It's 8:40 a.m.
I remember the days when the morning frenzy would be over by now, but in 2009, two of the five of us are still asleep.
The kids are 23, 20, and 17. I remember when they were little I'd project their ages into the future, and I could not begin to fathom them being the ages they are now. Just like I can't imagine them being 50, 47 and 44. I hope I live to see that day. And I hope for some grandchildren to enjoy Christmas with then. Never thought I'd long for grandchildren, but I can see how it happens now.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas
My family, or those who would/could come, were at my house last night. Instead of the traditional dinner, we went for a local delicacy that all Muncie ex-pats long for but can't get anywhere else: Pizza King pizza. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it's way better than ham and sweet potatoes.
The only glitch was that I prepared a few side dishes just in case someone (from Mars) might not want the pizza, and one of those was meatballs in the crock pot. Yesterday morning I rolled them all by hand, baked them and refrigerated them until time to put them in the sauce and heat through.
But I was exhausted around 1:00pm and felt like I couldn't go on without a nap, even though I was a little keyed up about people coming over. I was like Jekyll and Hyde. Before I napped, I asked Katie, 23, to please put the meatballs in the sauce in one hour. She said, "Check."
When I woke up, I checked on the meatballs, and they tasted so good! I was pretty impressed with myself. Then I noticed how "pretty" they were (for being meatballs and all), so perfectly rounded. "Wow," I thought, "maybe this is one hot dish I can actually do like other people."
Then I opened the fridge, and before my eyes sat ... the meatballs.
Twilight zone. And not the vampire kind but the Rod Serling kind, where your head is swirling. Although I think some girls' and their moms' heads swirl over Edward the Vamp.
Anyway.
Meatballs? I looked in the pot again.
"Katie, didn't you use all of my meatballs?"
"Yes, I used them all."
"Why do I have so many left?"
"What?"
"What?"
She had used a bag of frozen meatballs, not knowing I had made ones that morning.
So that explained why they were so GOOD!
Just another Christmas cooking story for ya.
I will say that last night, there was one little glorious moment that took me back in time. Kristin opened a movie that she didn't know she was going to get, and the instant happiness in her eyes and then her eyes looking up at me with a sparkle and slight smile completely melted my heart. My little girl is still there.
They are all three still there. Years pass, people grow, holiday traditions change--all this is as it should be, I know, but it's an indescribable joy to be allowed one little moment the way it used to be.
I'm sure Mary kept those kinds of memories in her heart, too, as her son's life unfolded in ways she didn't expect when he became an adult. I hope she was able to remember his eyes sparkling and his childhood days in her heart, just as she did the miraculous event of his birth.
Cherish every moment with your little ones, today, Moms. Take tons of pictures, and then when you think you've taken enough, take more. Be blessed!
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