Sunday Happy

How are you handling the winter so far? Are you freezing you ass off? Are you spending all of your time inside? Me, I freakin love it!!!! Sure -20 is a bit rough on the eyeballs and there is a need for an extra layer or two but I really truly feel that winter is season of my soul. I want to spend all of my time outside. The world is calm and quiet and no one else around. It just feels bigger and more full and I could live the season forever. But yeah, it has been damn cold this week. Multiple frozen face mornings for sure.

The week was nothing special. Well the snow we got was fantastic. I wasn’t feeling the greatest (not sick, just blah) but I also found out that someone I worked with last week had covid so I was a little edgy and basically went outside for runs and walks but stayed away from people until I went and got tested. Got the results back and no covid, yay!(Although when I got the email and it said negative the first thought was, Oh shit, negative means I have it! That thought lasted about a minute before I woke up. Ha!) So it was a low key week. I shoveled a lot, Barb come over for dinner, I picked up farm share, painted some mugs, threw a few big ass bowls, stuck my wheel on cinderblocks (FINALLY), and went outside I much as I could without getting frost bite. The mr has been home a lot so we are still doing our afternoon reading hour thing. He has gotten a little better at not talking. But he still does. And that’s about it.

Today, well it is going to feel down right balmy with temperatures in like the high teens so you bet I am dragging the mr out. I have a few hikes in mind but I haven’t decided on where we should go. I want to get out of town but don’t want to drive to far (car air dries me right out.) We might also go look at some ice sculptures, maybe pick up a cup of coffee, walk around like tourist. We will see how much outdoor activity I can pack in before the mr calls uncle.

Some internet from the week.

-Oscar Mayer comes out with bologna-inspired sheet masks. This just looks really freaking g.ross.

-I will never ever let someone else pick out my groceries and deliver them to me. I don’t care what anyone says. NEVER! I Haven’t Stepped Foot in a Grocery Store in 21 Months — Here’s What’s Changed and What I’ve Learned Since I Started Getting My Groceries Delivered

-The M&Ms are different now. Killing that sexy candy vibe.

-This pretty much sums it up. You’re Invited to the Wedding I Planned in Middle School.

-Is It Really That Important to Rotate My Pans While Baking?

-I love me a good meteor shower. Ten Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2022.

-Grocery Store Shortages Are Back. Here’s Why.

-And here I thought a dingbat was a not very nice name for a somewhat looper person. Everything You Need to Know About Dingbats, the Retro Home Style That’s All Over LA

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Pictures from the week.

Sweet Potato Steaks on Arugula and Kale with Pea Avocado Cream

All I want to do is eat fists fulls of arugula. Ok, maybe that is not all I want to do, but it is something that I have been doing a lot. I have always really like arugula but as of right now, it is my top choice green!

Anyway, big green salads are all I want to eat because it is spring and all and greens are the best in the spring. But I still am eating a lot of roots and will be eating them for a few more weeks unit winter farm share dies down. And because it is the end of the season, the choice of roots is dwindling and we basically get a bucket of carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes. Lots of sweet potatoes, which by the way, I am not made about. And greens, We get lots of greens!

So my new favorite salad comes to fruition. Thick cut sweet potato steaks on a bed of fresh spring arugula and kale toped with a thick creamy avocado pea situation and some toasted walnuts for flair and crunch. I mean, is your mouth watering and your tummy grumbling yet?

Mine is but that is just how it always is.

Now to the steaks and salad!

The stuff. A sweet potato, some arugula and tender kale, peas (frozen and thawed) half an avocado, some toasted walnuts, a lemon, and salt and pepper.

Start by cutting the sweet potato into thick steaks. 4-5 same thickness slices if you may.

And no roast up the sweet potato steaks. Just place hem onto a baking sheet and pop them into a hot oven. Bake for 2-30 minutes, flipping over after 15-20 minutes. Once tender, remove from oven and set aside.

While sweet potatoes are baking, make pea avocado cream. Place peas and avocado into a blender or cup if using a hand blender along with the juice of the lemon and about a tablespoon of water. And a small pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Add more water a tablespoon at a time until you get a thick but pourable constancy.

