Femme au foyer: Pies, mittens and snow men!

The laundry that accumulated over the holidays has been washed, the suitcases packed away, the pictures downloaded, and the presents “unwrapped” a second time as I sit here to try and wrap up the blogging of our fifteen days of Christmas. I find it a little hard to concentrate though, what with the 55 degree sunny day we are having today: the Christmas feeling is all but gone. Looking back through my pictures I believe I have to wrap up this holiday blogging quickly, in order to move on to the other events taking place here shortly, such as a particular birthday that takes place tomorrow, Kings Day (or Epiphany which took place on Sunday the 6^th, but we might celebrate later this week), and of course another birthday coming up later this month.

So, without further ado, the remaining twelve days of Christmas in pictures…

We celebrated the day after Christmas at my parents’ house with my extended family. I made this pecan pie with the help of those pie-toppers my sister and her husband gifted me for my birthday.

However, the pie-toppers don’t qualify as best Christmas gift, that spot is reserved for the lion paw mittens Lauris and Mikus got from Santa. Straight out of "Where the Wild Things Are".

On our last day in Chicago all the girls met for a delicious brunch at Café Selmarie, one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago not only for food but atmosphere and memories. Sitting with my grandmother, mother, aunts, sister and cousins I recalled my last meal there - over which I invited most of those sisters and cousins to be bridesmaids and helpers at my wedding!

My little Christmas snow angel! The festivities continued in Kalamazoo. Lauris and Mikus were reunited with their cousins, and the grandparent's house descended into a happy sort of chaos. Well, sometimes just chaos, but I lived to tell the tale. A day spent visiting those near and dear in Detroit, then Mežotne, it was one meal after another - not that I'm complaining.

The scallops and mussels at Rustica

My parents-in-law were kind enough to care for the boys while Roberts and I had an evening out. We chose a restaurant in downtown Kalamazoo, Rustica. Delicious food, great atmosphere and a decent wine selection, which takes care of the 9^th day of Christmas, festive tipple.

As far as three great memories of the past year go, I like to look forward rather than back, especially as this year has been one of great transition for us. "You can look back babe, but it's best not to stare." Dwelling on all the good times in France makes moving forward into 2013 hard, so I’ll just mention the three that most stand out in my mind.
1. The birth of Mikus
2. Our trip to Greece
3. This holiday journey

And then the final day of 2012... I’ll tell you what, I’m lucky to have seen the ball drop to ring in the New Year! With invitations to several parties turned down, we spent a low-key evening at the in-laws. Between the various bugs that had me coughing and sneezing most of the holidays, and the headaches from pressure and temperature changes, I think this was the best choice for us. I don’t regret the decision, I do regret not staying outside longer to help with the construction of the three snowman that came after these six. Yes, Roberts built nine snowmen.

As far as New Year’s Resolutions go, it’s the standard eat healthier, exercise more and do more with the kids. The best part about these three areas needing improvement are that they complement one another. I hope to spend more time in the kitchen with the boys; Lauris helped me with the kliņģeris today and I hope to tackle a King’s Cake later this week. Outdoor activities invariably end with exercise for me, such as our walk to the construction site to see what the excavators and builders were up to today. Once the weather warms I’ll turn my attention to the raised beds we built in the backyard, and hopefully the exercise of gardening will lead to some healthier eating.