Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Last week, for a colleague's birthday I made mini cupcakes.  The recipe was fairly easy.  I had made the full recipe (Chocolate Salted-Caramel Mini Cupcakes) once before and wasn't so successful with the caramel part, so this time, I just stuck with plain cupcakes. 

I think my (annoyingly unpredictable) oven doesn't heat evenly, causing the cupcakes to grow funny-looking smurf hats, which I end up carving off before decorating.

Vanilla cream with chocolate buttons (some sprinkled with cocoa) and chocolate with shredded coconut.

Today's Happiness Reminder: Giggling ourselves to sleep last night (It was after midnight, so I'm counting it for today!) and meeting T at home today for lunch.

Sea and Sun: Salves for Sadness

Our weekend at tropical island paradise was just what the doctor ordered.  We regrouped after a tiring and awkward trip and remembered that we could still let our guards down and be best friends.  We sat under beach umbrellas and read; we floated in the clear water; we trekked to the other side of the island for mid-day drinks and lounging; we had intense intellectual debates about raising children and unconditional love; we watched bad TV; we sat on the beach and watched the sunset; and we laughed.  It was the sweetness I had been missing.  It's so easy to find when we escape the daily distraction and stresses of our lives in Bangkok.  The challenge is to figure out how to maintain that carefree love on a day to day basis.

 

 

 

 

  

 

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I have decided that I want to try to think of one thing every day for which I am grateful.  And, not something like "my family" or "my health".  That's far too easy.  I'm thinking something that made that particular day shiny or sweet or memorable.  I think this will help me remember that my life is pretty good, even when things are bad. 

Today, I had two Happiness Reminders:

1) When my boss/mentor referred to me as his friend when speaking with a new colleague

2) When I found out that, after more than 2 years of work on it, my graduate thesis was published today and many of my friends and family congratulated me and shared my excitement via Facebook