Keep Calm & Carry On

Words to live by from letterhappy at etsy. Mark showed me a print from this seller a few weeks ago, and I found myself stumbling upon their fresh prints again today. I should buy this for $10 and keep in in plain view at all times. I have a tendency to lose it every now and again. I also love turquoise, so it's a win-win.

Dear Brother- feliz cumpleaños!

Decorating my brother Collin's birthday package on Easter morning

Not-too-sweet Butter Cream Frosting

This recipe is from the wonderful How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook by Mark Bittman. I made this frosting for my almond coconut cupcakes this week, and it was delightful. If you don't have a favorite-favorite frosting recipe on hand, this is the one to try.

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

pinch salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream or milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Use a fork or electric mixer to cream the butter. Gradually work in the sugar and salt, alternating with the cream and beating well after each addition. 

2. Stir in the vanilla. If the buttercream is too thin, refrigerate; it will thicken as the butter hardens. 

Making chocolate Easter eggs

More to come about my cooking adventures with this new Easter egg
mold. Will post detailed pics of the step-by-step process, and the
fancy finished eggs!

An apple a day...

So I went to my family doctor this morning for a check up. We talked about cholesterol levels. Eating right. Blood pressure. And then she asked me if I make it back to NY often. I told her once, sometimes twice a month. And then, as a spin off of her NY question, she paid me the cutest compliment - something along the lines of:

"I love seeing what you wear when you come to my office, your outfits are always unlike anything people around here would wear."

And then she wrinkled up her nose and we said good bye. Me with my ProAir inhaler prescription in hand. Thanks Doc, for making my day :0) 

Below, the outfit I wore to said doctor on this beautiful April Thursday - 62 degrees it was! And sunny!! Oh wait... I forgot to tell you, as if this day couldn't get any better, I totally passed my breathing test! My lungs are getting better and better what with all this usual exercise I've been doing. Woopee!!!!

My "Sorrelli of the day" - Captain and Teal chandelier earrings from ages ago.

This is why Easter is awesome

Gorgeoooouuus flowaaaaas!

I recently met with my childhood babysitter, Di, to catch up on the last 10 years in which we haven't been a part of each others lives. She brought me a fragrant purple hyacinth. I will plant it come May and think of her when it emerges from the soil each year. Happy Easter, and happy planting!!!!

Auggie

Still reading the Adventures of Auggie March. I have a big problem with not finishing books. I read them half way, slowly, and then give up when another literary adventure peaks my interest. It's sad. It makes me feel like a failure sometimes. Why can't I just read a whole damn book!? But then there are good books, ones I really like, which I read the whole way through, sometimes even  quickly. Hey, I managed to get through Anna Karenina. That says something, right?

So I picked up a date at the mall the other day....

....talk dark and handsome. The usual. He tells me his name is Ed. Pretty hot, huh?

 

Cupcake Dance

Mark was so excited for Round 2 of our cupcake eating adventure that
he did a little dance. I will definitely make these again with a
response like this!

Amazing buttercream frosting

Last night I made almond coconut cupcakes with a stellar just-the-
right-amount-of-sweet-n-sugar buttercream frosting. I will post the
recipe from my lovely How To Cook Everything Vegetarian cook book as
soon as I find it online!