"We want waffles!"

"So, what do you two little munchkins want for breakfast tomorrow morning? How 'bout those funnel cakes that I have in the freezer?" I asked my granddaughters last Friday night.

They were spending the night at my place, the night before they moved to their new home, the first-ever for-real home - not a rental this time, but their first home, all for their very own with a real mortgage and everything. The girls' beds were taken down at their old house, ready for the big move on Saturday, so they spent the night with me on Friday.

"Yeah! Funnel cakes" said one.
"I want waffles, Nana!" said the other. "Your waffles!"

"Yeah, your waflles" chimed in the first.

So waffles it was. Real waffles, Nana's waffles, just like my mom used to make, straight from the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box. What could be more authentic?

Not giant, square Belgian waffles, with their oversized height and big, puffy nooks. No! I've disliked Belgian waffles since I first encountered them, foreign and alien, unlike Mom's sweet, perfect waffles. I like real, traditional, round waffles with the nooks just the right depth, the edges irregularly shaped and slightly toasty. Made splendidly on my Villaware waffle maker from Williams-Sonoma. (My brother gave me a W-M gift certificate one Christmas, bless him!)

The oldest grand, Bug (aka J) - who loves to cook - helped me mix the batter. What a nice sizzle the batter makes as it hits the hot waffle maker plate! As each waffle was done, we spread butter on each, poured on some real maple syrup, and for Li'l Bug (aka B) - who loves anything sweet - we added some chocolate chips.

Having my granddaughters with me is like playing with puppies! Always having fun, laughing, giggling, moving, dancing, singing, both of them talking at once until I hold up my hand and say "You first, then you. I want to hear what each of you has to say." And they start to take turns, then forget and one yells at the other impatiently "I haven't finished!" They play, they fight, they bicker, they stand up for one another, they disagree, they jump on one another and roll around on the floor, their little-girl giggles like frantic bubbles filling the air like a bubble machine gone crazy.

Because Friday was the last day at their school, their schoolmates all made goodbye cards for the girls. Bug's class threw a surprise party for her, something they planned all week long while her teacher sent her off on various errands to get her out of the classroom. At my house, we took turns with the girls reading their cards. Bug said that for some reason, the boys were surprisingly "insightful" for once, writing very meaningful and heartfelt cards for her. Her friends decorated and made cut-outs for their cards (looks like some have scrapbooking experience), and one made a book filled with funny drawings. Li'l Bug's cards were filled with messages, especially from the boys, saying they didn't want her to go. One boy said he'd "do anything (well almost)" if she'd stay - oh, the little boys all have a crush on Li'l Bug!

We had a fun time reading all their cards on Friday night and had hot waffles for breakfast on Saturday morning before the Big Move to the new house. Three waffles each, the girls had - did I mention they LOVE real waffles?

Now they're living further away from me, no longer just a 12-minute trip from my house; I can't just come over when they call and want me to come over or go to their school events or to every soccer game. Now they're an hour away from me, a 100-mile round trip. I'm grateful I've had them close by for so long, time enough to forge a close bond that can't be broken by distance. We'll find new ways of being together, maybe less often, but each time will hold special meaning. And I'm sure I can always entice them with some hot waffles smothered in butter and syrup.

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Today's simple pleasure: giggling, waffle-eating granddaughters!