Cupcakes.

What is it about cupcakes that is just so much more exciting than cake?

As many of you know, my oven and I are not friends. The issue was never really resolved. The repairman finally admitted that my oven did not perform correctly, and sheepishly installed a new thermostat, but it only somewhat fixed the problem. Rather than being anywhere from 25-100 degrees inaccurate, it now seems to stay around 50 degrees hotter than the temperature I set it to. Oh well... I can live with this and I got tired of fighting it. I think the main problem is that it is a bottom-of-the-line appliance.

So, back to cupcakes.... Despite my lack of fondness for my oven, I was recently inspired to bake. You see, I found the perfect recipe, and I just had to try it. It was a recipe for Earl Grey Cupcakes. How amazing is that?? To a tea lover who is married to an even bigger tea lover, this was very exciting. I was  excited just thinking about it, and had to go out and purchase the ingredients.

Now, I have to admit... I have never made cupcakes from scratch. Ever. Betty Crocker is my friend. So this was a new endeavor for me. However, even though the process took way longer than I anticipated, I think they turned out really well and were super tasty.

Would you believe....?

Over the past 2 years, my husband and I have become big fans of the 1960's TV show, Get Smart. I bought himthe entire series on DVD two years ago for Christmas, and since then we have watched the entire series through, and have started back at the beginning again. We love it! Maxwell Smart, 99, The Chief, and Siegfried have us in stitches every time. We always know what to put on if we just want to unwind with a good laugh.  

For his birthday this year I bought my husband some of the later Get Smart movies that were made, and we enjoyed revisiting some of the characters we had grown to love.

As I have mentioned before, my husband loves tea. It is a way of life for him and I think it runs through his veins. Well, this year, for part of his Christmas present, I found the perfect thing for my tea-drinking, Get Smart-lovin' husband. I didn't think something so perfect could ever exist, but it does!

Are you ready?

GET SMART TEA!

You can never have too much.

My husband really likes tea. And by "likes" I mean that I'm convinced that it flows through his veins. I've always been a coffee fan, and always will be. But once we started dating I was quickly hooked on having an evening cup of tea. As a matter of fact, I have a mug of tea sitting dangerously close to my right elbow right now, and I should probably move it before my computer is a goner.

After a quick sip..... okay, it is no longer a threat.

Back to what I was talking about. We are officially a tea-loving household. We had too many boxes of tea to put in the cupboard in our kitchen, so we have a special box to store it all in -- a treasure chest.

I asked my husband recently if there was anything we needed from the grocery store.
"Tea!" he said. "Lots and lots of tea!" And he told me about how we were running out. I couldn't help but laugh, and then I snapped the photo above. The box doesn't shut anymore. But we were out of all the favorites. So when we went to the grocery store we picked up three or four more boxes.

We like tea.

Winding down.

There is something about it.
I can't quite explain it, because it won't sound like much.

Its me, sitting at my desk, puttering around with photos or this silly blog.
And its my husband, doing some kind of computer programming that all looks like gibberish to me until he shows me the super-cool end product.

We're both pretty silent, other than the occasional "Hey, check this out". But even though we don't say very much, we enjoy each other's company. I probably wouldn't be sitting here puttering around if I were by myself. I'd at lease go write from the sofa.

We each have a cup of tea at hand. Something herbal, because caffeine at night will keep us awake.

This is our home. This is our evening. And we're winding down after a long day of work.

It may not sound too special, but I'm quite fond of it.