lovely margaret

I thought that now - in between all these makeup posts - would be the perfect time to share snippets of the recipe album I made in honor of my great-grandmother, Margaret. If you remember, this is the album that I was asked to compile for my family - which I presented to my grandmother last Christmas. In the slideshow above are pictures of:

{the miscellaneous layouts from the album…}

Apart from the title page, ‘From the Kitchen of: Margaret Rydalch Worthington Flinders’, I also included the following: a spread entitled, ‘Who Was She?’, that included photographs spanning Margaret’s life, along with basic facts about her life and tributes about her written by my grandmother, mother and aunt and uncles; a layout entitled, ‘Margaret, the Homemaker’, which included thoughts from my grandmother, Lois - Margaret’s oldest daughter; an introduction layout entitled, ‘These Hands’, with some thoughts written by me; a table of contents layout; a layout entitled, ‘Tricks of Her Trade’, which included tips and hints that were saved by Margaret, along with some interesting articles about weight loss, nutrition, and building the perfect lunch for that lunch box - all from newspapers from the 1950s era… loved these; a layout entitled, ‘Margaret: Happily Ever After’, with included little jewels honoring Margaret - a copy of my great-grandparents marriage certificate (documenting their sealing in the Salt Lake Temple on December 1st, 1927), a photograph of my great-grandparents kissing on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple, and a copy of Margaret’s signature (taken from her high school Home Economics book), among other things; and finally, an epilogue layout, which includes some final thoughts written by me.

{the section header layouts…}

The majority of the section header layouts include a photo of a food prepared from a recipe of Margaret‘s - like Beef Stroganoff, Parker House Rolls and Lemon Fluff. However, on two of the section header layouts, I included photos of items that belonged to Margaret. Each of the girls in the family contributed a handful of these items that now reside in their homes. For instance, my mom shared Margaret’s potato peeler and pink elephant glasses. My cousin, Amy, shared our great-grandmother’s ‘Let a Smile be Your Umbrella’ stitching. One of the things I shared was Great-Grandma’s stuffed one-eyed pink octopus. And so forth.

{a very small selection of the recipe layouts…}

Included in each section is a copy of a recipe written down by Margaret, herself. All the recipes included were either written by Margaret, written by a friend or relative, or saved from a variety of publications or packaging. There was a Rubbermaid box full of them.

***

I lack only a few layouts to be completely done with this project. A few more recipe layouts and one more miscellaneous page, to be exact. Words cannot fully describe what this endeavor has meant to me. I did want to share a few thoughts, though. But rather than adding anything more - I decided to just share the exact thoughts that I wrote for a couple of layouts. The first layout I did for this project, ‘These Hands’, which documents my initial thoughts and ‘Epilogue’, which documents my final ones.

{These Hands}

Included in this book are recipes collected by Margaret Rydalch Worthington Flinders. Margaret had several cookbooks that she used, as well as recipes clipped out of various newspapers and off a variety of food packaging. Also included in this book are copies of recipes written down by Margaret herself. I feel especially honored that I was asked to compile this book - that we may preserve this most special aspect of Margaret’s life and remember the wonderful individual that she was. I have felt her sweet spirit while working on this book - and I hope you do the same every time its cover is opened. My hope is that this book will be a cherished keepsake for many generations to come.

I have learned so much about this lovely woman named Margaret - my dear great-grandmother. Though I did know her, she passed away when I was very young, and I do not have many memories of her. I have been reminded that she was a loving person, who cherished her family. I have been told that she was quiet, but fun and unpredictable. I have discovered that she peeled potatoes like I do - backwards. If only to know that I share this one quality with her, I am grateful for having had this experience. Most importantly, I have learned that Margaret was a selfless person, who took pride in serving others. Her hands were never idle - they were gentle and kind. Her hands are holding me in this photo [see layout photograph]. I am so grateful that I knew their touch, knew their warmth and knew their love - if only for a short while - and I look forward to holding these hands again.

{Epilogue}

As I look back on this whole process, my heart swells with emotion. Emotion because of the daunting task that it proved to be. Emotion because of the hopeless feeling that I would never finish. Emotion when I did, indeed, finish. But the most vivid emotion - the one that I still carry with me - is the rediscovered knowledge of who my dear great-grandmother was. Who she still is as she continues to watch over me.

Yes, the process of compiling this album was daunting to say the least. But the experience brought me a treasure I cannot replace or set aside. While rummaging through Margaret’s trove of snips and clippings I came to realize just how far-removed I was from the homemaker lifestyle - her lifestyle. I had the opportunity to pause and reflect about my attitude and the comings and goings of my daily life. I know that I will never be as good as Margaret. I know that I will never be as handy with a whisk or a needle and thread. But these reminders of the lovely person she was were enough of a push for me to try and do better. Try to be better. After all, this is my heritage - and how fortunate I am to have it. This musing of the heart led me to ask the question, “What legacy am I leaving behind?”.

I thoroughly enjoyed these little glimpses into Great-Grandma’s life. I love running my fingers over the splatters in her cookbooks - wondering how many times they were used, making those recipes tried and true. I especially loved reading her Domestic Science textbook. Truth be told, I fell wretchedly in love with that book. I found myself reading it for nothing more than the delight of reading it - for the joy of turning its pages. I soaked up all of the information that was common knowledge to her generation. And - it became a lifesaver during the final days of this project. The information that I was able to achieve from my great-grandmother’s - for lack of a better term - Home Economics book was invaluable.

Around Thanksgiving in 2008, I began to have a compelling urge and an unquenchable need to have this album finished by Christmas… my original thought being, “… as if I don’t have 637 other things to do…”. And yet, I could not shake the feeling that I needed to complete this project for my family - that year. Looking back on those last few weeks, I know what had been pushing me to finish. My dear great-grandmother. I felt her spirit prodding me more those last few weeks than I had over the entire experience. The recipes that I could not decipher months before, were now clearly written and easy to understand. I had surges of inspiration that helped me make sense of and rewrite some of Margaret’s cryptic-homemaker-lingo… that up until then had been foreign to me. At times when I felt I could not make sense of a recipe, I found that I was reading it anyway because the words were being whispered to me. Blanks were filled. Inconsistent directions were righted.

I know with all my heart that during those moments it was her spirit compelling me to finish. Giving me the help I needed to finish. It was her wish that this album be done for her family to have and to share. It is her wish that it be cherished by us all. It was my honor to do this small thing for her… she who did so much - and, apparently, she who still does so much for me. What a wonderful feeling to know that she approves of this project. More importantly to me - that she approves of the direction I have taken it.

So enjoy. Remember Margaret. Even though she no longer lives here on the earth with us, she continues to watch over us each day. Her spirit lives inside each of us. Of this, I am certain.

***
Again, words cannot fully describe what this endeavor has meant to me - nor can they completely portray the internal growth I experienced. These passages, however, are a fairly good interpretation. I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to channel my great-grandmother. Grateful for the chance to truly come to know her and develop a very personal relationship with her. I find it very interesting that I completely rubbed off my fingerprints while typing recipes - losing my ‘identity’, in a sense. Yes --- I lost my identity… only to find a new one. One I cherish. One I love. One I couldn’t live without. Thank you Great-Grandma. Thank you for giving us a reason to celebrate a life well lived.

To my family: Again, I hope that this album is something that you all can cherish. I hope that it is something that you all can hold close to your hearts. As it makes its way around the family, I hope that it is something that will be a valued fixture in all of your homes.

Our family is a special thing. I am honored to be a part of it.