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unhingedkinfessions · 7 months

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Day #1 of sending daily kinfessions to @unhingedkinfessions as if they were my diary until they get tired of me

Date: Tuesday, February 6th, 2024

Theme of today's kinfession: Am i Matt Murdock?

Dear diary @unhingedkinfessions

I've been thinking that i might be Matt Murdock, having strong kin feels and some stuff that might be memories, i've also been watching Daredevil (of course), but honestly I still don't understand how the process of kinsidering has to be? I usually just go ahead and go crazy and just kinfirm straight ahead the characters i slightly feel like they fit, sometimes I'll do some pendulum questions but, do i have to do something else? I honestly don't know, i want to be serious with this one kin, i don't know why. I've also been thinking of re-kinsidering all of my fictotypes, doing some more thinking and doing it "properly". I've had past kins that were strong, some of them have changed over time, some i found other words to describe them, i also want to make a lot of soul searching (i don't even know how that's done but whatever, i'll find out). Anyways, that's all for today i think, have a nice day mods and wish me luck because my kinlist is lowkey long.

Sincerely: daily anon

Questions of the day for the mods (so they don't get tired of me for now)

Do you guys like mac&cheese? How much cheese could you add to the mac&cheese?

How much ranch is the correct ranch for a veggie salad?

hi daily anon. love the energy from this ask. idk kinsidering is extremely personal sometimes u just Know and sometimes it just has to cook in the oven for a while yk? it happens. also i love mac&cheese. havent made it in a while but honestly i love putting Way too much cheese on stuff so. A Lot. also i hate vegetables i wouldnt know abt salads -mod joker

hey daily anon. youve already failed cause this is a few days old at this point with no follow up. i make mac basically daily at this point theres more cheese in my body than blood. the correct question is how much cheese *can* you possibly fit in there. a fucking looney tunes amount. a downright roger rabbit amount. just keep it consistent and season well. none of that kraft shit. also veggie salad is something i havent had but probably the amount youd put on a normal salad yeah -mod dave

hi daily anon :) i love maccy chease. usually i just have like prepackaged or box made kind unless i'm getting it from somewhere but on the occasion i make it myself, ideally it's as much cheese as possible. and as many kinds. also baked maccy cheese is the best. put breadcrumbs and bacon and even more cheese on that bitch and pop it in the oven? soo good. also i dont eat ranch or any kind of salad dressing so none. -mod bender

this ask rules ok? and yea i get wanting to like . reconsider. i did that sorta recently, it takes a little thinking and reflecting but in the end it did feel nice to have a list of like, yeah, i Know that’s me and i didn’t force the vibes or say it halfheartedly etc this time. also you want so much cheese but you have to pick well . can’t 100% mozzarella it or something, you need a blend for good flavor and meltability. also i dont like ranch so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ —mod pikmin

hi anon, this ask is so cool. the others already covered it but i personally think that there’s no “proper” way to kin and it varies person to person :3 just do whatever feels right to you! sometimes you just know right away you kin and other times it takes the stars aligning in one really specific way to unlock the kin. as for the questions: i’m unfortunately a super picky eater so there’s not a lot of variety in foods i can handle </3 i don’t like salads generally and unless the mac is made in one really specific way chances are i won’t like it. - mod akechi

hey anon you left your grilled cheese on the stove it's burnt to hell and back please for the love of god come back and get it. anyways that's so real and it can definitely feel weird "losing connection" to certain kins or even realizing some weren't really true kin but it's ok. keep on cheesin. - mod navi

#anonymous #not a kinfession #daily anon #mod joker #mod dave #mod bender #mod pikmin #mod akechi #mod navi

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library-of-ohara · 2 years

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“hello friends! thank you for providing us with such a fun event, can it be April already? 🤧 if anyone feels inspired by it, can i request grocery shopping headcanons with Law, Thatch, Sanji and Robin? like would they scold you for buying too many sweets or do they leave you something at the checkout to fetch something they forgot and you panic like when you did when your parents did the same? lol just thinking out loud 🤣 i’m sure i will love everything you come up with! thanks a lot!!” requested by: anon written by: lemon ( @eustasssimp )

Law, Thatch, Sanji, Robin x GN reader

SFW Prompt: Going grocery shopping wc: 1.5k

- Law wouldn’t be the biggest fan of grocery shopping, it feels mundane, shops are crowded, he has a devil fruit that would make it too easy just to Shambles everything you two needed.

