Friday Favorites: Hibernation

The Friday Favorites are back, ya’ll.

At least they are for this week.

Next Friday morning I’ll be picking up my favorite college girl at the airport for a short weekend visit home, so I’m not making any promises.
Although, it sounds like next week’s Friday Favorites’ post just wrote itself. Bam.

So about an hour ago I was sitting here at my desk going through my morning rituals (check Facebook, email, Facebook again, Us Magazine.com, EW.com, Eonline, Facebook again, and then Pinterest for a small dose of inadequacy to keep me grounded) before moving on to my other very important morning ritual—contemplating going back to bed for an hour—when I glanced out the window.

You guys, it’s raining.

POURING. RAIN.

Why does the rain make me dance around like a drunk woman or an overzealous and fabulous gay man?

Because it ain’t snow. 

And I think I’ve established—over and over—how I feel about snow.

So with the rain gently falling outside I think it’s time to share some favorites.
I’m just going to ignore the alarming sight of the strange green mushy stuff that’s suddenly appearing through the snow.
I’ll call someone to come check it out later.

While I’ve been hibernating the past month there’ve been a few things that have made my time more enjoyable.
My sweats? Bathrobe? Furry little napping buddy?

Obviously, but here are a few other favorites ~

 

Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Chips

Sounds almost too simple, doesn’t it? That a chip could bring such happiness?
You haven’t tasted these chips, then.

Not only are they ridged, but they’re all twisty and bendy for even more added crunch, which everyone knows is one of the top reasons for even eating a chip.

Although, since they’re made out of sweet potatoes—which we all know are like super foods that you’re supposed to eat probably every day—I’m not even sure they technically can be classified as a chip … at least that’s what I tell myself when I’m shoveling handfuls of them in my mouth.

Vitamin A FTW.

 

Think Thin Chocolate Almond Brownie Bars

Obsessed isn’t a strong enough word for my relationship with these bars.

Every day, you guys.
I eat one of these every damn day.

They’re like a chocolatey, chewy candy bar, BUT TOTALLY GOOD FOR YOU.

Shut up.

If I don’t eat one for lunch I grab one for that daily 3:30 p.m. drag (with a handful or three of sweet potato chips, obviously) and it picks me right up.
At $6 for a box of five, I realize that’s an expensive habit, but hey, it’s cheaper than a large coffee … and cocaine.
And since caffeine makes me crazy and I’m assuming cocaine would as well, I’ll stick with my Think Thin bars.

 

Red Vine Nuggets

I’m realizing that it must seem like all I’ve been doing while in hibernation is eating.

What else would one do in hibernation?
I mean, except sleep, and I think we’ve established—many times—that I do plenty of that.

 

But back to eating.
I love Red Vines.
Not waxy strawberry Twizzlers. Not those horrid cherry Nibs, but classic Red Vines.
But sometimes you don’t want to eat a straw, no matter how much fun it is to use to suck up your Diet Pepsi, am I right?
Sometimes, you just want to toss back a handful (or six) of delightful nuggets of perfect red licorice sweetness.
And now you can.

Just look at these morsels of chewy happiness.

Red Vine lovers of the world, rejoice!
Now we, too, can have our nibs without the cough-syrup finish!

I may have to go see a movie I don’t even want to see just so I can smuggle a bag into the theater.

 

The Sound of Gravel

I devoured this book in less than a week, and I kept thinking about it for days afterward.

“I am my mother’s fourth child and my father’s thirty-ninth.”
With an opening line like that, it’s easy to get hooked.

Ruth Wariner writes her story of growing up in rural Mexico in a polygamist family—and extreme poverty—so compellingly and with such vivid description it’s sometimes hard to believe you’re reading a memoir.
It’s a beautiful book, and if you don’t want to wrap your arms around Ruth and her siblings more than a few times while reading, you are a cold, hollow soul.

Here’s a great EW review if you’re wanting a little more info.
(I’ve added it to my Favorite Books page as well!)

 

Crochet Amigurumi

You know I’m thisclose to losing my mind when I do shit like this.

That’s right, I crocheted teeny, tiny little animals.

In defense of my madness, I made the narwhal for my marine biologist wannabe daughter for a Valentine’s Day surprise and the whale for her roommate who’s also a zoology major.

They loved them.
So did I.
So I made a tiny turtle.

And then a guinea pig.

I’ve always wanted a guinea pig but not the accompanying smell.
This one is almost as cute as the real deal and smells like nothing but sweetness.
I gave him to Thing 2, but I’d by lying if I said I didn’t go into her room occasionally to visit.

Here’s the link to the YouTube tutorials I used for the whale and narwhal (same pattern, one just has a horn), turtle, and guinea pig (this one wasn’t as easy to follow, and will require a glass or two of wine to make it through without throwing your crochet needle at your cat).

Making them was tedious and more than a bit frustrating, but to be honest, was somehow a stress reliever. I had to focus so hard on watching, listening, and counting that my mind didn’t have the opportunity to wander into its usual dangerous territory … and I didn’t think about sweet potato chips for a solid hour or two.

 

Well, it’s still raining, so that means there’s still time for a quick nap before I have to get ready for Thing 2’s show tonight. She’s in a wonderful community theater production of Les Misérables and I need to run to Target to grab a bag of licorice bites to get me through the three hours of misery (see what I did there?).

Have a great weekend, and check back next week for a post with one of my new favorite—and as always, super easy—dinners!

 

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