It is 6:30 a.m. and I am frying hamburger to make vegetable soup for lunch at noon. I am frying about three pounds of hamburger and will make the soup in my big turkey roaster that can hold a 25 pound turkey. It covers two burners on top of the stove, so it's big.
Last week, I was visiting with our David, age 22, on the phone. He said, "Mom, Steve wants to talk to you." Steve is David's friend and they share the apartment.
So Steve gets on the phone. "Mrs. Hultquist? Can you make me some soup if I bring over the meat and vegetables? Because you are a, um, stay at home Mom. Or, um ... aaaa ... what do ya call it? Um, you are a ... um, a homemaker? And you know how to make homemade soup?" I am laughing to myself and letting this poor kid stumble around and try to describe who my sons said I was. So I said I would see what I could do. So I asked Jim about it, and he laughed over Steven, as we always do.
Anyway, long story "short," I asked the boys over for dinner today of vegetable soup. I will make enough for the boys to bring some back home. They want to take it in their lunch for next week.
Then last night, Dan called to tell us that his car is running again. I invited Dan, age 20, for soup, too. Well, he has to work but asked me to save him some for when he comes over Sunday. I will have plenty for whoever wants some.
I am making the broth this morning and then later, after school with Mary, Jim will take me to the store and I will get some vegetables. I have potatoes but need to buy celery, cabbage and carrots. This morning before I go to the store, I will just make the broth. I will drain the hamburger and add water to the soup pot. I will cut up onions and put in the herbs (garlic, black pepper, marjoram from my garden, parsley, basil, etc.) and some beef bullion cubes. I have a few tomatoes left from the garden and green peppers ... I will add them. And maybe one or two hot peppers from the garden, too. (I am drying these, as I had so many this year.)
I had made a big pan of breadsticks yesterday, so I will have them on the table, too. Also, we have some banana bread, left from Mary's baking, for dessert. I suppose we will have iced tea to drink and milk.
But it will be an event. "Anywhere Steven is turns into an event."
The kids tell Steven, "My Mom knows that you are trying to get one over on her and she acts like she believes you but she doesn't." I am going to wear my apron today and do it up good. Steven's eyes will be big as saucers.
Mary Elisabeth has been a real riot lately. She said really shyly the other day, "Mom, ya know how I always bring Brandon some of your baking? Well, I tell him I made it. That raspberry cobbler you made? I told him I went out and picked the raspberries in the backyard myself and made the cobbler myself."
I said. "Mary Elisabeth, you quit lyin' to that poor kid. It isn't that hard for you to bake." So she made the bananna bread 2 days ago. She made 3 big loaves and it was delicious. And she said Brandon ate a whole loaf in one sitting. I told her that she shouldn't lie about her baking and it's my cooking that he will be marrying her for.
Mary loves to decorate and would rather clean than cook. But she is a really good cook and baker.
Well, anyway, I do try my best to show my children a stay at home wife and mother. Hopefully, my boys will marry homemakers and later mothers whose hearts stay home with my grandbabies.