- But, if you asked nicely enough, he might agree to go with you. Not before asking why can’t Penguin or Shachi go? They have two legs, make them go.

- When it comes down to the actual shopping, he’s a straight laced aisle weaver. Definitely organizes the list such that he doesn’t have to wander, he doesn’t forget something you two need, and he’s definitely the one driving the cart so that he can monitor e dry thing that goes inside.

- Doesn’t get anything that isn’t on the list, even if you give him the sweetest of puppy eyes you two do not need those crackers that were on sale. He is the “we have _____ at home” meme

- Law would be the type to either stay to one brand every time. He doesn’t grab randomly, he grabs the same version if whatever it is you ran out of. If “the usual” is ever discontinued? Law becomes that bitch who takes up the whole aisle to read the nutritional facts on every thing to pick the best option.

- He’d mumble and complain about how much random crap is thrown into prepackaged food, complain about high fructose corn syrup or sucrose levels food has but still caves and buys it because it’s on the list.

- To avoid interacting with people, he’d go to the self checkout even if he has 20 things. Law would bring reusable bags to the grocery store but forget them in the trunk of his car so he’d end up using the paper or plastic ones anyway. Oh well, they can act as trash bags.

- possible things to add: more abt sticking to list, wouldn’t go to checkout without everything, might double check nutritional facts as he is checking things out

breadybabyboyloafmanyay

- A very fun, albeit embarrassing, man to go grocery shopping with. Thatch is cheery, he has a list but it’s his heart that guides him through the store. He also keeps a pencil tucked behind his ear to cross things off his list.

- The pompadour would be lacking for something as casual as a grocery store, the hair products he uses to perfect it are far to expensive for just relaxed day at the grocery store, plus it’s healthy to just let his hair be down once in a while.

- If you ask Thatch to get something, if you could try a sauce or this new food, he would absolutely say yes if it wasn’t something he could make himself. Chances are though, he would try making it himself afterwards just to brag that his cooking is better than any simple store bought goods.

- The exception is baked goods- if the bread man sees you trying to buy any store-bought pastry, muffin, brownie, bread, cake, anything? He would put it right back, kiss your head and guide you away from the bakery section with a firm hand and say “We’ll make that soon as we get back, sugar. If you want that I’ll make sure you get something that actually tastes good” and proceeds to buy all the ingredients that are needed

- After he does bake you said baked good, expect more boasting or a little lecture about buying baked goods when you’re dating a chef such as him

- Thatch is the type of shopper to go to one side of the store, go clear to the other side, then clear back to the other, it’s not disorganized or like he forgot things, but he’s not taking the fastest shopping route either.

- He lets you push the cart, humming as he walks along side you, eyebrows raising when he sees a sale and decides to buy it. “It might work well as a [insert food talk you don’t know here]” and hey, it’s on sale so now’s the time to try, right?

- Thatch would also advise other people on their shopping. If he sees someone pondering over meats or breads, fish or dairy products, he’ll happily make his way unprompted to give them the lowdown on all the products. It makes your grocery trips longer than they already were going to be, but seeing him be so bubbly and kind to strangers is heartwarming.

- Self checkout? No, this man wants to talk to the cashier, try to make their day better with some poorly delivered dad jokes and food puns. He’d probe and ask questions in a genuinely kind way, but not necessarily be aware if his jokes are bring appreciated by the cashier.

- He might forget a thing or two, but would remember all the important things. If he remembers in time, he would leave you at the cash register with a “be back in a flash darling” before zooming off to get whatever it was he forgot, leaving you awkwardly staring at the cashier. Thatch would be back soon, putting the item on the register and planing a kiss to your hair. “Did you miss me?” yes, thatch, you left me in the most awkward situation of all time of course i missed you

- But, if he doesn’t remember in time, forgetting something doesn’t really bother him, it just means that he gets another chance to go to the store with you again soon <3

- Also knows every vendor by name at the farmers market.

