Marvelous in My Monday: Que Será, Será

I am having an unabashedly awesome week.  (I’m sort of lumping in the past few days, as well as anticipation for the weekend, into it as well; not just saying that because Monday’s barely begun.) 😉  And this has been something of a rarity lately, so I really think we should commemorate it.

*cue streamers and confetti and strobe lights and music–anyone wanna make me a cake?*

I’m also not thinking in a very coherent-post-conducive manner right now (because I’ve been working a heckuva lot on Thaw as of late!  this is very good but it also means my writing brain is pretty fried!), so I think I’m going to break out the LISTS in order to detail why I’m having such an unabashedly awesome week.  (Is this bragging?  Is this shoving my happiness in your face when probably a lot of you are suffering the usual case of the Mondays and I’m sorry?  I hope not…this is just…chronicling.  A celebration.  It’s MARVELOUS.)

#1.  I have really awesome friends.

I’m not sure exactly why I’m just realizing this…I’ve known it for a while, certainly, but I guess I’ve never really fully internalized it.  Being around other girls my age, though, and hearing about spats and drama and huge fallings-out with their “friends” is definitely making me more appreciative.  I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a fight with a friend.  They’re all just too awesome.  And we all respect and love each other and are all really smart and have the same weird sense of humor and it’s just amazing.  I wasn’t aware of how rare this was until lately, and I am SO THANKFUL.  I LOVE YOU ALL, GUISE.

One of my friends and I have recently started a weekly running thing (well–I say weekly–meaning it’s happened once and there are plans to do it again the following week) where we talk and we sort of run but there’s no pressure to really be speedy but we cover a lot of distance and last week we did 6 miles, which I think was actually the longest run of my life.  Granted, we definitely didn’t run for the entirety of it, but it was still very impressive to my mind.  And the talking and the repetitive exercise has been really therapeutic and happy-inducing and gah I love her.

#2.  Lately I have been conversing with an extremely smart dude with an overall pleasing aesthetic.  *giggles shyly and brings shirt collar up to hide face*

#3.  I AM GOING TO SEE SARAH KAY PERFORM IN SEATTLE ON MARCH 1ST. (!!!)  If you don’t know–I’ll skip the shaming that you really deserve–Sarah Kay, as mentioned in this post, is my favorite spoken word poet ever and she’s pretty young and infinitely inspiring and her poem B was really one of the things that helped pull me out of my 7th-grade depression and disordered eating.  It is so beautiful and she is so beautiful and everything is sugar and rainbows and happiness because SHE’S PERFORMING IN SEATTLE AND I’LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO SEE HER IN REAL LIFE AND GET AN ADVANCED COPY OF HER BOOK AND THE ANGELS WILL DESCEND FROM THE HEAVENS AND CROON SWEETLY WHILE STRUMMING HARPS OF COTTON CANDY.

Her website is called Que Será, Será, which is both a pun on her name (Kay, Sarah, sera) and is a saying that, translated, roughly means “what will be, will be”.  (If you were alive in the 60s you probably know this, because Wikipedia informs me that it was also a pretty popular song back then, and one I think I’ve heard at least once on some Netflix show or other.)  I can’t express how much I love this.

(I knew there was a very good reason for not asking anyone to the Sadie Hawkin’s dance that night!  Good job, TGITO.  Such a prescient decision on your part.)

What’s your MARVELOUS today?

Surveys Are Like Sock Drawers.

So I really hope I’m not making this up, but I’m puh-retty sure I heard this one saying one time about how you can tell a lot about a person by the state of their sock drawer..?  (Confession: this might have been on Veggie Tales.)

I really like it when bloggers take or make surveys.  Yeah, you can learn a lot about someone through their regularly scheduled (or, in my case, wonderfully erratic) posting, but surveys pose the deep questions, man; they probe people for all these little delicious bits and pieces you would have never known about them otherwise.

So surveys are like sock drawers.  Just for all y’all, since I love ya so much, I took a trip into the dank abyss and snapped a photo.  Any psychologists in the audience?  I’m sure this is a veritable peep into my soul.  Let’s see, we have…a massive bag of leftover Halloween candy…socks that haven’t fit since I was 6…old bottles of nail polish, a beanbag, dirt, grime, pine needles, miscellaneous hodgepodge…a baby doll bottle…several dead spiders…

*clears throat nervously*

I’m really in the survey-taking kinda mood right now, but incidentally…I’m not, actually.  No pre-existing surveys, at any rate.  I just want to tell you guys random facts about myself, so I think I’ll pass it off under the guise of creating my own survey! and you guys can participate as well, either in the comments (answer your favorite questions!) or on your own blogs!  Link up!  Let’s have a party!

