Happy Cinco De Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo Day to everyone!

Funny story to share with everyone, and it may help clear up why we (the RootsAndWings Girls) are the way we are. I just had a phone call with our Mother. She was hyper as heck! She was wondering what my plans for Cinco De Mayo were. I thought I was pretty good with my yummy dinner planned. Then, she told me she's been doing the 5 Days of Cinco De Mayo! What!? She hasn't done this before. And why did she not tell me about this sooner? It's a long running family joke that our Mother withholds information from us, to stay top dog. Things like this. I will prove my point. She has the World's Best Raisin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! I swear, they really are! All of her daughter's have made these cookies. When I make them they are good. Even pretty good. But some how they are not over the top, lick the crumbs out of the bag, good (and truly, I can bake pretty well). She must be withholding some piece of the recipe, right? Back to my story. So she's been doing this whole 5 Days of Cinco De Mayo (since it's CINcO-5)! She was so animated telling me all about it. So my answer of, "um a yummy dinner" just doesn't compare to her 5 days of festivities and super fantastic meals that she scoured all her cookbooks for just the right recipes. I tried spiffing mine up by adding that I'd be making my super awesome guacamole and salsa...and homemade taco shell bowls, but it still just falls short. ;)

Truth be told, our Mom is the most giving person in the world. She would not withhold anything from anyone (least of all her daughters). Part of the problem is just that she is such an awesome cook! Yum! The other part is in the recipes that she gives us. She doesn't really use them. Even when she uses a recipe, she does it her own way. She uses measurements like smidge and some. Um, what?! How much is that? My some is a whole lot more than my smidge. So, she's just one of those women that copying her recipes is a waste of time. It's just not possible.

The other part on our Mom is that she just does things. She doesn't think about it, she just does it. For me, if I planned this 5 Days of Cinco De Mayo thing. I would have told everyone about it well before it happened (I happen to be a bit of a talker....um yeah, just a bit of one). Not Mom. She just does it. Most things that we copy her on, she is so surprised about it. Like her awesome Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Easter Eggs (all from scratch), or her Valentine's Suckers. She thinks nothing of the fact that she used to make those for us every year. She's baffled at why we think that's so great and even blog about it! To her, these things are just part of who she is and what she does! Some of her stuff is really quick and easy and some stuff is so time and labor consuming! She just rocks! And the super neat part is that she never made me feel like she was overwhelmed with it all. She has always just been bubbly Mom/Nana. She's always positive and sweet. I don't know how she does it, but one day I hope to grow up and be just like her!

I hope you all thought ahead to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, Nana Style, with 5 days of fantastic festivities! How smart is she? Seeing this side of our Mother, you are starting to see why we are the way we are. We don't have a choice. It's just a part of us!

Love,
Rebecca

PS. Another part of us is music. I just had to throw this out there because it was a part of my super hyper conversation with my Mother today! My Mom's Dad was a musician. It wasn't something he did, it was who he was! Oh, to hear him play....

Well, it's just another thing that is just a part of who we are. Most of the family can not hold still when there is music playing. I really can not! Music just makes every part of my body want to move! Ok, and I sing to it too. If you are shopping and hear someone singing through the aisles, sorry that is me. I can't help it! Anjeanette and I were at JoAnn's the other day and I was singing to the horrible elevator music they had playing (which I actually love-I love all music!). Anjeanette was a few aisles over and told me that I could not do that because it was such an oldy. She said she would understand if it were modern, but it was really old. Hmmm. Still couldn't stop myself. I totally don't even realize I'm doing it, either. It wouldn't be so bad if I sang better. But I know what I sound like...and I don't mind. ;) My kids are barely getting to the age where it's starting to embarrass them. But they care more about hurting my feelings, then being embarrassed. So, I've got some time left to be me. I don't know how to tone the music in me down. ;) Knowing that it comes from my Grandfather, I don't know that I ever want to tone it down. My life is a playlist, if you could live it from my head. Everything is set to music, mostly songs, but sometimes made up music with no lyrics.

I hope my kids have this sickness, too!


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Follow Up to this post:

For dessert tonight, my Mom made her famous layered Jello. She just made it in Green, Yellow, and Red for Cinqo De Mayo. She told me this today, after it was too late for me to make it! She is one lady that is hard to keep up with! Whew!