101

I'm not sure whether I feel more inspired or depressed by this... but I am sure I want to keep wearing sunscreen every day.

The 101 project

Christmas Cards

This year, as particularly Alert readers may have noticed, I didn't post my customary Christmas card notice. Then again, since I abruptly stopped posting anything three weeks into NaBloPoMo, it might not have been particularly surprising.

In any case, I did send out cards this year, but they went to people whose addresses I already had. I ended up having my cards professionally printed this year, and although I got a steal of a deal on them, I didn't think I could afford to expand my list much this year.* As it was, I had to have an extra one printed for me at Kinko's. Oh, but, yeah! I totally recommend Picaboo for card printing. Envelopes are even included, so with the deal I got, it was actually cheaper to have Picaboo print my cards than to do the photo-printing, card stock-buying, and envelope-procuring on my own (let alone much easier than the cutting and glue-sticking).

Ordinarily, of course, I show the previous year's card when I solicit this year's requests. Since I didn't get that done this year, though, I'll just show you last year's and tell you now that if you send me your address (disasterkitchen ((at)) gmail.com) now, I'll send you next year's:

As you may have noticed (with cards from 2009, 2008, and 2007 for reference), the cards have just gotten more elaborate and generally weirder. This year's is the weirdest yet, but I won't post it here until next year.

Meanwhile, several of you Alert Readers also sent fantastically creative cards this year! I do admit to loving the ones with adorable children/babies, and even the ones with cute couples, but quite possibly my favorite was Bog Lemming Superstar's. It took the non-traditional Christmas card to truly new heights, which I'll let her share if she so desires. Well done, I say.

So. I'm still sort of pretending it's the holidays--partly because about 3am yesterday I woke up with my every-two-to-three-years stomach bug** and spent nearly all day in bed, and have today been similarly low on productivity (and eating). The thought of gearing up for a semester that will include TA-ing (and teaching sections) for one class, teaching another two online, and, ideally, finishing my dissertation, is tiring even at full-strength. So, for at least one more day, happy holidays!

*See also: not blogging.
**Vegetarians are thankfully not very food poisoning prone

Entertaining Vegans

Last Friday night, we had the Wonders over for dinner, and I enjoyed planning an entirely vegan menu. Bradley, who is much better at blogging than am I, wrote about it here. The only thing he forgot was the steamed broccoli and carrots. The thing I forgot was the edamame that was to have been our appetizer. (David and I did eat edamame tonight, made extra special with my new Maldon salt*)!

Sunday morning, we had the downstairs neighbors up for a distinctly non-vegan brunch--red potato and caramelized onion quiche, Swedish fruit soup, and mini-croissants.

This coming weekend, we're having another couple of friends over for brunch--she a historical quasi-vegetarian, and he a devoted carnivore. Weekend before last, they had us, and another vegetarian-ish couple, over for brunch, and she made a really nice cheesy egg dish with green chilies that pleased even the carnivore. I will try to do as much (and welcome, as always, suggestions!).

The new table has been inspiring, apparently, for entertaining. I'm sorry it hasn't been more inspiring for blogging, so far; I really will try to do better.

*This is the most amazing, lightly crunchy, flaked sea salt. SaltWorks has the best price I've seen--and they're offering free shipping.

Things That Are Awesome VIII

Things That Are Awesome VIII (the winter edition):

