Spring has sprung!

First time wearing the new sandals I bought in Italy! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Pugs!

Last Christmas, my parents got me a pug calendar.  This is an annual occurrence - one I love!  Most years, it's a small monthly flip calendar, but this year it's a daily tear-off calendar. I keep it at work and look forward to flipping the page every day to see the next new picture.  Now for your viewing pleasure, some particularly entertaining shots as of late...

Oh....! I could just "hug you and squeeze you and caress you and I'll call you George..."

Presents!

I had two -not one, but TWO- boxes waiting for me when I got home today!  Nothing better than something sitting by your front door... unless it's one of the millions of phone books I seem to get.  Three already this year, good grief!  These are much better than an old phone book.  I already knew what was in them, but they were still fun to open.  One was a present from my parents, and the other was a present from... me!  What could be inside... hmm... maybe a whole fish, shipped overnight on ice from Italy?  Maybe a pair of those roller shoes that were trendy with kids a few years ago? You know, the ones that make you slip and break your back just by looking at them.  Or maybe just a giant bag of paillettes?

Let's look inside Box #1 first, on the right:

Coconut goodies! 

This is the gift I bought for myself - coconut soap.  I needed some new hand soap for the kitchen and bathroom; something that wouldn't dry out my hands like other soaps do.  This soap is made completely from coconut oil that has been saponified, and the lather is really impressive!  It's creamy and the unscented version that I got is pleasantly perfume-free, not with a slight odor that other non-perfumed things can have.  Tropical Traditions was having a Christmas special when I bought the soap.  If you spent more than $16, you got a 32 oz. jar of coconut oil for free!  That's pretty cool.  I use coconut oil all. the. time.  In the kitchen, on my hair, on my arms and legs and face and feet.  It's really versatile.

Well, what's in Box #2?  I'll give you a few hints: it's round, it's made of iron, and it weighs 14 pounds!  This present came from my parents.

It's a cast iron pan set!  The skillet has a slight lip all the way around the edge that fits into the top of the deeper pot so it can act as a lid.  Double trouble!  I have been wanting a cast iron pan for ages. I kept putting off buying one for myself because I wanted to find a used one in a thrift store. I figured a used pan would be cheaper.  Nope, I was wrong.  Every time I was in a thrift store, I would check, and either they would not have any at all, or the ones they did have cost just as much as a new one. These things are popular!  And for good reason.  With a little seasoning, they can outlast their owner.

Cast iron pans take some getting used to, but they are well worth it (these may become my all-time favorite pans).  You should only wash them in hot water (no soap), dry them immediately, and put a little oil on them before they go back into storage.  You can't shimmy them around on the stove top like your other pans because they are so heavy. 

On the plus side... who needs to lift weights when you've got these guys around?

Winter sunset

Don't ask me why the trees only shed the top half of their branches. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

The Last Day of the Year

Today I'm...

* Writing a birthday card to my almost-6 (!) niece.

* Sorting through all the books I own, since I gave away my tall bookcase and they no longer have a home!  My new rule is: if the book is easily available at the local library, it doesn't need to be in my house.  Might as well let someone else store them, right?  This makes me a little sad, since I love the look and idea of shelves and shelves of books, but I don't have the storage to hold them, so it's just not practical for me anymore.

* Renewing my dedication to a paleo diet, including buying and making fun new foods for myself: coconut butter, a strawberry-cardamom green smoothie, a whole ham (I've never cooked ham before!), Thai garlic-chili brussels sprouts, and shrimp lo mein for dinner tonight (subbing green cabbage for the noodles, mmm.....).

* Flattening all the tissue I received in Christmas present packaging so I can reuse it. Yes, I'm one of those frugal girls.

*Waiting for my new cast iron cookware to arrive on Tuesday (Christmas gift from my parents)!

*Pondering the likelihood of there being enough snow to go snowshoeing on Monday.

*Listening to three of my favorite podcasts: Joy the Baker, Spilled Milk by Molly Wizenberg, and Boundless.

* Taking a break by "allowing" (do you know what I mean?) myself to stay home tonight on New Year's Eve, maybe watch a movie, and go to bed early if I feel like it. I'm excited to start a new year on the right foot.

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you are looking forward to a great year of blessing and growth.

My 2011 Christmas ornament

A sweet (and sparkly) reminder of Paris. Thanks Mom! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 25

Coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite things. Merry Christmas everyone! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android