father's day cakes

On sunday, we celebrated father's day.  In my case, it's also grandfather's day...  both my father (75) and my father-in-law (72) are still very much alive and kicking.  My sons don't realise how lucky they are.

waiting for the guests

I never knew my grandfathers.  One died even before I was born, and my other grandfather died when I was too little to remember much.
I do recall one thing : he was a schoolteacher, and in one of his cupboards at home, he kept a pile of brand new excercise books.  When we visited , he always gave me one, and asked me if I could write some words for him.  I couldn't, I had not learned how to write.  But I was very proud to show him on one occasion that I could write my first name.  I must have been 3 or 4 years old.  It was just before I learned to crochet....

I baked 2 low-calory cheesecakes, one covered with strawberries and one covered with blueberries.
I baked a cake with cinnamon and other spices.
And I baked a apricot flan (vlaai)

All very low in calories and no sugar added, because of the diabetes diets they are following.
We had a great time, my husband showed some DVD's with old - really old - films of the children when they were babies, and we all were 20 years younger.  How nice to notice that we haven't changed a bit.  (or so we believe...)

father Christmas and my grandmother

I have a picture of my grandmother that I cherish.  It is a very old photograph, all in sepia colours (brown and yellow)  In the picture she is only 12 years old, wearing her best dress and a silk bow in her hair.  She was the eldest of 12 children.  You can see her earnest face.  In front of her are one of her (many) brothers and sisters.   My grandmother was born in 1908, and she lived a great life.  She lived through a first worldwar when she was a little girl of 6, and the battlefield was right here in Flanders Fields... and a second worldwar when she was married and mother of 5 children herself.  When she was 16, she was sent to the capital, Brussels, to be a servant to a wealthy family.  That's were she taught herself to speak French.  And that's where she made so many beautiful embroidery to fill her evenings.
When my mum married, she came to live with us and she took care of me when my mum was at work.  She taught me all about knitting, crocheting and embroidery, even before I could write...  Now I've put father christmas next to her picture.  Her name is Madeleine Vanhoutte, but I called her mémé.  Maybe one day I should write a book about her life, it's such a complicated, but nice story.

I found this lovely old frame, just right for her picture !