-Sanji is the kind of grocery shopper that has a list, but isn't exactly married to said list. He'll ask you what you might want for dinner, and build the list as he goes based on your answers. Going grocery shopping with him gives you first say in what he cooks for dinner.

- straight laced aisle shopper, but also will let you get anything he can’t make. Would be firmer than Thatch about letting him cook for you instead, and less willing to get things he knows he can just cook.

- “I’ll make you that as soon as we get home, okay my love?” He’d be not-so-secretly butthurt that you wanted to get the store bought version of something he can make. For that exception, he would double back to an aisle he already was in.

- Sanji avoids self-check out when he can, opting to talk to the cashier in a way that is, accidentally, way above the mans pay grade. The cook will ask questions about the produce, how it was grown or what specific variety it is, questions that the poor employee would have no hope of answering.

- He doesn't mean to do it in a way that is condescending or negative, he is just genuinely curious and wants to do more. When he can he opts to go to smaller chains, more local markets, but sometimes not even Sanji can avoid going to a generic grocery store.

- He'd also ask them about themselves, what their dreams and aspirations are outside of this job, and is surprisingly encouraging and genuinely wishes them the best when the transaction is finished.

- Sanji isn't totally sucked in by sales, but if he could think of something to do with the food on sale, he'll take advantage and add a new meal to that weeks menu.

- Wouldn't easily let you push the cart, trying his best to be the utmost gentleman since you were kind enough to go with him. If you wanted to push the cart you'd have to be fairly sneaky about it, stealing it from him the moment he steps away to grab something off of the shelves.

- Robin makes a list of the most important things, but will also buy items that come to mind while she's shopping.

- Not exactly one to buy completely random things off the list, but if she has ingredients for spaghetti, she'll buy garlic to go with it.

- Let’s you take the cart if you want, but is also happy to push it if you don't want to. She really just wants you to have a good time, and is more than happy to tag along for the ride.

- She's a bit of a wanderer when it comes to shopping, but she at least tries to stick to aisles when she can.

- Her devil fruit comes in handy when she forgets to grab something, she doesn't have to go back to the other side of the store unless she wants to

- Is definitely intrigued by sales, and is good at convincing people to buy something that is on sale.

- Unless it's something completely unrelated to your list, she wouldn't be opposed to buying something just because it's on sale.

- Similarly, she could be talked into buying something if you sell it to her well enough. Robin knows what you're trying to do, and that you're trying to get something that they don't really need, but for you she'll act like you convinced her to buy whatever it was you wanted.

- Will opt to go to self check out, but if they're all full she'll go to an empty register. Robin is one to make small talk with the employee at the register, and will ask them questions about their aspirations and interests, thanking them with a smile when the transaction is finished.

#one piece #one piece headcanons #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #trafalgar d water law #one piece thatch #blackfoot sanji #vinsmoke sanji #cyborg franky #lemon writes

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all-might-can-smash-me · 4 years

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Midnight Snack

Keigo Takami/Hawks x Reader

Summary: literally I was craving a chicken salad sandwich and so I channeled my personal experience (except I already had chicken salad made, so I didn’t have to go through a lot of struggle). Also my boyfriend thinks my chicken salad and egg salad are bomb (maybe he’s just being nice though 💀)

This is really short, sorry

Edit: Proof read and added some more to the story

Masterlist

Keigo tossed and turn within the sheets of his bed, almost getting himself tangled a few times. He froze though when a hand reached to tug back the blankets, slowly looking over to see your body maneuver around a bit before finally settling into a new position subconsciously in your sleep, a incoherent mumble following your soft snores. He let himself relax into the mattress of his bed, wings at awkward angles to make things more comfortable for himself and for you in the bed. Usually he would have also been asleep at this point, but something just ate away at him. A growl of his stomach drew his attention.

