snow and domesticity

It's snowing here in Philly. I was hoping for some sort of real break in the weather but it's not looking likely. Tomorrow is supposed to be below 30 degrees, and it's supposed to rain or snow well into the night tonight. I'm really hoping the roads will be cleared--at least to some extent--so I can bike tomorrow, but it's not looking likely. I'm an adventurous biker, but I've had a few spills on icy roads, and I'm not willing to risk it anymore.


An iron rail around the corner from my office


Tree and snow through foggy lens.

Weather like this makes me wish I lived somewhere less urban; somewhere the snow sticks around a while and doesn't turn into grey mush the second it hits the ground. In the city you have to love the snow as it's falling, love it resting on tree branches and walls--everywhere else it's just slush, waiting to take you out with one misstep.

Enough whining about the weather. After making a few stops downtown for herbal tea (I'm quite obsessed with rooiboos teas currently) and a strainer for making almond milk, I came home to a house that smelled like corn tortillas. Lou is at it again:


Lou taking a homemade tortilla off the frying pan.


The end result: soft tacos. Not gorgeous, but delicious.

All the frugal blogs she's been reading have had this amazing side-effect: making our own (fill in the food item here.) Not just tortillas, but seitan, veggie "hamburger," our own almond milk. I was greeted with a glass of almond milk when I got home, and it was absolutely wonderful. Lou (because she's a genius) added a touch of honey to it as a sweetener, and it's better than any brand I've tried.

This weekend, we're actually going to try our hands at making our own laundry detergent. I'm pretty excited. The blogger Lou got the recipe from describes it as "a five-gallon bucket of green slime." Sweet! It'll be like a grade school science project. I'm pretty psyched.