Giving Thanks

This year, I'm really grateful.

Every day, I'm grateful for Todd. I held out for a long time, hoping that I wouldn't die a crazy old cat lady. There were plenty of days when I thought that was my destiny, but I got lucky instead. Todd goes the extra mile in our relationship in so many ways, and he inspires me to do the same. I think we push each other to be better versions of ourselves. I love him and hope to be writing how grateful I am to have him for many Thanksgivings to come.

I'm thankful for the health and happiness of my family and friends. I wish I got to see all of you more often. So many of you don't live close by, and I've been missing out on some communications or visits this year. I think about all the people who make my life richer regularly, though. I'm grateful for all of you, and I'm grateful for all the ways that you are happy and healthy.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to go to school. I am probably not as grateful for it on a day-to-day basis as I should be, but when I pause for a moment I really can see what a gift it is. I'm getting my master's at Columbia, and I don't even have to pay for it. I have the support of my boss and colleagues and family. Very few people can say the same.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Grateful a Day Early

For the second night in a row, Todd cooked me dinner. What a treat to do nothing whatsoever and have the man I love treat me so well! Last night he made portabello mushroom sandwiches, and tonight he treated me salmon. We have a pre-New Year's resolution to cook at home more and eat out less, so I'll have lots of opportunity to return the favor.

Stimulating the Economy

I know it's not even Thanksgiving (though it is close) so all my Christmas-related posts are a little early. That said, you're getting another one.

I'm obsessing a little about Christmas this year for a couple of reasons. The most pedestrian is that with how busy this fall is, I'm worried that I'll forget to do something or run out of time. So I tried to start everything early and stay completely organized. Todd's taken my anal retentiveness in stride, for which I'm very grateful.

The other reason I'm extra thoughtful about the holidays this year is a very, very good one: Todd and the kids are joining me and my family for Christmas. There are a lot of people who want to spend the day with them, so I'm pretty jazzed that I'm the lucky winner. That means, though, that the holiday is a totally different ball of wax for me. In the past, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon for my tiny family (we all just want books, pretty much) and called it a day. It was, compared to most people's holiday shopping, no muss, no fuss.

Tonight Todd and I went to Target in the Bronx for some stocking stuffers and lots of shopping for the kids. Our goal, really, was to get Dylan a birthday present, and we totally failed. Todd is braving the Times Square Toys-R-Us tomorrow for that. So instead of the specific item we were looking for, we filled — and I mean filled — a cart with games, toys, and other treats. I barely even knew what was in the bottom of the cart by the time we were done.

I'm still trying to figure out what to get Todd from the kids. I assume that's now my responsibility, and it's another new one for me. Do I take them shopping and let them pick something out? Do I just tell them that I got something for him from them? Dylan, especially, is old enough to have opinions about this, so I want to give them some control without ceding all of it myself.

All of this will work itself out in the end, and I'm really excited to have so many people I love together for Christmas. I know every year won't work out like this, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Time to Purge

I think it's time to clean out my closets again. I did it in the spring when I was moving, but there is so much more I can give to Good Will. I have so many pieces that I look at and think, I don't want to wear that. What's the point of keeping it my closet then?

We all think of spring cleaning, but I think fall cleaning is better in some ways. If I give away a bunch of good but ill-fitting/not-my-style clothes right now, someone might be able to snap them up for Christmas gifts or to wear to their holiday party or something . It feels especially right to offer up all that I don't want this year when so many people have pinched budgets.

I'm also feeling a little claustrophobic in our apartment. We just have too much stuff. I want to minimize — fewer nick-nacks, emptier drawers, cleaner shelves. When I'm overwhelmed at work I often take a few minutes to clean off my desk. The clean space makes my brain feel clearer, too. I'm hoping the same will happen at home.

Coconut Cake Bleh

I have to admit, I was disappointed with the way my coconut cake came out. This was extra disappointing, since I have been looking forward to trying this for so long.

I made, as advertised, Paula Deen's recipe. I didn't have self rising flour in the house and made a last minute executive decision to use the all purpose I did have. The cakes tasted good but were definitely more dense than Paula intended. I now know that self rising flour really does make a difference!

The bigger problem was with the frosting. I followed the recipe, improvising a double burner that I don't have, and beat the ingredients for exactly seven minutes. By the time those seven minutes had passed, I had something that very nearly resembled frosting. Unfortunately, it was still a little thin and runny. Paula Deen doesn't note what to do in this case — does it thicken upon standing? The concoction is hot at this point, so maybe it gets stiffer as it cools? Who knows? Well, now I do: it does not get thicker upon standing or cooling. In retrospect, I think I probably needed to keep beating it to get more air in it, but I didn't want to over cook the ingredients. This means that despite tasting pretty good, my cake looked a bit like a hot, runny mess.

I love coconut cake, but I don't love this recipe. In addition to the trouble listed above, I thought the filling was a little weird. I would have preferred something a little sweeter. I'm glad I gave this one a shot, but I'll attempt a different coconut cake next time around.

The filling


The troublesome frosting

Assembled but not frosted

Final, ugly cake

Evolution of a Friendship

Caryn came into the city yesterday, bringing her wonderful family with her. It's been months and months since we've seen each other, which felt especially long since she had an adorable new baby in September. I can't believe I haven't seen him until now!

Todd, Dylan, Sofia, and I met them in Chelsea where we went out for a leisurely brunch and catching up. Following that, we made our way to the nearby Chelsea Market for some sweet treats (mostly Fat Witch brownies but some opted for cookies instead). After that we were off to an indoor playground in the neighborhood. We had four kids with us, after all, and that seemed like the best way for them to have fun while we chatted.

Half way through the playing, Caryn voiced something I had been thinking, too.

Caryn and I have been friends for almost 15 years. We met on our first days at Ithaca College and spent freshman year going to the under age–friendly bars in town. Ithaca gets, as you probably know, freezing during the winter, but we usually left our coats at home. All the better to show off our best going out outfits. We didn't want to be saddled with a parka all night! We'd dance at Semesters, dubbed Cheese-mesters because it was so god awfully cheesy.

Our lives have changed so much since then. We tired pretty quickly of the bar scene, but there were still plenty of years that were all about us. We traveled Europe together — twice — leaving behind all our cares to backpack for a few weeks. For a long time, every one of Caryn's NYC visits included a Broadway show.

Now we chase little kids around and make funny faces and pretend to be the tickle monster.

Us with new baby Drew

Friday Favorites: Peggle

iPhone users, this post is for you. A few months ago Todd and I were in the Apple store downtown. I really don't know what to do in the Apple store, because they only have a handful of products. Their stuff is awesome, yes, but I don't need to play with the ipod there. I know what it does.

So while Todd was looking at earbuds, I started checking out the apps they'd loaded on the iPhones. I started playing Peggle and was instantly hooked. I downloaded it as soon as we left the store. It cost $4.99, which is $4 more than I've ever paid for an app before. But believe me: I got my money's worth. I have played this game endlessly ever since.

A full description can be found on the iPhone Blog. Try it and get addicted.