conventional wisdom

Those pearls of wisdom that are widely accepted as generally accurate?  Yeah, sometimes they're spot on.

Like "don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry."  There's a reason they say that.  And if "they" knew me better, they'd have been wise to add "...and just went to the gym, thus increasing said hunger as well as the ability to rationalize questionable food purchases based on recent exercise."

I'll say this, though: yesterday's lunch of impulse purchases (cheese, crackers, salami, and wine) was delicious. 

(to be fair, it disappeared long before it would've dried out)

When I mentioned yesterday that I suspected I may have found a new go-to cake recipe, I was 100% correct.

I made this recipe for German Chocolate cake, and it was excellent. It's not health food, but it also won't break the nutritional bank. Ordinarily, I'd type out a modified repice for you here, but since I didn't change anything (I KNOW, who am I?!), I'll just give you the link. America's Test Kitchen deserves all the credit here, for sure.

Oh wait, I did leave out the coconut it calls for on top of the cake. And I used walnuts instead of pecans because that's what we had in the house. Eh, those aren't substantial alterations (but I do feel better now and more like myself).

The other thing I might change, if when I bake this again, would be to make more frosting than it calls for. There was just barely enough, and the recipe called for 8 ounces of evaporated milk from a 12 ounce can. Next time I'll likely just use the full 12 ounces and increase everything else accordingly.

As an added bonus, I got to use our cake stand. It keeps the cake from drying out and makes it extra stylin'.

What's on your list?

Hey you guys, it Friday!  And I'm in a really good mood! 

I have a few ideas for upcoming posts, but they all require an actual computer instead of a smartphone, so today you get a Second String Gratitude List.  Here's what I'm thankful for today (other than the big stuff like my husband, my health, etc.):

- We got the perfect amount of snow overnight.  Everything is really pretty but most of the roads are clear.

- I may have found a new healthy(ish) go-to cake recipe.  I say "may" because it hasn't been sampled yet, as it's for a potluck event later today.  Even if it's a flop, though, I might still make the recipe again just to eat the batter with a spoon.  It was that good.

- I finally found a way to use a fun little piece of patterned fabric that I've had for years in my outfit today.  I wrapped it around my waist like a belt and pinned it with a brooch.  Ta-dah!  Apparently I'm thankful, at least in part, for being a packrat.

- Last week I put in an online request at the library (thankful for that in itself, for sure) for a workout DVD that I've used before and is really challenging (30 Day Shred, anyone?). It's ready to be picked up today, so this weekend my muscles will be hurtin' but my mood and self-confidence won't.  

- I'm planning a day trip next week that'll give me the opportunity to hang out with a lot of really cool peeps.  Yay that I know cool peeps, obviously, but also yay for being able to take a day off from work to do something fun.

What are you psyched about today?

anti-resolutions

Are you sick of reading blog posts full of resolutions for 2012? If so, you're in luck, because this isn't one.

Last year I set 6 goals for myself, and I did pretty well with them for the most part. They're all things that I'll continue to be mindful of in a general sense, but nothing's getting added to the list for 2012. Does anyone else feel like 2012 is going to be infinitely better than 2011, but in a challenging, exciting way that just might sneak up on you if you're not careful?

So, instead of listing new items to tackle, new things to improve, new brass rings to reach for, I'm going to take a deep breath and let some stuff go. These are the things I've given myself permission not to worry about. They're admirable goals for many, and I'm sure they would be rewarding and wonderful and bring much joy to my life, but I have to be realistic about what I can and can't fit into my life. Here's what just doesn't make the cut:

- I'm not a voracious reader. There, I said it. I can't remember the last time I read a novel. Slowly chipping away at about one work of nonfiction per month, on a topic that will help me in other areas of my life, is all I can do these days.

- I don't volunteer my time anywhere. If I didn't need sleep and thusly had an extra eight hours a day, sure, this is where some of that time would probably go. But I do need my sleep, and I have barely enough time for the things I want to accomplish in my own household. Whatever good karma I pick up from being friendly and holding doors open for strangers will have to be enough.

- I will not open an adorable etsy shop to sell handmade items. This one was a close call -- while I was churning out christmas tree ornaments (miniature mittens!) last month to give to family members, my mind started to wander to that very dangerous place where I weigh the value of my time against how long it takes to knit a mitten the size of a tablespoon. No. Knitting is fun, not a chore. Let's keep it that way, self.

- I don't do yoga. For the past three years I've had the opportunity to try yoga classes for free (thanks to one of the vouchers in this awesome local publication) and still it hasn't happened. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is. Give me a treadmill and angry music in my headphones, thank you very much.