Favorite type of workout?  Oh, gosh and golly.  Why do I pick such hard questions?  I guess if I’m being totally honest, I like a leisurely but looong bike ride.  Walks are nice too.  Pretty scenic, none too aerobic.

Favorite type of cheese (or cheeze)?  Parmigiano reggiano, definitely.  It does contain rennet :(, but…I make the exception because…it’s delicious.

You’re on death row but they have allowed you to choose a most extravagant last meal.  What is it?  A hot fudge brownie sundae the size of my torso.

Favorite variable to use in an algebra problem?  I must confess I’m pretty traditional.  I love x.  In fact it always really bugs me when a variable is t or y or something if there’s not already an x in the problem.  Please just stick with x.

Favorite outfit?  I’m mainly just including this question because I just got a really cute outfit from ModCloth with a pretty yellow cardigan, a typewriter-patterend tee, and wedges.  Look.

Hashtag selfie swag.  We’ll try to ignore how atrocious I am at taking selfies.  Also, from this rather awkward angle, you can’t tell that the paper coming out of the typewriter ironically says “laptop”, which is one of the best parts of the shirt.  Alas.

This is literally my only outfit that looks like…an outfit, and I normally haven’t got an ounce of fashion sense, so I’m really hoping someone else will take this survey and give me some inspiration.  Pretty please?

Favorite caffeinated beverage?  For me it really depends.  If I need a lot of caffeine then I’ll drink some coffee (black, I don’t mind), and I do like coffee, but tea offers so much more variety! I really like chai spice in the morning.

oooh tea is so dramatic

One of your favorite fictional characters has shown up on your doorstep, ready to take you on the adventure of a lifetime.  Who are they, and where do you go?  It’s the Doctor.  Preferably the tenth incarnation, though I wouldn’t say no to 9.  I suppose we go to Barcelona. 🙂

Any tattoos you’d like?  I feel like this says a lot about a person.  I am actually DYING to come of age and have full autonomy over my body and write sompin’ pretty on it.  (Please do not suddenly go into cardiac arrest, grandparents reading this.)  I’d like a few, actually, probably on my back, literary ones; lines from poems that speak to me and that come back to me a lot or inside references to favorite works.  After reading Good Omens, I really want “ineffability and all that” somewhere, like along a collarbone.  Some Sarah Kay lines, too, like “this world is made of sugar” (from one of my favorite spoken word poems of all time, B.)  And I absolutely PROMISE to the adults in my life that I won’t be rash about this; I think my rule will be that if I still love a line or a quote as much as I did when I first read it 1-2 years later, then it can go somewhere on my person. 🙂 I hope to gradually amass a little collection of my favorite words.  I’ve given this a good deal of thought, and yes I KNOW they will be with me forever and I KNOW I will become elderly and they will sag and spot but HOPEFULLY only people I really trust are going to be seeing my back when I’m in my 70s-80s and onwards.  ALSO, if I get really fit and well-toned before getting said tattoos, it will be a good incentive to keep the muscle definition, since if I let it turn back into flab the tattoos will warp. 😉

(I’m not a huge fan of needles or blood [gah, blood especially], so this is an odd little yearning on my part, but incidentally I am a fan of meaningful and beautiful body art.  Huh.  Who woulda thought…)

Hair color?  Would you ever dye it?  Chop it all off?  Brown.  Some people say it’s blonde but then I look at them funny.I have chopped it all off before!  Well, not all off, but, you know, most of it.

I don’t know about dyeing it.  I’m really envious of those lovely ladies who are rockin’ blue or red locks, but, deep down, I know I’m not meant to be one of them.  It would be cool to have orange hair but not very socially acceptable and I am not deep enough into don’t-give-a-crap mode to go for it.  I am thinking about getting highlights once it gets longer, though.

Favorite smell?  Just-baked brownies, vanilla extract, old books.  (That was three.  Whoopsies.)

Favorite sound?  Laughter (certain people’s especially), Citrus whistling (as long as it’s not the middle of the night), little kids with adorable lisps reading aloud, pages of a book turning, pens scratching paper, marbles rolling across a hardwood floor, meadowlark song.  That was too many.  Whoopsies.

