What's Happening

It is another lazy and snowy Sunday afternoon in New England. When will this snow season end? Our first serious snowstorm arrived in November, on the eve of Thanksgiving. Now, we are days away from St. Patrick's Day and the storms keep coming. This week has not been a productive week at all. This is partly due to the fact that I am not feeling very inspired to bake nor craft. Although I am really itching to do the thrift store for inspiration. Another reason is because, I am not feeling very well. Right now, I am snacking on a dish of pretzels dipped in Reese's Chocolate spread. Pretzels and salty chips seem to help, as does tea. I have been taking it easy and resting, not even exercising much, which really drives me batty. This funk all began back in October. It was the Fall premiere of The Walking Dead, the other house inhabitants decided to have a bit of a party and order pizza. I opted out. First of all, the show is on at 9 pm and I don't eat at that time of night, but also I would never be able to watch something grotty like that whilst eating pizza- it's far too unappetizing. So, instead, I had a mug of chicken noodle soup at a more reasonable hour. Twenty four hours later, I had a serious headache, fever and nausea. I was very sick for the entire day and into the next day. It wasn't the soup that made me sick, it was the improperly washed mug in which I made to soup that caused the illness. After that incident, I was very lactose intolerant.
I have had a bit of a rough patch with food, lately. I do have some food allergies that I've known about for years. However, after doing further research into lactose intolerance and milk allergies and comparing symptoms; it is clear to me that milk has been an issue since childhood. When I was in my 20's, I was a vegan and I felt the best I'd ever felt, even though my body was breaking down due to another (unrelated) illness. So many people, strangers even, seemed to take such an issue with that. My reasoning had nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with health. However, when you explain to someone that you're a vegan, they automatically assume that you're a crack-pot. So, I'm not a vegan anymore (I NEED eggs). Now I am needing to eat more pickles to balance out the bacteria in my gut, since I can't do that with yogurt. I am also reducing my caffeine intake, which means less coffee for me. I think that I'll be on the mend, soon.

In other news... I made homemade salsa the other day. I haven't made salsa in years. This was amazing, it tasted just like the salsa that I get at the Mexican restaurant. The key to great flavor is cilantro. Many people don't like cilantro, but I LOVE it. It has such a refreshing taste to it, I always add it to my guacamole, and it makes fresh salsa taste incredible!

I also made a handy measuring cup. I recycled an empty glass salad dressing bottle, cleaned and sterilized. I used a paint marker that can be used on glass to mark the measurements. On one side, I have 1/4 measurements marked in red paint. On the opposite side, I have 1/3 measurements marked in blue paint. I got the measurements, by pouring pre-measured water into the bottle and marking the water level. It was very easy to do and it will be good to have an extra liquid measuring cup handy. I like the look of the bottle, too.

All the pretzels are gone and I am left with a glob of peanut butter/chocolate spread and it really looks completely unappealing. The snack did give me a bit more energy, which is very much needed. I hope that this week, my stomach will get better and I won't be so exhausted, it would be nice to get back to creating. At least my work zone is clutter-free and it is a nice working area, once again. St. Patrick's Day is approaching and this always involves tasty food, so there will be a post soon. I think that tomorrow, I will sit down and plan the rest of the month's projects. That way, I'll be certain to be as creative as I can muster. Until next time~ Toodahloo!