Daily Courage

Deanna Garretson is the Design Chicky, and she has another identity too – she is the Apronista. Her blog is a gathering place for Apron devotees. I am sure you have noticed that aprons are all the rage. One of our favorite books is A is for Apron from Lark Books.

Today marched the beginning of Apron Fest ‘09, a blog tour of wonderful sites participating in apron giveaways. My dear friend April Cornell decided to get in on the fun on her blog. This is the first time she has participated in a blog. What a fun day. There were so many great comments and visits from the women Deanna brought together. Truly a fun day in blogdom! 

The giveaway continues through the week, so be sure to stop by April’s blog and share your favorite memory of cooking together (preferably wearing and apron of course) with someone you love. The winner will be chosen by a random number picker and notified on Friday.

I’m a sucker for traditions. I’ve always been nostalgic and find great joy in warm memories. For our family, Easter is filled with both. Over the years its become “our” holiday, meaning we usually host. This year, everyone brought a dish and that made all the difference in the world. That will be a new tradition!

My mother always baked an Easter lamb cake. When she passed away, the mold came to me. Its a joy to bake it year after year. I made two so there was plenty to go around, and two heads to argue over. I’ve learned to grease and flour the mold well, and to go a little light on the wet ingredients so the cake holds together. After trial and error, I have happily settled on the seven-minute boiled icing from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook.

This Easter we enjoyed a dramatic presentation. My father teaches the three youngest nieces their weekly religion lessons. He found a wonderful script based on two modern day TV journalists interviewing Mary Magdelene Easter Sunday after the Resurrection. I think the girls have launched another tradition.

Whatever your traditions are, whatever you observe and believe, I hope you will always have the courage to be creative when celebrating. Whether its baking a cake, performing a play–complete with homemade props, or setting a special table, make being creative a tradition.