Due to a cancellation I found myself with a day off today… perhaps the first full day off for me in a month or so! It definitely will hit me hard with rent around the corner to lose a day of work, but what I lost in income I gained in inner peace!

I stole my husband away from his computer work and we went around the corner to pick out a birthday present for my best friend at a store called Global Table.  Click on the name to go to their website… it is truly worth the look!  Tiny glass bowls and platters with whales and large whicker baskets… needless to say I was in heaven!  It was so fun to shop slowly on this rainy afternoon.

I got to spend rest of the day watching Ellen, listening to Elton John Pandora and snapping green beans.  I discovered a couple of recipe’s I would love to share with you! You can find them in my recipe section.  I made a Lean Green Bean Casserole and from scratch nachos for dinner, with some house made iced tea.  Moti and I have been on a budget lately… (perhaps we always are?) and have had to improvise with food.  We try to eat at home as much as we can, and on $100/week for the two of us, I can truly say we eat like kings!  I have been discovering that making food from scratch is both delicious and rewarding.  We make homemade chicken stock weekly, Moti makes cheese from milk, and we buy lots and lots of veggies.  We have also been in rehearsals for my theater company’s (The Assembly) newest play, (click!) That Poor Dream.  It is an adaptation of Dickens’ Great Expectations, and will premiere at the New Ohio this June!   We have had a lot of days where we go straight from work to rehearsal, so packing lunch has been crucial to keeping within our budget as well!

OH!  And I found a money tree in my apartment’s recycling bin.  Apparently it is good luck.  I bet it’s even better luck because I found it!

Our new money tree! We have dubbed him “Young Pip.”

The beginning of a beautiful day off.. some black tea and the NYTimes!

Tip of the day: Buy an Orchid! I have just adored mine.. and with a little research they are so easy to keep up! 1. Keep in off-light, 2. Water sparingly once a week! See the recipe section (or just click on this photo!) for more Orchid tips!