pb

This is something that I eat pretty much every day:

Seriously.

There was one summer about 8 years ago that I challenged myself to eat something other than peanut butter for lunch.

I did manage to do it.

Glad that is long in the past.

When I was a child, I was a particular eater. I ate about 5 different things willingly. One of them was peanut butter.

My mom used to buy the buckets of Velvet Peanut Butter, which was made in a factory about 2 miles from my house. Imagine - Having a peanut butter factory in your own city! I wonder if I ever went on a field trip there.

One time when the bucket was empty, my mom thought it would be a great idea to use the clean bucket for a lunch pail. I could not do it. I was not that confident in my obsession of peanut butter in front of my peers. I must have known it was a little unusual.

When I visited my grandparents, I was served a lot of peanut butter. I am sure my parents had many conversations with them, something like this:

grandparents: She won't eat anything.

parents: give her peanut butter.

After Thanksgiving, I would have turkey sandwiches in my lunch. I was always happy to get back to the peanut butter.

As a child, my mom put butter on my peanut butter sandwiches. I think she was trying anything she could to get a few extra calories in me. She also put on a pretty thick layer of the peanut butter, like 1/4 inch thick. I have since dropped the butter, but still use the same amount of peanut  butter. I do not understand a thin smear.

I go through phases of jelly/no jelly. Right now, I only like jelly on toasted peanut butter sandwiches.

The very best way to eat a toasted peanut butter sandwich, however, is with m & m's. The fun-size pack is the perfect amount. So many good things going on with this combination:

melty peanut butter

little crunch of candy coating

melty chocolate

fun colors

Whatever variation I enjoy a peanut butter sandwich, I always eat the crust first. By the time I am to the last bite, the peanut butter is oozing out.

The bread is really just a carrier.

Peanut butter sandwiches are the perfect traveling food. No refrigeration needed (that would be all wrong). You can just throw it in a bag and go. Keeps you filled up for a long time, too, especially with the amount I use.

On a spoon, ice cream, pretzels or a sandwich - Yum.

In cookies, brownies or any sweet treat (with or without chocolate) - Yum.

Jif is the best brand. (They have not made Velvet in a very long time.) I have about 8 jars at my house right now. Food storage, but not a full year's supply.

I'll have to get more.

So I can keep eating it every day.

25 Short Years

I remember being 25. I had a handsome husband and two cute little daughters. In 25 short years, I had grown up to be what I had always wanted to be - A wife and a mom.

I remember having had my drivers liscense for 25 years. I was 41. In 25 years I had become an accomplished driver with very few accidents or tickets. (Good for me.)

Not so long ago I had been graduated from high school for 25 years. Since high school, I had gotten a college degree. I remember all that.

A new 25 just happened. Hero and I have been married 25 years.

Wow.

25 years can seem so long sometimes. Not with this one.

How could I not have been married to Hero forever? (I mean this in a good way.)

We celebrated like we always do. Dinner at home with the kids banished keeping themselves busy somewhere. They are pretty great kids.

Dinner is a colabrative effort. We traditionally have shrimp cocktail, salad, grilled steak, yum potatoes, yum bread and yum dessert (the "yum" means a variation of said "yumness" - we change things up sometimes.)

This year we had dinner by the fireplace. Valentine's Day is consistently a pretty cold day. Fireplaces are warm. And romantic.

One year for our anniversary, Hero made a pretend fireplace, complete with pictures on the mantle. It was one of the most romantic gifts I have ever received. And one of the best. Love that Hero.

Table for two.

(This is our new table.)

We had agreed that we would not buy eachother a gift this year, as we are in the final months of nursing school on a pretty tight budget. I knew this would be hard for Hero. He loves to give gifts. He did make a small purchase to commemorate our silver anniversary - 2 place settings of antique silver. So cute. And cheap. That made it okay.

While Hero was at work, I spent the evening before cutting out paper hearts and hanging them in the great room. They were so fun to watch fluttering around. Everyone loved them. They lingered for about a week.

This 25 years does not seem so long. In fact, I have a pretty hard time remembering life without Hero.

I am convinced that he and I have been together for much longer than that, like eternity long. Like infinity. Like a lot a lot.