The Creative Salad

Earlier this month we celebrated our wedding anniversary and David’s birthday. We baked one amazing strawberry shortcake (David’s choice! My favorite!), half of which is now in the freezer. David worked from home and then had holiday, so we spent three super chill, relaxing days together. And in typical Spritzer Leyba fashion, we celebrated with great food (Vietnamese and Japanese) and no presents or cards. It was so us and just perfect.

This week I’ve been out of commission with a head cold. Yesterday I started to feel more energized and am no longer blowing my nose every 10 minutes, so I think I am on the mend (just in time for David to catch it, poor guy). On the flip side, the perks of being sick include lots of yummy comfort food, catching the episode of Voyager where Seven becomes part of the crew (!), and reading several books cover to cover. It’s been restful, it’s been relaxing, and now that I am totally bored out of my mind, I am ready to feel good already and get back to normal life! I mean, who has ever heard of getting a cold in July?! Sheesh. I want to get out and exercise already! Now that is true dedication.

It’s almost the weekend of Harry Potter. Who else is totally pumped?! (Btw, David and I both felt that the new Order of the Phoenix movie was a dud — I could go on and on about it’s shortfalls, but perhaps that will be a post for a later time. Back to the couch, I go! Stay healthy, everyone!)

Continue reading Giant cake for two

Maybe I just needed to post once to get my posting-groove back on. Inspiration abounds!

Reading about Mary Beth’s kitchen renovation project made me chuckle. She writes, “[her husband] Iain has 10 days to get this done, because then the last Harry Potter will arrive and he won’t be doing anything but breathing and reading until he’s finished it.” I can totally relate. We have our calender cleared for next weekend and that’s a feat in itself.

As we have with the last few Harry Potter books, David and I plan to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) aloud to each other, taking turns as our voices start to go. We love this ritual: sharing the book together and really savoring it, because reading aloud forces us to absorb each and every word (we can’t skim ahead!).

I feel bittersweet about this final book. I cannot wait to hang out with my favorite characters, yet dread the end of the series and saying goodbye to this wonderful world.

“Honey, I don’t think they sell Trader Joe’s brand beans here.” Really, you think?! They were a darling older couple and it just cracked me up.

By the way, I have been much more aware of price differences lately between stores here. Organic items such as sprouted bread, cheese, cereal, cottage cheese, rice pasta, and jam are MUCH cheaper at Trader Joe’s. Things like nuts, dried fruit, and omega-3 fortified eggs are cheaper at Whole Foods. For our veggies and fruits, we pretty much stick to the Farmer’s Market, which is now in full swing (thank goodness!). We’ve been eating a total of about 10 pounds of peaches, plums, and nectarines weekly. We just can’t resist prices less than two dollars a pound for pesticide-free fruit (versus over four dollars a pound at Whole Paycheck). It’s Spritzer Leyba heaven!

For the last few weeks I have been even more flakey than usual. Day after day I’ve forgotten to do any of the items on my to-do list (basic things too, like cook dinner). Earlier this month we missed David’s parents’ thirtieth anniversary and then his mother’s birthday five days later. And on Sunday I forgot about Heidi’s book signing that I have been eagerly anticipating since her book came out in March (I had even emailed her a few days earlier telling her how excited we were!).

Yep, that’s a bad track record.

It makes me wonder what other things I’ve forgotten about.

I’ve been spending next to no time on the computer and it’s been lovely. Sorry for my silence, I’ll try to post more in the next few days. Right now life is full of fresh fruit, good friends, lots of walks, favorite books, and little adventures.