For anyone interested in taking the survey themselves, here are the questions, in order:

1. Favorite type of workout?
2. Favorite type of cheese (or cheeze)?
3. Last meal.
4. Favorite variable to use in an algebra problem?
5. Favorite outfit?
6. Favorite caffeinated beverage?
7. One of your favorite fictional characters has shown up on your doorstep ready to take you on the adventure of a lifetime. Who are they, and where do you go?
8. Any tattoos you’d like?
9. Hair color? Would you ever dye it? Chop it all off?
10. Favorite smell?
11. Favorite sound?

Also, you gotta show us your sock drawer.  😉  No straightening up beforehand, that’s cheating.

A good breakaway from the monotony of “what’s your dream vacation?”-type surveys, methinks.  🙂  I’m really dying to know what everyone’s favorite variable is.

MIMM: Hatchday, Pretty Light, Knees, and Insane Decisions

Hey everyone!  How’s your Monday going?

Mine’s been pretty…pretty, to say the least.  As a Washingtonian, such flagrant displays of sunshine are something of a rarity, and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ve been taking full advantage of these picture-perfect summer days by frolicking about, soaking up the Vitamin D.

I’ve never really been one of those people who need an extra boost on Mondays to get through the week, even when school/activities are in session–I’ve just never hit the “Monday wall” that I guess so many people run into.  I’ve already confessed my nerdship to you guys–Monday is basically my favorite day of the week!  Not only is it usually pretty light on homework because teachers don’t like to take the time to concoct elaborate assignments over the weekends, school STARTS UP AGAIN and I know it’s going to be the beginning of a (potentially gruelingly) glorious week!

Still, it never hurts to get a little extra boost, even if your biggest worry right now is that the hammock that’s callin’ your name is gonna get lonely.

The weekend was pretty enjoyable marvelous.  I hosted Citrus’ third hatchday party–I made sad-looking but still (IMO) cute cockatiel cookies and we bopped around outside.  There was a sleepover and we all got very slap-happy.  We were tired in the morning but there were muffins (with both lemon and seeds–perfect for a bird named Citrus!) made by me and a frittata made by Mother Dearest (with potatoes inside–tasted like hashbrowns!!).  I do so love hashbrowns.

http://instagram.com/p/btgeDxlYt8/

Alas, we did not have a circular cookie cutter, so I had to shape the sugar cookie dough (nomnomnom) with a beer-can chicken prop-thing.  (My culinary vocabulary falters when it comes to meat…)

To make the cookies, I used the Savvy Vegetarian cookie dough recipe, this recipe for coconut whip as a frosting (tinted yellow with food coloring), Craisins for eyes, chopped up Watermelon Laffy Taffy for the beaks, and mangled “orange slices” candies for the orange cheek circles.

This totally didn’t happen what are you talking about. Not straight from the beater, never.

I wouldn’t recommend using A Taste of Thai coconut milk (pretty popular brand) for the whip–it has some sort of stabilizer added that prevents it from working too nicely. I used…whatever this brand is.

Beaks! Haha

http://instagram.com/p/bt0ZkeFYkK/

Aaaaand the final result.  Bit homely, but that’s okay! 🙂

Citrus approves.

Other marvelous things today…

http://instagram.com/p/bjeUEHFYvK/

Can we talk patella bracing for a sec?  I’m in love.  I don’t think that’s hyperbole.  Anything that was enough to lift me out of the forced 8-month running break thanks to these dang knees is virtually a Messiah in my eyes.  (I think it was probably the braces in adjunct with my rest, stretching, physical therapy, orthotics, supportive shoes, and therapeutic ultrasounds, but hey, whatever works…)  To my surprise, I haven’t lost all of my (nonexistent to begin with) running prowess, and the braces allowed me to attend my first *OFFICIAL* XC practice last Friday!  I hope to attend two more this week!  We’ll see how that goes…alas, my mileage maximum right now is approximately 3.  (Maybe four on the hamster wheel?)  By the end of the summer we’re supposed to be easily running 8…

This brings me to my first INSANE DECISION OF THE DAY!  This one is way less insane than my other one, but it’s still a big thrill for me.  I signed up for another 5k!!  This one’s on August 24th, and, while running in the heat ain’t exactly my cup of tea, I’m beyond stoked!  If I can even get close to my time on my first-and-only 5k, then it will be a huge reassurance for me that, though my knees doth plague me, I can get my kickassery and (somewhat) speed back with enough motivation.  (To any “serious” runners out there reading this:  I know a 5k is not a huge distance.  It’s kind of a menial race.  But, alas, my body is NOT DESIGNED FOR RUNNING WHATSOEVER [sitting and blogging is more my speed, how ’bout you?] and a 5k is a big deal to me!)

