One day last summer, I called my dad just to say my potted mint plant was thriving on the front step. With a chuckle, he responded: "Simple pleasures, Claire. Simple pleasures."
Though my pleasures for the week might have been simple, they are still pleasures to me.
Let me explain.
Baby girl is rolling around inside my belly more than ever, but I'm still smiling when I reach the top of the long staircase up to campus. Though my breath may be spewing out in gusts of frozen air, I am still smiling.
I've been trying to say "Excuse me" instead of "Oh sorry" to people I almost run into (or who almost run into me), and I'm feeling more sophisticated with my manners as I steadily succeed in this transition.
With the exception of this morning, I have successfully handwashed (due to our lack of dishwasher) our dishes after every meal, every day since Sunday. If this doesn't seem like a big deal to you, please understand that dirty dishes are my most dreaded nemesis. Ever. Worse than cleaning the toilet--which I don't actually mind--or hanging up my coat right as I walk in the door--which I'm still trying to do better at. And seeing how much I love to cook, those dirty dishes tend to pile up very quickly. So anyway, yeah. I've been showing them who's in charge around here: the lady in the apron! Will share my tips on joyful dish-doing soon.
I have recently re-embraced the confidence boost that comes from a freshly painted set of fingernails. I went sans-polish for over a year (fingers and toes), assuring myself that a true Seattle girl prefers bare nails. Little did I know, there are lovely shades of gray and brown nail polish that both complement my personality and add a little pop of flair to my everyday. As I type this now, my fingers are painted a lovely shade of champagne. And they are loving it.
My recent goal to shop for produce according to the sale ads brought me true pleasure today. For $13, I purchased a bunch of asparagus, a bag of cuties clementines, three grapefruits, three navel oranges, and a family-size pack of chicken breasts. Three of those five things are usually at least $5 each. Yeah. Boom. (Sale going on through next Tuesday at Sunflower Market.)
We made our first big sale on Craig's List today: an upright piano (better to sell it, we said last August, than risk being squashed carrying it up the stairs to our new apartment). What did we do to celebrate? Bought my husband a Mac Book Air. Which happened to be on sale. And made him happier than I've seen him in a long time.
And for my last simple pleasure, I bring you these muffins. They remind me of the big ones I used to get on the way home from snowboarding with my dad: lots of berries and lots of streusel on top. The only thing that makes these muffins different? These ones are so healthy. And tastier because they are so healthy. Give them a whirl this weekend. Saturday morning, perhaps?
What were your simple pleasures from the week?
Mixed Berry Muffins
Inspired by joy the baker
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup demerara or brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mixed berries, frozen or fresh (We love the frozen berry medley bag from Costco!)
Cinnamon sugar or your favorite streusel topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cups or grease with olive oil cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Fold in berries.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or your favorite streusel topping.
Bake for 16 - 18 minutes.
Note: My muffin tin is extra large, so the muffins took about 20 minutes to cook through.
