Life Lately | January 2024

Lots of indoor time with this wild man this month. 

***

You guys, I'm experiencing evolution. Or at least something very weird. It's the end of January, a month that I have historically hated more than any other, and I am...doing fine? I just read an article that led with "we're all anxious for spring" and actually, I'm really not. 

Maybe because January was warmer than usual and it didn't hurt so much to go outside. Maybe because I'm really thriving in this "hunker down" season. Whatever it is, I just keep thinking, the end of January, huh. That went fast. 

I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but back in September when I was having an internal meltdown over the impending season change, I self soothed by buying anything that looked like it might make my house even a little cozy. I bought rugs, a handful of these cheap lamps, and every candle at TJ Maxx. I strung up twinkle lights, put out a basket of blankets, and made a list of every movie I wanted to watch. The result has been a really cozy season in which I'm not so excited to give up lingering dark mornings and early evenings. 

I also got really into taking walks this month, preferably while it's snowing. There is nothing nicer than the muffled silence of walking while snow tumbles around.

You guys, I don't even recognize myself. 

***

I don't mean to be obnoxious - it just happens naturally - but I had enough self awareness to not advertise that I was performing a month of Whole30. I decided to take a closer look at what we're eating and I have a long way to go, but I spent the month reading labels and not swinging through McDonald's drive-thru. Duke is devastated, but he's not even suffering that much. 

I am. Look at this coffee. It's black. 

In my quest to eat things that don't have weird ingredients, I learned how to make mayonnaise, english muffins, and cherry jam. Julia Childs I am not, but I sure am trying.

***

I started cooking my way through this cookbook. I hilariously thought I'd complete the whole thing in Q1, which with 123 recipes in the book, amounts to 1.35 recipes per day. If I get 1.35 done in a week, I'll be proud of myself. So, this may become a year long endeavor. 

So far, the holy grail meatballs have been my favorite. 

I risked my life to make this hot greasy mess that gave me freckles of burns all over my arms. Those mushrooms popped and sputtered for a good 5 minutes before threw my hands up. FTS. 

Anyway, mostly so far, so good. 

***

Duke is in the middle of a hilarious tooth losing process and it's really going weirdly. His mouth has an unusual habit of churning out an adult tooth before the baby tooth has left the building, so he often has a weird double row of teeth. His two front top teeth have been loose for a bit, and one of the adults popped out, pushing the baby tooth to the middle of his mouth. The other stayed put, until this week when he got bopped in the face. He lost a tooth, but not the wandering one. He's resistant to anyone tugging out the wanderer, and so he looks like this for the foreseeable future (minus the blonde bangs lolololol) - 

***

I've been reading a bunch this month. 

Endgame by Omid Scobie: This was a Christmas gift that I started reading on Christmas day. I was immediately enamored. If you enjoy gossip about the English royal family, you'll like this tell-all. 

Wintering by Katherine May: I fell all over myself singing this book's praises. It has truly altered my view on winter. 

Natchez Burning by Greg Isles: I'm 50/50 on this book. It's a banger with similar vibes to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in that something completely fucked up happens in every chapter. The first half of the book moves swiftly, but the second half just drags on. It was about 300 pages too long and the end was SO BAD. It's the first in a trilogy, but instead of setting up fresh cliffhangers as a lead in for book two, it disappointingly just didn't resolve the problems in book one. That's just bad writing. 

I'm currently reading On Writing by Stephen King. It's a reread for me, but a.) it's been a few years, and b.) writing is a big goal for me this year, so I'm plugging in to all the resources I have. 

***

We had a ton of snow just a week or so ago. I trudged out to the river, marching through snow that was well over my knees, and laughed at Jack, bouncing through the drifts. The snow is higher than he is tall and he just totally disappears, only to pop up randomly here and there. 

***

The weather has warmed up considerably in the last couple of days, making things sloppy and muddy around here. Onward into February, I guess! I suspect we've still got a few good snow storms ahead, so I'm not climbing out of hibernation just yet. 

Cheers!