all-girls dinner and quickly settled down to watch Sense and Sensibility.

Having four girls to one guy in our family, means that Jane Austen chick-flicks are go-to movies :) This one is probably one of my favorites as the personality conflicts between Elinor and Marianne Dashwood mirror Melissa and I's personality differences in many ways.

When Dad got home and finished his final conference call of the night, we opened presents. Mom got a big gift from Dad -a wheat grinder.

The loaf of bread shown is the first loaf with the ground flour.

I was excited for Mom to open this gift. The weekend prior to Mom's birthday, Molly, Mom, and myself headed to a homeschool convention in Harrisburg, PA. While there, Mom got a chance to see and experiment with the grinder in person. After talking to Dad, I bought the machine (on his behalf) for Mom's birthday.

Flour that is not used within 48 hours of being ground begins to loose its nutrients. The longer it is stored, the less nutrition it provides. Grinding our own wheat will give us more nutrition in our homemade breads and muffins.

Mom used the grinder for the first time last Saturday. It ground the wheat quite finely and after tasting a piece of the loaf, I think we will all enjoy the flavor, consistency, and health benefits of grinding our own flour.

Happy Birthday, Mom! You've been a wonderful mentor to me and I love you more than I'll ever be able to say :) You've given the last twenty years of your life to being a wife, mom, teacher, nurse, maid, cook, mentor, and so much more. The example that you set everyday is one that I want to emulate in my own family, one day. Thank you for constantly teaching us and pointing us to the ultimate teacher, Jesus Christ!

'Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."' ~Proverbs 31:28-29