Hunger....but a hunger for a certain thing. A chicken salad sandwich. The glorious desire for the sandwich came into his dreams and hadn’t left since. He wanted that sandwich. He needed it. But the ones he had gotten from the delis or the prepackaged ones from the MANY 7/11s didn’t do his desires any pleasing.

He needed his own....he needed the one that you had made a few years ago on a simple picnic that sent his taste buds soaring. That glorious chicken salad sandwich you made had sealed the deal. Of course other things played a huge role in way he loved you and why he now was in an engagement with you and were soon to be married......but he couldn’t deny that your awesome cooking skills of his favorite comfort foods had a role as well. Thankfully, he had seen you make it TRILLIONS of times before for when you would pack his lunch for work, go out on picnics, or just try to cheer him up from a stressful day of work. He would always excitedly watch as you would make the chicken salad and place it onto those two glorious pieces of bread, wrapped up lovingly in a sandwich bag with a little heart drawn on it, teasing him with it’s presence in the fridge until the time it was ready to be consumed.

Carefully he sat up, glancing down at you before carefully sitting up and climbing out of bed, bare feet already scurrying out of the room silently and into the main part of his apartment where the kitchen awaited him. A few chicken breast were quickly seasoned and prepped on a pan carefully, and as silently as possible, covered with ten foil and the chicken placed on it and popped in the oven once it was finished preheating. Now all he had to do was wait, which he decided the best place to do so was right in front of the oven, eyes staring down the chicken baking within the confines of the inferno before him.

“What are you doing?” Softly mumbled out your tired voice as you shuffled groggily into the kitchen, Keigo didn’t even spare a glance to you as his eyes continued to stare down the chicken that was cooking. He was dead set on it cooking so he could finally kick that desire for the sandwich of his dreams.

“I’m making chicken salad. I’ve been craving a sandwich with it for the past week and it will drive me insane if I don’t take care of it....” he muttered out as his tired eyes soon looked to you. You only rubbed you eyes as you sat down at the counter, observing him and his current contest of staring at the oven, wings stretching and fluffing impatiently as he waited and waited until finally the timer he set was going off, you too enthralled with scrolling through tiktok sleepily to really even care about it. Keigo quickly sent a few of his feathers to retrieve the tray to set it on the counter top, other feathers bringing the condiments and utensils he needed, but he paused as he finished shredding up the chicken and transferred it to the bowl, looking to you.

“Hey....remember that time you made it and it was really good? Can you do it again? I don’t want to mess this up and ruin my whole mood for the rest of the week if it isn’t good.” He said, feeling horrible for bothering you in your sleepy and tired state, but you only nodded your head as you tightened the blanket that you had on your shoulders, getting up and moving to where he stood, already beginning to place in the condiments and stirring it around. Very much like a child, Keigo stood off to the sighed, latched onto your every move as he excitedly waited. Though you brushed him off, motioning him to back up a bit....which he did....barely. Though once those two pieces of bread were out, chicken salad being spread onto it, his mouth had begun to water and it didn’t help that you now had it placed neatly on a plate, motioning him to now sit down, plate setting down on the counter top with a little soft ‘clink’.

Keigo sat down, plate with the chicken sandwich now before him in all its glory, awaiting to be consumed. Carefully he grabbed it with both of his hands and took a bite and began to chew, but he paused before he let his shoulders slump, a hum of approval loudly coming from his body as he moved around his seat in a little happy dance, finally swallowing the food in his mouth.

“This...is...the shit!” He boasted, too busy to notice you scrap the rest of the chicken salad into a Tupperware, placing it in the fridge and cleaned up the kitchen. “Fuck all those delis and 7/11s....they couldn’t even put a dent into my craving, but this? Hell! Yes!” He continued on happily as he continued to eat the sandwich, now reaching over to rip off a piece from the paper towel roll that sat in its holder on the counter to wipe away at his mouth and hands. A smile plastered onto his face as he let his eyes shut, a satisfied hum being produced from him. It may have looked dramatic, but he was SERIOUS! That chicken salad sandwich was giving his brain the best serotonin right now.

