You've seen these pictures before, but here they are mounted in Dex's little book. I love the background paper--vintage plum, wouldn't you say?--inspired by Dex's purple collar. (I loved that tiny collar, but everyone asked if he was a girl, so we eventually got him a boyish orange one.) 
I love the winking one, as if to say, "You can let me out, I'll behave..."
The Paperwhites bloom away as snow falls this week... It is so cold and windy outside!
I'm slowly catching Spring Fever.
I never thought I'd be the type to a) buy organic, b) make homemade dog treats, or c) make organic dog treats. Yet here I am. Owning a puppy changes things, I guess. Actually, this was a really fun experiment--I've never baked with brown rice flour or oat flour before... 
I ended up baking spoonfuls, pressed down into psuedo-sugar cookies (even though they were apple cheddar cookies!) 
Either way, Dex was pleased with them. He doesn't mind if they're not Martha-Stewart-worthy. :)
My two neices C & L came out to visit us last week from Arizona, and we taught them how to make yummy peppermint bark. This is one of my mom's favorite sweets--she's always been akin to minty things.Remove plastic from candy canes, and place in plastic bag. Break into small pieces with a heavy utensil (I used the back of a bread knife). Set aside. Pour dark chocolate candies into microwavable bowl, and melt in 30 second increments until fully melted & stirrable. Pour onto ungreased cookie sheet, and spread around to make an even layer with a spatula. Set in fridge to set (5-10 mins).
Clean bowl, and dry thoroughly. Pour in white chocolate candy melts, and melt in 30 second increments in the microwave, the same as the dark chocolate. Pour quickly onto solid dark chocolate, and spread with spatula. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top, before white chocolate sets. Place in fridge to cool and set.
Once the chocolate has hardened, pry a side up from the sheet, and begin to break the large piece into small pieces. Be sure to enjoy a bite or two as you do this... :) Place in a cute tin and share a little sweetness with friends!
Happy Winter!
The little bulbs I planted last Tuesday are thriving, to my surprise--I didn't think they would shoot up so quickly. The pop of green on the kitchen windowsill is quite welcome against the gray backdrop of the sky.
I named this post "vermillion" originally because I thought there was a shade of green with that name...It sounds so wonderfully old fashioned. To be sure, I looked it up, and I was thoroughly surprised. It means "a vivid reddish-orange color." Wha...? Why does it sound so green to me?
Ah well. Soon, the paperwhites will be blooming, and all I'll think about is what flowers and veggies I'd like to plant this year. Tomatoes, for sure, and maybe some sort of pepper. I hear Anaheim peppers grow well here. January might be too early to plant seedlings in our growing season--April 1st supposedly is a good time to begin, indoors of course--but it's nice to conjure up the image of plants in this dreary, desolate month.
Besides dreaming of little seedlings, here's a peek at what I'm currently working on:
Happy New Year! Yes yes, this is me, heating up some water for tea and not realizing until too late my picture is being taken. I had to get new glasses since Dex crunched my other ones. I thought I looked semi-hip in these, but I look rather grandmotherly! Glasses, tea, knitting... I can't be too surprised, I guess. ;) 
Another little after-Christmas steal: three adorable jars, found at Yours Truly in Olde Arvada. I can't bring myself to empty them of the sparkly snow that came in them, they're so cute... But my future plan is to fill at least one with sugar cubes for the table. 
Our Christmas tree is still up...
I will miss its glow and cheer. The corner it's in now will look awfully bare without it. Maybe I can put Dex's new bed there, and he can be our new corner decoration...
