Let us try to drag ourselves out of this funk, shall we?
(My husband’s theory is that I am down in the dumps because I am procrastinating a task and that once I complete the task the scowling clouds will suddenly lift from around my ears and the sun will shine. He’s probably right. But let’s write a blog post instead, shall we?)
- Daffodils. On Swistle’s recommendation, I bought some daffodils. $1.49 for ten stems from Trader Joe’s. (Versus the $3.99 my local grocery store was asking for theirs. Seriously? $3.99? That seems… egregious.) My pink Valentine’s Day carnations were starting to look a little peaked (and no wonder – when I threw them out, there was not a SINGLE DROP of water in the vase… whoops!) so it was nice to swap them out for some fresh flowers. And the bright yellow injects some much needed cheer into my dreary grey kitchen.
- Cat mug. My husband got me this mug for Christmas and I love it. It is a replacement for my old favorite mug (which was, if you’ll remember, my husband’s, and had grown so faded from near-daily use that my husband had to gently reclaim it as college memorabilia) and it’s HUGE and has cats on it. I smile every time I use it.
I can’t find the exact cat mug he bought, so we can’t be mug twinsies, but Amazon has a lot of good options, if you too are in the market for a cat-related beverage receptacle.
1. Meow Cat Lover Mug 2. Smiley Cats Ceramic Coffee Mug
3. Grammar Correcting Cat Mug 4. Preferring Cats to People Mug
Ooooh Etsy has some cute cat mugs, too.
1. Cats in Boxes Mug 2. You’re Stressing Meowt Mug 3. Cat Silhouette Mug 4. Yoga Cat Mug
Somehow I have gotten off track. What can I say? I drink tea every day and having a mug that I love is critically important to my happiness.
- Cat Slippers.I got these as a birthday gift from my daughter. Carla came up with this idea all by herself and my husband helped her order them. They are cozy and soft.
Egads you’d think after nine years of blogging I’d be a better photographer.
- Dreyer’s English. My dear friend and mentor sent me this book as a surprise. I love books about grammar and usage and I have only just cracked the cover on this one but am already enjoying it.
The cover of this book is made out of a material that makes my skin crawl. I can’t stand touching it. Normally the cover is on my floor. But I braved the awful texture just to recover it for you, Internet. Otherwise, the book is just… black. Much clearer which book it IS, with the cover on.
- Artichokes. I don’t really know when “artichoke season” is, but it seems to be happening right now. My local grocery store has piles of beautiful, enormous artichokes for $3 apiece, and they make for a delicious lunch. Plus, it seems to me that someone (the grocer?) has gone through and snipped off the sharp part of each leaf, which makes preparing them (and eating them) much more pleasant. I’ve been going through one or two of these bad babies a week.
There now. Let’s sit back and bask in our newfound good mood. (And do share what’s bringing a smile to your face today, too, won’t you?)
Yay for daffodils!
I am reading that same book!
That is a Neko Atsume cat mug! The Neko Atsume phone game is quite fun; Elizabeth and I played it for AGES until we finally got tired of it.
Tell me how you prepare the artichokes! This is something I do not know how to do, but I love artichokes and the fun act of eating them!
I’m going to guess the book jacket is probably “soft-touch?” I’m not a huge fan, either, although I think it’s expensive from a paper/printing standpoint. I also want that book, though! Glad to hear you like it.
Will do!!
Ugh – “soft touch” is such a misnomer. It feels like sandpaper. YUCK. And you’re right – it feels very expensive.
Daffodils!
Yay!!!!
Enjoy them. : )
Oooh I wish I could have daffodils! I love flowers but unfortunately we have all sorts of pollen allergies in the house so…only flowers in the garden. Which will be a while because it’s currently covered in a few feet of snow. Those slippers are super cute!
Your daffodils are making me smile – so pretty. I’ll have to look for some this weekend. Between the lingering effects of The Plague, an onset of allergy symptoms and all this cursed rain and cold – smiles have been a bit rare around here.
I love your cat mug and really want the grammar one! Also, those slippers are super cute. <3 Hope you get out of your funk soon!
Love that Carla thought of the cat slippers on her own. So cute and thoughtful! I sit for a baby that can be quite fussy. He WAS NOT fussy at all today, which is definitely something for me to smile about. And since he was not fussy, I got a few things accomplished that have been on my list. Love, love, love crossing things off my list!
I just came home with two huge artichokes for my dinner tonight! I’d love to hear how you prepare yours- I usually (actually, always) boil them whole and then dip the leaves/heart in garlic butter but I’m open to change. Ish.
I will post about my artichoke technique tomorrow! And garlic butter is the BEST for dipping.
I’m going to get me some of those slippers!
Those daffodils are giving me heart eyes. They’re perfect for this February gloom!
I had a Mediterranean wrap for lunch that had artichokes in it! I was not expecting artichokes! I’ve had this wrap for weeks and weeks and weeks, and there has never been any artichokes. Soooo weird.
I need a cat mug now that I’m a proud cat mama! Those slippers miiiight need to go on my wish list. 🙂