“I’m glad you like it....” you quietly said as as you pushed in your stool chair, a hand pushing back the kinky and frizzy bed hair from your face and eyes. “But hopefully now I’ll be able to sleep without you tossing and turning around in the bed yearning for a chicken salad sandwich.”

#hawks #hawks x reader #keigo takami x y/n #keigo takami x you #keigo takami headcanons #hawks headcanons #bnha hawks #boku no hero hawks #boku no hero academia hawks #keigo takami #my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academy fanfiction #bnha x reader #bnha headcanons

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gravelyhumerus · 4 years

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Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter 5

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Summary:

Emily surprises JJ at her soccer game.

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr: Tumblr: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue

Emily walked out of her Philosophy class, waving goodbye to Spencer Reid, who had back-to-back classes that afternoon. He walked away, dodging the crowds of students milling about on his way to his Physics class.

Things had calmed down in the weeks after midterm season, giving Emily a bit more free time to relax into a rhythm during her second year at college.

In her bag was a small bag of cookies that she had baked last night, wrapped up in carefully and tucked away. She was making her way through the quad, setting her sights on the soccer field. Emily checked her phone for the time: it was 2:25 PM and JJ’s soccer game should be almost done. She knew she was going to miss most of the game, but if she hurried she would catch the tail end.

That morning, Emily had looked up the games time on the varsity sports website, and triple checked that she’d be able to make it.

Dodging an enthusiastic skateboarder who was using the ramp down to the field as his own personal skate park, Emily hurried towards the bleachers, climbing onto the second row near the away team’s goal.

Emily squinted towards the field, setting down onto the ice cold metal bleacher seat and regretting her choice of a plaid skirt and fishnet stockings. A familiar blonde ponytail caught her eye and her heart jumped at the sight of her tackling another girl, freeing the ball and turning Emily’s way, barrelling down the field.

She had the ball! JJ pulled ahead, dodging the advances of the other team before kicking it to her teammate, who confidently circled around past the defence.

Emily’s heart was in her throat. She had never particularly cared about sports, but with her time in Italy, football (or soccer as she reminded herself to refer to it as) was something Emily could confidently say she understood enough to have a conversation about. She thanked her lucky stars that the first jock Emily had a crush on played a sport she at least knew the rules of.

JJ ran into centre field, and her teammate passed the ball to her, JJ kicked it right into the net, sneaking right past the goalie’s outstretched fingertips.

Goal!

The crowd cheered, Emily joined in and clapped as JJ’s teammates swarmed her, jumping and hugging her in a mess of celebratory bodies.

Emily looked around, while the crowd was spotty, there was still a fairly good turn out. Most of them seemed to be family members, though there were certainly groups of students, wearing their school colours and the logo emblazoned across their chests.

Emily peered at the scoreboard, it was 4–2, as JJ just scored a tie breaking goal with ten minutes left in the second half. They reset, and JJ switched out with another, taller girl who high fived her as she walked onto the pitch.

JJ sat on the bench with elbows on her knees and her feet planted firmly on the ground in her running shoes. She gulped some water as her eyes remained fixed on the action as the ref blew the whistle, and the game continued.

Without JJ to watch, Emily’s eyes roamed across the field, taking in the action without that much interest. She hoped that their team won, obviously, because that would make JJ happy, but she had no personal investment into their college’s athletic standing.

Emily knew that while her class had cut into most of the game, she would be able to linger around and hopefully walk back to residence with JJ. She had cookies to give her.

Now, the cookies were just an excuse to hang out with her. Or a bribe. Probably a bribe. Well, JJ had said, back when they studied together almost two weeks ago, that she wanted more cookies. As she had enough free time to walk to the nearby grocery store to pick up the dough, Emily was furiously trying to bake the best cookies she’d ever made. She had briefly considered making them from scratch, but the pressure of it all made her choose the prepackaged dough.

Emily actually didn’t spend more time eating the dough than baking, this time, because she wanted them to be perfect for JJ.