• Fleece sheets. Before David's parents bought us these for Christmas, I didn't even know they existed. I've had flannel sheets for years, but these blow those out of the water on the warmth front. They're basically very soft, thin fleece blankets, sewn into a standard sheet set configuration, and they are amazing. When they're pre-heated with the electric blanket, climbing between them is like curling up in a teddy bear's warm innards. Delightful.
• Smartwool muffler. This was another Christmas present, this one from my sister. It is the heaviest, nicest scarf I've ever owned--made of soft merino wool, and thick and "tall" enough that it sits structurally on my shoulders and covers my face (as you can see in the picture to the left; for the photo from this earlier post, I had pulled it down only for as long as it took to take the photo [promptly numbing everything below my eyes]). It is wonderful!
• Flannel neck-warmer. David's sister Becca made this for me for Christmas, and I've never gotten so many compliments on an accessory! I'm hoping she adds them to her Esty shop so that I can direct interested parties there. This picture doesn't actually show it all that well--but does show one of the Brand New People I met over Christmas (Brian and Liesl's!), and the lovely arm warmers David bought me. Since I wear the neck-warmer all the time, you'll probably see it soon in another picture, anyway.
• Winter pedicure! I've mentioned the hour-long, $15 pedicures at my local beauty school. The lovely warm soak and scrubbing felt extra-special yesterday, even though I had to put my Smartwool socks and big boots on and trudge back to the car through the snow. Those toes are coming out in two weeks, though, when we head to Orlando for Mandy's wedding! Saint Paul College is also where I get the sunscreen I mentioned last time, and this stuff:
• Pevonia Botanica Problematic Skin Care Cream. Oh, yes, my skin is problematic--or was, until I found this moisturizer (paired with CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser alternating with Pevonia's Phyto-Gel Cleanser). These products (except for the CeraVe, which I found myself) were all recommended by the aestheicians at SPC--where I can get them at approximately 25% or more off retail. Even so, they cost more than I've been used to paying for skin care products, but are so worth it for the results: namely, my skin looking and feeling the best it has in many, many years. Combined with periodic facials, they seem to actively calm and improve my skin (versus the treatments I've tried over the years, many of them dermatologist-prescribed, that aggressively dry or otherwise aggravate it in the name of controlling break-outs). I moisturize twice daily with the cream (over a drop or two of SkinCeuticals' Hydrating B-5 gel if I'm flaky [which can happen here in the winter!]; keeping my skin hydrated and calmed seems to work better for me than any other "treatments." Or maybe, after two decades of it, I've finally just (mostly) outgrown my acne; who knows.
• J Crew's winter sale. 40% off of all sale items with code MUSTHAVE. For real! The web store wasn't applying my discount, so I called customer service--and was given free shipping for my "trouble"! I got $265 worth of (originally-priced merchandise) for a fraction of that. Deal ends tomorrow, though, so hurry!
  

What are your Awesome Things this winter?

Sunscreen

It may seem silly to be discussing sunscreen in the middle of winter, but here in Mpls, anyway, the sun is shining (and reflecting off the snow everywhere), and the small amount of skin that's uncovered still needs to be protected.

As a pale person, with at least partially red hair, a tendency to freckle, and a familial history of skin cancer, I know that it's especially important for me to wear sunscreen daily. However, I haven't always been particularly good at it, mostly because said pale skin is also morbidly sensitive and tends to break out at the mere thought of new chemicals. I've tried any number of drugstore moisturizers with SPF, and last year, at the recommendation of my aesthetician,* sprung for SkinCeuticals' Ultimate Defense moisturizing sunscreen.

However, although that product was definitely superior to others I'd tried, I still felt like it left me looking and feeling somewhat greasy--and had a suspicion that it might be responsible for the stubborn whiteheads I couldn't quite clear up. I found myself not wearing it as consistently as I should, and so when I was back at the clinic this spring, I asked if they had any other recommendations.

As it happened, they did: another SkinCeuticals product, recently released, called Sheer Physical UV Defense. This sunscreen is hands-down the most amazing sunscreen I've ever tried--and in the running for most amazing skincare product generally. It's in a small bottle (TSA-approved!), and you shake it (hearing the little agitator ball rattle around, like in spray paint) before applying the liquid to your face in small sections. The "mattifying fluid" absorbs instantly and easily, leaving a beautifully smooth surface that's perfect whether or not you apply make up over it. My skin doesn't even seem to notice it's there, which is saying a lot. Best of all, because it's not in the least bit greasy and even seems to improve the look of my make up, I really do wear it every day.

It's definitely not a steal, but for me it's worth it knowing that my skin doesn't react to it and that I'll actually wear it daily, the way I'm supposed to. Especially if you have fussy skin and have been avoiding daily sunscreen for that reason, I highly recommend it!

*Really she's one of the instructors at Saint Paul College, where students give $15 facials as part of their curriculum, but I've been going for long enough that she recognizes me and talks to me about my skin and product suggestions.

