This week was my mom's 60th birthday. We celebrated with a lovely dinner party on a rainy Tuesday night. Friends, laughter, good food and a few happy tears.
I have been mastering
Julia's Boeuf Bourginone recipe for over a year and tonight it all came together and was really quite delicious. We paired it with
Fort Ross Pinot Noir and savored every morsel of food and every last drop of wine.
I also made
Real Simple's Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert. This is the easiest recipe and the wow factor when you take a bite is off the charts. Really rich and decadent. Perfect for a big birthday celebration.
I made a list of 60 childhood memories that I was thankful for, grateful for or just wanted to share with my mom. She cried, I cried...it was my gift to her, along with a box of her very favorite chocolates. A really special evening and we were warm and cozy around the table, as it rained and rained outside.
My Aunt Glenda came down to help celebrate my mom's birthday. This was my mom's first visitor since she moved here four years ago and we were all super happy to share the week with her. As you can see, Grady was tickled just to be near her. He instantly fell in love with his Great Aunt Glenda.
I love this picture! She treated him like a prince and he loved the time he spent with her. Me too! She made us corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day and left us with little presents to remember her by. Grady said he was going to wear the shirt she gave him
for the rest of his life.
The remainder of the week was wet and we had major rain storms. My zinnia seedlings are safely sprouting in my kitchen window box above the sink. We've already had a few casualties, but more are alive than dead.
March 18th has been marked on the calendar for a few weeks now as "chick day."
Rivertown Feed in Petaluma was getting their shipment of chicks in and I was not going to miss it. Well, until I got cold feet and panicked over picking up the day-old chicks. It was storming and Highway One was about to flood and I just didn't think it was a good day to welcome them home. Steve set me straight and convinced me they wouldn't die due to the cold weather, as we had this handy-dandy heat lamp for their homemade brooder we were going to set up.
So we went and picked up two of each:
Americauna (the blondes), Rhode Island Red (brownish-red) and Barred Rock (black). I've already named one of the blonde chicks Dolly. She's real fluffy and kept running into the cardboard wall. Not real smart, but real cute. I also pegged one of the black chicks as a rooster. We'll see if I'm correct. Kept pecking Dolly's eyes and pushing the others around. God, I hope I didn't get another rooster.
I was so excited to actually have them and my morning freak out over thinking I was going to kill them quickly subsided. However, last night we had a major storm during the
super moon. The tides were high, rain was pouring down, roads were flooded, we had gale force winds and the power went out in the middle of the night. Well, this mama's mind was racing because the chicks have to be kept in an environment of 90 degrees in order to survive. They were only two days old and on my watch! Around 4 a.m. I got dressed and grabbed them from the garage and they were huddled together for warmth. Steve suggested placing a hot water bottle in their brooder for them to huddle near and it worked. We had to refill a few times, but the power was back by noon and they seemed no worse for the wear. I really didn't want to have a chick funeral on the first day of spring. Seriously.
The week was action-packed and full of friends, families, shared meals, lots of good wine, kids running around, laughter, crazy storms, special visitors, new life and the changing of a season. The rains and wind have subsided (for now) and all the living creatures in my house are safe and sound.
And while most of this week centered around mothers, the week ended with Grady cuddling up in his father's lap. Nice way to end this post and this week. I love you Mr. Funny.
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