She had been tempted to invite her to bake with her, but despite JJ’s initial request for Emily to tutor her, JJ had not really followed up. In fact, Emily hadn’t seen much of the girl at all. The anxious part of her brain told her that JJ was avoiding her, but Emily, for the life of her, could not figure out why. Every time that she ran into JJ, the blonde seemed anxious to leave.

The clock counted down, five, four, three, two, one. The buzzer sounded. The other team hadn’t managed to score another goal, so their team had won!

The crowd cheered in delight at the victory. JJ and her team jumped together, piling on top of one another in a group hug.

While the other audience members packed up their bags and blankets, chatting as they filed out of the bleachers, Emily remained, waiting for JJ.

She watched as JJ removed her cleats, shin pads and long socks, swapping them instead for a pair of boots. She zipped up her windbreaker on top of her shirt and followed her teammates as they grabbed their bags and made their move to go home.

It was now or never.

“JJ, hi!” Emily called out, waving at her from the side of the bleachers.

JJ caught her eye, then said something to her teammates, who waited for her on the edge of the field.

“Great game!” Emily said, “at least what I saw of it.”

“Emily!” JJ said, smiling at her.

“I, uh-” Emily rifled through her bag. “The cookies you liked. I made some last night and thought that you may want some.”

JJ’s eyes widened as she took them.

“Thank you, Emily,” she stated, smiling quickly. “That’s very nice of you, I hope you didn’t go out of your way for me.”

“Oh it was no problem,” Emily said, trying to keep her voice calm, “Derek practically begs me to and well, you know, it’s nice to do something relaxing during midterms.”

JJ nodded, then turned to look at her teammates, who were beckoning for her.

“I haven’t seen you in awhile,” Emily said, “Did you need any more help with your French?”

Something strange passed across JJ’s face, first she looked happy, excited, but then nervous she looked away from Emily.

JJ hadn’t texted her. Emily had given her number to her last Wednesday, and had received radio silence ever since.

“Uh, maybe. I’ll text you if I need any help,” JJ said, “I’m actually having a bit of trouble writing a presentation.”

A spark of hope ignited in Emily’s chest. Just as she was going to reply, she heard someone approaching them from the bleachers, clamouring down the steps from behind.

“JJ!” Penelope Penelope exclaimed, “And Emily! I didn’t know you were here! You could have sat with me!”

She was dressed in a long purple peacoat and had her bright blonde hair tied up in space buns. She had a small blanket folded up in her arms that she was likely using to sit on the cold bleachers.

“I didn’t see you,” Emily says honestly.

“Hey Pen,” JJ said, turning to her roommate, “No Spence today?”

“He has physics,” Penelope and Emily responded in unison, before laughing.

“We just had Philosophy together,” Emily explained. “He had to run to his next class.”

“Wait that reminds me,” Penelope exclaims, “Emily you must come with us to trivia tonight! We need six people for our team and I don’t wanna get stuck with some randos like last time.”

Emily looked over at JJ quickly to gauge her reaction. Trivia sounded really fun, and the excuse for spending time with JJ sounded even better.

“You could bring your friend Derek,” JJ replied, not balking at the idea of Emily’s presence. “Spence hasn’t stopped talking about him since the party.”

Emily felt herself breathe an internal sigh of relief. JJ wasn’t avoiding her after all. And maybe even wanted to spend time with her.

“Oh he really is a beautiful sight, that Derek Morgan,” Penelope just about purrs in response.

Emily can not help but laugh.

“That makes, what, five?” Penelope counted on her fingers, “Jennifer, do we have another friend?”

JJ frowned, shook her head, which made Penelope laugh.

Emily thought for a second, thinking about who in her circle would enjoy trivia. Aaron. Of course.

“I think I could talk someone into it,” she said.

“It’s a date!” Penelope exclaimed. “Now off to the locker room with you Jennifer! You stink!”

She gently pushed JJ towards her teammates and JJ laughed before waving goodbye and heading towards the gym. Penelope looped her arm through Emily’s and had already begun to explain the details of the trivia night.

