When I'm Not Working

I truly enjoy cooking and feeding people.  I wish my parents were a bit more adventurous with food and ate all that I do, but that's why I need to have friends over to my house more often so I'm not gorging on everything!  For example, last Thursday I invited Kerry over and put together a chicken roast with potatoes, onions, spinach and tomatoes.  I seasoned the chicken breasts with lemon pepper, cumin and parsley and then stuffed them with a bit of Swiss cheese and more spinach.  Even with my guest, my parents had leftovers and I had two meals for work!  It was delicious and simple, so give me a shout if you'd like the recipe!

I go to school in a pretty rural area, and I'm not much of an online shopper when it comes to clothes.  Needless to say, my first Salvation Army visit last Wednesday since winter break was a thrill!  I was in heaven again, sifting through all the color-organized racks, the soft and musty clothing with bright colors, off-sized fits and throwback patterns.  Wednesday is the half-off day and I spent $25 and acquired things such as a nice mason jar with a lid, Matilda and The Rescuers Down Under on VHS, a pair of American Eagle jeans for $2, a fluorescent orange windbreaker, a new houndstooth scarf, a New York & Co. pink cardigan, these wonderful printed drop-crotch pants (okayyy so it's two seasons ago and they are pure man-repelling status [term courtesy of the Man Repeller] but at this low of the price how could I resist?) and so on!  I love thrift shopping.

I nabbed this woven tote as I was heading to the dressing room--it's in perfect condition. Score!

When I have more than a moment to spare, I dive into painting.  I enjoy being lost for a few hours, not knowing exactly what my brain and brush might produce.  The one below is a preliminary for a larger painting that I would like to do on canvas from Monet's gardens in Giverny this past fall.  Photo cred goes to my friend Merrit.

Weapons of choice :)

 

I wasn't quite ready to start a full-size painting, so I made note cards!  I need to acquire a nice set of water colors, I miss manipulating their fluidity and saturating textured paper.

I am decidedly too antsy and lazy to read books.  I'm trying so hard to work through an environmental one by Bill McKibben, so maybe it's the subject matter that's not holding me down enough?  Bah whatever, I'll drift in between with my NatGeo Traveler magazines.  I'm itching to trot the globe again!

Listening: "Blue Skies" by Ella Fitzgerald