It was the week before the White\u00adside County Fair. One-year-old Gabe was finally down for his afternoon nap and my three older boys, 14-year-old Logan, 10-year-old Grant and four-year-old Samuel, were spread out in the living room, working on their drawings, paintings and collages for the hobby contests. Entering was a family tradition and the three of them were dreaming of shiny blue ribbons.<\/p>\n
I would\u2019ve been too\u2014after all, my chocolate chip cookies had won first place two years running. But this year the boys had signed up for five projects. Each. I was totally exhausted, my neck tight with tension. My only prayer was to get through this week.<\/p>\n
The front door opened. My husband, Lonny, kicked off his boots. \u201cLooks like Project Central in here!\u201d he said, then turned to me. \u201cHow come I don\u2019t smell your chocolate chip cookies? Don\u2019t you usually have us taste test a batch?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not making them this year,\u201d I replied, collapsing into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how tired you must be, especially with the baby. But no cookies? Shawnelle, you\u2019re the Chocolate Chip Cookie Queen. You have to make them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s too much to do. We\u2019ll be lucky to get the boys\u2019 projects finished in time,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Lonny gave me a long look. \u201cWell, then, I\u2019m going to bake them and claim your blue ribbon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike it\u2019s that easy,\u201d I said. Lonny couldn\u2019t be serious. He\u2019d never baked a thing!<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cCan\u2019t be too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have the recipe,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have my own,\u201d Lonny replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI changed my mind,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m entering too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure about that? You\u2019ll have some competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring it on,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
A few evenings later Lonny got home from work and announced, \u201cTime to bake my cookies!\u201d The boys ran to the kitchen. I did too. Canisters, measuring cups and mixing bowls cluttered the counter. A cookbook was open to a page with \u201cBlue Ribbon Cookies\u201d across the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis recipe calls for three helpers,\u201d Lonny said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, no, Dad, we\u2019re not helping you take Mom\u2019s ribbon,\u201d Grant said. \u201cBesides, only she has the right recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Logan added. \u201cWe just came to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I leaned in the doorway and hid a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d Lonny said. \u201cLet\u2019s see. Step One: Massage two sticks of butter.\u201d He hummed as he kneaded the wrapped bars. The boys giggled.<\/p>\n
\u201cStep two, add three eggs\u2026but only after you spin each one like a top,\u201d he said, handing one to each boy. They cleared part of the counter and spun their eggs. So much for them helping!<\/p>\n
\u201cCareful,\u201d I said. \u201cYou\u2019ll make a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just stay back there,\u201d Lonny said. \u201cI don\u2019t want you stealing my secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed as I left the kitchen. And I couldn\u2019t help laughing again that night when I baked my batch of cookies. Thinking of Lonny\u2019s antics melted away the tension. I even had enough energy to help the boys wrap up their projects.<\/p>\n
Then it was fair day. The Ferris wheel turned lazily in the blue sky. The air was sweet with the scent of funnel cakes. Vendors bellowed. Lonny and I walked down the dusty midway, the boys ahead of us, comparing the ribbons they\u2019d won earlier that morning. We finally reached the blue-and-white pole barn where the baked goods were judged. Rows of lattice-topped pies, frosted cakes and brown breads were on display.<\/p>\n
The boys rushed to the cookies. I saw my batch. They were right out front. And decorated with a first-place ribbon! I scanned the rows for Lonny\u2019s cookies. They were in the back. No ribbon.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won, Mom!\u201d The boys wrapped me in hugs. Then Grant said, \u201cDad, I\u2019m sorry you didn\u2019t get the blue ribbon. I know how hard you worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Lonny said. \u201cI got just what I wanted. Look at the smile on your mom\u2019s face.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached for Lonny\u2019s hand as we strolled back down the midway. The shiny blue ribbon was nice, but I knew I\u2019d already been given the best prize. The real prize. A husband who truly understands what I need, sometimes even better than I do. <\/p>\n