I’m back home safely from Paris. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience in email and RSS feeds. I know during a busy work day even one email or an extra feed can be a nuisance let alone 100 of them. Somehow there were some tech issues and Gadchick was mixed up with my personal blog.  It all began when I realized AT&T has a problem with my old host, Godaddy. AT&T blocks some godaddy and wordpress sites. I noticed this when I had a few emails letting me know my blog couldn’t be viewed, and when I got home, I couldn’t even log on, I freaked out a bit but I’m so so grateful for Sophie to help me move hosts. In order for my blog to work with AT&T customers, each person had to do a Terminal traceback and configure their ISP’s. In other words, it’s easier to move hosts than ask a reader to do this. Thanks for waiting around!

I’m unpacking bags, eating the last of the macaroons (how could I turn down a macaroon from PARIS?!), and dusting off my blog from abandonment. I’m sending out film from my Canon AE-1, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Back to blog life, folks!

Paris so far has been great. We’ve seen the Louvre (and was really surprised by the size of Mona Lisa, but even more surprised other Da Vinci’s pieces were completely ignored), had kiwi on a stick at McDonalds (I’m sure back at home I’d rant on the GMO’s on this, but realistically I’m on vacation so a little won’t hurt, right?), and trying to knock out all the tourist venues before we leave to another part of Paris in a couple weeks. I love Paris, but I also love working with a better view. I don’t speak French, and when I attempted, nervously looking up and down at my iPhone language apps, it was insulting from the look of people’s faces. Thankfully people speak English or Spanish, I’ll stick with what I know, and I won’t butcher the romantic language anymore!

It’s been fun updating on Instagram here and Scott’s Instagram here.

When I first wrote this post a couple years ago, I meant every word. Reading it now, I’m cringing. I would tell myself then to pick up a broom, open a recipe book and STHU.

What were everyday things to normal people were not normal to me. I realize I wrote this post not out of stubbornness, arrogance, or a pretentious guise too good to hold a toilet brush. It was written out of fear. Not fear to do the laundry, but fear of the life changes I was going through. The everyday things I thought I couldn’t handle were a ways fear was surfacing. I was dealing with issues- how I viewed the institution of marriage and losing my independence.

Somewhere down the line in the mind of Diana, there was a bad seed planted how marriage is a terrible thing and cleaning up after myself (like a respected human being) was somehow associated with being a bored housewife. Doing the dishes threw me in an anti-domestic frenzy and poor Scott had to listen to me lecture him on the downfall of what could have been my (now defunct) career. I couldn’t simply put soap and water on a dish to make life easier for both of us.

The idea of losing my independence over clean underwear is really hilarious, and sad. I know a lot of women commented on the post agreeing they felt the same way. I re-read their comments, and our lives were one in the same but at completely different. I didn’t choose growth like them. I chose fear and anxiety. I stayed the same for a couple years and hoped the life would change around my selfish agenda.

I may not have the same independence when I was single but I don’t miss it. And as crazy as it sounds, making a home for my family is the most exciting part of my day. I’m not a bored housewife, or bitter woman with nothing to do but online shopping (can I apply for this job?) but a fearless woman with a very happy home. Thankfully, life stayed the same, and yes, it is thrilling and exciting. There are trials like everything else in life, but it doesn’t have to be a battle.

Do you ever watch Good Eats? That show is so dated, in Apple Family Values episode, they mentioned Apple computers as a dead computer company, along with calling corn syrup the “future” and I lost interest. My DVR kept recording and before I erased all the recordings, I watched “Tofu World”. Then another episode and another. Now, it’s one of my favorite shows on the Cooking Channel. Sure, I could do without the irrelevant commentary, but the recipes and advice on classic kitchen gadgets are as true now as they were then.

Here is the original recipe, but here is my version;
For these you just need a double boiler (I love this one), a food processor or blender, a spatula and a pie tin.

13 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained
1 tsp agave
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pie crust (I used this recipe)

Melt the chocolate chips in the double boiler and stir with the spatula. Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture and agave in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth, about 2 minutes. While spinning, add the vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

Moo-Less Chocolate Pie recipe is a gem. It’s one of the best, fastest things I’ve made and I can’t wait to trick my friends when I tell them “boom, you’re eating a tofu pie”. I just hope they don’t return the same surprise with a soy allergy.

To learn more about Much Love Monday, read about it here.

I have a pink kitchen but my dining room is a little plain. It has a white table, clear chairs, and a couple pink frames. I needed that extra pop of something that requires more less time, money and effort. I’m not afraid of color (I mean, my office has a lime green door on it) and I’m willing to get a little dirty if it means saving some money!

I’ve seen a ton of black chalkboard all over Pinterest, but pink? It wasn’t available at a general craft store. I found Pink Chalkboard Paint on Amazon. I bought two small jars and ended up using one, with about 4 coats on the door. A little goes a long way with this brand!

I wasn’t sure how to prep the door, but I found this amazing, AMAZING tip on Pinterest!!

I’m not very good at painting, and I was a little messy. Apparently you have to pay attention to these things.

I use it mostly not for the color but honestly for organization. It’s a meal planner, a shopping list, a to-do list, or just for love notes.

and I can practice my bad doodles

Overall, I’m really really happy with it, the color from this brand is HOT pink, but that’s exactly what I wanted.

I always see cool projects online but I feel I’m either not talented enough, or I won’t love it enough to devote time and effort to it. Now I can say I’ve tried the chalkboard trend and I absolutely love it!