From what Emily gathered, it was at the bar right off campus, and luckily for them, allows underage students in on Monday nights to play trivia, and the bartenders didn’t really check IDs at the bar so they could usually get served if they didn’t get too wild. There were prizes and Penelope was convinced that with Reid, they had a good shot at winning, depending on the topics of course.

Emily and Penelope walked back to their building, finally exchanging numbers and the promise to meet in the hall no later than seven that night.

As soon as Emily was in her room she found herself grinning. She did a small dance in her room in excitement for the evening before pulling out her phone to tell Derek and Aaron that they had plans for the evening.

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myemergence · 4 years

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Snowflake

A/N: Thanks to Nicole for the beta on this story! I hope you enjoy the Christmas-themed day 7 of First Kiss Week.

@buddiefirstkissweek

Read my other fics on AO3

If anyone were to ask Eddie Diaz what he hates the most this time of the year, he wouldn’t even need to pause and think it over.

It was hands down, no questions asked, the fucking elf.

An elf that is supposed to watch over kids and report their good and bad behavior back to Santa himself. When did Santa Clause stop being enough for kids that they needed an added incentive to behave? When he was a kid, all it took was one threat of being on the naughty list and Eddie would snap back into shape. He’d spend days trying to get back into Santa’s good graces and make it back onto the nice list. Luckily for Eddie, Chris is a great kid and he doesn’t need an Elf on the Shelf to encourage him to be on his best behavior. Most of the time, Eddie’s kid has better behavior than his dad. Still, he’d asked for an Elf on the Shelf this year.

Eddie already told him that he couldn’t have one, and to say that Christopher was disappointed was an understatement. Eddie tries to give Chris everything that he wants, especially this time of the year.

But even Eddie has limits.

___________________________________

It’s early December and the hustle and bustle of the season are already in full swing. There are red kettles in front of most of the stores with bell ringers, Christmas lights on display in every storefront, and even the firehouse is oozing holiday cheer from every crack and crevice.

Eddie takes a sip of his coffee at the start of the shift, the rest of the crew settling into their seats around the table.

“So, what is it that all of your kids are asking for this year that they’re not going to get?” Hen asks with a chuckle.

“A switch,” Bobby says with a small shrug, plating some eggs as he glances over at Hen.

“Denny wants a laptop,” Hen laughs before everyone’s eyes shift over to Eddie. “What about Chris?”

“An Elf on the Shelf,” Eddie answers before the other two parents on their team quiet, looking at him quizzically.

“A what?” Buck asks as he grabs a strip of bacon from his plate and bites into it.

“An Elf on the Shelf,” Eddie repeats before he takes a bite of scrambled eggs. “It’s this stupid elf doll that comes with a storybook. The elf is supposed to watch the kid and then go back to the North Pole and report to Santa if they’ve been naughty or nice.”

“Okay and Chris isn’t getting this why?” Buck asks, squinting at Eddie, as though the squint is going to suddenly make things more clear.

“Because it’s just one more thing, Buck. It’s the holiday party at school, going to see Santa, picking out a Christmas tree, decorating, baking cookies, breakfast with Santa, shopping, wrapping the presents, and… ” Eddie glances around and realizes that everyone is staring at him and sighs. “I just… I don’t need one more thing to remember.”

“It’s fun.” Bobby finally says. “After Harry goes to bed at night we get to be creative and move the elf. He loves checking first thing in the morning to see what trouble he’s gotten into overnight.”

“It’s fun until someone forgets to move the elf,” Hen says dryly.

“So then you agree with me, Hen?”

Hen sighs. “I know it’s annoying, but it just makes the season more magical for them. And all of the other kids in their classes have one. Do you really want him to be left out?”

Eddie’s head drops into his hands and groans. “The difference is you have Karen to help you with it. And Bobby? You have Athena. I barely get through the holiday season without some catastrophe or forgetting something important . I understand that it’s not a major thing… but who do I have to help me?”

___________________________________

“Buck,” Eddie says in surprise when he shows up at the house unannounced. “Is everything alright?” he asks, opening the door wider to let him in.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by. Is Chris around?”

