My little Aries ram, the take-charge child

Dragon Mood? -- amused and still chuckling

So ... I'm posting yesterday, still trying to catch my breath and catch up with events from Thanksgiving. When what to my wondering eyes does appear but this email from my daughter, Lina, about Christmas plans(!):

Well, here’s what I’m thinking on making the food. I can bring the cheese and olives and Chex Mix with me, ready to go. I can make the Breakfast Casserole on Christmas morning [Ed. comment: "take charge"], because if history is any indication, I usually am up before anyone else, anyways. You’d be welcome to make the casserole if you wanted to [take charge], but I’d kind of enjoy arriving to some potato soup [take charge] when I roll in on Christmas Eve, if you were willing to make a little pot of that. I’d already thought about it, and am kind of looking forward to cooking the casserole on Christmas morning, so pre-making it isn’t necessary [take charge]. I would help you work out a grocery list [take charge] and ask that you do the shopping [take charge] for any ingredients for the spinach dip, artichoke/crab dip, bloody mary bar (though I can plan on bringing the vodka, since it’ll be cheaper in WI), breakfast casserole, shrimp, tortilla roulades, beef stew, brownies, etc. I’d imagine you could make the brownies and/or Rice Krispie treats beforehand [take charge]. It might be fun for you and Yosh to think about making some bourbon balls together [take charge], maybe on Christmas Eve before I get there?

At this point in the email, she switches gears a bit, detailing her plans for Christmas morning, a part of the email that made me laugh out loud (while I was supposed to be working):

So, I’d get up in the morning, make the casserole, make myself a bloody mary, wait for all the sleepyheads to wake up…while the casserole was cooking, I’d probably make the spinach dip and mix up the artichoke/crab dip so they had time to “relax” before we were ready to eat them. I’d also make the tortilla roulade logs and put them in the fridge to set – only cutting them right before we were ready to serve them. I’d probably have another bloody mary, etc. When you got up, I’d serve you some casserole and a bloody mary (and maybe make myself another one), and we could eat some breakfast and have a cuppa coffee together (and our bloody marys) and then I’d probably say, “Hey Mom, let’s make that beef stew!” and we’d either work together on it, or you’d say, “Lina, go take your shower, I’ll get the beef stew started. Here’s another bloody mary to take into the shower with you.”

In hindsight, isn't it a wonder that I raised this child without either of us strong-willed people trying to kill the other? ... and that we love each other and love to hang out with one another?

Let's take a moment and give thanks.