Now that I am becoming a grandmother “TT” I have been looking for different and sweet things I can buy baby Specht. I know I am starting way too early but I can’t help myself. There are a lot of things out there that can go for either a boy or a girl. We don’t know just yet what we will be having so I just look for cute things that could go for either.
It is funny, nowadays they can tell you right off if you really want to know by several different ways. Back in my day you were lucky if they were turned just right so you could tell. My first child kept his back to us the entire time so we couldn’t tell. I always wanted a boy first. I never had a big brother. I thought it would be neat for anymore kids I had to have a big brother. Well, the entire time the doctor told us we were having a girl because of the heart beat. I was not happy and didn’t buy anything just incase. I didn’t want a girl and I couldn’t come up with a name. Month after month the doctor said she is doing great. I would correct him and say, I am so glad He is doing great.
Towards the end of my pregnancy I had high blood pressure and was told to go on bed rest. I tried my best to do so but went insane just laying there. When the time was right they decided to induce me. After a long day I ended up having a c-section because he just didn’t want to come out. To the shock of the doctor when they pulled him out, it was a HIM! I was so excited. I knew all along it was a boy.
Back to my story…. I went to do a little shopping looking for a few things. We love to shop at TJ Maxx, Ross and Marshalls. You can get some really great deals there. So now that we have a baby on the way I must sweep through the baby things. I have nothing for baby Specht and neither do the kids, so I like to shop early and be really prepared for whatever may come. As I was sweeping I came across the stuffed animals. What did I see but “Lamp Chop” himself. Oh, that’s what I watched when I was growing up. I must have this. I showed my husband and said do you remember Lamb Chop and Shirley Lewis? Well, yes he did but he tried to burst my bubble and said, “They won’t have a clue who this is”! It doesn’t matter! Lamb Chop can stay at my house.
After shopping for awhile I got to thinking about all the great shows we use to watch when we were kids. Shirley Lewis and Lamb Chop, Saturday morning cartoons, Sesame Street, Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner, Mr. Rogers, and so much more. Those were the good ole days. You didn’t have to worry about what your kids were watching if you put it on PBS. Nowadays you have to check everything out. All because they throw things in there that doesn’t need to be. The world sure has changed and not for the better. It is almost better not to have a TV because of the things that are on there. I get that most don’t have regular TV anymore. They have Netflix or Hulu, or whatever else they have. But you still have to watch some of it before you let your kids. They know too much already and are so smart.
It reminds me of a song we sang all of the time at church. “ Oh be careful little eyes what you see! For the Father up above is looking down on us, oh Be careful little eyes what you see!” It goes on and on and yes I know I just got you to sing this song. This is not only for our kids but should be for us also.
Life is so crazy busy nowadays. I sometimes wish we could go back a bit and do somethings like they use to. It was a simpler life. I love for the kids to see that we went outside all day and played marbles, hop scotch, rode bikes, and even climbed trees. They don’t even know what it is like to play outside. Most don’t anyways. Well, we live in the country and I am hoping my grandchild will get to experience all the the great outdoors with me right beside him. Yup, I said him. That is where my heart goes. It really doesn’t matter to me as long as he or she is healthy. I will teach them both how awesome it is to play in the dirt.
Lemon Dream Cake
Ingredients
1 box vanilla cake mix
ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil & water
1 15.75 oz can lemon pie filling
1 tub lemon flavored frosting
1 8 oz tub whipped topping (COOL WHIP) thawed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare cake mix as directed on the back of the box.
Pour batter into baking dish.
Place spoonfuls of lemon pie filling all over the batter.
Take a knife and swirl it all around to help evenly distribute it better.
Bake at 350F degrees (in center rack) for about 35-40 minutes until cake springs back to the touch and isn’t jiggly in the center.
Let cake cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
In a bowl, combine lemon flavored frosting with whipped topping.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Spread frosting over cooled cake.
Tina Specht is co-publisher of the Minden Press-Herald. She shares her thoughts and recipes each Thursday.