There is a quote credited to the late Mary Kay Ash, which said, “Eat dessert first, in case there is a fire,” and this is the perfect way to describe how Kay Sanford and her family live life. They truly savor every moment and pack in quality time, joy, and laughter everywhere they can.
Kay and her husband, Michael, have been married for nearly two decades and have two children together. Their son, John Michael (14), is a walking sports encyclopedia with hopes to pursue sports broadcasting, and their daughter, Chappell (7), loves all things that involve a stage, Barbies, and having fun!
“At any given moment at our house, we’re laughing at something one of the others has said or done – that’s the thing I love the most about our little family – we laugh a lot,” Kay shared. “Don’t get me wrong, we have had our share of tough moments, but our humor is what glues us together.”
Kay works fulltime planning conferences for a non-profit organization in northern Virginia, and Michael works for Auburn University as the Grounds Supervisor. After work, both of them can be found dividing and conquering the kid’s schedules that are filled with extracurricular activities and appointments.
“We pretty much live off takeout these days, and I used to be embarrassed about that, but sometimes self-care can be having ol’ Johnny Brusco’s Pizza whip you up something for dinner,” said Kay. “Right now in this season of life, I’m trying to focus on the things that really matter to me. I used to think that my house had to be spotless and we had to have dinner around the table together at 6 pm.
But the kids are getting older, and they have gifts and talents that we want to grow in them. If we’re sitting on couches, eating out of our laps while discussing the latest news, then I’m learning more about my family in those moments. Honestly, that’s the most vulnerable, authentic way we could live our
lives right now.”
Looking ahead, summer gets pretty hectic at San-ford’s house because Kay’s work schedule picks up and she has to travel some for work. Not to mention, May kicks off all the different community get-togethers.
Kay says she is no June Cleaver but has decided to share her Grandma’s go-to dessert recipe this month.
“The women in my family come from a long line of “I forgot the potluck was today” so we’re professionals at whipping up something really quick. This banana pudding is that kind of recipe. It takes literally no time at all,” said Kay. “I’m willing to bet that one of your readers will be in a pinch soon and need something quick and easy for the potluck they forgot about. Now, all of us will start bringing Last Minute Banana Pudding to all of our social gatherings.”
Last Minute Banana Pudding
Ingredients:
• 3 bananas (more or less to taste)
• 1 large box of vanilla instant pudding
• 2 cups milk
• 1 small container of Cool Whip
• Nilla wafers
Directions:
- Mix vanilla instant pudding with 2 cups cold milk. (The box will say to use 3 cups, but you will only need 2 because of your cool whip).
- Add an entire small container of Cool Whip to the pudding mixture and whisk until completely blended.
- In a trifle dish or casserole dish, place one layer of Nilla wafers and one layer of banana slices.
- Pour half of the pudding mixture over the first layer of wafers and bananas and spread to cover the entire layer.
- Add one more layer of wafers and bananas and then the rest of the pudding mixture.
- For your topping, you may choose to do another layer of wafers, wafers, and bananas, or crushed wafers on top.
