Baking Brings Memories

I love to bake! It is very calming to me...well, when I bake by myself. My girls like to bake also, and I am excited to teach them, but not when I need solace. :) I like to bake because it is usually a one step at a time process (which I love), it makes the house smell so good, my family gets excited and lets face it...it tastes delicious! This morning I woke and decided to use the ever so ripening bananas sitting on my counter to make banana bread. To me, baking not only gives us something good to eat, but it is attached to so many memories. I can remember during my childhood my mom baking the most wonderful cakes...a bunny loaded with jelly beans for Easter, a beautiful barbie with a full hoop skirt for a birthday, a baby rocking in a cradle for a shower. I loved watching her create these delectable desserts...I liked licking the bowl even more! My 5th grade year, a few of my friends and I were close to our Teacher Assistant. She was almost completely blind, so we would go to her house and she would teach us how to read and "write" brail, we would tell stories and giggle...and we would bake. One time I remember sneaking globs of chocolate chip cookie dough from the bowl. I thought she couldn't see me, but I am pretty sure she knew! :) This all brings me back to my morning banana bread baking...We recently relocated to Tennessee. It was a deeply thought out and prayerful move, but a difficult one. We left the only place our children knew. We left a wonderful church. We left virtually all of our family and so many friends. One of our dear friends loved my banana bread. My children actually used to get rather annoyed because I would bake a loaf and bring it to church and give it to him. Well, this loaf will be staying in our kitchen because we are over 700 miles away. We miss Rochester very much...but I am so excited for the memories we will make while baking here in Tennessee. These memories will be what my children will have. Wonderful memories brought out by just mixing up a bowl of batter. Feel free to share some of your own baking memories. Happy Baking...and Memory Making!