Now rough chop the kale and toss together with the arugula and place in a large salad bowl

Place the sweet potato steaks on top of the greens. Note here that the sweet potato steaks can be hot, warm, or cold. The are good all the ways.

Then top it all with the pea avocado cream. Toss on the toasted walnuts and add some more black pepper and that be that. Grab a fork and a knife if you wish and get to it.

So much goodness in the mouth!

-C

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Sweet Potato Steaks on Arugula and Kale with Pea Avocado Cream

serves 1-2

• 1 medium sweet potato

• 1/2 cup frozen (and thawed) green peas

• 1/2 of an avocado

• a small lemon

• 2 large handfuls of fresh arugula

• 4-5 leaves of tender kale

• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts

• around 1/4 cup cold water

• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Wash sweet potato and cut into 4-5 equal thickness slices. Place cut pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and pop into oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping after 15 or until the sweet potato is tender. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.

While sweet potato is baking off, make pea avocado cream. Place the peas and avocado into a blender or cup if using a hand blender, add in the juice of the lemon and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Add in a tablespoon or two (or more) to thin out until it is still thick but pourable. Also rough chop the kale and mix together with the arugula in a big salad bowl.

Once sweet potato steaks have baked and cooled off a little bit (you can eat them hot or cold so whatever temperature you want), place them on top of the greens then top with the pea avocado cream, sprinkle on toasted walnuts, more black pepper, and maybe a squeeze of more lemon if you have it.

Then grab a fork and knife and start eating.

Sunday Happy

The week went by in a blur. I worked a lot in my studio, worked at the other studio, did things that needed to be done, ate food, slept some. Nothing to eventful. We did go for a couple of good snowy hikes earlier in the week which were very much needed. Also I finally pulled out the comforter after the mr told me he was freezing to death at night. And I have officially had my brand new phone for 2 weeks, sitting in it’s pretty little white box on my desk, without opening it and switching put my SIM card. Ask me why and I could not tell you. All I know is that its getting ridiculous.

Today I am spending the morning glazing mugs at the studio and hopefully after that the mr and I are going to go pack our lunches and go for a snowshoeing adventure IF the snow is shoeshoe-able. If not, we will just hike into the woods with our regular feet. And when I get home, I am, I MUST, open my new freaking phone. I will reward myself with spending the rest of the day drinking coffee and reading.

Internet for you pleasure.

-So ok, I am on a weird “wanting a new couch for the upstairs room” kick. I could never spend anywhere near this much money on a couch, but I am lusting after it. Caitlin by The Everygirl. This website… Building your own couch. So good.

-This Quaint Eco Cabin is Essentially a Birdhouse For Humans. Into this. Not sure if the mr would like it though.

-Are you a resolution person? I am not, but I get why people do it. And this year, like so many past years, many a resolution goes out the window But guess what? It’s all good so don’t even worry about it. Broken New Year's Resolutions Already? It's OK To Give Yourself A Break

-'Why Do I Spend Weeks Avoiding Tasks That Will Take Me 10 Minutes to Do?' Like me not opening and using my new phone.

-A baked sweet potato is street food.. Why hasn't that caught on here?!? Just here making my own but gonna try this method. For a ‘Proper Proper Proper’ Baked Sweet Potato, Freeze It First

-A Los Angeles Nonprofit Is Supporting Prison Abolition Through a Community Ceramics Practice. Awesomeness!

-Yes, let take it (when it is safe!) LET’S TAKE A TRIP TO CHÂTEAU DE DIRAC.

-Behold the world’s tallest trees. Trees in general are amazing but when you get into old growth and stands of redwoods… truly is the most breathtaking. Touches the soul.

-Not good news but need to know news. CDC Warns New U.K. Coronavirus Variant Is Spreading Fast In The U.S. So stay away from people and wear you masks yo!

-But some good news. The Cat Who Came Back: Patches, Believed Killed In Mudslide, Shows Up 3 Years Later

The few photos I took on the mr’s phone which brings me to the number one reason to open my new phone. TO be able to take pictures again!

