Domestic Mode: Simple Pleasures

Would you believe that I went for over one month without buying any groceries? Maybe you would, but it sort of caught me by surprise. I suppose that's what happens though, when you're only at your apartment for 4 days out of the week. That's right, during the month of July, I have been gone consistently for a three day weekend. Sometimes I take the whole day of Friday off, and sometimes I arrive at my destination by Friday night, eager to party it up, chat with the parentals, or sack out on a couch/bed with a movie. Anyway, that's not really what this post is about. This is a bit of a random entry of one of my domestic moments - where I totally switched over to the scary 1950s role of housewife and mother - and enjoyed it.

To back up, I went for one month without buying groceries. Basically, I was eating leftovers - meat and potatoes, and sometimes some frozen vegetables - which I consoled myself contributed to a balanced diet. Today, though, I congratulated myself on a job well done, as I exited the Pick and Save with enough food to feed a family of 5 for three weeks. When I reached home and began to inventory, I had a moment of panic where I thought I had again left a bag of groceries at the store (last time it contained my ice cream - making for a sad, sad night), but JOY it was just hiding on the counter behind me.

Immediately I entered domestic mode. I have to confess, I really enjoy domestic mode. My roommate has been gone now on vacation for two weeks - so I have the house to myself. No one to bother me, no one to babble incessantly on about their job and how they were worried they would kill a patient, no one whining about how she really wants a Coach purse when she has at least 2, no one over my shoulder, "Whatcha makin'? Are you sure that's enough butter?" Or, "Wow, that's a lot of butter! What kind of frosting is that? Where did you get the recipe? Don't make those - that's the last thing I need, more calories around the house," it was blessedly silent. Sadly, I think next week she'll come back. I made myself some leftovers, quickly ate them while I made my broccoli salad for lunch tomorrow. I love chopping vegetables. Love it. I turn on the TV, have a couple of Diet Cokes (I'm too poor to buy wine and drink it while cooking - although that's what the cool people do), and chop, chop, chop - and try not to cry when it comes to the onions. My tear ducts are healthy, no worries.

So I finished the salad, and I decided to make my favorite cookies that Ruth makes. Yum, Orange Drop Cookies with Orange Buttercream frosting. They are sinfully delicious. I'm going to take some to work tomorrow - I think, because if I eat 30 cookies on my own - I will blow up like a balloon. Every time I mix batter for cookies, muffins, and cake, I think of my Home Ec class where Mrs. Fossum told us she would grade us on the regular or irregular patterning of the cell structure inside our baked goods. Seriously, every time, that's what I think about, and then I start to think about our blueberry muffins that doubled and turned purple and our coffee cake that one of the jerks in our class called the Grand Canyon, and how my gym shorts that I made were too short for me to wear and poorly made, I think I got a B- on them, which was the lowest grade I'd ever gotten in a class before... Good times, good times. Anyway, my cookies turned out well, I think I'll leave out the salt next time. They don't taste exactly like Ruth's, but she's been at this for years and I'm sure she has it down. They're pretty good though, the frosting is heavenly. Mmmm.

And while I was at it, I decided to wash the floor! Look at me go! There's something about having your own apartment and just calmly accepting that things need to get done. Housework can be kind of calming in a way, it's a bunch of chores that need to get done but they don't take any mental energy so you can focus on other things. And I think it's different in your own place; if my mother asked me to wash her floor, I would probably be resistant, but I am so excited that my kitchen floor is clean. I used my Swiffer sweeper for the first time, the wet and the dry wipes, and now my kitchen smells like lavender! :)

Next on the domestic creation list: Smoothies and Juices from my Innocent Juice Cookbook. #1 Orange, Mango, and Lime Juice and #2 Strawberry and Banana Smoothie. I thought I'd save the "Posh Stuff" (yes, that is the real name of a chapter in my cookbook - keep in mind this is British speak - and they want me to make stuff like Strawberry, Meringue, and Creme Fraiche - yumm) for later when I'm more advanced with my smoothie skills. I get to use my blender! YAY! so excited!

Stay tuned: big day at the museum (today) and tomorrow! Condition Reports, Painting Conservation (!!!), and hopefully more work on cleaning marble. (We got to steam clean marble today and it was soooo cool! I felt so professional - hopefully more of that - and pictures will follow.)

Cheers,

Emily