Today is my mother's birthday. Her and my dad are coming over this evening for a birthday dinner and some grandkid time. If you ask my mom what she wants for her birthday she always says "Time with my babies" LOL I could have all the money in the world and buy her anything under the sun and she'd still rather spend time with the kids. She also loves the Island King's gumbo. He makes the best gumbo you ever put in your mouth and she can't get enough of it so he made a huge pot for dinner tonight and we'll also be sending some home with her. His gumbo takes hours to make and then has to sit overnight in the fridge before it's "ready" so he started last night and cooked until after midnight. The beginning of the process requires a lot of okra and a lot of stirring and the boys love to help. Last night they were taking turns stirring and would kiss their hands before taking the spoon to stir. "We're adding LOVE!" they would say. There was so much hand kissing and stirring that this pot will be overflowing with love LOL I'm making a Key Lime Pie for desert so I'll have to remember to kiss the mixer before I start so I can add a little love of my own.
I'm looking forward to eating the gumbo but the problem with him making it is that he absolutely trashes the kitchen. He's a good cook but he makes a horrible mess and I swear he uses every dish, pot, pan and utensil we own. He doesn't wash the dishes when he's done (he's the chef not the dishwasher, he says) but he does at least stack them in and around the sink and wipe the counters down. So this morning I'll be doing some serious dishwashing and floor mopping as well as straightening the rest of the house. I don't really mind because one bite of that gumbo makes it all worthwhile.
The kids and I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning the house and all that's left (besides the kitchen) is the living room - but that room is a disaster. My kids, as well as all of their friends, have turned the living room into Rock Band central and it looks like they had a keg party in their last night LOL They are going to have to work on another song besides Gimme Shelter though because that song is now permanently stuck in my head. They must have played that one at least a million times. I walked outside about 9:30 last night and you could hear it from the driveway. You could also smell the gumbo cooking and hear lots of kids laughing. The place was a mess and they should all have been in bed but I gotta tell you that looking in the window at them felt like a scene from the movie It's A Wonderful Life - only this was the Sandcastle Momma version LOL
Ok, I'm all revved up on coffee now so I'm gonna hit those dishes and get ready for tonight. I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!Labels: Done