One of the wonderful pluses to having kids: a party is always around the corner. I truly enjoy celebrating holidays and now that I have my own brood it is just blissful. I know I get cranky and tense as I prepare meals, especially any baked portion, but aside from the baking anxiety I love every moment.

This Valentine’s Day began a few days earlier when Jim let me know I was getting a spa treatment as a gift. I choose to have a pedicure – it should be coming soon. Olaia had a school project that required her to create a valentines for a classmate. She and I sat down at the dining room table with scissors and construction paper to plan out our Valentines. I made one for Jim and gave her ideas for hers.

She followed my lead and we created cards that had three layers folded back and forth and were able to stand revealing all three layers in steps. We put hearts overstepping the edge of each folded layer. I wrote: My dearest Jim you make my heart skip when I’m with you. She wrote: Querida Estefania,Alegras me corazon cuando me haces reir.

The night before Jim and I watched the Alton Brown-s show on the Food Channel and Jim confessed he was drooling craving the taste of chocolate. So chocolate was now on the menu for Valentine’s Day. I made tiny chocolate  torts for dessert.

For some reason this Valentines I just wanted to do fish pies. A strange urge I admit, but who can explain the affairs of the heart. I prepared my dough and cooked some fish, put it together in the oven and voilá! Ok, so the chocolate tortlets were the best part of dinner, but I do enjoy sometimes just cooking something out of the ordinary that captures my fancy.

Last year it was lithuanian style potato/veggie pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream toppings. Before that I have gone for oven roasted lamb and other unusual dishes. They don’t always turn out perfectly but what is life without risk. Passion is not perfect it is messsy,  full of risk and requires openness to surprises.

Jaimito waited all day on Tuesday for the time when I would bake a cake. I looked everywhere for a heart shaped cake mold but found zilch. But before any baking began, Jaimito worked on his Valentine day cards. He made cards for Olaia, for Daddy and one for the rest of us…Mami and Javier. Oh, and he made a Valentine’s day card for himself.  

This year, because Valentines fell on a Tuesday Jim went to his prison ministry and spread the love and cheer. Kids ate early and later I ate with Jim.  For me, it was just a long day of preparation, anticipation and happy wonderful celebration.

I just love celebrating life and love!