Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Love You Ma

If there's one thing a momma never gets tired of hearing, it's "I love you"s from their kids. At any time, any place, any age, instant warming of the heart.

You all know that my oldest isn't far from home but my youngest, PurDude, is in college 700 miles away. I'm grateful to be living in an age of cell phones (well, except last spring when we sent PurDude back to school with a brand new cell phone we'd barely started paying for, and are still paying for, FYI, which he immediately and unceremoniously dropped in the toilet).

I digress.

But the truth is, once I had sent him his old cell to reactivate, I could once again take comfort in knowing I can reach him at any time. And more important, that he can reach me. There have been times since he left, really heart wrenching times, when I was so grateful we could be in touch no matter where he was. Including in the hospital.

And texting. An amazing tool. No one has to worry about a convenient time to talk. Just shoot off a short text, get one back and abracadabra, you're in touch.

Except when you start to suspect you're not.

Love You Ma, a humorous look at texting with college students | Graphic by www.BakingInATornado.com | #parenting #funny #MyGraphics
   
Back to the "I love you"s. I was getting a lot of them. In fact, they were suspiciously similar. Same exact wording. Same exact spelling. Same exact punctuation. Sometimes I got them almost the instant I sent my text.

Hmmm.

I know you can have incoming emails responded to automatically with a predetermined response. I'm starting to suspect you can do that with texts too. Lately I've been putting my hypothesis to the test. Collecting data. Analyzing. Hoping to be proven wrong, of course. Here they are. Randomly chosen texts between PurDude and I. A few from each month since he left for school.

August

My text: Miss you already.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Tried a new recipe today. Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares. Don't you wish you were here to taste test?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.


Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares, a Gingerbread cookie crust with a chewy center and biscoff cookie topping | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Thanksgiving #dessert

Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares
Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares, a Gingerbread cookie crust with a chewy center and biscoff cookie topping | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Thanksgiving #dessert



September

My text: Be careful at that concert in Chicago. Especially driving home with your friends late at night.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: How are your classes going?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.


October

My text: Thank you for not breaking your leg again on my birthday this year, LOL.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Happy Halloween. Is your house having a party?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Your brother says I'm ugly.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: I miss you so much.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Love you too, honey.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Not your dad, though. He never much cared for you.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.



November

My text: Don't bother coming home for Thanksgiving.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.  
Me: I've left home.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: To join the circus. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: I'm walking the high wire. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Naked. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Had to clean out your savings account for moving expenses.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.  
Me: And I'm in love. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: With the bearded woman.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

What do you think? I'm on to something here, aren't I? 

{{sob}}

Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics





Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares
                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 TBSP molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon 
2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips
12 Biscoff cookies 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, molasses and egg until creamy.
*Mix in flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside 1/2 cup.
*Press the rest of the dough into and barely up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven but leave oven on.
*Crush the Biscoff cookies.
*Place the sweetened condensed milk and the cinnamon chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute or until smooth when stirred. Mix in 3/4 cup of the cookie crumbs.
*Pour over the baked crust. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs. Dot the top with the reserved dough.
*Bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

18 comments:

  1. Yep. You're definitely on to something. Hey! You could really put this to good use when you're feeling down. Enter one word texts and see again and again that someone loves you. Well, it almost works . . .

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  2. Oh gosh, can these smartphones be programmed to autorespond based on the sender? :D

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  3. Replies
    1. According to the "snack disappearing ratio", we sure thought so!

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  4. Hoping my #1 college son does not figure out the auto-response text! #2 goes to college next fall. This seems like something he would do.... I have a Facebook group called "Almost Empty Nest." Tuesday is Terrific Texting Tuesday. We share what our kids are texting us. It is hilarious!

    Recipe looks yummy! Pinning!!

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  5. Yeah we like "I love you" except when it is said in a way that makes us know the sayer wants something from us I think most of us mums know that tone

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  6. Too funny. I did not know this is possible. He is a smart kid. Hope it works out with your new career and you and the bearded lady! BTW, the recipe looks yummy.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the good wishes. Let me know where to send the wedding announcement . ..

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  7. lol. those kids :) but that recipe!!!! yum!

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    Replies
    1. Those kids keep me baking to relieve the stress. It all comes full circle.

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  8. Lol love this! 'Not your dad though he never cared for you much'...

    I do love that he says ' Ma' tho, (even in his autorelplies) because that's what I call my mom and everyone makes fun of me for saying 'Ma'. 😉

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    Replies
    1. I think he calls me "Ma" because it has the fewest letters. Just a guess, though!

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