most commonly

when i am home

i am here.

at the counter in the kitchen

{keeping mum company as she bakes, cooks, etc}

i sit on my computer,

i glance up at whichever suburban obsession is on the tele

{dancing with the stars graced my life today}

and i nibble on whatever of mum's creations are on her

beloved aqua cake stand

the current tasty is a dark chocolate orange zest cookie bar

today i broke the monotony

of my butt-glued-to-chair-noshing-aimlessly routine by playing a recital for

{my favorite}

wee ones!

there aren't many things i love more in life than playing for itsy bitsy kids.

they are so curious!

and

they love loud things!

and have you ever seen a kindergartner pronounce "marimba?"

oh tickle me, it's just the cutest thing.

...

i took them on a little time machine trip

starting with bach

and moving up to xenakis....

i really really hope that a five year old goes home and tells his mom he wants a xenakis cd for christmas.

that would be precious and all the way legit.

all of that playing with kids takes a lot out of you.

so i naturally had to ravage some dumplings.

the ones at dragon inn north in glenview, il

continue to be some of my favorite.

the uuuuber doughy texture

and the mass quantities of ginger

make them xtra special.

whenever i eat them i get nostalgic about my little kid days

when i'd go here and have a whole order of them for dinner,

but only the dough {never the filling}

and of course there's always room for a second dinner

sister stoop came over

and we made

risotto

and it was delicious.

except so much of me wishes right now that the part of new york,

where you walk a bunch after you eat a big meal,

{or where you walk a bunch even when you don't eat a big meal}

was true for the chicago suburbs.

i guess i'll just submit to food coma instead.

xoxo

yeh