Recently...

Recently...this lovely Christmas Cactus - from my thoughtful friend, Amy - has sprouted some new leaves. Do you see them? They're still on the tiny side. I'm super excited about this because, quite frankly, I usually kill plants. I end up either over-watering or completely forgetting to water them at all. I've had this little beauty since last November and it is actually still alive...definitely a good sign!

Recently...we had a light dusting of snow. Not cool. It's April, almost May! Seriously. We do have some 70 degree weather in the five day forecast, and I cannot wait! I actually took a chance today by packing away my winter clothing and filling my closet with my summer wardrobe. I am so ready for tank tops, shorts and sandals.

Recently...we had water pour through the ceiling during our morning rush to get ready for school and work. Actually, it poured through the track that our hallway closet door slides along. That made for an extra hectic morning. Allan had to take the closet door down and we had a pool of water to mop up.

Recently...this handsome fella found the reason for the water pouring through the ceiling - a bathtub leak - and fixed it. He had to cut a hole in our closet wall as part of the process and boy was it a tight squeeze to get in and out of there. I found it kind of humorous. But seriously, I'm so thankful he was able to fix the problem. Awesome job honey!

Recently...I read this book. Actually, "devoured this book" would be more accurate. Since getting sick last year we've switched to mostly organic foods and have been paying much more attention to what we fuel our bodies with. I've been doing a lot of studying regarding the foods I feed my family and what I've discovered is shocking, angering, and just not right. I highly recommend this book. If you eat food in America you should read it. You can see the author, Robyn O'Brien, in an awesome TED talk via her website.

Recently...I tried this new recipe - Creamy Avocado Pasta. The word "creamy" is what drew me in. My favorite pastas have always been ones with a cream sauce. Since discovering my dairy allergy I have really missed those cream sauces, that is, until I discovered this recipe. It's amazing. This sauce really made me feel like I was eating a dairy cream sauce. No, it doesn't taste like cream, but the texture is something I've apparently been missing. The garlic, lemon, and basil give it wonderful flavor and it's nice and light - not heavy, like cream based sauces. And I've noticed that it works best with soft avocados, which produce a creamier sauce than firm avocados do.