The past week has been a roller coaster of domestic hits and misses. My high point was a turkey tortilla soup that I made using leftovers and pantry items on a whim. NO PRE-MEAL PLANNING STRESS. Plus it was delicious.

I felt like a winner that day. And I learned the value of stocking the cupboards with some basic food stuffs like chicken stock and beans. Hit!

But it was downhill in the craft category. I couldn’t seem to find a project that would occupy my daughter for more than 5 minutes. At one point I had her cutting and pasting pictures out of the coupon circular.

It was almost painful to watch. A sad attempt at creativity, even for me (that said, I’m sure we’ll do it again someday). Miss.

Last night I made some mediterranean meatballs that were actually pretty tasty, despite their appearance on the pan. I even used fresh parsley from our “garden.” Suck it, IKEA meatballs. Hit!

However I struggled to find a purpose for the emaciated carrots that were also in the garden.

While typing this, I realize if I had had my wits about me, I could’ve killed both of the aforementioned birds with one stone and used the carrots for some sort of craft. D’oh. Double miss.

I finally succeeded in saving money at the grocery store using a combination of coupons and strategically purchased sale items that I had actually researched and planned in advance. Hit!

But in my quest to save I bought an enormous package of pork chops that my husband pointed out has some funky coloring on it. Gag. Lesson learned that meat labeled “Extreme Value Pack” probably warrants a close inspection. So gross.

I think I’m in an emotional and domestic rut. Tonight I’m having what I just realized is my first official cocktail out of the house since the baby. Hopefully the power of the drink will provide me with some much needed inspiration.