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19 Years Ago

Nineteen years ago, at 1:30 in the afternoon, I became a mother. That was the beginning of my vocation, although I didn't think of it like that then. I was awed and amazed at the tiny baby they placed in my arms. She was ours. I was overcome with tears of joy. My sweet Sophia Marie made us a family, made us parents, and has definitely made me a better person.

I will never forget that while in labor with Sophie, the nurses left the door open and I could hear their conversation in the hallway. It went something like this:

"She would deliver that baby in 15 minutes if the doctor would let us break her water."

"Yeah, but he is still on the back 9 of the golf course."

Had I not been a mere 21 and had no clue that I could or should speak up, I would have! Thanks to my doctor, I labored for 14 hours with Sophie. The rest of my babies have all been extremely short labors, the next longest being 4 hours, the shortest being 2 1/2 hours!

Today, she is such an amazing young lady. She has a job as a liveguard, she is studying math at a "passionately Catholic" university, and as of this very afternoon, is a licensed driver in the state of Virginia. Will I be a nervous wreck the first time she goes out on the road alone? You betcha!

Today, she requested Chicken Artichoke pot pie, but someone put my bird in the freezer when unloading groceries yesterday. That chicken has been "thawing" all afternoon and is still a solid chunk of ice. So, her birthday dinner will have to wait until tomorrow. Dessert, though, will be a pumpkin dump cake. It is more than decadent and delicious! No wonder she requests it each year. I will be going on the assumption that my dear friend who taught me to make bread knew what she was talking about when she said that anything you make in your own kitchen has no calories!

***edited to add the recipe***

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six ingredients until well blended, and pour batter into a 9x13 inch greased pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top, and then cover with pecans. Pour melted butter over top. Bake for 50 minutes. Top with whipped cream, or serve with ice cream if desired.
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Comments

  1. Jamie JoJuly 18, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    Happy birthday and many blessings to your daughter Jenny!!

    I'd love the recipe for that pumpkin dump cake, sounds like a wonderful fall cake to make!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KrisJuly 19, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Jenny -- that looks DELICIOUS!! I love anything pumpkin, so I'm definitely adding that to my recipe stash!! Happy Birthday, Sopie!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RebekahJuly 21, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    I LOVE pumpkin dump cake....way better than pumpkin pie if you ask me, and amazing with whipped cream!

    ReplyDelete

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