I'm a year older, a valentine, and still cookin

february is gone. how on earth did that happen? oh my. and even better we started the day with jingle bells. she loves that song, she can't quit singing it. oh dear Hannah if you could know how cool you are these days. you are so curious, so funny, so unbelievably stubborn, so particular, and so very lovely. i sense too your awareness of serious conversations between dad and I, of tears you've witnessed, of raised voices and silence, of us being hurried, you carry those differenlty now. we are not slipping anything by you. and i don't care how darn cheesy it sounds, but you do totally make me want to be the better person - the better mom, the better wife an the best working lady. 

well, i had a wonderful birthday with some superbly lovely friends. a pedicure and tapas was my dream night and some very dear friends on a very impromptu desicion humored me and joined me and it was good. i felt so light hearted and enjoyed a foot rub, fun conversation, wine, and lots of yummy bites of delish food. i felt a year older. 

the month has been a mixed bag of very intense, very long work hours with what feels like very very little reward. greeted by heaviness at home and all sorts of family stuff. but we have also had these bizzarely warm februrary days that have brought on wonderful days in the park with Hannah, good grilling and an evening by the fire outside. and we have continued to stay in the rhythm's of reading Project 345 and cooking. a few recent meals include valentine's dinner lamb, swedish fishcakes and an avocado salad followed by portuguese tarts we made for friends, stephen spoiled dad and I with a sticky scallop and bok choy bday dinner and we made chicken satay this week. its been so very therapeutic. 

so we carry on, well even. never letting goodness pass us by without recognition because it just seems to fall sweeter each time we receive it.