I did a variety of things this weekend.

Saturday, I spent most of the day working on a research paper that is this close to being in ready-to-submit condition.

Then, after I came home, I decided I needed to clean my bedroom. I had cleaned the rest of the house Thursday, but because it's not a "public" room (no one who ever comes to my house sees it), my bedroom tends to be like the cobbler's barefoot children.

So I cleaned it up - which is good, because I tend to find things when I clean, like the missing belt to one of my dresses and the Evolving Punk pattern I had mislaid. I also re-organized some of my stash as a tiny little stab at dealing with my sewing room.

One problem with re-organizing stash is I find that I have "stash runoff." (This is like waffle runoff, only not tasty). By that, I mean those one or two skeins I bought as "insurance" against running out, are hanging around after the project's done.

The good news is they fall into two camps - worsted weight, which can either be used for charity-knitting, or, if I decide I can't get my act together enough for that, I might be able to find some charity FOR people who knit that will take odds and ends of mostly non-superwash-wool worsted weight yarn. And then there's the odds and ends of sock yarn, that 50 or 100 yards left at the end of the ball when I've knit up a pair of socks to fit my not-oversized feet. That I'm keeping, in the hopes that someday I will have enough more-or-less coordinating colors so I can do that granny-square blanket out of a back issue of Interweave Crochet - the original was done in Koigu, which would have been incredibly wonderful but would have also cost the Earth to make. So I'm saving my bits and bobs of sock yarn scraps to make a cheaper, probably less color-coordinating, but no less fun or warm, version someday.

The other bad thing about reorganizing stash is I see all the great yarn I have and immediately want to start 15 different new projects, even though I have 15 or so that I've been neglecting.

Today, after church, I picked away at various things - got a good start on a Project Not To Be Named Here (at least until after the recipient receives it), quilted some on the quilt in the frame.

And I spent a while looking at vintage embroidery patterns on line. (And I tried the trick of seeing if the printed-out patterns would iron on to fabric, but no go. I guess it needs a different printer than what I have).

I did find a good candidate for the "I Can Has Cheezburger" pillow (which I am TOTALLY making now). It's this cat head. If I do it in grey with yellow eyes it will even look a little like the original Happycat.

(Another option was something I worked up yesterday - a sort of typical cutesy-anthropomorphic 1930s kitten - he's wearing a little jacket and holding a flower - with the words added in (thanks to the magic of PowerPoint) under him. I'll have to think about which cat is more cromulent as the I Can Has Cheezburger embroidery-cat.

I just need to get some more plain white cotton to use as an embroidery base - I was planning on making a run downtown tomorrow so I will visit the quilt shop THAT IS IN MY TOWN [no, I still can't get over that] and get some there.)

Looking at all the vintage patterns makes me feel domesticated. Like I want to wear an apron and mock-sternly chase misbehaving kids with my broom.

So I baked a cake.

This is a cake recipe I make once in a while (I don't bake cake often, unless I have somewhere to take it; most cakes make more than what I can use up and there isn't space in my freezer to do what my mom does - make whatever cake she wants and then freeze 3/4 of it for a time when she doesn't have time to bake). It's pretty simple and arguably as fast as a mix cake.

Also, it doesn't require eggs. Good for the egg-allergic but also good because there is no risk of salmonella from raw eggs - so you can lick the batter spoon when you're done.

(Oh, don't look at me like that. I know you do it, too. Licking the batter spoon is one of those silly little pleasures that, despite its silliness and littleness, makes life nicer somehow).

So here it is - I thought I had shared this before but I guess not.

Simple Hershey's cocoa cake (also makes good cupcakes).

Soften 6 T shortening (I use butter). Cream with 1 cup sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and a dash of salt.

Measure out 1 cup buttermilk. Add the flour alternately with the milk (mixing after each addition) to the butter mixture.

Pour into a greased 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9) pan. Or, it will make about 18 cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees - 18-20 minutes for cupcakes, 30 to 35 minutes for a cake.

Frost as desired. You could, of course, double this and bake it as two layers and have a layer cake, if you like.

I'm not going to frost mine, though - I'm not that fond of making frosting (which I think is what holds me back from making cake more often). This time, though, I thought ahead and bought a can of that whipped cream stuff - so I'll have my cake with whipped cream on it.

(I also call this cake recipe "Oh no, I've got a quart of buttermilk that's in danger of going bad." Because so often when I need buttermilk for another recipe, it only takes like 1/3 cup or so, and then I'm left with that whole carton.

I further planned ahead for buttermilk usage - I bought some chicken breasts and I'm going to do oven fried chicken tomorrow night [you can soak the chicken in buttermilk first - old Southern trick - it tenderizes it and gives it a good flavor]).