A Little Positivity

Writing an e-mail to a friend today, it occurred to me that I spend a great deal of time brooding. Not in an I'm-an-angry-vampire-whose-undead-existence-is-plagued-by-bad-luck kind of way. (Curses to you Netflix for giving me access to cheesy teenage dramas!) Just in a I'm-concerned-about-the-state-of-life kind of way. So to put a little balance into the universe, here are some items that make me happy.

Painted fingernails. It might be silly, but it makes me smile to look down and see all different colors. Maybe not all the colors at the same time, though.

Books. I love getting caught up in a good story. I am so grateful there are so many talented authors out there!

Friends. I am blessed beyond measure. Here's to the good, the cheerful, the sarcastic, the stable, and the wonderful friends who love me. I hope that I can work to bless each of your lives as much as you bless mine!!

Getting to where an inside joke only has to be a smile, a glance, or a single word. Swoobs. Too-foo. 'Nuf said.

Dilbert. I probably can't post all of the strips on here I think are hilarious. But I laugh on a regular basis thanks to the sense of humor of Scott Adams. Sometimes I think he must have a camera on my life.

Pictures. I love that I have technology available to me that allows moments in time to be captured to remember in detail again and again. Here are some of my favorite.

What Do You Give Someone Who Has Everything?

Every now and then you come across that one person who is impossible to buy for. You know, that one person who compels you to search ALL of the clearance shelves at WalMart on Christmas Eve looking for the perfect gift.

I'm here to solve all your problems.

Enter monogram gifts. It is the perfect they-can't-regift-it-gift because it has the recipient's initial on it! Unless you cultivate lots of friends whose name start with the same letter. Then you can all have an exchange-the-monogram-gift party. Eat cupcakes. Generally make merry.

It is kind of like the grown-up version of putting your name on everything in kindergarten. And why let your friends have all the fun? Be like me and when you are going through the bargain bin at the local outlet store, laugh at the wallet with your initial. Then decide that maybe it is worth the $3 to cross to the dark side and have something branded.

If you decide to go down this route, there is no reason to stop at one or two items. Life would be so much fun with a monogrammed vacuum, toothbrush, and shoes that leave a monogrammed footprint. (If they don't make those yet, they should.)

Once you are ready to move to the next step, we can start a discussion about putting your WHOLE name on stuff. Like water bottles. For now...baby steps.

Saying My "I Love You's"

Kat - because you are encouraging each of us to say our "I Love You's" every day, this one is for you!

Mom - I love you. I love your positive attitude and your boundless excitement for trying new things. I love your sense of adventure and your patience with me.

Dad - I love you. I love your steadiness and your sense of humor. I love that I know you love me because you say it.

Tammy - I love you. I love you checking in on me on random days and at random times to see what I am up to and let me know what is going on with you and your bunch.

Becky - I love you. I love your sass and your openness about everything in your world.

More to come later. Just a few for the noon hour!!

It's Easy to Forget

When I was young, I always thought that I would NOT grow up into a fussy adult. I would REMEMBER how important the little things are when you are young and I would let my kids have cookies before dinner and buy them designer jeans and...well, 100 other things that mortified me or frustrated me about being a kid...I would NEVER do those as an adult!

Fast forward 25 years. Life took a little different turn than I thought, and I have no children. Which means that I don't have the opportunity to help them build character by NOT having the newest iPod, iPhone, or whatever it is that the lives of short people revolve around these days. Because at some point in those 25 years, I realized how important it is to tell a child no. To help them understand what is important and how we have to make choices about what we want in life. I am so grateful for all of the lessons that my parents taught me in all the small ways over the years. Thank you!!!

I am lucky because I live close enough to some of my family that I get to be part of the lives of the little munchkins they are raising. One of them is this little cutie. She's much bigger now...almost 5!

This last weekend she and her brother (and mom and uncle and grandparents) came over for dinner. She had a new necklace and she was SO EXCITED to show it to everyone. Her aunt had given it to her and it was shiny and sparkled and made her feel very grown up. As we were putting on shoes to go play outside she said, "Mom! We are going outside and everyone is going to see my necklace and they are going to think it is so pretty!"

