Tayta, my youngest child, turned 13 on Christmas Eve (I'm back blogged from December) and for one blessed month I have four teenagers at home (Oldest daughter, home for her January term will be 20 at the end of this month). With a perception of others' needs beyond her years, Tayta is the second mother in our family; God has blessed us, her family, and many more besides with her gracious heart of caring service.
Small children and babies delight her to no end and she is a favorite babysitter to many of her little friends.
Tayta and Friends 
This summer, when she wasn't nurturing children she delighted in helping our garden cat raise five kittens...
or creating fantastically yummy deserts for us.
Tayta's Pink Peppermint and Chocolate PieTayta's empathetic nature shone through when I recently lost my voice: I could only whisper. The older kids chuckled and snickered when I whispered at them but Tayta, she whispered back. We had conducted half a conversation when I whispered to Tatya that she didn't have to whisper back to me. Looking surprised and smiling she replied, "I didn't know I was whispering."
What a beautiful young woman you are becoming Tayta, and may the coming year be one in which you continue to grow in the beauty and grace of God.
Where shall we see a better daughter, or kinder sister, or a truer friend?
~Jane Austen
Tayta and Friends 
This summer, when she wasn't nurturing children she delighted in helping our garden cat raise five kittens...
Tayta's Pink Peppermint and Chocolate Pie
What a beautiful young woman you are becoming Tayta, and may the coming year be one in which you continue to grow in the beauty and grace of God.
8 comments:
Hi Melissa,
Happy birthday to your lovely daughter. Wanted to let you know that I have to retry the perserved lemons; one of the lemons grew mold. I think I didn't add enough liquid and my jar lid may not have not have sealed completely either. Anyway, I'm going to give it another try. A few friends have asked about it. Do I have premission to cite your blog?
Thank you,
Jodi
A lovely looking *and* acting young woman. Happy belated birthday, Tatya!
Thank you for the birthday wishes (Tayta reads my blog so she will discover them.)
Jodi,
I'm sorry one of the lemons molded. If it is just one I'd toss it try topping off the other lemons with lemon juice and then a little olive oil. It would be a shame to throw the whole lot of them out. I've had mold problems with olives and some pickled eggplant but I've just skimmed the affected food off and kept going. My jar isn't a "sealed" jar--just a jar with a screw on lid. And yes, feel free to cite my blog. I try to give credit for recipes I find elsewhere, unless I've altered them so much that I don't feel it is necessary, but even them I might cite my inspiration.
Thanks, Melissa. I had considered scooping out the offending lemon and carrying on, but I chickened out, and threw out the whole lot. The good news is that I found smaller, thin-skinned lemons, so I'll give it another try. BTW, would you be sharing the recipe for Tatya's peppermint chocolate pie any time soon? :) It looks scrumptious!
Oh, Tayta is growing to look so lovely! We certainly look forward to spending as much time with her as possible this year - what a treat it will be.
I loved reading about Tayta. What an honor to have her as a daughter. Her compassion and love for others brought tears to my eyes.
I remember seeing her smiling, greeting face every Friday of last year's baseball season. It appears you have succeeded in nurturing a young woman who possesses the gift of empathy, something that all parents in this part of the world cannot boast. Thank you for sharing your pictures and thoughts with us, and Happy Birthday Tayta.
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