Letters Between Two Sisters

Dearest Ani,

I am so happy to hear of JT's day. I feel like I was in attendance on his first birthday with your descriptions. Thanks for sharing the picture. He sure seemed to understand what he's suppose to do with cake (have it and eat it too) more than my children did on their first birthday. What a wonderful idea, to have them tear into their cake every year! Do you think it's too late for me to start that tradition? Since I can't imagine a 20 year old, or 10 year old, being cute while doing such a thing, I would say it is too late.

About the piece of art you are working on-You silly goose! I think the real question is, do you still have the receipt? If you do, then it's a sign that you need to return the paint. Did you know that you could use a fine tipped black pen, the craft kind, to do the same thing? You could just draw the flowers on, I do that all the time. The brand I prefer is the ZIG Millennium.

I am very surprised that mom never made you her cinnamon rolls! I have the fondest memories of her rolls. She made them often when I was a child. Are we really that many years apart, that my childhood consisted of baked cinnamon rolls from mom's kitchen, and yours did not? I remember one year, she baked them in a circle and put green food coloring in the icing, to make it look like a Christmas wreath, and that was what she shared with neighbors. I was so impressed with her when she did that.

About my Brunch. I had a marvelous time. I love feeding people! I must confess, I went with mom's cinnamon rolls and not the crepes. Crepes are in the makin' though, I feel crepes coming, today was just not the day. (maybe the crepe's day will be when you are visiting!) But I must share my cinnamon roll tragedy-

I have been making mom's cinnamon rolls for about 20 years now and I have never had a problem. I made the dough last night and they rose beautifully and quickly, I punched them down and rolled them out, only to slather in butter and cinnamon sugar and set them in the pan where they rose again, all the way to the top of the pan. Just as they should. Then I put them in the refrigerator, per instructions, overnight. Which was perfect for my occasion. However, when I took them out this morning, they had fallen! They were flat. In all my years of making these rolls, this has never happened. I can't for the life of me figure out why they did, nothing adds up. I think I am going to call mom or send her a letter and see what she thinks.

More importantly, I need to make them again and prove that I still have what it takes. I bragged and lured friends in with all my cinnamon roll talk and they came and received a cinnamon roll PANCAKE!

Thankfully the Ham and Zucchini Strata turned out wonderfully and I had a large bowl of fresh fruit including star fruit and the sweetest little champagne grapes. Hopefully that made up for the cinnamon roll foible.

Anyways, what do you say, crepes when you visit??

I hope all is well.

Love,
Lorinda

P.S. Do you think I jinxed myself with the cinnamon rolls
when I didn't take your suggestion?