Just missing someone

I had a birthday "party" for my Mom last night.  Our parties are wild, let me tell you!  By wild, I mean with children running around!  Mom has six grandchildren,  my nephew Gavin is 4, my Aidan is 3, Landon would be 2, Allyson will be 1 next week, then my twins, Bekah and Gracie are 4 months.  She's not doing too badly for someone who thought she'd never be a grandma! 

I cooked a meal that looked like it belonged at a Baptist dinner on the ground.  I made fresh green beans, (I broke them myself and cooked them all day long in some pork fat, mmmmm!), chicken and dumplins, meatloaf, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and a 7-layer salad.  Plus a cake.  Then, mom's friends brought cornbread and cookies and a couple other desserts, and my Momaw made a strawberry jello poke cake.  Good food!  All from scratch, every bit of it.

I know some women say they make dumplins from scratch, but I can tell that just means they scratch their hiney and knock the can of biscuits against the counter.  I start with flour and work my way through it.  I'd be embarrassed to do otherwise.  I admit, I'm a fatty, and I cook like a granny.   My husband told everyone that he only married me for my cooking. 

We had a great night of food and family and friends.  And kids!  My mom is never happier than when she's surrounded by all of her grandbabies.  All of her grandbabies.  I hate that term.  It isn't all of her grandbabies, and it never will be.  No matter what, there'll always be one missing.  But, I really seem to be the only one who hangs on to that.  I think everyone that was here, at some point last night, said that phrase.  Except me.