favourite things.

a few of my favourite things.

dry shampoo - i know that this isn't new, it's not even new to me, but this brand i've been using the last few months is better than any other i've ever tried. charles worthington balancing act.

make up pallets - i hate, and i mean it, carrying around dozens of bits of makeup. i have a simple makeup routine at the best of times, this pallet has done wonders for my post gym makeup routine (as in it gives me incentive to actually put it on!) and i'm so excited to have a small makeup bag for our trip this week - no need for a baggie of liquids at airport security! jemma kidd bio-minerals essentials kit in rose.

grocery delivery - you read that correctly. we get our groceries delivered. a flat fee for the year and we can order as many times as we want, whenever we want. it's freed up so much of our time. a complete fix for our time-crunched city lives.

navy - it's my new black. and i've based my florida wardrobe around it.

travel scale - we don't have a scale in our house, and more than once we've been burned on our way back from a vacation. i picked up this little gizmo the other day and already it's been useful! plus it's pink.

so there you have it - my completely frivolous, totally ridiculous, current favourites list.

alleluia!

alleluia, he is risen!

he risen indeed, alleluia!

good friday.

it seems so counterintuitive - to call this day good. this day when the one who saves the world is sent to die. when the one who was all good, dies for us, the sinners. how can any of this be good?

reconciling this dichotomy is the centre of the christian faith.

but because there was no other way, the creator of the universe sent his son, as a baby, to live as a human, to experience the full range of human life, to be loved and tempted and betrayed. to hope and pray and live a life of only one purpose - to save humanity by dying on a cross. 

he did this for me.

he did this for you.

it is astounding and it demands my everything in response. 

and so today is good. it is glorious. but it is dark. and today we sit in this middle place, we wait for our mourning to be turned to dancing. 

on our table.

i've been on a huge baking kick recently. but my hand mixer bit the (flour)dust in february while making le boy's birthday cakes and i've not yet replaced it (plagued by indecision between a stand mixer and a hand mixer - any thoughts are welcome!) so i've been on the look out for baking recipes that can be done without a mixer, i mean, these are recent inventions, but baking's a pretty long-standing experience right?

first up was the yogurt cake featured on the kitchn. so easy. so good. i followed the recipe until i realised at the end that i don't own a spring-form pan (to be remedied asap) but evenly divided between two 8-inch pans seemed to work a treat - the best part? one is wrapped and sitting in my freezer, waiting to be defrosted and put to work at some point in the future. :)

image via thekitchn.com

second (but not in taste) was no mixer chocolate chip cookies or ccc's as marvellous would say. these are dense and chewy (due to the lack of a mixer) they take a bit more effort i suppose, but i don't know that i'll go back to a mixer for cookies...bold statement, i know. i reduced the number of chocolate chips and le boy still declared these to be his favourite ccc's ever - why? the sheer number of chocolate chips - gotta love that guy.

image via thekitchn.com

finally the other night i used a skinny taste recipe for a low-fat red coconut thai curry. ah-maz-ing. unbelievably good. although i was only cooking for us two, i made the entire portion of sauce and froze some, so next time we want thai curry i just defrost, throw in some shrimp and 10 minutes later, i'm the genius of the kitchen, sigh.

image via skinnytaste.com

these all were incredibly easy and so so good. enjoy!

april.

it's april already - three days in even! i've been on an unintentional blogging break, not because there's been nothing going on, but because there's been too much! march was the month of visitors - my parents and my sister in separate visits! and of reading! and cooking - baking to be precise.

march recap:

creative: i've started a cardigan from quince & co - oh how i love quince patterns, so easy read and such fantastic results every. single. time.

spiritual: memorised jeremiah 33:3 & psalm 139:14

mental: read the entire hunger games trilogy, the rules of civility  by amor towles, so so fantastic filled with the glitz and glamour of new york in the thirties, and the tragedy and sadness that can be left in its wake.

physical: i'm up to running 20 minutes, and i'm almost back to my marathon pacing from years ago - so that feels really good! also i've bitten the bullet and gotten a personal trainer - it's time to kick this knee rehab into high gear - and someone who forces me to work way harder than i want to naturally is just what i need, although he may kill me in the process. (grin)

:: intentions for april :: 

creative: wee babes are on the way, creating has begun! finish my cardigan, start on a linen shawl

spiritual: finish off the lenten bible study i've been doing (sporadically). resume my daily bible study. enjoy the spiritual refreshment that comes with time away. start listening to a college-level online course on the old testament.

mental: reading and reading - what else is holiday for?

physical: play some golf while on holiday, bump up the gym time to five times a week.

we're off to florida for the easter break and i just can't wait for the warmth, the bathing suits are packed, the golf shoes are in, the books are waiting patiently for my carry-on and i've already reviewed the in-flight movie selection. (am i the only one who does this? i like to know if there are movies i want to watch or if i need to be prepared with extra entertainment options!)