Vegetarian American

After our run yesterday, my running buddy and I met our menfolk for brunch at Maria's, which I love for its delicious and inexpensive food, but to which I hadn't been in many months. My chocolate chip pancake was so stunningly good that my fellow brunchers couldn't stop sneaking bites (which I gladly shared, as the pancake was the size of the plate). So delicious.

While there, we saw this comic,* which made me laugh out loud, repeatedly--the first time I'd done so at a newspaper funny of any sort in a long time.
"Weed Eater": so classic.

This morning I did 90 minutes of hot yoga. Between that and yesterday's run, pretty much all I feel like doing is eating. Back to it!

*Apparently the local paper runs Sunday comics on Saturday?

Gifts

**Update: Erin is running a giveaway right now! Go here to leave a comment by noon FRIDAY and be entered in the drawing to win!**

Guys! I won a drawing over at Good Morning Grumpy, which you should obviously check out if you haven't. These are the lovely handmade goods the talented Miss Erin (whose prowess you may remember from earlier) sent:

A pillow sham that matches my living room perfectly

Adorable floral-themed magnets in a little tin

I didn't have any pillows lying around, but I was pretty proud of myself for buying a pillowcase at Savers for $0.99 and turning it into an (albeit slightly asymmetrical and lumpy) throw pillow in about 10 minutes with two quick seams and the last of the leftover dummy stuffing. I seriously love the sham. She has more for sale over at her Etsy store!

Should I do a craft giveaway here at the Kitchen? I probably should, since I love it so much when other people do them. But, then, there are so many other things I should also probably do (including updating the book blog, on which I am currently four reviews behind: Pattern Recognition, If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, Jitterbug Perfume, and Half the Sky)--and, of course, writing that pesky dissertation.

In the meantime, thanks again, Erin!

Toothiness

This morning I went to the dentist. The graduate student health insurance plan is actually pretty awesome, and includes two cleaning/check-ups per year. I haven't always been great about going; among other things, there's generally a daunting six- to eight-week lag before you can get in for an appointment. I somehow lucked out this time around, however; when I called in response to my postcard reminder, they offered an appointment date the very next week.

The last time I'd been in, in May, the very friendly, if not terribly thorough, hygienist told me I had "the cleanest mouth I've seen all day!" And today, I had the shortest dental exam I've ever had: the dentist did ask me if I'd been having any problems, but then looked in my mouth for all of maybe 30 seconds.

When I remarked on it to the hygienist, she said, "That's because everything looks so good in there!" Well, mostly good. There is some flattening, apparently, that suggests a bit of grinding (stress!), and which may account for some increased sensitivity recently. The hygienist gave me a sample tube of Sensodyne, and also encouraged me to use a fluoride rinse.

I said I didn't realize that fluoride was still beneficial for adults, but that I did remember my mom putting fluoride drops in our breakfast juice during the time we lived in Louisiana when I was a kid. The hygienist was impressed. She said, "You have a good mom!" Because I love telling people this, I added, "She even flossed our teeth for us when we were kids." (It's completely true. I can still remember lying on my back on her big bed while she flossed my baby teeth. When we were old enough to do our own, she used to say, "You only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.")

The hygienist was even more impressed. She said, "You should thank her! She's the reason you have such nice teeth now!" I said, "I do!" although, as she had her fingers in my mouth, it came out more like "Awww roo!"

However, it really can't be said too often: thanks again, Mom!

Oh, and there's one more place where credit is due: my toothbrush, pictured here (thanks to David, who was sure a picture must be taken of me next to the drying string lamp, even though I was in the middle of brushing my teeth). The hygienist asked me if I use an electric toothbrush, but as you can see, I don't. Several years ago, a friend told me about the Oral-B Cross Action toothbrush. She told me that she didn't floss, but that her dentist always thought she did since she'd been using this toothbrush.

With that endorsement, I bought one, and have never looked back. They've become increasingly fancy over the years (gum stimulators! oh my!), and I continue to love them. They're a bit more expensive than their flat-bristled cousins, but absolutely worth it: I can't imagine going back.

Here's to clean mouths!