Maternal Celebrations

Today is my dear mother's birthday.

And so I say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to the greatest mama a girl could ever ask for.

I said a tearful goodbye to my Bentley and drove to Santa Barbara this morning, picking up a rhubarb pie on the way. Did not eat it with my hands while driving, which is a sign that I do in fact have SOME self-control left. Wonderful. The fam and I went for lunch at a newish fancy Mexican place downtown, Cielito's, and it was pretty darn tasty. I was a big fan of their guac with pomegranate seeds, definitely scrumptious. We then went to see "Life of Pi", which I enjoyed, but I'm not really sure if I liked it. Spoiler alert: I don't like movies where animals die. Plus, at parts it was a bit slow and boring. It was visually stunning, however, and worth a viewing just for the incredible imagery. Also, the tiger totally reminded me of Mr. Tree. So there's that.

My sister's boyfriend came to town for Christmas and offered to make dinner tonight for the birthday girl, so we enjoyed pine nut crusted salmon on a bed of kale, homemade pesto, brussel sprouts and wine. Two thumbs up to him and his culinary skills.

I leave you with a holiday tune I'd never heard until today when my sister introduced me to it. Now it's stuck in my head and it won't go away.

Join me.