I love Valentines Day. And since no one has asked me any appropriate questions on the subject, I will ask you one. A question that has weighed me for almost a year now. But first, my story:Last Valentines I was very pregnant but was feeling jolly and generous. I decided to have a couple of friends over who also had kids the same age as my youngest for a mini-Valentines party of sorts. My plan was to let the kids frost a few cookies, eat them, then go play while the mothers frosted, decorated, and attractively packed heart shaped sugar cookies.
In preparation I had bought the necessary sprinkles, tags, bags, ribbons and paper.
The night before, after the kids were in bed, I cleaned the kitchen and then carefully baked a double large batch of sugar cookies. It took a few hours, which is like a few days when you are pregnant, but I was prepared for what was sure to be a delightful next morning.
Then, tragedy struck. Trevor woke up early the next morning with a fever and complaints that his stomach hurt. I called off the party. What else could I do? My guests understood. But that left me with 3 trays full of unfrosted sugar cookies and let down expectations.
~Pause and ask yourself, What Would I Have Done? (WWIHD) Would you proceed and frost the cookies, not knowing if your son's illness would soon infect the rest of the house? Would you have thrown out the cookies? Who would you be frosting the cookies for anyways?~
Party of one.
Since I was stuck at home for the day, I proceeded to make the frosting and frost the cookies. I made sure to keep Trevor out of the kitchen and I changed all hand towels and wiped down door knobs, but still I was paranoid that we would all get sick and that if I handed out the cookies I could be spreading more than loving well wishes. I did not know if I would actually hand them out. Frosting them all and then packing them took most of the rest of the day. I suggested to Justin that I call intended friends and explain my situation and would they still like the cookies? He said it was a terrible idea.My question for you is, would you want the cookies? Would you eat them if you knew they were made in a house that contained a sick child? Would you have handed out the cookies yourself? (WWIHD?)
To me, no matter how delicious the dessert, it is NEVER worth the risk of getting sick. But I was really careful and he was never near the cookies. But, but , but..
In the end I let Justin take them to work to hand out, something he enjoys.
p.s. Trevor recovered just fine, he never threw up, and no one else got sick. But I could not have known that.
Insert your own caption here: (further proof that I need to wear lip gloss).
A sampling of the finished (contaminated?) products
13 comments:
I would absolutely have handed out the cookies...and I would have been THRILLED to be on the receiving end of the cookies because, in the end, frosted sugar cookies are my very favorite. AND in the end...if the recipients were fearful and didn't want to eat the cookies because they came from the household of a potentially sick child, they could have disposed of them however they chose...but they would have had the delight of knowing they were lovingly thought of, remembered, and had the enjoyment of seeing and smelling the beauties...and I bet they all would have gotten eaten...and quick! Now if I were the sick one, I may think twice about handing out my baking efforts but if I were the sick one I probably wouldn't have mixed up the frosting and taken most of my day preparing them all. A kid who's sick...no worries. Bring on the cookies. Just sayin'.
(And I'll be happy to e-mail you my address if you feel compelled to reward my comment with some sugar cookies for our upcoming Valentine's Day :-))
I would have eaten them. I never would have made them being that pregnant with a sick child though. You are obviously tougher than I am.
the sugar, artificial coloring, and processed stuff in the cookies can lead to health problems/diseases...what's a few extra germs?
I would have handed them out. Trevor didn't touch them, did he? Perfectly fine, plus too gorgeous to not get credit for all that work. By the way, I just discovered your blog when your address showed up in my facebook the other day, and it is now my favorite. Oozing with style, great tips and ideas, plus hi-lar-i-ous!! Keep posting!
I would have handed them out too... You made the extra effort to make sure they were infected by whatever germs my have been in the house, so that would be good enough for me :)
I would take frosted sugar cookies from a house with a sick child any day! I would have packaged them and handed them out later that day to the friends who were suppose to come over and join me. Sounds like Justin might be a germ freak? I'm most def not a germ freak. :)
As far as the desserts, nothing makes me more insane as cooking from a sick house. Since Trevor felt fine later and nothing came of it, it's probably okay. Probably nohing infectious.
I just hate it when people bring over desserts after Bruce has just admitted their kid/spouse to the hospital for some horrible ailment- I aint touchin that and thank you so much for coming into my home and spreading that to my BABY!
But for the record, I've never had anything delivered to me on a DOra plate!
I don't think I was clear: if the tables were turned I would not eat a frosted cookie from a house that also had a sick kid.
I am suspicious of frosted cookies from homes with children in general. Have you seen kids around frosting? They're always licking it and sticking their fingers in! And it's not like the frosting will have the germs cooked out of it, rather the sugary base is the perfect conduit.
To feel comfortable with eating it I have to think that giver is a mother like me- the strict, mean type that keeps the frosting well away from eager, grubby little fingers.
Becky- I moved your comment and I couldn't agree more.
Melissa, thanks for commenting! And 3 times no less!
Chris, I have sent cookies in the mail and the arrive a little mangled and stale.
Carrie, I'll deal with you later.
for the records you keep about me, when giving any food away I'm militant about washing up and keeping sticky-fingered helping hands away from everything. maybe a sensibled well-washed daughter is invited to help.
because I think the same as you about it.
I would still give them away but not to the people I invited - like co-workers and stuff that I wouldn't care if they caught a little cold... is that evil?
Is this for real?
Alisha.... Think back to your food service days.. just a little, now remember the food prep line.
How many sick days do you think that those cooks and prep cooks take? How many days do you think executive chefs take off because they have the sniffles and a stomach ache? Here's the truth, sanitation solution and gloves, thermometers, and the occasional medical masks are your only form of protection. An $8 an hour pastry cook does not call in.... cookies are made, frosted and delivered. You survive. Anyone in their right mind should look at your baked goods and realize that you're level of nerosis surpasses the health inspector's.
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