Christmas in March

It's moving time again and I'm thrilled!

Since we've been away, our stuff has been packed for months on end, making this move especially fun. I remember maybe half of what's in storage, so all those boxes might as well be under a Christmas tree. I'm seriously night-before-Christmas giddy.

Unpacking in the new place is also another chance to parse down. You'd be surprised how much perspective you get when you haven't seen your stuff for a long time. Suddenly that sweater that you were sure was passable is clearly not, you discover 10 ladles among your utensils, and you finally admit that you will never never never use the frightening fucshia fruit bowl some kind misguided soul gave you on your wedding day.

When it's been long enough, you finally stop worrying that the sweet color-blind gifter will come over and ask about her scary bowl. Happily, the donation bin grows and your clutter shrinks. It's absolutely liberating. I'm going to keep referencing Leo's Simplicity page and see how far I get. (If you don't read Zen Habits, I heartily suggest you wander over and check it out.) We'll see how it goes.

In the mean time, I'm insanely excited to see, feel, and smell my books again!

What's on Page 56?

Time to play What's on Page 56 again! This from an old meme I was sent in 2008.

Instructions for this meme:

(1) Grab the nearest book
(2) Open the book to page 56
(3) Find the fifth sentence
(4) Post the text of the next two to five sentences
(5) Don’t dig for your favorite book. Pick the closest.



The closest book to me was Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Twelve-year-old Augusten has just been left at his mother's psychiatrist's house for an undetermined amount of time. He's in the living room with Hope, the psychiatrist's oldest daughter, and Agnes, the doctor's wife.

"The television was blaring and rolling its screen like it was frustrated that nobody would watch it. And I was sitting on the sofa alone because Hope had gone into the kitchen. I was sitting there watching Agnes snore when all of a sudden I heard the sound coming from somewhere upstairs.

     When I was ten, I had an after-school job helping two local dog trainers teach their black labs to retrieve. One of them also had a wolf hybrid. The whine I heard from upstairs sounded like that dog, only younger."

Cake in a Cup

I have--courtesy of my friend Noreen--a great quick recipe for cake in a cup, otherwise known as cupcake. But this is so much cooler because it is in fact made in a cup and fully nukable. Here goes.


First
Get a mug and mix in

• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of baking cocoa

 Then
Add and mix in

• 1 egg

Next
Add and mix in

• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 3 tablespoons of oil 

Finally
Add and mix in

• 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips
• Small splash of vanilla

OK, now stick it in a microwave at 1000 watts for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top a bit. Don't panic, it shouldn't overflow. When it's done, take it out and let it cool for a bit before tipping it out on a plate.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

Pic

SNOW!

I've been hybernating since Tuesday and loving every minute. Jammies rock. And while I'm not a cold weather lover, winter and cold are entirely worth it when there's snow, and right now we have tons of it! Well, tons for North Texas, anyway. People in Boston would mock us, but around these parts, 4 inches might as well be a blizzard.

And it's so pretty! I'd play in it, if I had the proper winter cloths. As things stand, I can go for a walk without wanting to die and that's about it. I do love looking at it, though.

Last night city lights reflected from the snow gave everything a fabulous glow. We could see perfectly in the middle of the night. Considering we had pretty much a new moon, it was incredible.

Weather like this makes me feel like I live in a post card. Add a warm fire (or gas heater in our case) and my imagination takes me to Orchard House. (Yes, I did just make a Little Women reference.) Suddenly I want a warm drink, a blanket, a few books, and maybe even some yarn and knitting needles. That said, I'm happy to have TV and central heating to go with my fantasy.