a peek inside the fishbowl

We capped it off our winter break yesterday with our first XC ski outing of 2016. This is NCC’s Pine Grove Forest Trail:

It was pretty much the perfect ski day. The area was not busy in the least. Maybe everyone was at Stony Swamp and Gatineau.

Afterwards we picked up dinner fixin’s at Farm Boy and spent the rest of the day bundled under blankets and relaxing. Later we watched Dial M for Murder – one of several DVDs we borrowed from the library over the holidays – and later in the evening Mark and I made tea and watched Downton Abbey. Bliss.

The whole family is back to work and school today, and although we had a wonderful time together over the holidays, I am equally happy to go back to The Way Things Were Before. What can I say? I like my routine. I’ve been thinking about WHY I like routine so much, why it makes me happy, and I think it’s because we are wired from childhood to find comfort in familiar patterns: this is when we have breakfast, this is the time I go to school, when I come home there will be milk and cookies etc. We can’t help ourselves. It’s practically in our DNA.

I am wondering if routines make me happier than other people. I suppose I’m within the realm of normal on this one. Routines which include start/end times also help keep the day from getting out of hand if you know what I mean. (In other words, they prevent me from getting distracted by various projects of my own making.)

This year I’ve added to my usual work day routine. It occurred to me that since I’m already spending 30 minutes every morning in front of my Litebook I could be using this time to be a bit more productive instead of checking email and Facebook. So for the better part of the past week I’ve spent 30 minutes each morning on a writing project. I use the Chromebook at the breakfast bar, with my iPhone out of reach so I am not tempted to check it. I set a timer app and write for 30 minutes straight. And you know what, so far so good. I try not to write past that 30-minute window. If I have a great idea I jot it down in my Evernote folder for later, when I know I’ll need it.

Sidebar: I don’t know if this project is going anywhere, and I’m loathe to say too much and jinx it, but I am happy about it and feeling optimistic.

A different part of my daily routine has been put on hold for a while, even though it’s killing me to do so. I’ve been walking on the treadmill every morning for the past couple of years and it’s become second nature. Well, my heel has been bothering me this week and I need to give it a break for awhile. I blame the old pair of sneakers I’ve been using exclusively for treadmill time. We’ll see.

How was your holiday? And are you happier when routines go back to normal?

Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow? Just make sure you use the clean white stuff for this recipe, okay? :)

Now that we finally have SNOW here in Ottawa we can make a batch of this stuff. It’s not as creamy as the kind you’d find at the grocery store, but it’s a neat treat and only takes a few minutes to make.

You will need:

• 4 cups clean snow
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or you can also use maple syrup instead!)

Put the snow in a large mixing bowl. Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup or separate bowl. Pour the mixture over the snow and stir well to combine. Wait a couple minutes before serving. That’s it!

This is a fun little thing to do over the winter break. Also worth trying, is this maple “taffy” recipe in case you REALLY want to impress your kids. :)

What does a gal do with three cups worth of mashed potatoes that are biding their time in the fridge? Fry ’em and serve ’em for lunch, of course.

This recipe is a keeper. It’s super simple and is a tasty way of using up those leftovers. Up next: turkey curry!