My favorite gift

So everyone has a favorite gift they receive every Christmas, and mine this year was a top of the line, super duper rice cooker. Anna and I have been speaking for months about getting one and for my "big" present this year, she gave me 40 some odd pounds of rice and a sweet cooker. I like to act like I can cook so this present made my day. Last night Abbers, Anna, and I had a snuggly night at the house watching Alvin and the chipmunks and The land before time. I had intended to make us lemon pepper chicken but as you can see, what came out was a creation unlike any American chicken dish I have ever seen. It was delicious! Sweet sticky rice creating a platform for the most delectable lemon pepper infused boneless chicken breast. It was amazing, add a little spice and some soy sauce into the mix and we all ate until we could stand no more. It makes me think of my life lately. How sometimes it feels as though I am given a certain set of ingredients and even though I have the intention of making a very recognizable final product, many times variables are thrown into the mix. I am focusing now on not necessarily controlling those variables, but using them to create something different, and possibly better than what I had originally planned. In the new year I will be taking more time to slow down, breath, and look at the bird's nests. Abbie has this uncanny ability to spot the most random items out of our daily world. She is constantly pointing out birds nests way up in trees, bugs on the leaves, and litter in the streets. I need to be more like her, take time in my life to literally stop and smell the roses. This morning Abs and I are going to relax, run a few errands, and maybe snuggle some more on the couch. I will let her be my example, I will learn from her and do as she does. Maybe soon I will be able to stop, look around and smile, and point out the fact that the cloud over there on the horizon really does look like a daddy lion and his baby lion. See daddy, see!