A Monday List

1. All last week I had the hardest time waking up early. Except on Friday. Friday I had plans with my MIL to go to a sale at the consignment shop my mom and her friend own. It was a first come first served type of event so we needed to be there at opening or close to it to really get the good stuff. Which meant I had to get myself and four children, two of whom needed bathing, out the door by 8:30 so we could meet HH at his mom's house so he could watch the kids while the MIL and I went shopping.

2. It was a bag sale where you choose from certain racks and it's $10 for anything you can fit in one of their shopping bags. I got six pieces in my bag.

I scored this top. I took this picture yesterday before we went to church. P.S. I am not a fashion blogger and I have no idea how to take photos of myself in the mirror. It's hard work, Yo!

I also got these four tops and a long sweater for my SIL. It was a successful trip and I can't wait for the next bag sale. It was a two day sale and, let me tell you, it was so hard not to go back the second day to have a peek and the next batch of goodies. Abiah saw these laying on the floor and was all, "Ummm, why are there sweaters on the floor." Because your Mom is trying to be cool kid. That's why. Now go to bed.

3. I also purchased one item that wasn't part of the bag sale. It was on one of the window mannequins and I loved it before I even entered the store. The lovely shop girl (aka Mom) took it down for me and after trying it on I knew it was for me. I didn't know what HH would have to say about it, but I knew he wouldn't mind. When I asked him for probably the 50th time that night if he was okay with me buying it he said, "It's paid for itself" and then he gave me a "look". I think he likes it. :) Or he likes that I like it. Whatevs. He's hot and I got a new sweater/cardi thing.

New cardi/sweater thing! I wish I could honestly say that wearing this with my yoga pants was just for the picture, but I'd be lying. It's so comfy! I will say that I won't be wearing it with a cream colored tank in real life. I have a little bit of fashion sense.

4. HH and I went on a date! We visted a pub in Portland and then ended up at one my my favorite dessert places for sweets and coffee. Friday was a pretty great day.

5. After a late Friday we were violently woken up Saturday morning by Amelia stomping into our room declaring that Jackson was trying to climb out of his crib. Jackson was close on her heels exclaiming, "I  want tell you somsing, Momma! I want tell you somsing!" I groggily turned to HH and said, "We've entered a new level of H-E-Double Hockey stick." Hazel followed them into our room explaining that someone (cough, HH, cough) had left the railing down on the crib during a midnight "Take Jackson pee" run. HH and I let out a huge sigh of relief. This morning Jackson came down the stairs all by himself. The crib rail was up. He is no longer contained by his crib and there is only one booster seat he can't get out of. Conclusion: That kid is going to have to learn to sleep sitting up. That's the only way we'll get any rest, I'm thinking.

6. There's nothing worse than waiting all weekend to check the mail because you should be receiving a package in the mail, except checking the mail on Saturday and finding the yellow slip in your box that let's you know your package is indeed in the building. You just can't have it. And the only thing that's worse than that is running in Monday morning to get said package that you know is there only to realize that it's a Federal holiday and you still have to wait one more day. Hope deferred, ya'll. That's what it's all about.

I hope your weekend was fantastic and that you are ready for a new week of new mercies. Happy Monday!

Chocolate Cake and Ramblings

This post may be a bit silly, but I feel a bit silly. It may be the chocolate cake that I'm about to tell you about. Or it may be that there's been to much serious pondering going on in my head and it needed a break. What ever the reason, here it is.

I've been on an egg free diet for four years this month and yesterday was the first time I thought about searching Pinterest for an eggless chocolate cake. I wish that this was a reflection of the level of my personal discipline, but it is not.

But enough about that. The thing is, I did search Pinterest for an eggless chocolate cake recipe. And I found one! And it's good!

I was looking for a recipe so I could make an egg free desert this weekend for our belated Christmas gathering with HH's family. When I found the recipe I was so excited about it's potential that, even though it was only and hour-and-a-half before the kid's bed-time, I bribed them with cake for breakfast if they would hurry into their jammies and sit down to let Netflix babysit them so I could make the cake. They were so excited. And unusually cooperative. When I served them their breakfast of chocolate cake this morning I encouraged (or made) them to sing, "Mommy's great! She gives us chocolate cake!"

Oddly enough, after eating the cake they all asked for eggs claiming they just needed some protein to go with their breakfast. My children are strange. And healthier than I am. Apparently I'm doing a good job at training them though!

