Late night tea and madeleines

Susannah came home from college for the weekend.  I have been SO excited about this since I found out because I haven't seen her for two months. I love it when my children come home. I love to make them their favorite foods, have their rooms ready with fresh flowers and offer to help with anything I can do to make their lives easier. Sus' request for dinner last night was my oven fried chicken and "please can we make madeleines together?"

Yesterday I woke to my brother's email news about my mom and her health.  It was not good. It's possible she's had a small stroke.  I felt on the verge of "breaking down" several times and had a good cry after I spoke to her when I came home early in the afternoon.  I hung up wondering how many more times I'd have the joy of hearing my beloved mother's voice like that and at a gut level tried to grasp the knowledge that I'm still someone on earth's child.  Foremost on my mind is that I need to plan a trip over to see her, but how to time it right? 

So yesterday was a day of emotional ups and downs. It was great to end it on a happy note, welcoming Sus home and opening our birthday presents {first time we've been together since our mutual birthday apart}, sharing fresh cheese crackers with a beer, hearing about her semester and Spring break trip to Alaska before a yum dinner and then....baking those fresh little French, orange tinged cakelets together.

 I do declare that I have never before had a tea party at 11:30 at night, but when the madeleines came out of the oven we put on the kettle, made a pot of decaf Earl Grey in a girly teapot, and we had the most delightful and unexpected tea party for two!