purewellnessamy

The path to...more snow.

Hi there!

I’m writing this while watching the snow dance and fly outside my dining room window.  It’s quite beautiful. I refuse to complain about it because:

 a.) it’s January 21 (i.e. “winter”)

b.) it’s the northeast

c.) shoveling is great exercise

The {wine} glass is half full today, baby!

I apologize for not posting in a while. I just haven’t been feeling it, ya know?  I have been doing a lot of reading, thinking, and shredding  (old documents. It’s oddly therapeutic). So, I thought I’d share some things I’ve found to be interesting. From what I’ve been reading. My old documents and thoughts are rather boring.

• I just finished reading Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. It’s a story about an African refugee and the British family she “befriended.” I can’t say I loved this book: some of the characters weren’t developed enough for me and the dialogue, I thought, was contrived. But the story, while not based on a “true story,” is in fact true.  Little Bee’s life isn’t imaginary. What happened to her in the book happens in the real world. Catch my drift? Her story is disturbing, uncomfortable, and sad.  While I try to keep my entertainment on the humorous and light side, I think it’s important to occasionally take in books or movies that slap me in the face with dark reality and take me out of my comfort zone.  I think everyone needs a peek at the underbelly once in a while. It helps to reinforce empathy, which, in my opinion, many people are lacking. You know?  I’m currently reading The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. Her writing is as rich as a dark chocolate truffle, so I can only read a few pages at a time!

• Yesterday I checked out the new look of Honey & Jam. I just love Hannah’s blog. I can’t get over the fact that she’s only 20 years old! I’m in awe (and envious) of her talents. She always posts mouth-watering recipes and gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous photographs. I actually have three of her prints in my kitchen (see below, and forgive the glare).  Her photos have a timeless quality; for me, they link the past to the present in a way. I was looking at them the other day and thought that Emily Dickinson or Jane Austen could very well have looked at the same flower or cup of tea, on the same rustic wood table, and taken a picture of it ( if she had a camera!)

• And speaking of talented young women, in yesterday’s post Hannah linked to Cooking for Seven, a food and photography blog by 21-year old Erica Lea. Again, scrumptious recipes and swoon-y photography (am I the only person who swoons over pretty photographs?)  After perusing her site for a bit, I thought “God bless the Internet for allowing me to view amazing things from women in Georgia and Northern Minnesota.” Hannah and Erica seem like soul sisters who live thousands of miles apart and most likely never would have met were it not for the blogosphere.  I don’t know, it just strikes me as wonderful and inspiring.

• Which happen to be words I use to describe MamaPea’s blog! She’s one of my every-morning reads, along with The Fitnessista, Oh She Glows, and Cupcakes and Cashmere. Anyway, MamaPea recently posted a great recipe called  ”Cracklin Cauliflower.” I made it the other night and served it with brown rice. Peter and I both gobbled it up. The only change I would make next time would be to add fingerling potatoes to the mix for a kind of amped-up aloo gobi.

• And finally, I found a recipe for whole wheat pizza crust that I am going to attempt to make today!  It’s my first time using yeast, so keep your fingers crossed for me.  I need to get started on it now if we’re going to have pizza for dinner tonight.

In case you’re wondering, I’m still doing the 21-day vegan kick start. It’s been going well and I think I’ll devote a larger post to it this weekend.

Enjoy the weekend and STAY WARM if you’re in the northeast. I heard that it’s going to be “eyeball freezing” weather!  Brrr!