Did you do anything extra weekendy this past weekend?

I did!

Friday I baked all day, then ignored the kitchen mess until about 9 PM when I finally convinced myself to clean so I wouldn’t regret it in the morning. Instead of tidying right away I collapsed on the couch and watched Fashion Police.

Saturday morning I woke up annoyed at the uncleaned kitchen and then, predictably, sat back down on the couch.

After that I worked out with my husband — a surprising first. We met at the gym and have worked out in the same space for years, but I’m the kind of person who prefers silence and headphones while exercising. I usually tune everything out, even people waving in front of me. So doing a workout together felt like a small milestone.

Then we did something even crazier: we made breakfast together. Real breakfast — both of us cooking in the kitchen at the same time, without threatening divorce. He made the eggs (they were fine) and I made pancakes (also fine), and while eating it dawned on us, after more than three years of marriage, that we actually kind of like each other.

After breakfast we finally started taking down the Christmas decorations. That turned into a bit of mock torture, since my husband has an extreme aversion to styrofoam. He visibly winces at it while I can’t resist squishing it. I tease him about it constantly — I’ve even imagined wrapping a gift in a stack of shrinking styrofoam boxes. His post-breakfast affection may have cooled a bit after that.

I got sucked into Rob Lowe’s memoir and read it in under 24 hours. Then I spent a while looking at Rob Lowe pictures and wondered when it became socially unacceptable to hang celebrity posters from your bedroom ceiling. Then I wondered why I don’t have a life.

Somewhere in the middle of that I ate pizza — a very Saturday thing to do. I didn’t do laundry, though my husband did until the washing machine broke mid-load. That was not fun.

While the washer drama was unfolding I watched the Golden Globe red carpet and decided the starlets who hadn’t eaten sweets in months deserved an extra brownie on my behalf, so I indulged. I also spent a few contemplative minutes on Gerard Butler’s hair. Then Scott Disick appeared onscreen in a violet blazer and made me reconsider my favorite color, and I went back to Rob Lowe’s memoir.

Later, Mr. How Sweet came downstairs to find I still hadn’t started researching washing machines. He’s very Type A and insists on doing a load of laundry every day — everything together, no sorting — and he was baffled at my lack of adulting.

I reminded him about the red velvet cookies I’d baked on Friday, an idea from the Facebook page that felt too good to pass up. I hadn’t planned to bake a cookie so early in the year, but they came together and were just right for Valentine’s Day — or, you know, a random Tuesday — which cheered him up.

And then Rob Lowe presented at the Golden Globes for a long time and I nearly died of delight. It felt like fate.

Red Velvet Thumbprints

(adapted from s’mores thumbprints)

makes about 20 cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons red food coloring

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3–4 minutes, scraping as needed. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat another 1–2 minutes. Add red food coloring and mix until evenly colored. With the mixer on low, stir in the flour mixture; increase speed as the dough comes together, scraping down the sides. Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes, remove and gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie to create a dent. Return to the oven and bake 5–6 more minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Marshmallow Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1–2 teaspoons milk, if needed

Beat cream cheese in the mixer until smooth. Add marshmallow fluff and beat 2–3 minutes, then add vanilla. On low speed, add powdered sugar a cup at a time until incorporated. Beat on medium-high for 2–3 minutes. If too runny, add more sugar; if too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Frost the cooled cookies and top with shaved chocolate if desired.

*Okay, fine — I wasn’t completely done with Rob Lowe. But that’s a topic for another lazy afternoon.