A new smile...

Today was the day that Maddy had been waiting for...the day she got her braces. She has a beautiful smile, but just like her MawMaw, she has a huge overbite. She also has a really small mouth and all those teeth are getting a little crowded in there. We went for our consultation in March, shopped around orthodontists, and then waited. As you can imagine, the waiting was the hardest part for her--patience is not her virtue. It seemed like every other day she was asking, "When can I get my braces?" So today was the day....

Here she is, before....

and after. Still a beautiful smile.
So that's how I spent my morning...waiting in the orthodontist's waiting room. This afternoon, I got the craving for squash. Nanny style. Now, I never really learned to cook. Not from lack of trying on my mother's part, but I just was never interested. When I got married the first time, I mainly cooked for the kids, which consisted of Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese. I dabbled in cooking some things out of a cookbook, but the kids never liked anything besides their macaroni and cheese, so I gave up. When I met Daryl, I found he would eat just about anything, and I figured that he could get his southern home cooking fix when we went to Nanny's after church. Daryl's mom cooks these amazing meals, HUGE meals. Lately I have noticed that when my sister in law is there, and they start talking recipes and cooking, I am hopelessly left out. What am I going to say? "Oh, I used the generic brand of taco seasoning on our weekly taco night!" And what is going to happen when I start to be the one who has the kids and grandkids over for Sunday dinner?

So I tried to make the squash today. Nanny said she simply cut up the squash and some onion, and then sauteed them with some olive oil. Maybe add a little salt. Obviously, as shown in the picture below, I am unclear on how to sautee.

First of all, that was three whole squash, and that tiny little bit in the bottom of one of Charlotte's baby bowls is all I got. Second of all, it is a bit brown. A little charred even. Nanny's is always a nice golden color, and not dried out in the bottom of her skillet. It was good though, even though it looks terrible! I'll try it again until I get it right, and I've a roast in the freezer to try as well. Poor Daryl scraped the bottom of the domestic barrel when he married me. I am hoping to change that and perhaps, just perhaps, I will not be the "go to" family/church member for paper products and soft drinks!