This is the recipe.

(Note: I didn't try her frosting recipe. But the cake is good. Also, 180 degrees Celsius means 350 degrees Fahrenheit.)

I'm sure that part of my obsession with this cake is that fact that I have not had any chocolate cake in four years. But, growing up with a mom for a baker gives me (in my mind) a pretty good background in cake testing. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but I'm pretty much a professional. Except that I don't get paid. Wouldn't it be lovely to get paid to taste test cakes?!

Other things I loved about that cake: it was very moist and the texture was a lovely combination of dense and fluffy. It was denffy? Flunse?

But I really think my most favorite part of the cake it that it is supposedly an old recipe from war times when food was rationed. Thus, the egglessness. Chocolate cake and nostalgia all rolled up into one perfect package.

It may have had more of a nostalgic impact on me since I enjoyed my first piece whilst watching the first episode of the new seasons of Downton Abbey. It just felt right. I loved the episode, too. Although there were many memorable lines, my favorite was from Lady Grantham to Lord Grantham, "When you talk like that, I'm tempted to call nanny, and have you put to bed with no supper." She really makes the show.

The only downside of watching the premiere was getting to bed an hour later than I planned and needed to. I was a bit tired this morning and maybe a wee sluggish through out the day. But that may also have been from the chocolate cake I had for breakfast. 

Have you ever...

...realized that since you've been forced to take the last few weeks easy because of the surgery you had you've been able to get more accomplished during the day and still have time to chill out, maxing, and relax all cool and maybe even have time to shoot some b-ball outside of the school so you promise yourself that you won't let your schedule fill up so much anymore only to turn around and realize that you have something planned every day from Tuesday through Friday and you are so glad you only promised yourself and not the Hot Hubby so you didn't disappoint anyone by breaking a promise?

...set out to make a batch of cookies for your Hot Hubby who asked that you make them since he filled your flour bucket with the 25 pound bag of flour and then you decided to also make a batch of Just For Me Brownies because you just need some and you have people coming over almost every day this week who you think might need some to and when you pull the butter out to add half a cup to each recipe you marvel at how much butter you go through when you bake and figure that's probably the reason you don't bake much only to realize later, when you go to make two batches of corn bread, that you actually put one full cup in each of the previous recipes which may be why the brownies tasted so buttery rich and why the cookies just wouldn't set up right?

...had a moment when you realize that whether your Hot Hubby works nights or days, because it's just a stupid schedule no matter which side you're on, you'll still end up bearing a good portion of the domestic load which is the same load you've been bearing all along and two seconds ago it was light and easy and suddenly it's heavy and daunting and you wonder how things changed so drastically in two minutes and you frantically fight to go back to the weight of two minutes ago and then you remember that while some things remain the same other things change and the four of them won't always be this small and they won't always need you to do the brushing and dressing and nagging and reminding and plus... they won't always be this small?

In MemoRANDOM

1. There are three reasons I don't usually keep Ritz crackers in the house. Buttery, Salty & Flaky. I'm powerless against their devious deliciousness. And coupled with avocado they are just deadly.

2. Why do I always manage to load the dryer and then forget to turn it on?

3. Hot Hubby left Sunday for his annual hunting trip. I'm praying that he gets a huge elk with a tiny rack. Selfish? Completly! And unashamedly.

4. The kids and I just took a whirl-wind trip to the Oregon Coast with my mom. We were gone for about 30 hours. It felt like a few days. In a good way. Except that I kept thinking Hot Hubby would be home soon. And he won't...

5. Tonight Abiah and I are going on a date with my parents. I'm hoping my lunch encounter with the Ritz crackers  was a great preparation for the Ethiopian Feast-ival we will have tonight. I'm delusional like that.

6. Ten points to the first person who can tell me in which cartoon movie a cat accidentally says feastival instead of festival when talking to a group of mice!

7. There's not a whole lot that I like better than a nice pedicure at a fancy schmancy salon. A free pedicure is even better! But stubbing your toe the day after you receive said free pedicure and chipping the beautiful taupe-y polish really puts a damper on things.

8. Jackson started rolling over from his back to his tummy at three months. But only when he would get mad.

9. It's possible that I would flip him back to his back just to watch him roll over again.

10. When he's older he won't get away with having a nasty attitude like that. I figure I'll let him take advantage of it while he can...