Is there anything sweeter than battenburg lace, green glassware, and an English-made china set emblazoned with wildflowers? Yep, there is: It's when your darling grandmother carts these beauties to your house to throw you a bridal shower brunch.
My Nonnie, mom, and three aunts drove down--cupcakes in hand--to feast on curry chicken salad, lemon-raspberry mousse, and other delightfully ladylike fare. (We also wolfed down lots of tortilla chips and sangria, because women cannot live on chicken salad alone.)
There were gifts galore! I scored a gorgeous set of Anthropologie baking dishes (almost too pretty to smear with brownie batter!) and a canning-inspired tea towel.
One especially thoughtful present: a family recipe book. Each woman contributed one of her go-to recipes. (Including my mom's famous tuna casserole, which I want to eat every single day. Damn you, mercury poisoning.)
We sat in our gazebo and strolled along the beach. The purple martins have started their annual camp-out in this swanky elevated birdhouse.
It's no secret that I'm a sentimental chick in general, but when it comes to my Nonnie, I just can't gush enough. She's the absolute coolest: She's hiked around the world, and swims every day. At nearly 80, she teaches ESL to adult students. She makes the meanest chili around. She takes notes when she reads. She always packs snacks. She introduced me to Shakespeare, paintings, and bird-watching. She's an almost implausible combination of gutsy and gracious. Without a doubt, she's the no-nonsense matriarch of our family. She raised four brave, intelligent daughters who forged their own paths, and she's always supported me on mine. The gorgeous botanical china pattern was her shower gift to me. Every time I use it, I'll think of her and how she shaped and sustained (and fed!) the woman I've become...and that's the best gift of all.
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