Snowy Saturday

Seems like Winter knows its time has come.  Awoke to snow, but not so much that we couldn't shovel out us, our elderly neighbor and still get morning stuff done.  Banking, library run, shopping and a visit to K at the clubhouse.  All normal routine things--the only missing thing was dance class as they are not open till next week--and I think it helped. We have had fun, but we need our routines.  We need, the kids need, to know in their bones what is happening next.  Too much excitement becomes a recipe for ugliness and i am glad we have avoided that this season.

We stopped in and visited w/ KC's former daycare provider and brought her a Christmas gift.  I  made her a calendar with different pictures of the kids (though more KC months than the others as he is so very close to her heart) I am glad we went as it turned out she had a hard Christmas.  A son overseas, marital problems, but KC walking in the door cheerfully smiling and saying "hola, abuelita" brought an instant smile to her face.  She is very kind to Lissa and Rob too but she watched KC daily the first 9 months of his life and has always just been very very connected with him.

She had gifts for us too.  My favorite was her annual gift of frozen home made tamales and fresh dulce arroz.  The former are sooooo good and so time consuming to make that I never make them.  But I steamed up 3 for my lunch when we got home and they were heavenly.  The dulce arroz is sort of a spanish version of rice pudding.  Less heavy spicing maybe but oh so very good.

I was talking with my mom later today and said that it is funny as my child hood memories of this season just past don't have a lot of food things in them. We always made Christmas cookies but other than that I have no food memories associated with Christmas.  I wonder if it will be that way for my kids, and like me they will come to gastronomical delights of the season as teens and adults?  Although I have one child who says the best part of Yule is my cinnamon buns so who knows???

I feel a bit better today too. Sort of draggy for me, which is rather uncharacteristic, but I have still managed to get a fair amount done.  I scrubbed the kitchen and then Chet came in and said it looked real nice--now could i please make some oatmeal scotchies?  LOL  Scratch anything in my earlier paragraph about my kids and food and holidays. It is clear we are just all about the food!