8 posts tagged “things i love”
I'm in love.
I really can't say enough about how cool this thing really is.
A coworker gave me a package of dark chocolate-covered cacao nibs yesterday. I confess to being entirely ignorant as to what, exactly, a cacao nib actually is. Never mind, I thought...it clearly is derived from the same thing that makes chocolate, so it must be good.
Cup of steaming hot coffee in hand, I prepare to taste these mysterious little treats.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
They are (for lack of a better word) utterly delicious!
They are nutty and bittersweet and wonderful.
I Googled, and couldn't find the same kind I have exactly, but this description is close:
YUM!
I tend to do a lot of my Christmas shopping online, because, hey, it's EASY, and I don't have to get herded like cattle with the rest of the crowds at the superstores (you know which ones I'm talking about) where the gifts are, at best, mind-numbingly predictable and unimaginative.
This year I discovered Etsy. And I can't say enough just how much l LOVE this website. I've been finding the most adorable handmade things...little treasures, really...and it makes me marvel at how creative people are, and made me realize that I don't have to buy another boring gift for anyone ever again! I bought some great Christmas presents (which I won't show here in order to protect Santa's top-secret gift list), but I also got some lovely things for myself as well (merry Christmas to me!):
She is an absolute dream to order from - she is so friendly and helpful, and she ships the items really quickly - I had a great experience shopping at her shop and will probably do so again frequently in the future.
I got this tree pendant here: www.imogen.etsy.com, which is a very striking piece - I get comments on it quite often when I wear it. I'm really happy with it.
The last thing I ordered for myself was this:
This artist makes pendants out of photographs, and can do custom orders. Her shop is here: www.LePhotique.etsy.com.
Needless to say, I am absolutely smitten with Etsy. I'm sure lots of you already buy and sell there, but if you're not familiar with it, I encourage you to check it out! There are so many wonderful things to look at - art, clothing, jewelry, glass, scarves, soaps and lotions...anything handmade can be found here! I'm so happy to have found it.
Second great weekend in a row! Just got back from a road trip with a friend of mine. We just felt like getting out of town while the weather was still nice, so we packed up and left! We drove to Kentucky and spent a day in Owensboro and a day in Louisville.
Owensboro was nice...it's really cute and clean, with an adorable little riverfront park. We even drove over the bridge to Indiana, just to say we visited one more state. :)
So, that much was fun.
We also went to a BRMC show at a little club while we were there, and that was fun, although I stupidly forgot my ID and almost had to go back to the hotel, but being that I can't really be mistaken for a teenager anymore, they let it slide. :) It was almost 11:00 before BRMC took the stage, and they played what seemed like a short set (Rob didn't look as though he felt well?), but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I snapped a couple of pics with my cameraphone, but it was waaay dark in there, and my cameraphone is kinda crappy.
That was my adventure for the weekend, and I had a great time.
Last weekend, my mother, my aunt, my little cousin, my brother and I all went on an outing to the city, and we had the best time. My aunt and cousin live on a farm in the country, and my cousin, who is nine years old, had never seen the city before. I wasn't sure how she'd react at first, but, as I hoped she would, she loved it.
She couldn't believe the buildings as we were driving in, never really having seen many that were bigger than her beloved farm house except for in movies ("It's like a little New York!" she said) and was in awe of all the people. We took her to see an art exhibit, and to one of the mega-huge bookstores (who could believe? the books! the music! the cool stuff!) and to Starbucks and a great Chinese restaurant. She had a fantastic time. She didn't let go of my hand for ONE SECOND of the entire day, which made fumbling with purse/shopping bags/etc. extremely difficult, but I thought it was sweet.
She was a little nervous at first, because, as she explained, it "couldn't be helped", since she was "part cat", but that quickly turned into excitement, which was reasonable, since, as she further explained, she is also "part dog".
My little cousin loves to write...she writes "books" of stories
featuring her animal friends, poems, little essays and all kinds of
stuff, which she even draws the pictures for, and everything. When we
were at the bookstore, she spotted a bright pink journal with a faux
crocodile cover that she instantly adored, so I ended up buying it for
her. She insisted passionately that it was the finest pink lizard skin
she had ever seen. ;) She decided that she is going to use it for one
of her "books", and dedicated the inscription on the first page to me.
I thought that was awesomely sweet.
The best part? She actually ate FOOD! THAT! WASN'T! PREPARED! BY! HER! MOTHER! when we went to the restaurant. That's a huge accomplishment, since ordinarily she'd rather starve to death than eat something that her mom didn't make. Part of it is paranoia since she has an egg allergy. And part of it is just finicky little girl stubbornness. But after assuring her for the bajillionth time that NO, THE SPRING ROLLS DO NOT CONTAIN EGG OR MEAT, and having the waitress confirm that yes, they are indeed vegetarian, she popped a piece in her mouth, nearly rolled her eyes to the back of her head in delight, and proclaimed them to be heaven. Oh, it was off to the races, then! Buddha's Feast? Yes, please! Lo mein? Could she have seconds? Wonton soup (sans wontons, of course)? Does it come in swimming pool size portions? I was so relieved to know she enjoyed herself, and got to try some new things.
We even got her a small Cafe Americano (with lots of milk!) before we headed home, so she was happily buzzing about in the backseat and chatting away excitedly, as little girls do. She said, suddenly awestruck by her realization, "Do you know I haven't been homesick ALL DAY? I haven't thought about home even ONCE!" and giggled triumphantly to herself.
We couldn't have had a more perfect day. :)
Wow. What a fantastic premiere! Bringing us four months into the future since last season's finale, we catch up with all our favorite heroes, now seemingly scattered across the globe (and across time!). We also got to meet some new supers, some of whom have some awesome abilities (looks like Nathan's got a little competition in the air these days). I won't recap here for those who haven't seen it yet, just in case. I'll just say it was a worthy return of a greatly entertaining show. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season!
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it's Friday! Could things get any better? :)
Hurrah! The hiatus was brutal.
If you love, hate, love to hate, or hate to love Smallville, this web comic is for you.
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