Grandma Goldie's Holiday Snack Mix...

     Ah, yeah...that would be Grandma Goldie in the picture over there...circa 1985.  What I'd give to have that polyester polka dot blouse she's wearing.  I'm sure she probably sewed that outfit herself as it is so Grandma Goldie-ish!!!

     Unfortunately today, I found myself initially cursing Gram under my breath...SHE'S the one who started this tradition of baking up vats of her secret recipe snack mix every holiday.  And she's also the one who taught me to GIVE generously...I DO blame her for my current yearly dilemma...the making of 50 bags of her snack mix to hand out to my coworkers each winter!

     I thought this year, mid relapse, I might be pardoned from this task...but oddly, even in my "gimpiness", my coworkers have still inquired about their missing bags of mix...I had no idea their very winter sustenance relied so heavily on receiving this treat!  None of them appear anywhere NEAR starvation, yet several have asked me, "So, are you making Grandma Goldie's snack mix this year?"  What else could I do, but continue tradition?

     So, Saint EB schlepped me off to the store today to buy the well over $150.00 of items needed to mix up and bake SIX, large roaster pans full of my secret white trash recipe mix.  I spent the rest of the day and evening mixing, stirring, and baking while watching the SEAHAWKS narrowly win their first NFL playoff game.  I am now utterly exhausted.

     I found myself premix status staring at the boxes of cereal and assorted items stacked on my counter top and wondering how I would ever find the energy needed to finish the project...let alone the "balance" to stand in my kitchen for any period of time.  I was a bit grumpy about the whole ordeal, quite frankly!

     Then, I thought to myself, "What would GG do?"  I smiled at the obvious answer that popped in my head...GG would JOYFULLY spend the entire day mixing, stirring and baking because Gram found great pleasure in doing things for others...she'd be "happy" about the project.

     As I sit now and stare at the 50 bags of snack mix neatly tucked in grocery bags for hauling, I can't say I necessarily feel "happy" about my project...but I DO have quite a sense of accomplishment having COMPLETED the task.  And I'm sure the "joyful" part will come when I am able to surprise my friends at work with their personal bags of treats...treats I'm fairly certain they thought would not come this year because of my MS.

     I DARE MS to mess with Grandma Goldie's tradition!!!...