3 Favorite Easter Ideas

A few years ago, I baked little cakes inside eggshells. I think I’m going to try it again but with cake mix this year. I originally thought the type of cake might make it less likely to stick to the shell, but now I feel more adventurous.

I’d also like to steal some eggs from the kids and try out Megan’s food color egg dye recipes for super-saturated eggs.

Finally, we just bought more of these cheapie LED lights for night-time egg hunts with Hank. You pop them into plastic eggs so they glow. It’s surprising how beautiful they are. I’ll take some photos this year to do it justice.

Are you an Easter celebrator? Liz likes to spell the kids names in jelly beans, which is great. I’d love to hear about your traditions if you have some you love too.

I Love You Robot Pins

Remember this video I mentioned a few days ago? I couldn’t stop thinking about it and how happy it made me, so Brad and I made a pin.

The pin also makes me happy. You can get one here, and then we can identify each other in the streets and hug stiffly.

I love you, robots.

Lewie Louise

I just bought a few of these color theory cards, and a pack of watercolor postcards by Lewie Louise, a collaboration between San Francisco artists.

The postcard quality is exceptional, as is the old timey type on the back. Just what I wanted. You can get some here.

3 Fish Studios

I stopped by 3 Fish Studios in San Francisco the other day to see my friends Annie and Eric, and fell for one of Annie’s happy doodles. If you have $25, you can have one too.

Subterfuge

Booze Tubes are flasks packaged to look like tampons. Genius.

Atopalm Face Cream

Hello! This isn’t an ad, it’s a thing I use. My friend Tess and I like to give everyday things we love as presents, so I thought I’d start telling you about some of mine. Atopalm is top of the pops.

I have dry, sensitive skin, and I’ve been using Atopalm Face Cream on my face and neck for about five years. It’s perfect in the following ways:

• Not crazy expensive, it’s about $25 for a 3.4 oz jar, and I don’t need to use much at a go.
• It goes on light, very moisturizing but not greasy, and it soaks in completely.
• The fragrance is very faint, and doesn’t compete with my perfume. If I had to nail it down, I’d say faintly citrusy?
• It layers well, so I can use it with sunscreen and foundation and my makeup doesn’t slide around.

I use it in the morning under my makeup and before bed in combination with a few other products for fine lines, and so forth. Anyway, good stuff.

Do you have any skin creams you swear by? I’m curious because I feel like it takes forever to find the right one for your particular skin.

Epic Dad Move

Photo by Marty Pants

Dad Makes Invisible Jet Out Of Balloons For Daughter’s Wonder Woman Costume

Charming as all.

Mighty Thirst, Mango Cream Shake with Rum

I wrote this last year and forgot to post it. Pretend it’s summer and you’re craving a blendy beach drink in Mexico.

I’m not pregnant anymore! Rum, come here so I can kiss you on the mouth.

Our rental in Mexico had a blender, so I made a boozle of fruity drinks. This one is creamy and delicious, and you problematically can’t taste the alcohol. I prefer Kraken Rum because it’s vanilla-y, but you can probably use whatever.

For three drinks, combine the following in a blender:

3 cups frozen mango
1 Banana
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
3 shots Kraken Rum

Blend until smooth, and garnish with sweetened shaved coconut. Then go find a hammock.

I’m making 100 cocktails as part of my Life List. This is number twenty-one. The rest are over here.

Some Lovely

Last July I started using my Instagram account to keep a gratitude journal. It’s really nice. Recommend.

Everyone wants to talk about how technology and social media are screwing us all up. But whatever. I think the Internet is such a good place, the funnest place!, if we’re cool about how we use it.

Anyway, I wanted to say “try this!” So I thought it would be good to start a group hashtag. Today I went back and tagged my posts #somelovely. If you already keep an Instagram gratitude journal, or you feel like playing along now, I hope you’ll add #somelovely to your posts too, so we can all get a little shot of vicarious happiness.

A few favorites from my account this year.

Lovely Things: Overdoing it on the wreath. Saying yes to every cashier who asks for a two dollar donation to anything that might make the world nicer. Hank singing in the living room, reaching for all the notes in the Moana songs.

Lovely Things: After a year or so in hiding, Hank is letting me take his photo again. Ozzy clanging on the toy store’s baby piano and stopping short at the train table. Reading A Wrinkle in Time.

Lovely Things: Cozy hat. Shaved legs in clean sheets. Toenails finally grew out after I clipped them too short. Ahh.

Lovely Things: A sweet, tired baby whose face reminds you what it actually feels like to need a nap. Watching the leaves unfurl in your tea. All the laundry done, and folded, and put away.

Lovely Things: A kid who just smacks his forehead and starts over when he flubs one of his Christmas pageant lines. All the scuff marks under his classroom desk from trying to balance his chair on the back two legs. Asking if he can hold his baby brother in his lap to share class party treats.

Lovely Things: Nothing on the calendar. Floating daisies in a puddle. Changing a poopy diaper in a public restroom, only to realize you have zero fresh diapers, then making it back to the diaper stash in the car without incident.

Nice, eh? Go get yourself some good feelings. And thanks for being around.

Simple, The Easiest Cookbook in the World

Have you heard about Simple, The Easiest Cookbook in the World? I read about it in someone’s comments and ordered a copy. I’m so impressed by the layout.

No recipe has more than six ingredients, and each of them is pictured.

Every recipe also has a photo of the finished product so you know in advance if it looks yum. So genius.

Do you know about it? Any favorite recipes therein? Or do you have throw-it-together recipes like this that you use to whip up quick meals? Tell, please.