Laughter

It's 10pm on a Friday night.  Usually by now I'm in bed, reading or playing Candy Crush.  Tonight, I'm sitting on my sofa with my two girls and my sister.  Molly and Abby are entertaining their aunt with  funny photos and memes.  Everyone is happy and laughing.

I'm laughing, too, from the side, watching these girls (because my little sister will always be a girl to me) who all mean so much to me,  I love that Molly and Abby have a relationship with their aunt, that they text and send each other snaps. 

So instead of writing more tonight, I'm going to put my computer away and join the laughter and merriment, at least for another 15 minutes.

Because after all, it is past my bedtime.

Friday Night Reading

My Friday nights are generally unexciting.  After dinner, I pull my currently-being-used cookbooks from my dining room bookshelf and settle in to do some meal planning.  I choose five or six meals for the following week and then make my grocery list.  I've never been one of those people who figures out in advance what day we'll eat which meal.  Instead, I find that if I have a list of possibilities  and all of the ingredients to make those dishes, I can stay organized and resist the urge to order out.

Most of the meals I make are healthy... high in protein and veg, lower in carbs and fats.  I've been on a health kick for a little over a year now, and I love the way it makes me feel.  But as you can tell from the cookbook on the top of the stack, I do indulge in dessert on weekends.  I love a good cake, especially if it has chocolate in it somewhere.  

I actually like these low-key Friday evenings reading cookbooks, looking for new recipes to prepare for my family.  We enjoy our old favorites, but I get tired of cooking these things all the time. 

I also just really love reading cookbooks.  I especially like ones with lots of photos of the finished dishes; even really complicated ones that I would never actually cook out of!  It's kind of nutty, really.  Who else does this?  Is this a thing?

Happy weekend, everyone.

Friday Fun

Tonight I went to see the junior high production of Shrek, Jr.  What a fun way to spend a Friday evening.  The kids did a great job of putting on the show, but of course, I had a favorite actor!

Abby was cast as the Pied Piper, but at the last minute, she was tapped to take over the role of one of the Three Little Pigs, since the girl playing the role was sick.  Abby found out at 3:35 yesterday afternoon that she would be taking over for the first performance, and she reprised the role again tonight.  This, on top of her regular role!

What a proud mom I was.  The directors knew Abby would be able to slip into this role, learning the couple of lines, yes, but also singing the songs and quickly picking up choreography.  She rose to the challenge, just like they (and I) knew she would.

I love seeing my kids do the things they love.  Whether playing in the band or orchestra, performing in a play, or dancing in a recital, their passion and dedication shows.  I also love that they share these activities as well.  These two have a bond that is growing as they get older.

I can't wait to see what's next.