All right, folks. It’s December 3–and the third day of the “Advent of Pie” series here at fortyandtwentyblackbirds.

This week, I’m a temporarily single parent. My husband’s out of town on business, so it’s just me and the kids. And the kids’ school stuff. And the kids’ homework. And the kids’ rehearsals. And the kids’ activities. And the kids’ laundry. And carpooling. Now, before I officially declare how tired I am right now, let me say how thankful I am to have a partner who divides the job of parenting with me right down the middle. I’m always grateful, but I notice it even more when he’s not there. So a shout out goes to the best husband and dad ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I remembered about making pie on my way down the driveway at 8:30 this evening. I had just dropped off two other kids and been to a parent meeting while my kids were at a play rehearsal. Before I thought about which pie to make, I thought this:

I.Am.So.Tired.

But then I got over it. I realized that today’s big, wonderful, notable gift is endurance. Sure, we’ve all got plenty to do–probably too much on most days. Today, though, I paid attention to the gift of endurance. I had enough energy–and a lot of other resources, too–to do what needed to be done.

Enough gas in the car.

Enough food to pack a snack.

Enough time to get where I needed to go.

Enough clean clothes to avoid doing laundry tonight.

Enough.

Also, I had enough eggs, cheese and ham to make a very quick Ham and Cheese Quiche. The kids and I will reheat it for our breakfast in the morning. Good fuel for another busy day.

Seriously. So quick. You could do it, too. Here’s the recipe:

In a big bowl, mix this stuff up:

3 eggs, 1 cup of any cheese (I had shredded mozzarella), 3/4 cup cubed ham, 1 tsp basil, salt and pepper, 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, and 1 heaping tbsp of flour.

After you mix it all up, pour it into an unbaked pie crust. You can make the edges of the crust as fancy as you like, but you’ll see from the photo that my crust was ugly–don’t think it’ll slow anyone down. Bake it in a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Time can vary a bit–if you stick a knife in the middle, it should come out pretty clean.

We all have crazy days. Sometimes, each of us wishes for less to do. But you can bet there’s someone out there tonight wishing they’d had the day that you did.

Tonight, give thanks for the ability–and the endurance–to do all that you’ve done today.