A few things I enjoyed eating, doing, using and reading in November…
This Braiser Cookbook by Wini Moranville. I have her Bonne Femme cookbook and love it too, but recently got my hands on this braising cookbook because ONE POT, people.
Every recipe has me salivating. Last week I made the Chicken with Brown Rice and Mushrooms. So. Good. Did I mention ONE POT to wash?! Also, French-woman inspired so automatic win for me.
These stainless steel straws.
For some unknown reason, I drink more water when I have a straw. But plastic ones get all gucky and gross.
True story: I once started drinking from a reusable plastic straw that I had washed, and a huge straw-shaped wad of rotten food came up into my mouth (!$(#%&.
I bought the good ones that day. The stainless steel ones are easy to clean.
Yurt Camping
I’ve been wanting to sleep in a yurt for a long time, and we finally did it a few weekends ago.
Too bad the mountains were on fire, so the park rangers wouldn’t allow us to have a campfire. We had a blast anyway.
Camping in a Yurt – Josiah approves
Camping always reminds me of what it takes to have a happy life. Shelter, food, loved ones, nature, movement. It renews my commitment to limiting screens and maximizing minimalism (that sentence totally made sense in my head).
It puts a mean head of foam on your favorite milky beverage.
It really is the little things, people. This little milk frothing wand takes the place of an entire Starbucks. Buy one, learn how to make a cappuccino or latte at home, save big bucks.
Books I’m enjoying:
How to Be Chic in Winter by Fiona Ferris – I love Fiona’s books. This one is fun and especially appropriate for me because I dislike winter am learning to love winter. It really is about wearing the appropriate clothing.
And developing little winter rituals and routines like cooking certain menus and enjoying cozy hot drinks (the aforementioned cookbook and milk frother will help with that). And having the right attitude!
If you’re a prepper or just want to learn how to make yummy emergency meals from pantry foods (wise in these “interesting” times, no?), you might enjoy this neat little ebook by Maribeth Alexander of FoodandForte.com: The Emergency Chef, Preparing Convenient Meals in Inconvenient Times.
This book would also come in handy if you’ve stocked up on pantry essentials at rock-bottom prices and need to use up some of your stockpile.
Finally, I’m not a deal blogger by any means, but I will on occasion let you know about a coupon code or some other way to save on essential things (like kid’s clothing!).
Right now Schoola is having a special. The deets:
50% off orders of $50 or more, use promo code: 5DAYS. Ends: December 5th. They also have a ton of new inventory marked at $5, with no promo code needed.
My new Bullet Journal arrived!
This time I bought it from the official BuJo site instead of Amazon, and this one has features the other lacks.
I can hardly wait to start using it in January. A new journal and a new year full of possibilities. (See my one year anniversary of using the Bullet Journal here.)
(post contains affiliate links)
Thanks so much for the mention, Carrie! I will convert everyone to be winter-lovers, that’s my goal 🙂
Some of the change in my attitude this year has come from the lack of rain this season! Winter in Georgia is usually very rainy (but mild), so one is more or less stuck indoors. If it’s cold and sunny, it’s pretty easy for me to get outside and stay active. Unfortunately, we’ve had drought that has caused fires in the mountains here.
Amazon sells straw brushes that work great. I think I got a set of 3 different sizes for just a few dollars. They get everything out of straws – even dried up smoothies.
How are you liking the bullet journal? It sounds like you’ve used one before. My journal has no tabs, and I have to go digging every time I need to find something.
home schooling 7!!?? You are a super-human. Tell me they are not babies.
@April – I love my BuJo! I started using it a little over a year ago. No tabs, true, but it does have two bookmarks and I also use book tabs (those little silver things, you can order a ton of them for $5 on Amazon).
Re homeschooling, I have one baby, nearly two, but the others are older. 🙂