Flu Shots and Cupcakes

In honor of my mother's birthday, the kids and I got our flu shots today! How does that honor my mother, you ask. I'll tell you.
The flu shot was the annual battle that took place between my mother and I while I was growing up under her roof. A registered nurse herself, my mom understood the importance of being vaccinated.
"A quick stick is much better than bouts of barfing," she always said... just kidding those weren't her words but they could have been. :) My mom always brought the shot home in hopes that I would happily hand over my arm to her inviting needle. Needless and needle-ess to say she was the one who year after year got shot down by my rejection of her attempts. The poor dear woman!! I would throw such a fit over a prick in the arm that I'm sure she figured I was the real prick! But she never called me that, she could've though, I deserved it! One year I remember her out-witting me. I had cornered myself in my bathroom behind a locked door, she finally told me I could come out and she would leave me alone. When I opened the door she grabbed me, yanked up my sleeve and gave me the shot in one flawless, almost practiced, move! I don't think I was too mad. I was mostly impressed! It was as though she took a self-offense class. Do they have self-offense classes? I think I'm onto something....
"This is going to hurt me a whole lot more than its going to hurt you," was one of her sayings. And you know what? I'm sure it did. She was the most empathetic woman and I got to call her "mom."




This was just 3 months before she passed away.
As beautiful and as happy as ever.

 She would be 70 years old today.

And speaking of birthdays... she was way ahead of the cupcake trend!
Back to my childhood- I grew up eating cupcakes for breakfast. It was the norm. And she was always just happy to see me eat something. She actually would say that!
"Oh, Carolyn," her voice sparkled, "its so good to see you eat!"
Once out of her house whenever we would go to visit her she would pull out a large container of defrosting cupcakes ready to be devoured. She was genius and knew that cupcakes were the best served cold, not room temperature. And her frosting hasn't been surpassed by any trendy cupcake place I've been to yet!
"Mom! You must write that recipe down!" I'd always beg.
"Oh, Carolyn, you just add a little bit of milk and about this much butter."
"How much, mom? I need it in teaspoons, tablespoons, cups! Something!"
"Oh, honey, I don't know, you just kind of guess!"
Frosting-less to say I still haven't been able to match her mix of heavenly perfection. I feel like I get it close every once and a while but not close enough. I'm going to keep trying. But I know now why I ate those for breakfast and why she encouraged it. She wouldn't always be able to greet me with her goodies...and I wouldn't be able to replicate them. Ha! I can taste them now, just thinking about them. Just like I can hear her voice sparkle....

Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for happy memories and the happy taste buds, too. I love you and miss you.

At Georgetown Cupcakes (from the show DC Cupcakes),
right before my disappointment that my mother even had them beat!
Easy to see how excited I was that I might get to taste mama's frosting or something like it!
Boo hooo..... :(