Dancing with Myself

This weekend I went on a hot date.

By myself.

And It. Was. Awesome!

After his week in LA the hubbs had another busy week (much of the busy had to do with a man named Jimmer and a whole situation that involved the hubbs getting tickets to the game by doing hours of work which pretty much ended up earning him pennies an hour) so I had to put Claire down almost every night and then spend my evenings putzing around by myself (before you start feeling sorry for me I should tell you that the 1 night he was home he helped put her to bed, did the dishes, cleaned up all her toys and started our taxes). The hubb's brother was also here for the last part of the week and was involved in the whole Jimmer scheme. Come Saturday afternoon after a stunning victory for the cougs I decided it was time for me to do something I wanted to do (This is both unflattering and true and thoughts like, "who's thinking about me and what I want?" may have gone through my head).

So I took myself out to a movie. The hubbs told me that if I wanted, we could get a sitter and he would come. To which I responded, "that's sweet, but no thank you." I love the hubbs and I love spending time with him but dates where you have to spend money aren't really his strong suit. He sees every penny that we spend on entertainment as a penny that isn't going into our retirement (which is mostly great because we won't be eating dog food when we retire but can also be a little annoying when you need entertaining). If you can talk him into going to the movies (which has happened exactly once in the last year), if you look longingly over at the treat counter he'll get a sad look on his face and say through gritted teeth, "Do you want anything?" Which makes you not really want anything even though the Jr. Mints had been looking good.

That was not the kind of date I needed. I was looking for treats and popcorn and enjoying a little Colin Firth. Have you ever been to the movies by yourself? It's awesome. You can eat almost a whole package of Cadbury Mini Eggs and 1/2 a bag of popcorn and no one even knows.

Homemade Thin Mints

Yes. You read that right. Home. Made. Thin. Mints. Ah. Those girl scouts, with their beady eyes and their smug looks, "oh, you're gonna buy our cookies at $4.00 per tiny box."

Not any more. Emily, from cupcakes and cashmere (I kind of hate her for her long lean body and the way she bakes treats) made this recipe the other day. I'm taking a frozen meal to a family one complex over who just had a new baby last week and I was looking for a dessert (which could hopefully be frozen) and thought I would try these out.

Our 2 year-old friend came over yesterday and she helped us dip them in chocolate. We used dark chocolate (which, because the cookies aren't sweet makes for some pretty bitter cookies) and the butter in the coating in the original recipe has a really strong flavor so I'd use a milder oil. We ran out of chocolate about 1/2 way through (which was only partially due to the fact that my helper was a 2-year old). For the other half we made mint frosting and drizzled them with the chocolate coating (AMAZINGLY YUMMY. Maybe even better than a thin mint). All that said, I'm posting the recipe with the changes I would make if I were going to make them again (which I might).

Homemade Thin Mints

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5tsp peppermint extract

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm. Preheat oven to 375F. Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick – if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp – and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread so you can put them quite close together. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

Chocolate Coating
20-oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup vegetable oil

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and oil. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating. Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm. Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.

Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

**On an unrelated side-note. My brother-in-law is visiting and in our teeny apartment with only 2 bedrooms that means Claire loses hers. She is now sleeping in the spare bathroom. Yes, bathroom. We have this weird second bathroom attached to our bedroom vanity and that's where C is sleeping. I swear I can feel that parent of the year award getting closer and closer.

For Love of American Lit

On Sunday one of our friends, in paying a compliment to his wife, quoted Mark Twain. He introduced The Diary of Adam and Eve (I have not read any of the set but I am adding them to the list), set up the whole funeral scene and then quoted Adam having eulogized*, "wheresoever she was, there was Eden." He then said that was true of his relationship with his wife and young daughter....

"wheresoever {they are}, there {is} Eden."

The hubbs isn't someone who 1)would think to say something like that or 2)would look to American literature to find it, but for just a minute let's pretend that he (or your SO who might be the same kind of fellow that mine is) did say that. Swoon.

So, I guess I'll have to be the one to say it to my dear family..."wheresoever you are, there is my Eden."



Us taking our own picture at La Jolla Cove (it was impossible to get the Sea Lions in the background but we sure did try)

*I hope I'm not the only one who things of Zoolander whenever I hear or say the word eulogy (or any of it's derivatives). Best. Movie. Ever.

While the Cat is Away.....

When my mom goes to the bathroom I like to....

