Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #9

March 3, 2009

I found myself in Target the other day and they had cute blank books in their dollar section. I snapped one up for this project I had in mind.

I took all of the cards and emails and comments I’ve gotten over the past few weeks and glued them all into the pages of this book. So whenever I have a day where I feel overwhelmed by the task in front of me, when I’m busy with three different appointments in one day (I’m looking at you, Monday), and when I’m bitter about my lack of autonomy, I can pull this out and think about all the friends I have around the world cheering me on. I really love you guys.

Filed Under: Stuff I Make, The Good Life, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures # 8

February 28, 2009

Catching up after my week long pity party…

Bear got me a new subscription to Martha Stewart for my birthday and I’ve been just loving it. February’s issue was particularly good and included this fabulous recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes. We made the cakes a little peanuttier, the frosting a little less and a whole lot sweeter. The cupcake is nice and dense. Without the frosting you could easily serve it as a peanut butter muffin. Really, really yummy.

Filed Under: Stuff I Cook, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #7

February 26, 2009

The kitties have been very close as we’ve been learning to deal with Atti’s new diagnosis. I know how kooky this sounds, but I swear they know when they’re needed.

Filed Under: crazy cat lady, The Good Life, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #6

February 10, 2009

Our boy cat has completely adopted Atti. They always have tummy time together, Lobo sniffs out any new therapist that comes by the house, when Atti’s crying Lobo comes running.

And big fat Lobo is always around when it’s feeding time.

Like a lot of preemies, Atti has some digestive issues. The other night his stomach was hurting him badly so we brought him into our bed to try to soothe him. Nothing we did worked, he was in pain and just couldn’t be comforted. So then Lobo hopped on the bed, laid himself down on Atti’s legs with his front paws extended onto his belly, and started kneading. It was the only thing that got Atti to feel better long enough to go to sleep.

The therapists call him the therapy cat. I’ll hold Lobo in front of Atti whenever we’re trying to get him to scoot or reach and Lobo will almost always just sit and take it.

Of course, sometimes he gets sick of it just like any other big brother.

Filed Under: baby news, crazy cat lady, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #5

February 3, 2009

I may have gotten a little carried away on ebay.

These are the type of dishes I want to use to line the staircase wall. I love pyrex, milk glass, and especially fire king. The only problem is that between shipping and handling, I have to pay twice as much as the actual plate just to get it here.

There aren’t a ton of antique stores around me, so so far I’ve had to buy everything on line. I can’t keep this up though, the cost is just too much. I’ll never get enough for a whole wall (and a few dozen more to actually use) at this rate. I’m just going to have to man up, strap the baby to me, and go on a field trip.

Filed Under: My Dreamhouse in Progress, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #4

January 27, 2009

This haircut is completely natural. We get asked all the time if we shave his head this way, but nope. I keep expecting the rest of his hair to fill in, but nothing. He doesn’t rub it off, he doesn’t have bald spots, it’s just growing way faster in the mohawk region, and it’s been that way for months and months.

I always say that he just came out ready to stick it to the man.

Filed Under: baby news, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #3

January 20, 2009

What a great day.

Filed Under: The Good Life, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #2

January 13, 2009

I had a ton of guests around last week, so I used the occasion as an excuse to make my favorite sinfully wonderful cake.

I invented this recipe myself and it all started because I don’t really like chocolate. I know, I know, it’s crazy, but it’s true. I like sour fruity desserts, chocolate doesn’t thrill me, unless it’s hot chocolate which I could drink in place of water. I am a connoisseur of hot chocolate, and my very favorite is Mexican Hot Chocolate because they add a ton of cinnamon to an otherwise somewhat bitter taste.

So I made a Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake. Here’s the recipe:

For Cake:
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
3/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 Cup cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup sour cream
1/3 Cup water
2 tsp vanilla
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 Cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs

For Frosting:
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup cream cheese, whipped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Make Cake:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9″ round cake pans.

Into a bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, water, and vanilla.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in batches alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is blended well.

Divide batter between pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make frosting:
In a bowl with electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add all the other ingredients, and beat until combined well.

If you leave the melted chocolate out of the frosting and cut back on a little of the sugar, you’re left with a really yummy cinnamon buttercream frosting that I think would be delightful on a spice cake or a pumpkin cake.

Filed Under: Stuff I Cook, The Good Life, Year of Pleasures

2009 Year of Pleasures #1

January 6, 2009

Let’s recap for all the new folks, shall we?

Back in 2007 I was having a totally crap filled year. (Who? ME? Impossible! I’m queen of sunshine and roses!) We moved away from everyone I loved, I’d just lost the baby I’d waited seven years for, we were trying to buy a house and fulfill my life long dream with little success, and then when we did buy it we launched a prolonged and unpleasant renovation. It was not exactly a banner time.

I was horribly sad and depressed and I was not coping very well. Do you remember that episode of Friends where Ross starts dating Janice until she dumps him for being too whiny? And the thought of *Janice* thinking he was too whiny made him straighten up and get himself together? That’s kind of where I’d gotten. I was so whiny that even the whiniest of teenage emo bloggers would have looked at me like, “girl, please.”

Not that I didn’t have cause of course, but I was just not getting over anything very well. And that’s when I read A Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg.

I explain it in detail there in the link, but in a nutshell, the main character has to grieve through some losses of her own and decides to give herself a year of pleasures instead of a year of grief. So she spends more time with girlfriends, she buys extravagant soaps and plush new towels, she eats dessert even when she’s alone, she treats herself well and seeks out things that are pleasurable and restorative to her soul.

After reading the book I launched into a similar journey, and I shared some of that here on the blog. So now, without further ado, let me share the very first pleasure for 2009.

Time in my studio with a cooperative baby.

My kid is so sweet tempered. He is patient and content as long as he’s being cuddled. It was just before Christmas and I had a million homemade presents to make, rain was pouring down outside, and Atti was babbling to himself while he played with his toys right beside me. It was perfection.

Filed Under: The Good Life, Year of Pleasures