Hubby has some big stuff going on right now, so I’ve been letting the house go and letting him off the hook with the cleaning or cooking. I’m being a supportive, calm, not-stressed out or anxious wife. If I am peaceful and calm, he will be less likely to get anxious or stressed out, allowing him to concentrate on what is important in his life right now. I have to tell you that telling myself to calm down, don’t worry about the house being clean, letting it go, has really made me feel good. Today, I didn’t worry about the laundry, the house or the grocery shopping. I slept in, made us homemade pancakes with maple syrup from our trip to New Hampshire. I took a morning nap, made Gyro Burgers for lunch and took Izzie (with Colleen) to the dog park. This was Izzie’s first time and she was great. There was a great group of dogs there. She didn’t play as much as she plays with Max, but she still had a great time. There was a 3-lb chihuahua named Floyd who really liked her, if you know what I mean. That was pretty funny to watch. When I got home, I took a little afternoon nap, and avoiding mowing the foot-long yard. Tonight, I am spending a nice boring Saturday night at home eating ice cream for dinner, baking and reading Good Harbor by Anita Diamant, my newest book club book. I made white cupcakes with chocolate frosting for Ryan (see above re: supporting my husband and doing whatever makes him happy and not-stressed out) and a coffee cake to take to a brunch tomorrow.

Coconut Chip Coffee Cake

1. Combine sour cream, butter, and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Beat in vanilla.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add dry mixture to wet mixture.

4. Spoon half of the batter into a greased bundt pan.

5. Combine the filling ingredients and sprinkle half over batter in ban

6. Add the remaining batter to pan, and top with remaining topping

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

8. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.