Back in February (the 9th, to be exact) I did a list of 13 things in my house. I said the second 13 would be up the following week…hmmm…eight weeks later, here it is!

13 things I have in my home, continuing with the letter N:

N – Napkins, cloth & paper. Usually the paper ones have flip flops on them, or crabs…I don’t usually buy (or use) napkins anymore.
O – Oatmeal! Steel cut oats are my favorite, but I’m not above a bowl of quick oats…although lately I’m really digging overnight oats!
P – People, usually just two, sometimes more
Q – Quinoa, my few go-to grain, I love the little teeny curls!
R – Recipes, many, many recipes, in books, on pieces of paper, stuffed into folders. What’s your latest favorite recipe?
S – shiba inu, of course! A live one and lots of pictures of them, and stuffed animals, and felted ones, even a Christmas ornament or two
T – Toilet! What home would be complete without one in this day and age? Hmmm…I had a dream last night about an old friend…went to visit him in CA and he didn’t like toilets, so he had come up with a new idea, and all you had to do was sit on a screen like wooden thing and there was something underneath you that cleaned it all up. Weird, eh?
U – Underwear, lots and lots and lots. I might have a problem LOL!
V – Vittles. Although the freezer is looking mightly empty lately, but I kind of like that!
W – Wishes. Wishes for love, for happiness, for peace (sometimes for quiet), for abundance of good, and a lack of sorrow.
X – Xylitol, which is a toothpaste ingredient that clinical studies show aids in preventing cavities and gingivitis. Hey, I’m all for that!
Y – Yachts! No, no there are no yachts in my house, or near my house, for that matter. There are lots of yams! Have you roasted a yam, tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper? OH YUM!!!
Z – Zippers, and all of them work!!!

And for getting through that list, here’s a bonus picture of Wolf looking so damn cute at the beach last weekend:

Borrowed from Sherilee, who borrowed it from someone else, and so on!

1. Outside my window… Snow! For only the third time this winter (not counting flurries that didn’t add up to anything). I wish it could be like this EVERY winter! Then New England would be perrrrfect.

2. I am thankful… for the fact I’m still here, and relatively healthy!

3. In the kitchen… I used up the last of the bacon this morning to save for sandwiches over the weekend. Also heated up a handful of mushrooms & onions that were cooked with the liver we had for dinner the other night, tossed in some leftover veggies from last night, added a handful of leftover white rice, then added an egg. Stir fried rice! And now we have MORE leftovers, since that made way more than I could eat for breakfast.

4. I am wearing… A black mock turtleneck, grey cords and black Uggs. Hmmm…methinks a bit of color would be helpful!

5. I am creating… some happy memories for Dave’s grandchildren, I hope.

6. I am going… to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC this April! Woohoo! SO excited!!!

7. I am reading… up to three books now, but the most recent is one I’m listening to on my commute back and forth to work. It’s called “The Lake Shore Limited”, by Sue Miller. Before that I listened to “The Night Circus”, Erin Morgenstern’s first novel and I LOVED it!

8. I am learning… How to deal with all that life gifts me with, good and bad.

9. I am pondering… what to put in this part … *grin*

10. A favorite quote for today… I’m leaving the one that Sherilee chose, because it’s perfect:

Never mind. The self is the least of it. Let our scars fall in love.
-Galway Kinnell

11. One of my favorite things… is watching Wolf enjoy the heck out of snow! It rejuvenates him, I swear.

12. A few plans for the rest of the week… Visiting a friend either in the hospital or at home, and I’m hoping at home, cause that way I get to make one of her favorite meals: cheese raviolis with spicy red pepper sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese from the green can (hey, it’s her fav) and brownies for dessert. Friday night, I hope to catch up with an old friend, then this weekend, spend some alone time with Dave!!!

13. A peek into my day…

I was walking Wolf this morning, when I spied these two in the stream…they were making sure the water didn’t freeze over! Poor lil things, all confused by this weather. They’ll be happy this weekend, tho, it’s supposed to be 50 Saturday!

13 things I have in my home, beginning with the letter A…to be concluded next week.

