A day in the life of a 20-something, stay-at-home writer.

I get some strange looks when people find out I work from home. There’s various reactions, and usually people think it’s pretty cool, and that I’m “lucky” to not have a boss over my shoulder or that I get to avoid the morning commute.

And, they’re totally right.

I wake up at my leisure. People think that means I get up whenever I want. However…I still have to work 40 hours a week. I try to get up around 7 and get started around 7:30. Why? Because, I want to be done working by 5, at the latest. Just like a normal person. I have free food and coffee all day, and I can go work out whenever I want. That being said, getting up early helps me keep my schedule flexible ; impromptu yoga class and lunch dates with friends included.

 

My boss and I have a super chill relationship. He gives me a lot of free reign and trusts me a lot – he has to, I guess! We email daily, and occasionally have a phone call for particularly complicated conversations, but otherwise it’s pretty low-key.

I have a low – stress job. So low, in fact, that today I was just wearing a robe for a few hours. I’m now rocking my signature yoga pants, a sweatshirt, and a scarf. Oh, and i don’t have to put on makeup – so I don’t more days than I do.

This is my sweet set up. it almost always includes a cat and a cool podcast.

I just took a nap.

But okay before you get jealous…think about this. I do not talk to a single person all day. I don’t even see a single person all day. And sure, I could go to a coffee shop, but I have a sweet desk, sweet computer, and a really, really comfy chair. Its hard to leave this set up. I get really antsy and restless and often feel isolated. I got some cats now, and they’re actually pretty decent company. My husband is still a student, so he works at home a lot, which is fun – no, really, we have a good time working our office, listening to music and chatting now-and-then. But, having coworkers is such a fun, community experience. I loved having coworkers at every job I’ve had, and I so miss that.

So, I decided I wanted to plunge back into the barista pool. One day a week. Makin’ my lattes and talking to cool people. I went to my shop the other day and saw a regular, and he was so happy to see me. It totally made my day and I cannot wait to get back into customer service. Weird, huh?

Me and two great coworkers (and friends!) out for a night.

That’s what your 20s are about though, right? You do the things that make you happy. Really, though, that’s just what life is about. I’m trying to do things I want to do, and not focus on what I “should” be doing. I want to do a lot of things with my life.

Back in the swing of things (Cats and Cake)

Well, obviously by now, we’ve made it back from Japan. We’ve been back for about a month now, and it has been a bit of a whirlwind. We jumped right back into life when we got back, not even pausing for a few days before hanging out with friends, “camping” in our living room – tent and all- and traveling to see our parents in 2 states. Brent started school again at the beginning of September, and we finally  did something I’ve been waiting to do for years…

We got these little guys!

Yeah, I take pictures of my cats. Lots of them. More than I care to admit, and way more than even makes sense. There’s a cat on my desk right now. I put the cat bed there to lure them to me.

I have a problem.

Anyways, I love them. They’re like our babies, nap times and time-outs included. I wasn’t prepared for just how much work they’d be, but it quenched my previous baby fever, which I had big time in Japan. Brent thought I was just lonely, and I think he was right. These dudes keep me company at home all day while Brent’s gone, and I chat with them, and they hang out in my office with me. It’s cute.

Coming back to a brand new kitchen also sparked a baking revival in our house. I love baking, but I’m also actively trying to be healthy and fit, and those don’t generally mix well. So I’ve had to bake and gift half of it away. This works well, but then…I wanted to make cake.

I made cake for my parent’s over labor day weekend, since it was just their birthdays. Okay, that cake rocked. It was also hideous…See?

I had so many baking fails trying to make that damn cake, I needed to redeem myself. But cakes aren’t small-family friendly. And I have it in my head that cakes are for occasions….but I really wanted to use my sweet antique cake stand again. So I busted out the apron and tried for a beautiful cake.

Nailed it! This banana cake is super moist and fairly simple to make. It has a pretty big ingredient list, which is annoying, and okay who has 3 round cake pans? Not this chick. I made some cupcakes out of the extra batter – sadly- because 3 layer cakes are gorgeous.

I also attempted a meringue frosting. This was entirely frightening, since it combined my other baking fear of caramel making. Egg whites and boiling sugar…ahhhhh!

Amazingly, it all came together. The frosting is like a brown sugar marshmallow shaving cream. It was so fluffy and creamy. Even when the cats tried to eat it. There was a few time outs involved. And it wasn’t ugly!

Lessons learned from making cakes: People really don’t care how stuff looks.
bloggers, however, really care how a cake looks. No one looks at a janky cake picture and says “oh yeah, gotta click on that post.” nope.

 

But, here it is. Here are the links to the recipes I used. I didn’t modify them at all, and the comments in the frosting recipe are informative if you’re a bit scared of egg whites and boiling sugar.

Cake via The Novice Chef
Frosting via I Wash You Dry