St. Patrick's Day

A long time ago...when I first started out on my journey as a Mom...I had tons of energy and lots of ideas on what kind of mother I wanted to be.

Granted, it was probably an unrealistic goal. In fact, I'm sure it was.

I was already way over my head from the get-go. I had Joshua and he had Down Syndrome...and everything changed after that. Not for the worst...just for the "different."

Actually, God has used it all for the best...His best. And hopefully for His glory.

Back when my friend Karen Alexander-Doyel was Karen Alexander...and she was married to Doug...and he was a minister at our church...she and Doug taught a parenting class for all of us young parents. I learned so much from her about how to be a Mom. Big things...for sure...but also some little things.

She made the every days special for her husband and 3 boys.

That's what I wanted to do, too. Make the every days special.

So I got out the china on random days and I decorated the house...or the kitchen...or maybe just the front door. Some days we used paper plates with Super-heros on them...just for fun. Or we'd draw on the driveway with chalk or we'd play in the rain.

Karen told me about Valentine's Day at their home. She made heart-shaped meat-loaf and pink mashed potatoes...and other things that were pink and red to go along with the theme...and we did that in our home as well, back when the kids were little.

Yesterday morning, I started thinking about what to have for dinner. I wanted to make this dessert that I'd seen on a Saturday morning TV show. It was a green jello-y type of thing that they were making for St. Patrick's Day. That's what started the ball rolling. I knew the only people who would eat the jello-y dessert would be Jim and Joshua. I wanted to fix something Clark would like, too.

I decided to make Pioneer Woman's Salisbury Steak. My whole family loves that. I didn't make the steaks into heart-shapes, but I could've. Actually, I should have. I just made them into small logs, like I usually do. I made mashed potatoes and I got out the green food coloring. Not gonna lie...I thought about it a lonnnng time before I finally squeezed a few drops of it into the mashed potatoes. Then I turned the mixer on high and watched the green color spin into the potatoes.

In the end, the potatoes were green. I steamed some broccoli, and made a tossed green salad. I fixed some garlic bread. I was going to add green to the butter/cheese mixture, but I just couldn't go that far. I also made a Key-Lime Pie. I don't know that I've ever made a Key Lime pie before. If I have...it was a lonnng time ago.

Jim and the boys loved the meal. Clark didn't eat the Key-Lime Pie, altho I think if he had tried it, he would've liked it. So, all that time I spent thinking of a dessert that they would all eat...

I was going to invite Holly and Aaron over, but Aaron is verrrrrry picky with normal looking food. I knew he would probably freak if he saw green mashed potatoes on the table!

Beth Moore says, "the days are long but the years are short." Or something along those lines.

We've had a lot of dark, dreary, snowy, icy weather here lately. Many gray days...outside.

And, you know, through the years, we've had some really gray days of life.

Haven't you?

I love making the every days special for my family.

"...when morning dawns and evening fades, You call forth songs of praise..." Psalm 65:8