I Have A Little Black Book

Cookbook that is.

When I was young I lived with my grandmother for quite some time. I remember her making cheese bread, the best cinnamon bread in the world, regular bread, pickled beets... the list was endless, but her breads where the best!  The entire time she cooked, she used her little black cookbook. When she made changes to her recipe, she noted the changes in her cookbook. I loved that book - I guess because from it came the best memories...

We had a couple of family reunions this year, you remember that story, right?

Well, just before one of the reunions, an aunt and uncle set me down and gave me some pictures that came from my Aunt Connie's house - Uncle Ed had sent them.  (I love you Uncle Ed!)  We went through them and reminisced about them, where they hung on the walls in which home, who they were and how we loved them.

Then Aunt Carol and Uncle Danny handed me a very special book.  It was *the* black book I had forever wanted and teased my aunt about.

Aunt Connie had kept the little black book in a drawer in the kitchen.  Every single time I went over there, I opened that drawer, pulled it out and admired that cookbook.  I also threatened to take it home and 'pretended' to walk towards my car with it.  We made a big deal out of it - she would tell me to bring that right back here, it was not mine yet and put it right back where I found it.  I did - and this went on for years - every single time I was there I grabbed that black book and lovingly looked it over, caressed my grandma's handwriting and "remembered when".

As I sat there with Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan, the reality of what I had in my hand hit me; years and years of my grands love, sweat and tears - and years and years of my aunt's unconditional love; both gone forever but both leaving me a part of them I will cherish forever.

I have the little black book:

And all grans love notes:

And it was wrapped in the love of two very special aunts and two very special uncles.

Thanks to each of you - it is precious to me.  I will cherish it forever.

Stephenie has claimed it.

I love you all!