Friday's Favorite Five January 6

Living to Tell the Story

So, my year of living positively...how's it going?  I'm making progress, I think.  Tuesday, really the first day of the new year for me, as that's the day it was back to school and work for everyone, went really, really well.  Yay!  I thought.  How easy is this going to be?  Look at me!  Well, as you can probably guess, change is never that easy.  Wednesday was harder.  Wednesday I found myself slipping into old habits.  I had woken up at 4:00, could not fall back asleep, and I think that was at least in part responsible for my down-ness.  Just realizing that helped.  Of course, it was very late in the day when I realized it, but...

Even with being slightly down and frustrated I still made some progress.  Mark had some news he was very excited about.  As soon as I heard it my mind started the negative tape.  The 'yeah buts'.  Thankfully, they never made it from my brain to my mouth to his heart.  I'm not to the point where I stop thinking them yet, but I was happy to have stopped short of expressing them.  Baby steps.

Today, in short order as I am off to the grocery store for part one of my shopping, (Do you shop at multiple stores?  Sometimes I think it's insane, but I really can't seem to figure out a way around it.  It is what it is, I guess.) five of my favorite things:

1. Guinea Pigs.  Who knew?  Having kids for 27 years we've had our share of pets, that's for sure.  Cats, dogs, turtles, fish, hermit crabs, hamsters and gerbils, we've had them.  We had never made the leap to guinea pigs though.  What took us so long??  Julianna's big Christmas wish from Santa was for a guinea pig.  Santa came through.  He brought the cage, all the supplies, and a giftcard to purchase a pig from a local pet store.  We actually ended up getting two.  Two kids, it made sense to me.  Plus, I figured if the novelty wore off they'd at least have each other to keep them company.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have worried.  They're delightfully engaging, very social.  Easy to take care of, so far it's working out great.  I'm actually glad she asked for, and got them.
2. Cookbooks!  I have an addiction.  I admit it.  I thoroughly love to get cookbooks.  I have way too many, but I just can't seem (don't want) to stop.  I belong to The Good Cook**, a cookbook club.  I fulfilled my member obligations long ago and now a few times a year they offer almost all of their books for $8-$10.  That's when they become irresistible.  Plus, family recognizes my addiction and knows that a good cookbook is an excellent gift.  I'm an avid reader but I don't buy the books I read, I read them too quickly and tend not to re-read.  Cookbooks are different however.  A good cookbook I'll read over and over again.  I'll read.  I'll browse.  I'll reference.  I love them.  It used to really embarrass me, but then I realized it's okay.  Cooking, you may have guessed, is something I take a lot of pride in, it's a hobby.  It's what I love.  Cookbooks are a natural extension of that facet of my personality.  Current favorites from my newest books:  Flour, All About Roasting, Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in 5 Minutes a Day, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, and My Family Table.  Yup, definitely an addiction.
3. Laundry.  Stick with me.  Trust me, there are many times this would end up on my 5 least favorite things list.  This week has been different however.  This week I got all caught up over the weekend and I have maintained it all week!  I've done 2-3 loads everyday and this morning I didn't even have enough for a whole load.  What an incredible feeling.  Now, I just need the universe to stay on an even keel so I can keep it up.  
4. Mild winter weather.  'Nuf said.  I'm sure it's causing problems for a lot of industries, but I am absolutely loving the lack of snow, ice and problems.
5. Mexican food for dinner.  Yum!  Jacob and Julianna are both having friends over that are staying for dinner, so I'm making a feast.  Chicken and ground beef tacos, a new mexican rice recipe from my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, black beans, plus plenty of planned leftovers for a couple more mexican-leaning meals in the next week.  Mexican's probably my favorite cuisine right now.

Well, off to the to-do list.  I hope things are going well in your world and that you're finding lots of favorite things.  Check out other people's favorite five's at Susanne's.

**This is an affiliate link.  However, do not join this club unless cookbooks really are your thing.  You will not really see a benefit unless you stay in for a long time and buy lots of cookbooks down the road, cheap, after you fulfill your obligation.  If you're a person to join, jump through the hoops you need to then quit, it will not be worth it to you.