Every two weeks Bloggers unite for a day to write about a communal topic. This week LetsBlogOff asks the question: What traditions do you keep?
Growing up my family didn’t have a lot of traditions. Ours was a tiny family: mom, dad, brother who is 8 years older and me. It got tinier when my dad left when I was 8. My mom did her absolute best with little money to spare in giving my brother and I what we needed.
The only tradition I remember to be honest, are the money cakes. Each birthday my mom would bake a cake from scratch and in the cake would be money! She would wash pennies, nickels, dimes and one quarter and carefully wrap wax paper around each one. After she poured the cake batter into the round cake pans she dropped each coin into the batter.
When dinner was done, the cake presented, candles blown out and Happy Birthday sung she always said to be careful biting down and swallowing, you never know what you may find in your cake! Whoever found the quarter was always the lucky one for the night. Of course whomever birthday it was always seem to find it ;) It was like a treasure hunt!
My birthday fell 6 weeks after my mom died when she was only 50 years old. My best friend at the time had heard me tell the money cake story many times so in honor of my mom she baked one for that birthday, my 22nd. To this day it is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.
Below you will find all the participants in this week’s LetsBlogOff. The list magically grows throughout the day so check back often!
Ginny, that is such a sweet tradition/memory. (I have to go fix my makeup.) What a great friend to make the money cake for you the year you lost your mom. XOXO
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that was a tough one to write.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it with us.
Ginny... This post was Money! And this is the good stuff! Thanks for sharing on a topic so close to the heart ... great tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe money cake is a great idea. How sweet to have such a wonderful mother. I am sorry to hear of your loss, though.
ReplyDeleteBrenda - Sorry forget to tell you to apply the waterproof mascara today! Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteJames - I had every intention of skipping this week's topic to be honest. Thanks much!
jb - Thanks! Writing is very personal!
Bridget - My mom was very inventive and could stretch a dime very far. Thank you :)
Birthday cakes can be a lot of fun. I never thought of it being as much fun as your tradition, though. My wife’s family has a windup circular plate for birthday cakes. You plop the cake on it, light the candles, flip the switch and the cake revolves while Happy Birthday is played. I understand that plate is well over fifty years old, but they still have it and still use it on birthdays.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific post Ginny. Thanks.
ReplyDelete