Sunday Happy

I only wash my hair once (if that) a week so I go through a bottle like once every 18 months. This past week when I went to wash my hair I hadn’t really realized that I ran out of shampoo. I ended up having to use some of the mr’s. He uses Herbal Essences, the one in the see through pink bottle (If you know, you know.) So all week I have been getting wiffs of the smell and it keeps brining me back to 1995 which is crazy and weird and makes me feel old and that the world is now a sci fi movie but also is has been comforting in a way. I mean, at least the shampoo hasn't changed in like 25 years so there is that. And as for getting more shampoo I still haven’t refreshed it so it looks like I will be using the Herbal Essence again if I choose to wash my hair, just like when I was 12. HA

Oh the week. Well it came, it went and wow it is now almost Christmas. How? We got snow which thrilled me to no end. Both the mr and I were pretty busy doing the doings. I finished up some last minute special orders and was delivering mugs and the mr, well I am not exactly sure what he was doing, but he sure was out and about all week.

We also did dinners with Barb, finished up Christmas cards, went on a couple of light drives, and had a evening where the little came over for a couple (masked clad) hours and we finally put up some ornaments on the tree and put together cookie houses! Miley and Judah are now old enough where their houses actually look like houses. Coco o the other hand, well he wouldn’t decorate the cookies as a house, he just slathered on frosting and ate them.

Other then that, not much. I picked up last farm share for the year (I have to wait THREE weeks until next pick up. AGH!) Went through the closet and started to plan a way to get rid of EVERYTHING, and gave the mr a hair cut and an eyebrow trim. Gosh, we are just so exciting…..

Today the mr and I are on a mission to hand deliver all of our Christmas cards. We do this every year and it usually takes the day because we stop in a talk to everyone, but this year it probably won’t take too long since we won’t be hanging out with anyone. So we we will do that, then I will come home and make coffee and start a big pot of soup (thinking a good spices split pea). I have a stack of books to get to but I am in the middle of a knitting project so I am thinking I might park my butt on the couch and watch me a Christmas movie (Home Alone or Elf?) and drink all the coffee because I can tell it is going to be one of those day where more coffee is just not enough.

Some stuff from the internet to read if you wish.

-Dear Present Procrastinators: Ship That Holiday Gift, Now. OR another idea, shop local. I have even had people from other states buy pots from me to drop off to family that live locally here. So smart!

-Do you jerk when you are falling asleep? I do ALL THE TIME! Why Your Body Sometimes Jerks As You Fall Asleep. Defiantly because I am a monkey.

-I you live in Vermont, you have heard people talk about the flatlands for sure. Where Do The Terms 'Woodchuck' And 'Flatlander' Come From?

-Yeah I would live here. Yup yup yup.

-Sisters are the best, even when their the worst. The Secret To Success? Having A Big Sister

-Gingerbread House Goals! 14 Architectural Gingerbread Houses That Are Definitely Not Cookie-Cutter. But this one…. SO GOOD! The Prettiest Gingerbread House of 2020

-Take care to season your cast iron. We Seasoned Cast Iron Skillets with 5 Different Oils and Have a New Favorite

-A New way to travel across the US. On bike! Might just be a goal of mine!?!

-I need new running shoes, ones that are good and grippy for running is the woods and in snow. Do I dare These? Are they too bright?

A few pictures from the week, mostly taken with the mr’s or Barbs phone because my phone be broken!

Sunday Happy

We finally got us some real winter around here and I couldn’t be any happier! YIPPE!

How was your week? Mine was good, if not a little on the hectic side, but what is new?

I started out Sunday at the art market. Of course by the time I got there I was feeling like complete shit. The ick that was in and out of me all last week was in at the time and I just wanted to curl into a ball and sleep. But I trudged on and had a great time, hanging out, talking to people, checking out the other vendors. Iit was cool, and completey exhausting. I learned real quickly that the hardest part about selling stuff in person is having to be a person and talk to a lot of people. HA. So after the market, I came home, ate soup, and slept. Spent the next day not talking to anyone and keeping myself on the low key trying to keep the ick a bay.

And then Tuesday and Wednesday came any went with the normal stuff of work, family, life.