(Throwback to the morning of my first 5k, waiting in the starting line.  Pay no attention to the ominous disembodied hand on my shoulder; someone else is cropped out.  And notice the fear hiding behind the forced smile–the glazed eyes, the overall absent disposition.  I was convinced I was going to die that day.)

Incidentally, you know what’s harder than running a 5k?

………………………..Biking two hundred and two miles.

Yeah, it’s insane.  We’ve covered this.  And it will require buying a new bike, and/or some road tires for my current trusty steed mountain bike.  But recently (yesterday-recently), la madre de una de mis amigas (I’m not sure why I phased into Spanish here, but I couldn’t think how to word it in English) participated in the Cascade Bicycle Club/Group Health Seattle-to-Portland bike ride, a one- or two-day event that spans a total of 202-point-something miles.  Which gave me a sudden and intense burst of inspiration.  It’s a recreational ride, not a race, but from my extensive Googling of the thing last night it looks. epic.  And everyone says you need to dream big and set high goals to keep your morale buoyed, right?  So.  I’ve got a year to train.  I post this to the internet so I can’t back down–next year, Daddio and I will be participating in the 2014 Seattle-to-Portland ride.  And we will rock that epic $#*@.

Much moreso than for running, my body (and quads) like biking.  While the farthest ride I’ve ever taken to date was just 40 miles with lots of hills, and I died afterwards–I’ve got a year.  Best get on this.

http://instagram.com/p/bb3aEaFYoK/

Ahh.  The inevitable foot selfie.  (For some reason I just tried to spell “foot” as “fut”…)  Daddio and I went on a short (10 mile?) ride today, and I plan to get some running on the hamster wheel done as well.  Fitness, here I come!

****************************************************************************************************

And arrachgha, yes, I need to do a poemography post today, since I’ve skipped out on that for, what, three weeks?!  Problem is, I only have one line to work with… #poetictrialsandtribulations

“Rather than people who shine–

I like people who glow“

is the line, but I’m not sure how to weave that into a poem.  Would it be all right if poemography was extended to flash fiction?  I know I made the rules, but you guys can change them.  I’ll luv ya forever 😉

July

(oh, wow, look!  such an intriguing title! :P)

Remember how I alluded to the fact that things gon’ be changin’ around these parts?  (“These parts” being my life and the way I manage it…)

This is gonna happen now, folks.  Forrealzies.

I’ve made a lot of promises in the past and entertained myself with visions of productive grandeur–every time, the things, whatever they were that I pledged myself to, had a habit of…not getting done.  Oh yes, I would set goals, write out lists, lay out my workout gear and my fountain pen and my planner and whatever crap I thought would rocket me to success…then I would log into Bloglovin’ or WordPress or Pinterest and it was game over.

What can I say?  I’m easily distracted.  (I’m choosing to believe it’s a sign of brilliance.)  I can hardly ever clean my room, because I get so engrossed in the objects I’m picking up off my floor that I forget the task at hand entirely.  I get distracted by my own feet.  Clearly, my brain is no match for the multiple-tab-wielding, infinite-destination vortex of my internet browser.

Oh, but this sounds like a “Goodbye, internet” post!  I promise you that this is not the case!  (I don’t think I could manage that anyhow…)  More of a warning/notification of sorts…of impending changes around these parts.

I am DOING STUFF this month, and next.  I intend to put the rest of my summer vacation to very good use.

So I’ve compiled a “Daily To-Do List” for the rest of the summer, which reads thusly:

• 1 chapter TLOTR

http://instagram.com/p/aZ417dFYk8/

Yes, this is something of seemingly no importance in an odd position of priority on my list.  For some reason, though, I’ve devoted myself entirely to the task of mowing through the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy over the summer (mainly because I feel like it’s something I should have read by now), and if I ration it out this way, it ends up being just over 60 days’ worth of reading.

• 1667 words or 1 hour revision in Thaw (at minimum)

Camp NaNoWriMo is here today! =D  I’m all stocked up with Scrivener, and a writing nook–I’ve gussied up The Shed for maximum comfort and reclusivity as I bang away on the keyboard–an inspiration jar, and coffee.

