TALK ABOUT YOUR JOYS

What to do when the weather is miserably cold and wet and snowy as it has been?  Bake!  But dare I do that when I have been SO good on the D*** for two weeks?  Two LONG weeks?  Well, these are really not bad at all.  First of all they are mini cupcakes.  You can get two bites from one (or one big one if you are alone at night by the light of the fridge).  Secondly, cream cheese has very little sugar in it and the sugar that you add to the recipe, well I used fake sugar...Splenda.  No, not good for you at all and you know that I really strive to eat good, fresh, whole foods, but when you are worried about excess weight, high blood pressure and cholesterol, well, let's all try to see eye to eye.  Anyway, don't these look heavenly?

And they were good.  I really enjoyed making them.  I gravitate toward pretty desserts.  I remember very long ago being at a fancy fundraiser, in a fancy hotel in Chicago, wearing a fancy dress, eating fancy food.  But when dessert was served, it was not fancy at all.  It was a work of art.  It was a replica of a grand piano made out of dark and white chocolate, the white for the mini, mini individual keys.  I didn't want to eat it.  I wanted to smuggle it home in my purse and maybe try to preserve it with hairspray or bug repellent.  But I caved and ate it.  Wow, imagine making that for 200+ people.  Here is the link for the recipe.  The cheesecakes, not the grand pianos.

I spent a lot of time at Emily's today and I will tell you why.  Of course.  In my last post I told you all sorts of exciting news.  My new washer and dryer were coming Tuesday as well as my three new living room furniture pieces.  Well, I got it all wrong about the w/d.  The Husband said "Tuesday", and that's all Blondie heard.  And he meant next Tuesday.  And to make it worse...next Tuesday they are calling to schedule a delivery date.  Well, what's a girl to wear???  So it was off to Emily's today to do some laundry.  Of course, spending an afternoon with my darling daughter is always a pleasure so while my laundry was humming away, we had coffee and chatted and while the last load was washing, we sneaked out to Homegoods because, what else were we supposed to do?  Listen to the machine agitate?  C'mon!

But before we went I took a few snaps of some changes in her home.  In the kitchen, she just recently purchased this island.  Not fancy but just perfect for extra workspace across from the sink and stove and next to the fridge...that perfect triangle.  She's an avid cook and no doubt they will update the kitchen at some point, and I'm sure it will be beautiful as well as functional.  She has done an amazing job with every room.

This is one of the guest bedrooms that I've shown you before only with a view of the other side with the pretty iron bed and linens.  This side shows the ladder she found at an antique store when we visited with Kris from Junk Chic Cottage last summer.  She has it decorated so cute.  And the dresser is from a sister duo who scout out old furniture, paint and replace hardware.  Oh...if we all had that time.

This is the second guest room that will most likely be a nursery (Yikes!!).  Another antique dresser and the lamp is as well.    I bought the mirror for her several years ago and we have swapped it back and forth.  You might remember it over my fireplace.  I think I'm ready for a swap out again.  It's so pretty...I love the chain.  

And remember her pantry door that she painted with chalkboard paint?  She changes it all the time...No stencils or downloadables.  Do I boast too much about my kids?  Yes I do.  I think Emily should start a blog.  If you leave a comment, give a shout out to her (she reads this).  She is a talented designer, she has that cute little Rusty (or is it cute little Mike?), a new home, a crazy life living next door to Papa, two doors away from her in laws and about half of Mikey's family within a block or so.  If you thought my life was crazy!!

So...what did I get at Homegoods?  A new dog bed for Milo.  Of course you know by now that this is Layla.  She sort of decided it was hers, even thought she sleeps religiously under the quilts with us every night.  I guess she couldn't resist aggravating Milo.  And see how she has her one paw up?  She does that when she's nervous.  She knows it's not hers!  The bed I had for The Mi was made of wicker and even though it had a big pillow in it, I noticed sometimes he was pressed to the hard sides.  Boy, I feel bad.  So we'll see how he likes it tonight. :)

And I bought this metal can.  So much nicer than a big bag of dog food sitting there.  I know I could keep the food in a cabinet but I fill it every day and I'm all about laziness...I mean convenience.  

I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. last night finishing up this book.  I'm not good at book reviews, even expressing my feelings, likes and dislikes about a book or movie.  But this was something that takes a little bit of courage to read, especially if you have faced cancer in your life.  Your own, a friend or family member.  It's an honest, brutal raw read.  You will laugh and cry but mostly applaud the characters in this book and set it down, say a prayer for everyone in your life that you love, cry til you get the good 'ol cryin' headache, and then go to bed and dream about the protagonists and planes crashing into each other (well, at least that's what I dreamed about).  See, I really stink at book reviews.  The movie comes out in July.  Of course I can't see it until I can get it at home with closed caption.  The trailer is available now...I suppose you just need to Google the title.  

And one other thing about Tuesday after the disappointment of the washer and dryer not being delivered (oh, that's so pathetic...people sit in laundromats. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers used wash boards). Well my new furniture pieces came.  I loved the corner cabinet for the TV.  The LL Bean nightstand was finally retired to...well, to be a nightstand somewhere.  Unfortunately, I didn't like the coffee table or end table at all.  I hemmed and hawed...I thought maybe The Husband would.  It was bulky and, well, did you just have a "feeling" about something that you liked but you thought maybe in 6 months you wouldn't?  So I told them to take it with them, I didn't want it.  I have a store credit now.  This will hold up getting the room finished, but so what.  And my sofa?  I felt the cushions sinking to about an inch high when we sat on them so while I had my warranty, I said, "Stuff'em!"  I'm getting older and wiser and I have patience.  I think things through.  I may not have rainbow dreams like daughter Abigail.  I may not be 100% sure and confident about my decisions like Emily, but....

 

And that, my friends, is what I'm aiming to do!  Big plans tomorrow for my birthday celebration...I'll tell you about it next week with plenty of pics.  And today, a big giveway if you can guess my age.  Ha!  No, no.  But go ahead and give it a gander!

Big hugs to all,

XO,

Jane