One of the things that has stayed with me from Gretchen Rubin's (ace) book Happier at Home is the idea of celebratory breakfasts. These are nothing particularly fancy, just a few things to mark special days in the calendar (valentines, halloween...) and set the day off on a jaunty note.
Today is Ginger's birthday and the first thing Titch asked this morning (after 'I NEED A WEEEEE!') was 'What does the table look like on birthdays?'. He gets it! He likes it! It works!
Thank you Gretchen.
I made these last night, expecting them to turn out like little baked custards. The taste and texture is actually closer to a baked cheesecake which, once my tastebuds adjusted to the idea, is a very good thing. They are very easy and virtually 'guilt free', but they taste like a proper pudding. H'rah!
To make around 10 small cheesecakes:
350g vanilla yogurt (I used one of the newish £1 mid-size pots of fat free yeo valley organic)
Pinch of vanilla powder or teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional - I'm a big vanilla fan)
4 eggs, beaten.
Mix all ingredients together and divide between silicone fairy (cup-) cake cases arranged in a roasting pan. I put them in a cake tin first then made a Bain Marie by filling the roasting tin with boiling water to about half way up the cake tin, but now I realise they aren't custard-ey I'm pretty sure this isn't necessary.
Bake in a medium oven (190/350 degrees) for around 30 minutes until just set.
Cool in the cases or refrigerate over night.
Enjoy with fruit of your choice.
I have been trying - and quite spectacularly failing - to take my finances in hand for a while now. Big events like Christmas and birthdays blow me out of the water, mainly because I don't do the sensible thing and save for them throughout the year.
Pathetic, right? I'm old enough now to be a sensible person and save some cash. I want to be able to feel relaxed and in charge of my finances, and of the sea of stuff that surrounds me. To that end I've been reading Girlynomics by Kate Battrick, better known as Ms Make Do Style. I need to dedicate some time to doing some proper hard core budgeting, but there are already some simple tips that I can get on with right away.
First up: no more online shopping! Basics - groceries and essentials such as (some!) books or emergency gifts, fine. But if I need clothes, or homewears, shoes or a gift-in-good-time then I need to plan ahead and get to a shop. A proper, bricks and morter, shop. Ideally a local one.
It is too easy to click the button online. Too easy to chuck a couple of extra things in the basket that I don't really need. Too easy to order things thinking 'I'll send one back...' which I never do. Or to get something that doesn't really fit, or isn't really me, or doesn't sit well in my wardrobe (ha! That is a whole world of weird in itself!), or even something that was not what I ordered in the first place... and never send it back. And suddenly I'm a couple of hundred pounds poorer and surrounded by even more STUFF. Ouch!
So. To the shops! The fact that I really have to be in the mood for shopping, which coincides increasingly rarely with opportunities to get to 'proper shops', is an inbuilt bugetary factor. More often than not, recent shopping expeditions have involved me wandering from shop to shop in a growing cloud of frustration and dis-interest. The trick is to avoid coming home with something random and sparkly (emerald green sequined cocktail dress anyone? Hanging in my wardrobe after my last London shopping trip and so handy for any home-working, seaside town dwelling, mother of a small boy...).
Next up, a spending fast (or maybe diet)...
(Speaking of diets - those coins in the picture? Chocolate. Munching through that stash is another bad habit I need to give up!)
I am currently wrestling with a bit of a quandry. Next weekend we have a house full of guests and a family celebration on Sunday for which I want to cook something suitably celebratory - it's Mothers Day here in the UK and Ginger has a Big Birthday following (very) close behind.
But... we have a house full of family all weekend, so I don't want to be doing anything that demands too much time or attention. The more I can do up front or throw together quickly at the last minute, the better.
So: what to cook? Easy, low faff, high impact. And preparable well (as in DAYS) in advance.
I'm thinking roasted marinated meat - chicken? lamb? both? - with lots of dressed green leaves and a huge platter of jewelled couscous so people can dip in and share.
Some good bread. Some unctuous dips...
For pudding maybe big blousy meringues with whipped cream or (as we all seem to be trying to loose a few pounds ahead of various family weddings) more likely greek yogurt with vanilla paste stirred through and a big bowl of decadent out-of-season berries.
And cake. Obviously. Which is another question in itself. I'm itching to try a Pinata cake, but low faff? Easy and effective they may be, but low faff they aint!
The Blueberry and almond cake (pictured) I made last year was pretty simple and popular (not to mention yummy). A classic sponge is always pleasing, but best made on the day... or apple cake. Which I've been itching to make all winter and which has the enormous benefit of actually improving for a few days 'sitting'. So maybe apple cake, stacked, with lightly spiced cinnamon-vanilla butter icing and some sparkly golden cake dust (oh yes, I know all the technical terms) to make it look a bit more special...
via joannarutter.bigcartel.com
I've just discovered the gorgeous work of Joanna Rutter (via Bugs and Fishes). Simple loveliness: there are at least half a dozen things that I would LOVE to find in my Christmas stocking (I know I know, I only - well, mainly - say Christmas as I'm a summer baby so my birthday is behind me for another year).
Yet more of a reminder that I need to get on with making - or at least attempting - some simple loveliness of my own.
I have been thinking about goals a lot recently.
Since having Titch, and more recently starting back to work, I have had a growing feeling and frustration that I'm not getting anything done beyond the basics. I'm doing what I have to do, but achieving very little that I want to do or that brings me closer to the life that I want to build for me and for my little family.
As is so often the case, the ethers (also known as the blogosphere) have come to my aid: firstly with the idea of a Mighty Life List, quickly followed by a Day Zero project (via the always inspiring MirrorMirror) and now Four Simple Goals from the ubercool productivity dynamo that is Elsie of A Beautiful Mess.
Four simple goals to achieve before 2011. Action-orientated goals that will improve the quality of my daily life. What a great idea! What a great way to install some happy-making habits and maybe get a few ticks on my ever growing list.
So that's the long, medium and short term planning framework sorted.
The medium and long term lists are taking a bit of thought so I will post about them seperately. But surely I can come up with four little things to do before the year is out! I've decided to resist the temptation to plan like crazy, chew over what is most practical at length and generally procrastinate. So my four simple goals are the first four that came to the front of my mind (I know! Such wanton sponteneity!):
1. Start my photo project. Inspired by Little Brown Pen's glorious images of Paris (the most photogenic city on earth?) I have a long-standing plan for Monday walks with Titch photographing our city. Looking for a particular colour or texture perhaps so we can talk about Red, say; or maybe Sesame Street style searches for Todays Letter or Number. Mainly, though, just to enjoy and celebrate where we live, get some exercise and improve my photography.
2. Start my granny blanket. I've been meaning to crochet a granny blanket for years (particularly having seen this beautiful one by the super-talented Sandra Juto) as an in-at-the-deep-end way of learning to crochet and to use up my wool stash. I'm realistic enough to know that I won't get it done by the end of the year, but I can get started right? I have a how-to aimed at eight year olds so I am preparing to face some serious shame if I can't work it out!
3. Exercise regularly. I've got out of the habit since getting back to work, but I feel/look/sleep so much better when I get out and do some exercise most days. Time to make an unbreakable date for some me-time.
4. Start drawing every day. I love doing little illustrations and have a long list of ideas for projects but rarely seem to make the time. A little bit every day quickly adds up...
Now I just have to get on with it!