Parent of the Year Award (part II)

If Claire comes to your house and you're thinking, "my...what kind of delicious snack should I give her? She would love a piece of toast with peanut butter (Don't worry. I thought that yesterday--she's is only 6 weeks shy of her first birthday and our pediatrician is all about trying things out)." I would recommend that you do not try it (as we did yesterday) because her eyes will swell up and you will have to make frantic phone calls to all of the nurses you know and watch her all night long (checking on her in the middle of the night) to make sure that she is still breathing.

Don't worry. She's fine. And we've been assured that children often grow out of this type of reaction.

A Man's Hands

A few weeks ago my good friend Marcey (if you're looking for a blog all about an amazing girl who is going to design school in London you should read hers) sent me this article from the New York Times wanting to know what I thought about it. It's an article all about waiting until you're married to have sex. The article has certainly made it's way around the block (get it? That was a joke) and I've seen lots of people respond to it (including one of my favorite ladies here).

The author of the Times article is a Latter-day Saint (aka Mormon) poet, Nicole, who has decided that she is no longer going to wait until marriage to have sex. That's a really big deal for LDS people--no hanky panky before marriage. As someone who is LDS and didn't get married until she was 29 I spent several long years in that grown-up virgin world with many of those same feelings and fears. I remember when the movie 40-year Old Virgin came out understanding why other people would think it was funny but it hit WAY too close to home to be funny to me.

Nicole ends her article by saying, "I would have an IUD instead of children; I would have intellectual and spiritual freedom; I would write poems and finally live inside my body; I would, for the love of God, feel a man’s hands on me before I died."

There is something missing in her logic but I know that I had some of those same feelings when I was single. As someone who is now in a sexual relationship after years of adult virginity I can say that the author is giving sex more power than it really has. If you're thinking that having sex will give you intellectual and spiritual freedom and allow you to live inside your body you have unrealistic expectations. I have been married for more than 2.5 years, I have a baby who is almost 11 months old and I am still trying to live inside my own body. The intimacy and acceptance that the author yearns for in the article don't walk into the room when your virginity walks out.

When you're not having sex it's easy to think that sex is the ultimate panacea. People who are having sex have a slightly different perspective. This week I read this thread which was started by another friend of mine. She asked a a forum of post-baby ladies this question,

how do you feel about sex?

it's awesome, the best thing EVER!
it's great sometimes and FAIL sometimes
i could be a happy nun, no lie
i'm a virgin and faked my pregnancy

The responses of the people on the forum were funny and interesting. The majority of them said that sex was "great sometimes and FAIL sometimes." There were also a whole slew of responses that can be summed up by this, "been there done that..over it."

I'm not going to try to say that sex isn't great. It is great. It is a great expression of love that I get to share with someone I love and it's pretty dang fun. There is a place for it in my own struggles with body, intimacy and belonging but it is only a piece. What I would have had to trade-in to lose my virginity at a more "normal" age (a whole slew of religious beliefs about potential and family) is a larger and more beautiful part of the whole puzzle than the piece that is "a man's hands on me before I die."

A Consumer

I have a friend who has committed for a whole year not to buy anything new (you should check out her blog here). I love the idea. I would love to tell you that I'm embarking on a similar journey but the truth is that I am a consumer.

I've had a Nordstrom's gift card burning a hole in my pocket for way too long (like pre-baby too long). So after a long day with no dad around Claire and I headed out to Nordies to put it to good use. I've been feeling tired of my make-up routine (I promise that lots of the time I think about things that are less petty than makeup). I have some MAC products that have been my go-to colors for more than 2 years. They're shimmery and purplely and they look nice but I am SICK OF THEM. So C and I headed to the makeup counter to ask about a new day-time look. The darling MAC girl who helped me had inch-long eyeliner wings, bright orange lipstick and a sparkly head elastic worn Nicole Richi style so it was sort of hard to take day-time advice from her but I came home with 3 new colors (an ivory and 2 light browns all matte), a new liner color (black for the first time in a long time) and a whole slew of application tips. The darling girl did one eye and then let me do the other one under her tutelage.

I'm a huge MAC fan but sometimes they are a little price prohibited (so I also have been known to go here for great $1 deals--sure the products smell like petroleum but for a girl who uses Vaseline to remove her makeup everyday it's no big deal) but if I'm picking an everyday color I'm going to shell out for it (and really, $14 per color isn't too crazy).



Here's the terrible thing. I have been giddy ever since. I considered putting on makeup before I went to the gym just to dazzle all of the people there. I just put it on (and it looks pretty dang great if I do say so). Buying new things shouldn't make me this happy but I have to tell you that I might like it even more than I like chocolate.