The Helper

  Sometimes all it takes is a bit of help to make a chore seems simple. My daughter-in-law bought some of the prettiest green beans from a vegetable stand near their house.  Since we did not get a chance to eat them right away, she thought it might be a good idea to freeze them for a later date. I volunteered for the job.

  While I was pouring the beans into a large bowl for washing, my sweet two year old granddaughter, Mary Ruth, was thoughtful enough to offer her help.  She pushed a kitchen chair up to the sink making it easier for Mary Ruth and her MawMaw set to work.  She helped me by turning on the water, filling the bowl and then washing each bean....one by one. Those were the cleanest beans that I have ever seen!  

  Our job did not end there, Mary Ruth was then taught the proper way to break the stems from the beans and pull the string down each side. The next step was to snap the beans into small pieces.  She thought this was great!  Breaking things is extremely fun...obviously!  We heated water, parboiled the beans, dowsed them in ice water and packed them in a freezer bag.  Well, we packed most of them in a bag. Mary Ruth decided that she loved to eat crunchy beans so a nice bowlful was set aside just for her enjoyment!  My enjoyment? Spending time with this adorable little girl!  Memories were being made by an old lady and tiny little girl!