That was a sweet moment, and it helped me remember how important the little things really are to a young kid. Such small and simple gestures are so profoundly crucial to them. It is the little hugs and smiles and stories and kisses and bed time back rubs that help them know they are loved.

Right. I would keep up the ramblings, but sometimes my feelings towards these little folks makes me get a little emotional. And it totally ruins the tough-girl reputation I am trying to build at work with these guys when I sit at my desk and cry over pictures of baby girls. Blast.

The Vampires Got Me

I already live underground - at least for 40 hours of the week. I have the awesome pale skin and dark hair that seem to be the visual standard. All that was missing was to actually have an inhuman thing drain me of my blood and cause me to lose my soul. I'm a desperate sort, so when I tried and failed yesterday to catch the eye of the nearest inhuman, today seemed like a good day to try again. And it worked. Muwahahahahahahaha!!!

Which is all a really dramatic and silly way to say that I gave blood this morning. And it seems to be affecting my judgement. Perhaps my writing as well...

The Lemon Cupcakes

I have had some requests to share the recipe for some cupcakes I made recently. So here it is!

The Filling

This can go on ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, or anything that could use some lemon-y goodness! I will usually make it first so it has a chance to cool and thicken.

Lemon Curd
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (I grate 2-3 lemons and use everything, sometimes it is more than 2T)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and the mixture is light in color (about 3 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and butter; cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thinly coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool. Cover and chill (the mixture will thicken as it cools)

Note: Lemon curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can easily double the recipe and freeze half of it in a heavy-duty zip-top bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and use within 1 week of thawing.

The Cake

Take a box of cake mix. Make cupcakes out of it.

Ok, this one might seem too simple. I like to tinker, so I usually add a box of pudding to the cake mix to give it some texture. And I am against adding oil, so I'll substitute sour cream or buttermilk. But I kind of like to keep things easy. So I'm a fan of using the boxed cake mix!

The Frosting

I'm sorry there is no way to cheat and make this part good for you. That is why I don't add oil to the cake mix - it helps to balance out the tasty stuff that goes on top!

8 oz regular cream cheese - softened (not light or fat free)
1/2 cup butter - softened
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
About 3 cups of powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter, zest, and juice in a mixer to combine. Start with about 2 cups of powdered sugar and stir it in. It will probably soften up so you can add more powdered sugar until it looks like it is starting to hold its shape. Once it gets to this point, turn the mixer up and let it just beat for 5 minutes or so. This will actually help the frosting be light and fluffy!

The Assembly

Pick the ugliest cupcake of the batch. Tear it in half and spread on some of the lemon curd. Grab a knife and take a scoop of the frosting that just came off the beater. Smear it on top of the lemon curd and taste it to make sure the proportions are right. This is an important step! Someone has to make sure these are edible.

Repeat with the second half of the ugly cupcake. Because it is lonely. And impolite to leave half a cupcake.

Now get the filling into the middle of the rest of the cupcakes. You can cut the tops off and spoon it in, or put it in a bag with a pastry tip and poke it in and squeeze until it looks like your little cupcakes will swell and explode. Really...you just have to get the filling into the middle.

Put the frosting on top to cover the entry site of the filling. It is very important to put lots of frosting on each cupcake because that is going to keep the filling from squirting out and hitting someone in the eye when they take their first bite. Ok, not really. But a lot of frosting makes them really, really good.

Set at least half the cupcakes out to share with others. If you hide half in the fridge for "later," I won't tell anyone.

What I Hate

I don't mind scrubbing toilets. I am a pretty decent dish washer. Me and the vacuum are on speaking terms. I even enjoy being out in the yard pulling weeds and planting flowers. I'm happy to wash and dry the clothes so I have clean things to wear. But something about the folding and the sorting and the hanging and the putting-it-away...tweaks my gizzard. If I had a gizzard.

One day the piles will get to be too much and I will brush up against one when the gravitational pull of the full moon is at its peak. Which will trigger a chain reaction causing my normally graceful self to fall and all of the unfolded garments will collapse on me and I will be buried under a mountain of clean socks and sheets and shirts. No one will hear my muffled cries for help. And I will slowly suffocate under a mountain of spring-fresh fabric. But at least it will be a pleasant smelling end.