monday at the mess house

The past two weeks, I've posted photos that show a feeling literally, with either a pensive bride or a tired child. But today, I wanted to post something else -- objects or scenery that expressed how we feel at times.On Sunday, we took Ezra to Stillwater to play at Teddy Bear Park (HUGE hit, by the way -- we will certainly return), and we got home around 1 pm. It was then that I made fourteen batches of pesto with the remaining basil from the garden and froze them all. Then I made Jamie a birthday cake. Then I made buttermilk frosting from scratch. Then I taught Ezra how to frost the cake. Then I made Jamie's favorite dinner. And at 5:30, we sat down to a candle-lit dinner in the dining room, ate a wonderful meal and sang happy birthday and enjoyed a fantastic cake.So today was packed and messy (so, so messy!) and wonderful. And the warmth and happiness I get from cooking for those I love is like nothing else. And when I looked at the kitchen in the midst of the mayhem this afternoon, I bubbled with pride that I was preparing amazing meals for the winter AND making a cake AND making homemade frosting AND making dinner. And you know what made me happiest? That I loved it. That it wasn't hard work. That I was so thrilled to be doing it all.And speaking of cooking for the family, Cooking Light has 100+ slow cooker recipes this month. You can see them here. You're welcome!