Make my day, Monday

Totally random list of ten (yes, TEN) things that are making me happy today.

• Adeline has her music class today and she LOVES it. The teacher has told me that she thinks Adeline is very musically gifted and I really feel that by exposing her to music through classes, listening to all sorts of music and music making at home through singing and instruments that we're really helping Adeline find something that will give her life-long pleasure and may just be her passion. We noticed right away how tuned in to music and rythm tiny baby Adeline was, so we really believe that this is one of the gifts that she was born with.
• "My" bakery opens back up tomorrow after a two week holiday. Every day after preschool Adeline has said "Is our bakery open today? I really need a pretzel". Tomorrow I can finally say yes and my girl can get her fresh, often warm, wood-fire baked pretzel on our way home from school.
• The sun is shining even though it's cold. In January the sun helps immensely.
• Adeline had a playdate with a friend we don't see often enough and it was really nice. His Mom and I had tea and chatted while Adeline and her friend just played and played and played. For a long time they were tucked into his bed with the lights off and the door closed "being cozy"- I guess at some point we'll have to worry about that sort of thing, but it's super sweet now!
• On Sunday, Adeline and David braved the chaos of a huge indoor playground and had a noisy, sweaty, tiring blast. I did not. I'm happy about that!
• After eating "Shrimp in Caramel Sauce" at my favourite Vietnamese restaurant for years now I finally cooked something "in Caramel Sauce" myself and it was FABULOUS and I feel like I know a secret now -  nuoc mau. The recipe is here along with the pictures I used as a guide to how dark it should get. It was really REALLY hard to let my sugar almost burn - to go beyond golden and beyond brown to "black coffee colour" but that sticky, viscous, bitter and sweet stuff was MAGICAL with my chicken and now I know why Vietnamese grilled foods and "in caramel sauce" foods taste so so good and why I could never get that taste before.  Now that I've got my little jar of nuoc mau in my fridge I feel like I've got a secret ingredient!
• My Mom has an offer on her house, so if it goes through, Adeline could have her Nana living just a short drive away by March!
• Adeline has had a huge burst of creativity and is making things every day and she's finally drawing after not wanting to for a very long time. I'll share pictures soon! We have cut down on television time and removed the television power struggle we had going on, and Adeline seems not only more creative, but happier too.
• I'm still in purge-mode and it feels good!
• It's one Monday closer to spring and I'm already starting to check out the seed catalogues and plan my garden. I'm bucking the trend and going for less vegetables and more flowers. 

Comments

[Francesca]

Thanks for mentioning the "television power struggle" ...we too have been dealing with that, and while I can't say it is over, I definitely feel we too have turned a corner on it, and Matteo too is starting to draw more etc....so young and yet so tenacious!!

your ten things make me happy too!!