Let's Get Skilled

I'm calling it. The results are officially finalized. I asked readers to vote for the skill that they thought I should acquire during the month of February (hereafter to be referred to as "Skills Month"), and this is what they said:

And so it is, according to popular demand, I shall commit myself to learning the basics of quilting over the next twenty-five days.

I've been tweeted!

This evening, while checking my page's stats, I was perplexed to find that a great number of the pageviews I'd received over the past few days had been referred through Twitter. Upon further investigation, I found that my very own chocolate cake recipe had received a mention on Whole Soy & Co.'s Twitter page. I'm deeply honored. My cake is practically famous now!

Married, Married, Married!

At last! They're hitched!

Here are just a few of many beautiful moments from Michael and Lindsay's wedding weekend.

Celebrate!

As of this moment, this blog has received 999 pageviews. So, if you happen to be reading this shortly after the time stamp on this post, chances are YOU ARE THE ONE THOUSANDTH VISITOR TO THIS SITE!!!

If you think this may be you, holler back. I'll think of some special way to recognize your specialness.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has made this moment possible. Really. Truly. Thank you.

Grounds for Consideration

Due to the burgeoning accessibility of coffee houses that we enjoy here in the United States, I have no shortage of kitschy puns at my disposal with which to colorize the word "grounds." However, in order to spare my readers the burdensome obligation of rolling their eyes repeatedly as they scan the following article, I'm limiting my punning to the title of this post.

Yesterday, Ashley alerted my attention to a recent post from Grace at Design*Sponge. The article details a few creative ways to put old food scraps to creative use.

I was pleased that Ashley thought to share this article with me. For one thing, the fact that she thought of me when she read it indicates that she is a friend who knows me well and who understands that I derive great pleasure from that which is frugal, that which is natural, that which is resourceful. It feels good to be known.

The article was also met with enthusiasm on my part due to its highlighting of one of the potential re-uses of coffee grounds: as an odor absorber in the fridge. I was already aware that coffee grounds could be used as a nitrogen fertilizer in the garden, or as a skin exfoliant, and a quick Google search revealed a plethora of creative methods of repurposing the coffee grounds we might otherwise simply be tossing in the waste bin every morning.

Inspired, I got to the kitchen and quickly whipped up a batch of homemade body scrub. The ingredients:

about half a cup of used coffee grounds, cooled to room temperature
about one tablespoon of brown sugar
a tablespoon or so each of coconut oil and olive oil
a teeny tiny dash of vanilla extract

I took the mixture to the bathroom with me and added a dash of castor oil and a couple drops of lavender essential oil for good measure. At this point, the mixture smelled fantastic. I took it into the shower with me and rubbed it all over my body, focusing on my legs. Reportedly, coffee grounds have potentially beneficial effects on cellulite and varicose veins--two areas I'm not apposed to accepting a little help in.

Naturally, the process was incredibly messy (oh well: I needed to clean my shower anyway); but, me-oh-my, it left my skin looking and feeling awesome (a word I don't just throw around lightly, folks). The amounts I described above left me with roughly enough body scrub for three showers. The oil acts as a preservative, so you don't have to worry about the coffee grounds starting to mold.

Stats

I'm highly addicted to checking the "Stats" page for my blog. I recently discovered this feature and get very excited each time I learn something new about the people who are viewing this site. For example, a week or so ago I was delighted by the information that someone had just happened upon my blog while running a search for the term, "how much days is 9999 hours." If you Google this term, without the quotation marks, you will find an earlier post from this blog displayed on the first page of results! I don't even care if it takes some ridiculously poor grammar to get there. I'm proud.

What's more, I was pleased to learn that, on two separate occasions, someone had searched for the term "wrap wars" and come across my Christmas wrapping paper-themed post of the same title. Go ahead: plug it into a Google search. Currently, it's result number three (not counting the Youtube videos)!

I think the most exciting statistical information regarding my blog, however, is the information detailing the different countries my viewers are from. The figures from countries where I know I don't know anybody are the most satisfying to see. In just this last month, I've enjoyed nine page views from Malaysia! I don't know anybody in Malaysia! What fun!

From deductive reasoning, I've discerned that I have one fairly regular Canadian viewer who accesses my site via his or her iPhone. I want to give a shout out to my iPhone-toting Canadian supporter. If in fact you do exist--and are not simply a coincidental synchrony of statistical figures--know this: I am grateful for you.

Check out banner, Michael!

In just one week, Lindsay and Michael are getting married! Mike has been like a brother to me for years now and I'm overjoyed that he is finally going to be part of my family.

I'm also having a grand old time creating gilding, garnish, and assorted knick-knackery to decorate the house for the reception. I've already made yards of button garlands for adorning doorways, bookshelves, and table ends. And I'm in the process of making mini banners--bearing captions such as "Welcome," "Hooray For Love," and "Toilet"--to hang in various places throughout the house.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my crafting creations for the wedding after the big day.