I cooked most of the day and so many memories came up for me. As I made sauce for Christmas dinner, I thought about my mom. I used many of the same ingredients (can't get some of them in Virginia) and the same pots and pans (yes they are still in good shape). My sauce tastes close to what my mom made, but a little different. I always laugh when I remember asking my mom before I moved away to teach me to make sauce, her response was, "you should know how, you've watched me make it for years and it's not written down!" That's how she taught me most things and I definitely paid attention. What did your mom teach you?
One think I missed was how to make a good meatball that does not fall apart. I made them from scratch today for a change instead of buying them pre-made. I usually make a meat sauce because it's easier (in my opinion) than making meatballs. I think I made over two dozen and then added two dozen sweet Italian sausage to the sauce. We'll find out on Christmas what everyone thinks because you know the kids will be honest.
Of course, papa popped out to the kitchen to tell me how he would do it everything (I started the sauce while he was napping). He said, I know you are tolerating me. We both laughed, but he loved the sample meatball I gave him to test.
I wrote on FB yesterday about the stress I feel when I go to the grocery store. I don't know if any other people feel this way, but it just stresses me out. I thought I had prepped well, as I had a list and went early. Of course, I ended up at three different grocery stores in order to get everything I needed. By the time I was done, I had a headache and basically needed a little quiet time. Do you have things that stress you out? How do you handle it?
I meant to give you an update the other day about papa and his new driver. I mentioned that I had a hard time dealing with this. I know papa does not read my blog, but the day after I wrote about the situation as I was headed out; Papa looked at me and said, "are you okay with this?" I stopped short, looked him in the face and said, "No I'm not, but I know it's what you want to be independent so I'll deal with it." It was a moment, but we both moved on from there. No, I have not met Debbie yet, but I'm feeling better about the whole situation.
I have to say I'm not sad. Although sentimentality is normally associated with sadness, I am remembering the happiness and fun around the holidays. I do not want to dwell on sadness. I am determined to focus on the blessings and enjoyment of being with family.
I will end here. Enjoy the rest of the week. Merry Christmas! Chat soon. Marie
“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” ― Bob Hope
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