Monday, August 3, 2009

ABC's of Summer: C, D, and E


C is for cupcakes.
I checked out this awesome book from the library a couple weeks ago, Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. I have since renewed it so I could keep it longer. I love baking and cupcakes are so much fun. It makes more sense than making a cake as there are just 2 of us and then the leftovers sit tempting me at every turn. But with cupcakes I can easily tell 1 serving and easily pack the rest off for my husband to take to work. I made…

Banana pecan cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting,


mint brownie cupcakes,


and chocolate chunk cookie cupcakes so far…this week who knows.

D is for decorating. We are staying in our apartment for at least 1 more year. So I decided it needed to be more homey and less college student like. So we have been framing pictures and hanging them.

And let me tell you hanging pictures with my engineer husband is a lesson in math. He measures to find the center of the wall, marks spots, and measures and measures again.

Hanging these 4 pictures took us over an hour (well maybe only 30 minutes but still…).
I also have been decorating a lot with vinyl decals—we can’t paint and these are so fun and affordable. I have
these from SingleStoneStudios,





these from ScribbleIt (I also ordered a few for my classroom last night)



and this one (it says, "If I could be anyone in the world, I would be me in love with you")is coming from LittleLoveLetters.

I bought this bedding from ebay after so many trips to stores and discussions about colors finally we agreed on this set.

It is Style & Co Seaflower in aqua and cream—very soothing. Plus I love this little sequin pillow. Now I just search craigslist daily for a dresser and a china buffet so we can get some stuff put away!

E is for envy. Ok this is a serious one and an issue I have been dealing with. I know I have a great life, a life that a lot of people would envy. I love my job, I have a wonderful husband, he loves his job, we are both healthy, heck we even went to Jamaica this summer. And I know I shouldn’t compare myself to others but I do. I got stuck a lot this summer reading stories of other people who got married when I did buying houses and having babies; things we want for ourselves but just aren’t there for us yet. It doesn’t bother my husband but it bothers me. I think it comes down to basic insecurity about myself—something that has always been there and reared its ugly head with a move to a new place and a new job. So what am I going to do about it? I am starting a gratitude journal to refocus myself on what I have in life instead of what I don’t.

5 comments:

Megan said...

The grass is always greener isn't it? I try to remember that what you see and read about people is only what they choose to put out there. You don't know their struggles and insecurities. We bought a house this year, as you know, but it brought with it so much change in our lives that we (husband really) is still adjusting the the change. Sometimes I wished we just stayed where we were! I like your journal idea.

Cheerful Homemaker said...

It's tough. As blessed as we are, sometimes I still look at others and wish we had what they have.

I'm sure that the people you're jealous of are also jealous of the things you have!

Karen said...

Well put Etta! I love your idea about the journal, and if you ever need to talk you know I am here!

Karen said...

Oh and I love your new bedding... is Kevin's side of the bed on the right with the messy nightstand? Ha ha!

Queen B. said...

what a wonderful blog !!!!!!!!!!!!!!