Hello Again, Blog

Today was pretty good. Bright and early (well, 9:30-ish) my brother came to visit me. We haven't hung out in a while, so it felt good to catch up. Originally the plan was to go out in service, but Zack has been sick with flu all week and I woke up not feeling all that well, so Tate and I ended up staying at home, which was relaxing and nice.

Zack had left some of his camera gear lying out on the coffee table. Tate picked it up, and I ended up giving him an impromptu photography lesson, which was quite fun. Afterward I heated up some vegetable soup for lunch, and then gave myself a facial, and talked Tate into getting one too! I love my brother - he is so easy going. He spent about half an hour showing me some of his favorite Youtube videos while wearing a pore cleansing mask.

Speaking of Youtube, the other day my mom and I went shopping for a video camera for my dad, who is soon to launch his own Youtube channel, telling stories about his life in Africa. We ended up getting him the latest Flip HD. My dad has been trying it out, but apparently it leaves something to be desired, so it looks like we'll be doing some more shopping. This does not bother me at all; I love shopping for electronics :)

After lunch, Tate posed for me while I did some sketches for an art project. We were listening to Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Book 1, which was quite engrossing. I really love adventurous, imaginative stories like that. It makes me itch to get writing. I'm on chapter 44 of my current yet-to-be-titled novel. The end is in sight! I intend to finish the chapter tomorrow. I'd really love to do Nanowrimo this year, but since I haven't yet finished last year's novel, nor do I have any new plots up my sleeve, it seems pretty much like wishful thinking at this point. But Nanowrimo is soooo fun that I can't seem to resign myself to missing it. So I guess we'll see.

In other news, we got our first box of produce from Terra Organics today. I was so excited to open it, and was immediately intrigued by the goodies inside - bright yellow string beans, purple potatoes, thin hook-shaped eggplants, a container of "kiwi berries,"etc etc. I wanted to make something yummy for dinner, but didn't know where to begin. After browsing recipes online for a while, I decided to try the eggplant first. I roasted them in the oven with a light coating of olive oil, and when I took them out after twenty minutes, they smelled sooo good, I couldn't believe it. I've never been a fan of eggplant, but as I was peeling the skins off I couldn't stop bending over to inhale the steam. I chopped them and tossed them in a skillet with some caramelizing onions, then later added eggs and a little shredded cheese for a scramble. It was a hit - even Pongo loved it! For desert I made the honey-fried fig recipe that came in the newsletter. We ate them with vanilla yogurt, but I think they might have been better on their own.

So far, I have to say the produce is definitely worth the price. And it feels good to be supporting local family-owned organic farms. I'm sure I will have more to say about this in future posts, as it has been a topic of discussion around here of late.

After dinner, Family Worship. We took turns choosing articles from the current magazines to read and discuss. Very relaxing and enjoyable.

And now, Pilates. Then, bed.