No one ever hire me as a graphic designer.

Technically it’s a button jar. But I like to scatter them on the ping-pong table and pick out buttons to suit different characters’ personalities…

Frog Slippers & Connect4–also necessities

as is an Oh She Glows’ Iced Mocha Green Monster

• 1 hr exercise (save 1 weekly rest/active recovery day)

Workouts have fallen to the wayside over the past month or so, due to knees and an odd bout of travel (three trips in a month…)–but, over the summer, there is no excuse not to cram in this USDA-recommended amount!  (Why does the Department of Agriculture tell me how much I should work out?)  I’ve started compiling a Summer Shapeup Pinterest board, I’m somewhat-participating in the Fitnessista Summer Shapeup 4-Week Plan (which I can repeat for a 2-month circuit) and am dabbling elsewhere in the blogosphere for similar plans.  While I know I’m mainly going to be forming my own routine, one that works for me, I think these plans will be good guidelines for the eventual regimen, even if I don’t follow them verbatum.

• Physical Therapy

Boo.  I wish my knee problems could just vanish.  7 months is a long time.  But nothing is going to happen unless I keep doing those leg lifts…

http://instagram.com/p/W8QfQPFYju/

(ugch–Instagrammed this picture way back in March.  Still toin’ that line…)

• Cooking/Recipe Experimenting

A new challenge I’m embarking on this month is called Feed the Parents.  😉  Sort of like a Meatless Monday, in effect (except it’s going to be happening on Tuesdays…)–on a suggestion from Mother Dearest and in an effort to rationalize vegetarian eating in the parental minds, I’m going to start cooking a family dinner once a week.  (Usually I’m the only one who will even go ten miles near my food…)  This is probably an opportunity to ramp up my cooking skills, too!  (I’ll eat anything :), but when cooking for others one must be more discerning)  Still, if anyone has any family- and Standard-American-Diet-friendly vegetarian recipes they’d like to recommend, I’m all ears!

I’ll probably chronicle this thing on the blog as well, taking note of successes and flops.  🙂

• Blogging!

You will notice that I do not, currently, blog every day. *pauses for effect*

This is mainly because my blog has never really been one of those “log blogs” that goes like “Oh, hey guys, I woke up this morning so that’s a plus! and then I ate this for breakfast and then I went and exercised and then we went to this movie and then for dinner we had this and I made this dessert…”  I have nothing against those types of blogs, it’s just not hasn’t been my thing.  You know me.  I post when I have something to say, something to share, something to recap, a linkup to join, a challenge to embark upon.  My daily life is tucked neat and tidily behind the curtain.

But with all this stuff I’m going to be doing for the remainder of the summer…

I need someone to keep me accountable, right?

*wink**wink* Well, who better to do this than all of my loyal followers?  (All 56 of you…) At least over the next month, I was thinking bumping up the posting rate to a daily post–undoubtedly they’d become much less lengthy than my current standard, and nothing earth-shattering would be discussed; but, just a log of the accomplishments of the day, as a way to keep myself on track.  What do you guys think of this idea?  TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS; I LOVE HEARING YOUR BEAUTIFUL VIRTUAL VOICES 😀

I hope everyone is having a Marvelous Monday…

(And congratulations to Katie, the host of this loverly partay, on her new baby boy!) 🙂

I am, ‘cuz I’m pumped to get…SHIN done. ;P

Marvelous In My Monday: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

I wasn’t actually planning on writing out a Marvelous in my Monday post today.  That right there is a huge proclamation, folks, since you know how Type-A I am…even something as seemingly spontaneous as a blog has to be planned and mapped out to the letter, folks.

But by some amazing stroke of fortune, my homework load totaled to LESS THAN 30 MINUTES today (this means I’ve gotta watch out for the rest of the week), and my weekend previous was so utterly MARVELOUS and life-impacting that there was no was I COULDN’T share it with you guys.  (Caps-lock-happy much?)  Not that I normally despise Mondays along with the rest of the human population–I’m of the extreme minority who welcomes the STRUCTURE and SOCIAL STIMULATION that the reintroduction of SCHOOL brings into my week–but I see absolutely no harm in sprinkling a little bit more MARVELOUS into today!

