Crying in your aioli

If you find yourself crying over a batch of aioli mid-afternoon on your daughter's birthday, it might be a sign to reevaluate your priorities.  At least that's the message I got loud and clear today. 

It was a typical busy weekday at our house with all the usual demands of children and jobs and all the rest.  On top of all the usual madness that fills, oh, 110% of every day, it was Ella's 4th birthday.  I must have somehow thought that because it was such a special day, the extra hours needed to make the special birthday breakfast, to prepare the special school snack, to frost the homemade cake, to make the delicious homemade birthday dinner, to open and ooh and aah over the many special gifts, would just magically appear. 

As it turns out, the only thing that appeared was me having a breakdown in the late afternoon over a batch of wasabi aioli that just wouldn't thicken up.  All the birthday girl wanted was pizza which I could have easily procured from any number of local restaurants.  But I had grand visions of a meal with homemade pizza dough, an array of gourmet toppings (never mind that all the birthday girl wanted was "those round, salty things", i.e. pepperoni), and a number of delicious side dishes for the adults, hence the wasabi aioli to go on the freshly steamed and sauteed green beans.  Dinner prep time ran short, though, and when the aioli refused to thicken up and I was in tears, my dear parents, sister, and husband talked me down from the wall, ran to Whole Foods for pizza dough, and stuck a beer in my hand. 

In the end, we had semi-gourmet pizzas and a simple but delicious salad, and we ended the evening on the back porch on a beautiful spring night, laughing and eating birthday cake with Ella, who was just happy and grateful to have the people who love her gathered together. 

I will remember this next year, heck next week, when I try to do too much when all that really matters is being together.  I'd rather enjoy the special days with a light heart than by crying in my aioli.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl.

Ella, at 4 days old.  She weighed 5 pounds in this

picture, and was the tiniest, sweetest,

most amazing little person I'd ever laid eyes on.

   That four-day old baby turned into this

four-year old beauty so much more

quickly than I ever could have imagined. 

And she only got more amazing each day.