Don't Forget about the Little Things...

Ok, so maybe I was a bit over-reflective in my last post... (is over-reflective a word??) I am still every bit as confused about my future career endeavors but I have a somewhat level head. Luckily for me, I have this hilarious little sidekick around to remind me that my greatest achievement is him! So this post is about some small things that may have gone uncelebrated had I not decided to write about them on the world wide web. 

Gavin is beginning to soak up knowledge like a sponge. He is very close to saying "thank you" and likes to mimic animal sounds. He pets the dogs and says "hi doggy." He walks around, pretending to be talking on a cell phone. He dances to American Idol and is starting to do a little singing himself.

I am staying very committed to my workout schedule and for the past two months- I have worked out five days every week. I bought a treadmill in February and can now run a 5k without any trouble. I have set my next goal to run a 10k and have a half-marathon in the back of my mind. Gavin likes to climb up on the treadmill and pretend to run. I feel good that I am setting a good example for my son by getting regular exercise. Maybe someday he and I will run 5ks and 10ks together.

I had two fabulous achievements in the kitchen today. My mom makes a wonderful poppyseed cake and I have tried making it twice before- each time was just a wreck. I almost cried earlier this week when my cake was flat and it crumbled out of the bundt pan. This morning I decided to give it another try and it turned out beautifully. That success inspired me to take on pot roast. I have been struggling with pot roast all winter long. They always turn out dry but after a little research, I realized that I have been buying the wrong cut of meat. I was buying bottom round and trying to braise it. Bottom round is better when oven roasted for a shorter time period. Chuck roast is the appropriate cut for braising. I used Tyler Florence's recipe which I have a link to on the side of the blog. I changed it a bit by using 1 cup of red wine in place of water and used stewed tomatoes in place of crushed. It was fantastic and I encourage you to try it out as your farewell to winter meal. My next challenge to myself is to take on gnocchi- my last batch turned into mashed potatoes as soon as they hit the boiling water.

Now, I have saved the best for last. I have no idea how I did not know about the greatest cleaning supply on the planet: The Magic Eraser. I discovered this beautiful invention today and am so giddy about it. I vaguely remember someone mentioning it to me years ago when their child had drawn all over the walls with a marker or crayon. Oh my gosh-these things are genius! The previous owners of this house used flat paint on all of the walls- including the kitchen (hello, moronic!) Well, naturally kitchens get dirty and there were finger prints and stains all over the place. I figured I was going to have to repaint the kitchen this summer. The magic eraser actually cleaned up all the stains. I then started running around trying to find stains to see if I could "erase" them. There were scuff marks on the bathtub- gone! Black paint from picture frames had rubbed off onto the walls- poof! gone! If you have not tried these out- you are seriously missing out. If you have kids or pets and you did not already know about magic erasers- this post could dramatically improve your life. 

Adam is on vacation this week- we will likely take some kind of day trip. Stay tuned for a new East Coast adventure. In the meantime, I hope you celebrate the small things going on in your lives.