Joseph promoted to Captain this week.
As part of his promotion ceremony, I made these (4 dozen of ’em!).
Vegan, but not gluten-free.
strawberry & cream cheese chocolate
&
strawberry & cream cheese vanilla
(though not pictured)
mint chocolate
(mint frosting w/ a chocolate ganache)
&, straight up chocolate
I thank Isa, & Coleen Patrick-Goudreau for their inspiration. I used their recipes (from this & this* cookbook), tweeked a few things, & had blast concocting, swirling, frosting, & shaving (chocolate, that is). My kitchen was a fury of flour & sugar.
I’m thrilled to have excuses to make cupcakes.
Too bad I couldn’t eat them (darn gluten).
Later in the day I quizzed Joseph about the cupcakes.
Did you taste the strawberries in the cupcakes? (I added pureed strawberries to the batter.)
What did you like most about them? (The frosting, the cake, the shaved chocolate?)
His response: I don’t know, I wasn’t eating a cupcake to try to discern the individual ingredients, I was just eating them because they tasted good. That made me giggle. I’m sorry, but I must know, especially since I don’t actually get to eat this batch, I tell him.
His promotion got me thinking. You know, of the sacrifices that military wives make for our spouses. For our country.
To be clear, I’m not soliciting pity.
I signed up for this, but combine my choice to have a large family, to work towards a life where I could stay at home with them (& actually reach that point, thankfully) & my choice to be a military wife, some days I’m not sure I know exactly what I signed up for.
My day is about supporting him & his career, helping things run smoothly & as seamlessly as possible so that he doesn’t have to worry about home while at work. So at the end of the day, the house is clean & orderly, the kids are bathed, bills have been paid. In essence, all is well (or at least, this is the goal).
And for the record, yes, I aspire for Norman Rockwellian dinners each night (especially after listening to this). I am not ashamed.
I admit, some days I want to claim defeat. It’s often lonely, it’s often mundane.
“How is it possible to get so wasted (tired) from doing such incredibly mundane things all day?” I asked Joseph the other day.
Fortunately, he knows where I’m coming from.
You give & give. At the heart of it, is giving.
Parenting requires a mighty good deal of self-sacrifice. Counter intuitive to the modern culture that embraces self-actualization as the supreme ideal.
The full depth & scope of sacrifice required in being an engaged parent & wife, I know I don’t truly know, yet. We’re just starting out, after all.
But nearly 9 years in, I still believe in that sacrifice. I’m committed to it, even though I can’t quite explain why. Maybe because my parents did it. Maybe because the love that I have for Joseph & each of our children seems to soften reservations about living a life in which my needs come secondary. Who knows?
But let’s focus on the good stuff.
If I can kiss the Captain & call him mine, and make cupcakes, truly,
how can life get any better?
♥♥♥
I have recipes! And pictures, pictures, that I want to share. (Time, where art thou, & when will I have more of you?) I am sincerely hoping to get back into regular posting soon, soon. In the mean time, ox.
*If you purchase anything from these links, I make a few pennies.
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