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I have been telling anyone who will listen about my new pan. Like the black plastic utensils, I believe there are rumblings about black non stick pans being bad for you too. Well my black non stick go to pan has lost all of its “non stick-ness”. We have ingested all of the chemicals and toxins so it is time for a new one. I discovered this Natural Elements pan and I am SOLD. It’s made somehow from stone and wood and comes with an amazing glass lid. The handles are made from Bakelite so they are smooth and have this faux wood look that I love. Made meatballs with red sauce in this pan a few nights ago and it worked like a champ.

Do you happen to have a random mylar balloon in your house right now? If you have kids you likely do. Left over from a birthday party or one of those little mini ones on a plastic stick? The balloon that you ask, “Is it okay if I throw this away” and the likely response is “no, I want to keep it”. This one is currently stuck on the vaulted ceiling and the string is somehow wrapped AROUND the balloon so the possibility of me reaching it without an extension ladder is zero percent. So they get to keep it.

This is the chair I am currently sitting on. It’s my desk chair. Dark green velvet with chrome legs. It is incredibly comfortable and was bought on a whim at Home Goods. It swivels and spins and is the perfect amount of fancy for the not so fancy computer desk. It swivels so well that people moved it while walking past it, while I was drawing it… 4 times. Totally fine.

This here is the Conair InfinitPro hair dryer. They last a decade at least and then when they start to smoke from the back you know it’s time for a replacement. Or perhaps I should be more diligent in cleaning the filter. It’s not particularly quiet and it has no fancy ion technology, attachments or diffusers. Just a step above from the stubby travel hair dyer at hotels but it does the trick. It dries hair.

This maple stool and I go WAY back. I have had it for at least 30 years and who knows how long my parents had it before they gave it to me. But when we really bonded was during the high chair era. I sat on this stool, in front of the highchair for 3 meals and 2 snacks a day for a solid 4 years (that’s about 3,650 hours). And I continued to sit on this stool when the children were toddlers and able to sit at the kitchen island. Now the stool is used as the extra chair in the dining room when we have guests, the prop for HotWheels tracks and of course my step stool for accessing the highest kitchen cabinets. The picture doesn’t capture the paint splotches, the mystery stain on the seat, and the chew marks from 2 different dogs but they are there… tiny badges of honor.

We are stuck in a rut with cold and flu remedy items…. rotisserie chicken and now a tea bag. I have been downing several cups of the Bigelow green tea with lemon and honey. And to clarify, this is the tea bag dry…. it’s not as pretty when wet.

Since we are home sick, my son asked if he could post a guest sketch and in my opinion, he knocked it out of the park. This is a marble, selected from a large assortment of marbles stored in an empty Jif peanut butter container. The shading tricks he learned in his art class at school. Well done boy.

Okay, it’s about to get weird. Yes, this is a rotisserie chicken and I consider this drawing attempt to be a HUGE challenge. Influenza A is milling about the house so chicken noodle soup is on the menu for tonight. I bought the chicken 1 hour ago at the grocery store and just decided to make it my feature for today. I sketched while the dog sat and drooled at my feet. I wish you could see what it actually looks like because I did a pretty good job. Stare at it with squinty eyes and maybe the chicken shape will come into focus? Maybe? See the drumsticks? The wings?