Thursday was very productive. Woke up to snow which started the day great, and the mr and I (but mostly the mr) spent the day tearing out old cupboards from the basement and building out shelves for my studio. And let me tell you, having a wall of shelves, fantasticly built shelves mind you, in my studio is a game changer. I have so much space now and it is freaking amazing. That mr. He really is just a pretty great dude.

Friday started off with me chipping away at least 1/2 and inch, if not more, of ice from the car. Seriously took me like 20 minutes to get it cleaned just enough to drive, which was the last thing I was interested in doing at 5am. But what are you gonna do? Anyway, I managed to de-ice, and go along my way, even if I did break the stupid ice scraper. Oops. But it was all worth it because after the night of ice, we got the snow storm! I think it was reported we got 15 inches, all within like 10 hours. Heavy, big, beautiful snow. I was home early in the day and the mr came home around lunch and tried to leave again afterwards but the roads were complete shit so we were stuck. And I LOVE being stuck in snow weather. It makes me feel like a kid again and that nothing but being comfy matters. So I spent the afternoon interchanginging my snow boots to shovel and walk around in the storm, and my respirator because when I was inside, I was in my studio, with my new shelves,c leaning away. I am trying to get all the dust and grossness out which is a hard task to do to a 100 year old basement that is now a pottery studio, but I am trying!

Yesterday was amazing. All the fresh snow, the bluest of blue skies, crisp, clean, cold air without much wind. A+ perfection. Sure my shoulders were a little sore from all the shoveling that Friday brought, but good sore if that you know what I mean. And so the day went. Did the usual, got the chores done, the grocery shopping in, the work done. Then we hung out with the littles for a while. The mr and Miley shoveling out the driveway, me and Judah attempted to make paper flowers, and hung out while waiting for Coco to come home from the hospital. (He had to spend a few days there because he choked and aspirated but he is doing alright now.) When he finally did come home, the first he did was throw a fit because he wanted chocolate. So all was good there and so we left and came back home to eat and sleep.

Today I am going to hit the gym early, come home and toss beans and pre-chopped veggies (because I planned ahead!) into the slow cooker for dinner and then I am back at it. 11-3, selling my wares at the art market (It’s in Winooski at 2creativecommunity) Rainbows and heart mugs. So if you want to pick up a little something sweet for your sweety and/or yourself, come on down. And yes, Valentines day is next week, but that really shoudnt’t be the reason to buy a heart of rainbow. Treating yourself and/or a lover/friend/sister/brother/mother/crossing guard (you get the idea) to a piece that makes you/them happy is what it’s all about. And it lasts every dang day forever!(Unless you break it so don’t do that.)

Click on the links to read the internet stuff that I read this week.

-I used to nap a lot more. I think I need to make more time for it. How Long Should a Nap Be?

-Why Some Vegetarians (Like Me) Aren’t Excited About Beyond, Impossible, and Other New Meatless Meats. This is my truth!

-I clicked on a thing and ended up seeing this Sabrina Cord Pinafore Dress. And now I want it.

-This Charming A-Frame Cabin. I could live without the hot tub but the stove… Swoon!

This. Bumblebees Are Disappearing Because Of Extreme Heat. And this. It Was 65 Degrees In Antarctica This Week Feeling pretty freaking fucked.

-So sweet and I want it! Carpenter Dad Turns His Kid’s Drawing into a Real-Life Piece of Furniture

-Why Grocery Stores Have Tiny Kid-Size Carts. I just thought it was to keep the kids busy while the grown ups shopped.

-Whats even the point without “Be mine”? Sweethearts Conversation Hearts Are Back, But They're Not Very Chatty

-Most humans don’t have tails. So why do we have the bones for it?….MOST? I miiiight be one of those that have a little tail. HA

-The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day. It’s not all dark. am a V day lover. The mr and I always take the day to spend together. We usually go for a hike or something outdoorsy, pack a lunch and get good coffee. And a few years ago we started a tradition of buying a new plant for ourselves, together. Because that is what valentines day is, a day to spend together. Chocolate and flowers not needed!

Pictures from the week