 

Firstly and foremostly, I must mention that I FINALLY figured out how to actually embed coded images in my posts!! ^  See above; voila.  You wouldn’t believe how hard that kind of thing is to find in the WordPress forums–they just assume you already know how to perform such *sniff sniff* basic technological feats.  I was too embarrasses to even ask anyone how to do this! 😛

Okay, so THAT wasn’t really my FOREMOST source of Marvelous today!

The question of the day is: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice, practice, practice!

Apparently, you just write a poem…

I found out earlier in the week…well, remember those poems I bragged about getting past the regional judging levels of a contest?  Well, those poems made it on to NATIONALS where they WON a gold medal at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (which was weird because I wasn’t too fond of those poems)–they’re going to be circulated through the Scholastic publishing system, and the awards ceremony is in CARNEGIE FREAKING HALL.  Gaaaaaccchhhgaaaaahgaaaaaacahagaasjaaaacsrgdhosdhfjlsfffffgggggggk!!!  I have never been to the East Coast (unless you count Florida), let alone a city bigger than Seattle, let alone THE BIGGEST FREAKING CITY IN THE UNITED STATES….gaaaaaaachgaaahagadjaldjhglohulojuhglifju.  I cannot even express in words how awesome this opportunity is–and pardon all the “freaking”s.  I promise my more literary works are of better quality than this here weblog. 🙂  I’m just kind of a little in shocked awe…

I boughts myself some pretty dresses in anticipation…ignore the clutter on my desk chair! 🙂

Later on in the marvelous weekend, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with a (healthy) Shamrock Shake, Chocolate Covered Katie style.

Nope, it wasn’t photogenic in the least, so I didn’t even try for aesthetics, but you get the gist.  No food coloring for this girl!–spinach allowed the green to shine through au natural. 🙂

Not so Marvelous was the fact that this weekend my brother came down with a wicked “parainfluenza”, running temperatures of 103 degrees Fahrenheit…he can barely talk.  My throat’s been feeling tight as of late…I’m chugging Emergen-C and “immune boosting” tea like a beast (never mind that they’re both questionable sources of insurance) and washing hands 24/7.  If there’s one thing my forced exercise break has taught me, it’s that I hate being bedridden.  Ah, well…what will be, will be.

How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?  (Is it just me, or did holidays like that feel like a much bigger deal when we were all wee young sprites?) 😦

What was marvelous in your weekend, or Monday?

Marvelous in my Monday, the Woodpecker Way

I’m going to take a leaf out of Katie’s book today (and, by extension, The Healthy Diva’s), and spread a little Monday love!  While I have to admit that I don’t necessarily love Mondays, they are a necessary evil if, like me, you find yourself resorting to reading food blogs or (insert your preferred generic time waster here) all day without some type of schedule to adhere to.  School has started up again after a week of break…and we have exams just around the corner…but Mondays aren’t all bad!

Marvelous today is…

A brisk 2.5-mile run this afternoon when I saw more Pileated Woodpeckers than I’ve ever seen in my life!  They must be migrating–but it’s strange to see so many of them, when they usually literally “fly solo”.  They were swooping low over my head and landing in our apple trees to peck at the last of the straggler fruits.  I’m a sucker for birds in general, but these guys were gorgeous!!

(Not so marvelous–I had every intention of doing another full 5k distance today, but had to cut it short because of pain/tightness in both my knees.  Sadly, I think I have developed runner’s knee.  Apparently it tends to strike females, recreational runners, and otherwise healthy individuals.  [Sighs, raises hand.]  My next race is in a little over a week, so I’m taking it easy now, icing them both and keeping them elevated.)

Marvelous today is…

Taking a short meditative break to refill my fountain pen (my inkwell was getting dusty, gasp!) and jot down some pretty great quotes I picked up today.

Marvelous today is…

Eating my body weight in baked oatmeal, my newest healthy addiction.  Ever since I tried PB Fingers’ Vanilla Pecan Baked Oatmeal, I’ve been obsessed with the stuff and am currently fiddling around with a recipe of my own to post up here!

You guys should be grateful for all the hard work I put into this blog. Testing a new variety of baked oatmeal is taxing, peeps! 😉

(Another not-so-marvelous–I was taking the garbage out earlier today and was greeted by our hunting dog…a big, fat, partially-gutted squirrel hanging out of his mouth.  I still refuse to look at the dog.  There’s blood all over his fur,

and his breath smells worse than it usually does.  I know.  I’ll give you a minute to try to process that.

He smiled and wagged his little stubby tail.

Aaach!)

Sigh…well, what was marvelous in your Monday?