pots and pans

Several years ago, we had two little boys living here. It was the middle of the Christmas season. Sure the songs have you believe there is no place like home for the holidays. Everyone is happy and cheerful and romping in the snow.......

From the mom point of view: Christmas church clothes need to be bought and put together, church program practices, Christmas family picture needs to be taken and copied and somehow put into 100 Christmas cards, Cards addressed and a letter typed and included. The list goes onto baking and making special treats while still putting dinner on the table every night. You have to somehow "magically" stretch the budget to include gifts, lots of gifts and postage and hide almost everything. Your home has to be decorated and you must calmly suggest decorating cookies one evening after dinner or putting together a gingerbread house or two. How fun to go out and play in the snow? Mom will "magically" get the snow gear ready and then happily wash and dry everything and get the kids warmed up.......all while Home schooling..... and the list goes on and on.......all with a smile on your face.

I somehow had a mental breakdown, right smack in the middle of the month. Instead of my usual staying up well past midnight wrapping and sewing and baking..... I checked out a Nora Roberts romance novel and each night when the boys went to bed, I just put my feet up and read my book. Looking back, I think everything went well. The stockings were filled and the presents were wrapped under the tree and everyone made it to programs and looked okay. I don't remember any huge mess ups. I needed a break and I found it through a romance book.

Yesterday things seem to be piling up around here. The house needs some decorations. I have gifts to finish sewing & gifts to mail. We are checking and checking again our many lists. Trying to keep things pretty even between kids. We are donating and giving to all sorts of causes. The family photograph is taken, printed and 80 copies are made. I have the cards, now to put it all together.

For some strange and goofy reason, we waited in line to get into our mall. We found a parking place and went in. Yikes, lots of shoppers. All thinking of others. NOT US. NOPE. We were thinking of ourselves. We had a coupon and went to Macy's to use it. Yep, right in the middle of shopping for others season, we bought something for ourselves. We bought the 1.5 quart All Clad Sauce pan & the 4.5 quart stock pot. Oh yeah. No, it is not a gift. We actually brought it home and used it to prepare our Sunday night dinner. Yes, you heard me right, smack dab in the middle of the season of giving to others and budgeting for gifts and more gifts. We took some cash and bought ourselves two new wonderful pans.

It felt silly and goofy and wonderful. It was the wrong timing and we should be thinking of others. We cracked. We caved. We brought home two beauties. Oh how they shine! Hey, maybe that is the "sparkle" of the season? Maybe I can use them to make some homemade food gift for others?

As we were leaving the household goods department the sales gal said, "Have an All Clad Christmas"! It was a weird and strange thing to say. We had never heard that before.

How it made us laugh and smile. It sort of broke our frustration with the season.

Grace does indeed come in many forms.

Have an All Clad Christmas everyone!