Baby, dream your dream
Close your eyes and try it
~ Sweet Charity
Of course, it’s the holidays, there is a LOT to do. My mother is busily cutting out exquisite handmade table decorations which are currently taking up most of her time (these things are stunning, I’ve not seen anything like it), so this morning it fell to Amras and I to tackle as much of the rest of the loose ends of the house as possible. We spent the morning washing wood-work, sweeping floors, watering plants and packing up decoration boxes. I even managed to struggle one of the big pictures onto the wall (though I do think I hung it on the wrong hook). That said, in the afternoon I pulled the sugar-cookie dough Mum and I had made a few days ago out of the icebox and set to work.
Hey hun, help me with the cookies?
Sure…what’s up?
The hard part’s already done, I just need to cut them out and put ‘em in the oven
I got a funny look as I tied a full length apron around my waist.
It was my mother who explained,
No, trust me, Shaughnessy is a messy baker, she unfortunately takes after her Mother.
Don’t worry hun, I won’t hug you while I’m wearing flour
If there is one thing I miss desperately on ships, it’s a kitchen. I am not the world’s greatest chef (that honour would most likely belong to my Mother), but baking has made me feel better about life since I finally figured out I knew how to operate an oven when I was living in the UK. To exemplify how important this is to me? My baking sheets were shipped over with my belongings from England…that may tell you something.
Even with help, it took all afternoon, but honestly? I have rarely been happier. Those of you who know me off-page, especially those of you who know me well, will know that this is something I have wanted for a very long time. That beautiful, temporary, dose of ‘normal’ that is so difficult to come by…and I am a firm believer that there is nothing like the smell of fresh baking to bring in the holidays. Sugar cookies are a long tradition with us, but this was the first year that I did them even close to on my own.
After he helped me with the first batch, Amras took a well-deserved break, so I plugged in my headphones and – I kid you not – proceeded to dance my way through the remainder of the job. By the time he came back down to check on me I felt like I was covered head to toe in flour (though I wasn’t), but I had two platters of sugar cookies and a clean kitchen.
And I haven’t been able to keep the smile off my face ever since…