When you wake up to howling winds, rain beating down on your roof like it’s the big, bad, wolf, and temperatures hovering in the low 30s, it’s all to easy to just pull the comforter over your head and chalk the day up as a loss before it even starts. And yet, that’s not what happened today. Today could have sucked, but it didn’t.
It’s really a tie for first place for the first thing that happened that was so awesome. I got to sleep in — hello 7:45am — and DH brought me coffee in bed. When your day starts like that, it can only go up from there. I really don’t think I have to go any further, but I will.
I came downstairs to find breakfast made and waiting for me, the girls fresh-faced and well rested, and the Christmas tree lit, shimmering with holiday goodness. We had a leisurely breakfast while the rain steadily fell down, down, down. The girls dropped their dishes in the sink and their pj’s on the floor in favor of dress-up clothes and arts & crafts. I told Mo that I was going to help DH clean up the kitchen and that I wouldn’t be able to help her with arts & crafts. Guess what? She was totally cool with it and she made paper dolls for herself and her sister — BY HERSELF! Will wonders never cease?!
Mo and Co played so nicely downstairs, constructing a mini puppet theatre out of sofa cushions, their anywhere chairs, and an easel. Somehow, the trail of debris wound it’s way upstairs to their room, but guess what? I didn’t care.
At about 10:30, we decided we should probably motivate and hit the Y. Piling into the car, we wound our way through the rainy Norfolk streets, only to realize we should have used an outboard motor instead of the car to get to there. Norfolk was flooded — again. Detour to the Harris Teeter for some groceries because if you can’t work out at the Y and you certainly can’t work out outside, the only thing to do is bake!
DH and I had the kitchen running like a well oiled machine. He decided he want to make Osso Bucco for dinner tonight — I love it when he watches Food Network — and I decided I wanted to make chocolate chip muffins, chocolate & peanut butter chip cookies with walnuts, and cake balls! I think a big part of the reason today could have sucked but didn’t was because I got to say cake balls at least a dozen times.
We decided to order out for lunch since, despite our trip to the grocery, neither one of us wanted to make anything for lunch. We placed our order and were on our way to pick it up when the rains caused the Lafayette River to swell and flood the streets. Our routes to the restaurant were thwarted, so DH called to cancel the order. The restaurant said, “NO! The food is ready! We’ll bring it to you!” Um, have you seen the streets? You? Bring it to us? Doubtful, but we said alright.
Once at home, we pulled out every pot and pan, every mixing bowl and measuring cup. DH got to chopping, I got to stirring. He was sauteeing, I was mixing. We didn’t have any Christmas carols playing in the background; just the sound of the girls playing upstairs. And then the sound of the doorbell. Holy Cake Balls (hee hee)! The delivery guy made it!
Lunch was served, the children were happy, our bellies were full, and even better, the rain stopped. We put the kids down for some quiet time and then took turns heading outside to do some pre–emptive damage control for all of the junk we plan on eating later on.
It was, to quote my grandma, “colder than a witches tit” outside. 3 miles, an excellent Genius mix, and one frozen nose later, the run was done. Success! That run could have totally sucked, but how can you start to walk when “Fire” comes on.
And now the children are watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the Osso Bucco is simmering nicely in the crockpot, and the cakeballs are resting in the fridge. We’re going to a holiday party tonight and I even know what I’m going to wear and I know that it’s going to fit when I put it on (talk about wonder never ceasing).
Yeah, today could have sucked, but it totally didn’t.
