Right Now

Right now, I'm...

...doing a lot of baking, mainly because I'm cold! These crazy temperatures have me drawn to the warmth of the oven almost every day (much to the dismay of the low-carb dieter in the fam), and today will be no exception. I'm thinking apple pie to close this week maybe... with a slice of cheese and a glass of wine tonight after everyone goes to bed? I think I just convinced myself. (Speaking of baking, I got tired of the last of the eggnog taking up space in my fridge so I dumped it all into cinnamon swirl bread, and y'all, put that in your notes to try, it turned out great! I'm not a fan of store-bought eggnog, but in bread it's subtle, makes for a very soft crumb, and goes so well with the cinnamon. Just sub eggnog for the liquid in your fav bread recipe. Do it!)
...vibing with housewives of yesteryear as I find myself becoming quite proficient at banking coals in the wood stove and using them to rekindle a fire the following morning. It's becoming a meditative part of my morning routine- kids go to school, house is quiet and dark, I get the ash bucket out and set to work... I'll be sad when fireplace weather leaves us.
...feeling thankful that all my chicken girls pulled through earlier this week when we went from 61*F to 7*F in less than 24 hours. I know Texans get teased about having a low tolerance for "winter weather," but come on, show me someone from the North who could regularly flip-flop like that during the winter, and also take in stride a day that might hit 105*+ only a few months later. I think we deserve a little slack! (I'm fretting about my bees, though, and hoping they're as tough as my feathered ladies... I'll be checking on them as soon as the temps are warm enough.)
...smiling at my rapidly-growing Suka who follows me everywhere- so eager to please- and realizing that she's losing her puppy fuzz and getting a shadow of a German Shepherd saddle! Looking back at our first photos of her, it's amazing how she's changed... but she still snores like an old man, has the worst dog farts, chews up unfortunate and forgotten balls left out by her littler people, and in general is becoming quite an irreplaceable and terribly loved member of our family.

Right now I'm looking forward to the warm-up that's supposed to be coming this weekend, and the chance we'll have to do some checking in on our outside creatures and projects. In the meantime, though, to hearth and home I'll stay because baby, it's still cold outside!

Wishing all a warm wrap-up to the week and a good weekend to come! Happy Friday!