When T.J. got home I was not ready, the rice was still cooking, I hadn't iced the cake, and it was nearly 8 o'clock. Not exactly the picture perfect meal I had envisioned. T.J. snacked on the un-iced cake while I finished up the gumbo and we were finally able to sit down together. After dinner he moved to the couch to unwind and I set about the dishes because I can't relax when there are dishes in the sink. It's a good and bad trait. But last night it was bad because all I really wanted to do was snuggle with my husband on the couch before he passed out.
Why do I create these plans in my head that don't allow room for messes or hungry husbands? I should just leave the dishes for later. T.J. doesn't care about the presentation, he doesn't care if the cake is iced, he doesn't care if the dog is licking cinnamon sugar off the floor. Yes, of course, he likes to come home to calm, clean house, that makes him feel more relaxed after leaving the craziness of his job, but really he just wants to be with me. Isn't that what meal planning is supposed to do for me? Isn't it supposed to take away the pressure of cooking dinner every night and allow more time to just enjoy dinner together?
But I got the snapchat posted to my story, and I already had a bunch of likes on instagram....um, wait... Was I cooking dinner for T.J. because I knew he'd enjoy it after a long overnight shift or was I doing it for the blog post?
(I made the traditional cinnamon sugar filling and left out the nuts. Be sure to really seal your edges so it doesn't all ooze out while baking.)
I'm giving myself some grace and trying again. Tonight I have a slow cooker meal planned- less dishes, a lot smoother. Though last night's meal was pretty convicting, it wasn't all a wash. The food was still delicious, there's plenty of leftovers for lunches this week, and T.J. still fell asleep with his head on my shoulder... while I refreshed my Instagram feed one more time ;)
You are your mother's daughter : ) New mercies. Every single day!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate!! As a mom of two, almost three kids now, I can attest to nothing ever being done as gracefully as I had pictured it in my head. LOL
ReplyDeleteLol. I can only imagine how much more complicated it gets when you add kids to the mix. Definitely need to just embrace the sweet chaos.
DeleteI'm a Louisiana gal and I've never attempted to make a King Cake so I admire your ambition. I do make gumbo quite often and it's not for the faint of heart either. Hats off to you for all your efforts!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support! Thought the gumbo was tasty I'm not sure it would pass the taste test of a true Louisianan ;)
DeleteNothing usually happens the way I think it will, but I'm always just happy I tried. Cute post! Tomorrow is another day :)
ReplyDeletethanks so much! you are right so right! my plans are usually end up being just a loose guideline and they never take into account happy accidents and surprises.
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