So my Mum misses out on being showered in gifts this Mothers Day for the second year running. Last year she was having a terrible time in Bora Bora and this year she is dragging herself around South East Asia with Dad, doesn't that just suck for her?
Last year my brother and I made her lemon curd waffle cones topped with toasted meringue as a delayed gift when she came back. Who knows what we will do this year, Jack and I might have to put our heads together - that's once he is back in the country too!
For the mean time I have decided to dedicate this post to telling the Universe how great my Mum is, an ode to Mummy Edmonds.
I know it sounds cliche and ever other person says this too but I look up to my Mum. She has managed to co-raise Jack and I (a mission in itself really), work full time, juggle all the life admin and still have time to be wonderful and excellent. She is the lady who taught me to cook. She used to yell at me if I made my béchamel sauce lumpy and would make me squeeze all the lumps out with a wooden spoon. She taught me how to make the best scones and got me interested in trying new foods. Never once did we have fish fingers or freezer meals growing up. Everything was made from scratch and it wasn't until I left home and compared my expectations to my uni friends did I realise how lucky we were. When I make something really good I will go home and make it for her as I know she will appreciate it.
We used to spend evenings on craft projects that she would think up. She has a knack for going into art galleries and thinking, 'flip I could do that for a fraction of the price' and so she did. I once helped glue thousands of buttons into a wooden board one week for one of these projects. It always amazed me when these things turned out so well, no offence Mum but you don't look like one of those creative types. I wish I had inherited her patience, I tend to rush things and they turn out a mess.
She sent me care packages of good olive oils and food treats whenever I got really bad conjunctivitis at uni (seriously those were the only times I got care packages!). She was also there 90% of the time to talk to you when you called. You always know when you haven't contacted her in a while when she sends you a single text that only says 'hello'.
Mum and Dad loved throwing birthday parties for Jack and I and they are so good at it. We are so lucky to have parents who get this enthusiastic over having a house full of youths. While Dad was scoping out the party and prop hire places to convert the house into whatever theme we had dreamt up, Mum and I spent a good few weeks in advance planning menus and getting things sorted. It feels like every October the 'So Sophie,what should we do for Christmas?' line gets thrown out there.
My friends say they often wish they had my parents as theirs. They are really quite hilarious and embarrassing. Once a week when I go over for dinner Mum asks if I have been on any more tinder dates and enquires about the previous ones I have described. "What happened to whats his face?" and I will have to give the low down on why that one didn't make the cut. I don't think many other kids can discuss their relationship and sexual health issues so openly with their parents. Our dinner table conversations often become a little curly much to my brother's dismay.
She is pretty much a gem, except maybe the time she told me to stop having such manly rugby thighs.. I am going to hold that against her until the day she days.
The scariest thing is that am finding myself using the same mannerisms as her. Do we really all turn into our mothers? I wouldn't be too upset about turning into mine.
So my brother Jack is currently in the States and so I decided to ask him for help write a joint letter to Mum. Here is what we came up with.
Dear Mum,
Thank you for being you. Thank you for being the best mum any two kids could ask for,
Thank you for all the times you drove us around and paid for all the extra curriculars and sports boots we needed.
Thank you for feeding us and keeping us healthy. Thank you for all the hugs when we needed them and when we didn't.
Thank you for always being there to talk to (unless Criminal Minds was on in that case you were there in an hour).
Thank you for still loving us even when we (mainly I) made you cry.
Thank you for being there for me when I am sad or disappointed.
Thank you for not being annoyed when I told you I just stole your good slice tin and blue pyrex bowl..
Thank you for giving me my brother, he wasn't as bad as what I thought he would be.
Thanks for also not being annoyed about the missing jam, honey and condensed milk that is now missing from your cupboard.
And thank you for being the coolest mum who we can be proud of (insert various emojis.. thanks Jack).
Lots of love,
From Sophie and Jack
x o x o
Hypothetically if she was in the country I would have driven over and made these crumpets for her breakfast. I was in a wine bar in Wellington called Crumpet last weekend and as a snack had some of the most delicious crumpets I have ever had. Freshly cooked and fluffy, mine was topped with jam, brie and walnuts. In the week following I have consumed more crumpets than I care to remember. The freezer at work is full of them and I have had them for dinner a couple of nights too.
They are surprisingly easy to make, I used silicone egg rings from Kmart to cook mine in and they worked a non-stick treat. I got a two pack for $2, you can't go wrong really. I freeze any left overs in snap lock bags for when I feel the need to fill my life with crumpets later in the week.
Crumpets
Makes 12
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup warm water
Butter to grease
Mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk and the 1/2 cup of warm water until a smooth paste-like batter forms. Leave in a warm place to double in volume. I often cheat by warming my oven up to 50 degrees then turning it off and putting my batter in there. It will double in about half an hour in this environment.
Mix together the remaining warm water and baking soda then tip this into the batter. Mix until combined and then leave until the mixture starts forming bubbles, around half an hour.
Warm a large frying pan to a medium heat. Grease your egg rings and pan slightly with butter. Place the egg rings down and fill with just under 1/3 cup of batter each. Wait until bubbles start forming on the surface of the crumpet and it is cooked enough that the holes do not disappear again once popped. Remove the egg ring and gently flip the crumpet over to cook for another minute just to lightly brown the top. Serve immediately with any of your favourite topping.
Topping ideas:
Butter, honey, almonds
Raspberry jam, brie, candied walnuts
Butter and lemon curd
Honey and peanut butter
Enjoy x