A – Angel, the perfume by Theirry Mugler
B – Black boots (two for the price of one!)
C – Coats, one especially that I am determined to fit into
D – Dishes, every day white ones from Ikea; some beautiful blue and white ones from Japan, a few from my Grandma, and from my parents, and various mismatched bits & bobs from here and there (betcha thought I’d say dogs or Dave, didn’t you?)
E – Etsy purchases
F – Freedom, to do what one wants, to speak one’s mind.
G – Grandma’s picture, both as a teen and as an adult.
H – Hairspray and it’s not mine! Dave goes through it like you can’t believe! Gotta keep that ‘do in place!
I – Individuality. Another thing I treasure.
J – Jacks of various types: O’Lanterns (some carved by Dave, some are store bought ceramic pieces), and figurines of my favorite pirate to name a couple
K – Kawaii, on a license plate from when I lived in VA
L – Little tchotchkes, meaningless to most, but they bring a smile to my face
M – Mirrors, and I don’t know why! I’m not a person that likes to look at herself. There’s one in the hallway, 2 in the living room, 1 in the kitchen, 2 in the bathroom, and 1 in the bedroom. Hmmm…

Here are 13 cancer fighting foods and spices and the funny thing is, I crave almost all of the things on this list…is my body telling me something?

1. Avocados: Slice, drizzle with balsamic cream…devour!
2. Cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage: All of these things I’ve been eating a lot of lately, especially cauliflower (roasted, with lemon & garlic) and kale (in soups, as chips, in salads)
3. Carrots: Always a favorite snack, raw, of course. Even the dogs love carrots!
4. Figs: I am late to the fig/date loving party, but I’m making up for lost time!
5. Flax: Been making a type of ‘oatmeal’ of ground flax, banana, vanilla and almond milk…also adding ground flax to the buttermilk bread I’ve been baking lately.
6. Grapefruit, oranges & lemons: These 3 fruits remind me of bright, sunny days, and I can’t get enough!
7. Licorice Root: It’s the main ingredient in my favorite Tea by Aveda
8. Mushrooms: ADDICTED!!! Dave sautes them for me at least once a week.
9. Nuts: Could eat nuts and peanut butter til it comes out my ears. In fact, I can’t control myself around them, so I have to be careful to dole out portions and not keep the rest in sight.
10. Raspberries: As if I need another reason to eat these delicious berries!
11. Rosemary: My favorite spice, by far. I’m growing a pot of it on my kitchen table. Nothing like fresh!
12. Seaweed: Been eating sushi at least once a week lately…fish & seaweed, good and healthy!
13. Tomatoes: Is there anything better than a fresh tomato off the vine? During the rest of the year, I’ll use tomatoes in my cooking, usually canned or frozen because fresh just doesn’t taste the same if it’s not summertime.

Come join the fun over at T13!

Come play along at the Thursday-13 Hq!

Right now! (borrowed from Dawn)

1. I am thinking…How irritating it is when I’m halfway through writing a blog post and my fingers hit a wrong combination of buttons. Grrrr!!!

2. I am thankful for…being able to enjoy the heck out of this summer!

3. From the kitchen…came an amazing basil and lemon scented roast chicken (ok, I used a bit of rosemary, salt & pepper, too).

4. I am wearing…a black top, yoga pants (yes at work) and flip flops (ditto)

5. I am creating…a life I dreamed of, full of people and love

6. I am going…to see my friend Pat this weekend…she & her husband and Dave & I are going to see the Doobie Brothers & Lynyrd Skynyrd Friday night!

7. I am reading…New Zealand with a Hobbit Botherer by Annette Gisby and ironically enough, I passed a car on the highway this morning with NH plates that said: HOBBITS !!!

8. I am hoping…this hurricane kind of avoids us…especially since the concert Friday is out of doors, and there’s a craft fair Saturday that I want to go to!

9. I am hearing…voices in my head…LOL! No, I’m not, I’m hearing my fingers on the keyboard, and assorted noises from coworkers…also a humming sound, machinery, not human.

10. Around the house…is some clutter…I’ve got a few boxes to go over to a friends for storage and a few boxes to fill with things for donation. (hahaha this is the same from the last time I wrote one of these! one of these days i’ll get rid of that stuff!!!)

11. One of my favorite things…is fresh summer fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes and corn and cherries and watermelon!

12. I wish…that summer would last a lot longer, and fall would go on until spring…let’s just skip winter, please? Just a bit of snow on Christmas day then begone!

13. A picture to share…

Still always finding heart shapes!