snow angel

Even us big kids like snow. While we don't get to go out and play in it as much as we may like, it is still fun. (For awhile until you have to shovel it, scrap it off your car and get stuck in it.)

This big blizzard made me remember all the fun I used to have in the wintertime outside as a kid. [A luxury that pm was never able to enjoy being from the pseudo-tropics.] I remember coming home from school when I was in elementary school only to drop off my book bag and then build forts and have snowball fights with my brothers until dinner.

On the weekends we'd be outside all day. We'd come inside for hot cocoa breaks and to dry out our boots. We lived close enough to a sledding hill, so sometimes we'd walk to it. Other times we'd pretend like the small hill in the front yard was enough for us. Regardless, there was always something to do in the snow. Not to mention there were always friends and neighborhood kids around to join in on the fun.

Oh those were the good old days.

In a tribute to those days, I decided (as noted above) to make some snow angels. It was way harder than I remember. To my defense, I don't ever remember making a snow angel in 22 inches of snow. It was fun nonetheless. If only I would have had more time to work on that fort (or a backyard to make it in.)

Stay warm & get out and enjoy it. We spend so much time complaining about the cold and the winter. I have decided I am going to (try to) be positive about it and relish in its beauty.

seafood gnocci***

It's cold, windy and snowy out. Dinner needs to be warm, hearty and healthy. Cue in seafood gnocci.

It is my goal within the next couple of weeks to empty out our freezer, cupboards and fridge. I want to start over fresh with all new foods. I feel like we stock pile things and then never end of using them. I mentioned that one of my resolutions this year is to eat more healthy foods. This will have to start in the kitchen, and has to start with a clean slate.

One a first glance in our freezer this evening I was already overwhelmed. Mostly overwhelmed by the amount of frozen fruit that is in there from past trips to the Maxwell Street Market. I am well aware that emptying our the freezer will involve a ton of baking in the next few weeks. I am up for it.

Although, I'll save the baking for another day, another post. I wanted a filling dinner tonight to beat out the winter blues (and what they are saying will be the worst snow storm of the century...). I'm calling this a Trader Joe's dinner because almost all the major ingredients (***) came from there.

I did not write down the recipe (I never do when I cook). Here is my best guess at ingredients:

-whole wheat gnocci***

- frozen seafood mixture (shrimp, calamari, etc.)***

- onion***

- garlic***

- fresh tomato & tomato paste

- butter

- splash on Vino Verde*** (one for the sauce, one for me)

- fresh parmesan cheese***

- herbs & seasonings

Do have any foods that you prefer to eat when the weather is cold & blistery?

success.

Yes, success. Christmas shopping is complete. Almost all the gifts are wrapped and stored away. Wish we could say they were resting under the Christmas tree, but small apartment living isn't very conducive for having a tree. Instead, we've got some eucalyptus branches to give off some of that delightful 'piney' smell.

We put up some DIY snowflakes (photos to come soon) and are starting to ease our ways into the season. The snow this weekend actually makes it feel a lot more like winter is here. This is both a good and bad thing. It sure was pretty on Saturday, not so much today.

I've been dreaming of Christmas cookies, and am a little stumped as to where to begin. I know that one of these days coming up I'll get to making a few batches. If for nothing else it will keep the temperatures livable in here with having the oven on. Oh the joys of winter!

needed: more sunshine

The weekend was the perfect double dose of sunshine ... just like this double-exposure holga I took back in July.

There are a few things I always have to come to term with around this time of year.

1. It is going to start getting colder.

2. Green is going to be harder to come by in the great outdoors.

3. There is going to be less light during the day.

I haven't come up with plans to remedy all of the above, but I can at least start prepping myself for the month that lie ahead. Here's my plan thus far:

Remedy #1:

Put away summer clothes and bring out the hats, mittens and down coats. Look for bargains on sweaters and other winter gear. Until then, pm has a wonderful collection of over-sized sweatshirts. This is the best remedy of all, both for the pocket book and comfort.

Remedy #2:

Buy plants on sale and keep them alive and thriving during the winter months. We just bought a new jade plant. I am so incredibly excited by this, partly because we lost 3 jade plants just a month or two ago. I am determined to keep this new plant alive. I will not over water you, little jade; I will not over water you, little jade.

Remedy #3:

Get as many rays as you can now before it's too late. We're making a point to go for a walk right when we get home from work before it turns dark. We may also be investing in a winter "happy lamp" this year. We'll see just how glum it turns out to be this winter, before I commit.

What are your pre-winter remedies?

Winter Lake

I have been neglectful here lately. Sorry folks. We've been busying ourselves with too much these days, even if it's never enough. I always feel like we have to take advantage of the nice weather before it is gone. I've had good intentions to write more often. I will get better. I promise. We should have loads more new photos and material by the beginning of next week. (Waiting for some film as we speak to be developed. Get excited!)

That said: The heat has been reminding me of winter walks. This photo was from the lake surrounding our apartment in Ypsilanti. I cannot say that I miss the apartment, but I miss the winter walks.

What have you been thinking about lately to stay cool? (Other than ice cream; I have been thinking way too much about ice cream. Someday I am just going to have to buy a maker and all elastic pants. :))

A little L.O.V.E

I so prefer this expression of l.o.v.e. over the standard graffiti or etched tree trunk. It is not quite so timeless, but a much creative use of environment.

It is exhilarating to see that even in the dead cold of winter, people are still out and about marking their journey in snow messages.

Here's to more snowy days, preferably without the cold. Cheers!