- ... That being said, I will never run a road race of a distance longer than a 10k. It would be great to be able to say I've run a marathon or a half-marathon, but it's not in the cards. Yes, this means I won't get to put a 26.2 or a 13.1 sticker on my car. It's ok.


I think by focusing on what's realistic and not letting myself be dragged down by guilt about what's not, I'll be able to accomplish a lot more overall. Right? Right. Either way, my shoulders feel so much better with less weight on them.

cliche-errific

I promise you, this has nothing to do with the fact that it's January, but I've decided that I need to get more exercise. 

It has quite a lot to do with the fact that I injured my foot in September and spent over a month waiting for it to heal. In that time I got out of the habit of exercising more days than I don't. As it turns out, five weeks is more than enough time for work to fill a schedule vacuum, and for 10 hour days to begin feeling oddly not painful. As it also turns out, it's much, much easier to go from 8 hour days to 10 hour days than it is to make the reverse transition.

But! Recognition is half the battle, right? Well, 30% anyway.* And so, tomorrow, I shall start the day with exercise.  I was all psyched to go to the gym, but the weather and the fact that the roads aren't heated around here aren't cooperating, so the more likely option is that I'll be punching my little heart out in 8 games of wii boxing.

*Ha, my phone autocorrected "anyway" to "amnesty."  Fitting.

The Little Succulent that Could

We organized a few key areas of the house yesterday.  Kitchen drawers full of clutter, a bookshelf overflowing with non-book items that really should live elsewhere, that sort of thing.  I neglected to take any photos of the disorganization that existed before and the results aren't so meticulous or impressive that they merit visual proof, but trust me, it makes me feel better to have a drawer housing tupperware containers instead of, among other things, four rolls of packing tape and a phone book we never use.

I did take this photo, though, of something we decided to keep in the midst of decluttering.  In the summer, I can get vegetables to grow and thrive in the yard, but with house plants my green thumb is hit or miss.  This little guy has new growth appearing despite an embarrassingly long period of neglect.  It's earned the space it takes up in the house and a chance to bounce back. 

We shall see.  If it continues to flourish, it'll be nice to have this reference point of how closely it brushed with death.

positive energy

Have you ever had That Day, where everything seems to go wrong, and you get discouraged because things are going wrong, and then you can very nearly FEEL additional Wrong Things coming your way because your discouragement acts as a beacon?

That was me yesterday. But it won't be me today!  I've decided to identify the good things happening to me (admittedly, there are some every day), harness that positive energy, and use it like a force field around myself to deflect the Spiraling Pit of Discouragememt.

So far today;

- An early morning meeting at work was cancelled.  Initially, I saw this as a Wrong Thing, but hey, I got my day started early, I had an unexpected hour to get things done, and I'm dressed a bit nicer than I would have been, had there been no meeting scheduled.

- A woman I don't know stopped me in the hallway to tell me how much she liked my sweater.  That in itself is lovely to hear, but she had no way of knowing that....

- I made the sweater I'm wearing today!

- I also found a box of rosemary olive oil triscuits in my desk that I'd forgotten about last week.  Say what you will about processed food, but sometimes it cheers you up.

Let's keep the positive energy going: what's going well for you today?

I'm over at Happy Sighs today!

Hey you guys, you're getting a whole four sentences from me even though I just posted yesterday. Wow, right?

I'm super excited to have a post up over at Happy Sighs today. It's part of a series called Why We Wed, Rachelle's awesome idea that's now being hosted by the equally awesome Liz at Happy Sighs. Go check it out (and keep reading while you're there, trust me).

Oh look, that was five sentences -- bonus!

I guess I took a holiday blog vacation after all.

Hey, so I was supposed to post SO MUCH during the holidays, wasn't I? Or something?  Eh, I posted on Christmas so I'll say that counts. 

To be fair, I didn't have all that time off from work.  I got a day off for Christmas and one for New Year's, so the five days of work may be jarring next week. (I did work a bit on Saturday, so that might help, I suppose.)

But, like I said when I was geared up for all! the! posting!, a lack of activity here indicated that I was busy doing fun things, and indeed I was.  There were a bunch of trips to various dog parks, and dinners with friends and family, and there was much organizing of things in our house.

(Yes, I find organizing things in the house to be fun.  You wouldn't know it if you were *in* my house, but after a stressful week these days, I start looking around for some clutter to tackle. My house usually does not disappoint in that regard.)

Anyway, I'm currently being all introspective ("what do I want to improve?  are resolutions stupid? what if you call them 'goals' instead?"), so when I figure out where my thoughts are landing there, I'll letcha know. 

Happy 2012, everyone!