“In the living room.” There are very few people in their life that go out of their way to see Christopher. Aside from their family, there are only two: Buck and Carla. Eddie’s grateful that Buck wants to spend so much of his time with them, especially this time of the year. He knows that everyone is caught up in the season and all that they have to get done, but it’s nice that Buck never forgets Christopher.

As he trails Buck into the living room where Christopher is watching television, Eddie notices for the first time that Buck is carrying a shopping bag from Target. “What’ve you got there?”

“Oh, just a little something I picked up for Christopher when I stopped at the store.”

“Like an early Christmas present?” Chris asks, beaming.

“Yeah, kinda like that.” Buck sits next to Chris on the couch, and Eddie tries to peer into the bag as he passes by.

Christopher pulls a box out of the bag and nearly squeals. “AN ELF ON THE SHELF!”

“Buck,” Eddie manages, his voice tight. “Christopher, you can’t-” Buck has done some questionable things in the past. He’s done some things that have pissed Eddie off, but this? This takes the cake. He sat across the table and listened to Eddie go on and on about how he barely holds it together during the holidays and this is what Buck does?

Eddie’s eye is twitching. He can actually feel the muscles spasming.

Buck shrinks under Eddie’s gaze, then says, “Eddie, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about for a second, in the other room.”

Now he wants to talk.

“We’ll be right back, buddy.” Eddie sighs and follows Buck to the kitchen. If looks could kill, Buck would be laid out on the floor right now because Eddie is seething. Since looks can’t actually kill, Eddie might have to take things into his own hands. He spins around on Buck once they’re out of earshot. “What the fuck, man?”

“Look, Eddie, don’t be mad-”

“Don’t be mad? Did you even hear anything that came out of my mouth when we were at the station yesterday?” Eddie asks, scrubbing a hand down over his face in frustration.

“Of course I did. I heard everything that you said.”

“Did you?”

Buck sighs. “You said that you couldn’t handle one more thing this holiday season.”

“Right,” Eddie says hotly, gesturing towards the living room. “Yet here you are bringing in one more thing, and if I take it away, I’m the bad guy.”

“It’s okay, Eddie.” Buck sets a hand on his shoulder and Eddie tenses instantly. “You asked who you had to help you out. With the Elf on the Shelf, with everything. I— you have me, Eddie. You always have me.” The anger drains out of Eddie at his words. Buck’s right, he’s always there with them as the third unofficial part of their little family.

“I appreciate the thought, really I do. I know that you want Christopher to be able to do all of these things that everyone else is doing. You don’t want him to feel left out, and I want that for him, too. But this isn’t a one-time thing. It’s every single night until Christmas. That’s seventeen nights that I have to do this now.”

“You don’t have to do anything, Eddie. Just leave it to me.” With that Buck bounces out of the kitchen and back towards the living room to learn all about the Elf on the Shelf tradition.

___________________________________

When Buck told Eddie that he’d take care of everything, he really did mean everything. It’s been over a week now and Buck has stopped by their house every night. Even on the days that they have a long shift, he makes sure that he’s able to stop by and help. Some nights, he comes early enough to have dinner with them and once Christopher is tucked into bed, Buck springs into action with Christopher’s elf who he’s affectionately named Snowflake. Eddie still hates the thing as much as he did when Buck first gave it to Chris.

But somehow, Buck makes it tolerable and Eddie looks forward to his visit each day.

At first, Buck starts off small. Snowflake leaves a little note for Christopher while sitting on the counter. Snowflake reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and delivering a holiday treat. Then, Buck discovers Pinterest and he becomes unleashed. Snowflake is on the counter surrounded with marshmallows and a sign that reads ‘do you want to build a snowman?’, down to the minute detail of the tiny face being drawn on it’s little marshmallow face. The elf sitting in the cupboard, feeding Christopher’s dinosaurs that surrounded the counter below. And last night? He’d ended up inside of a sealed jar so that Christopher was able to tote him around the house. To say that he’s overjoyed is an understatement.

Even though he hates the elf, Eddie does love the smile that it brings to Christopher’s face each morning.

___________________________________

It’s only one week until Christmas, and Christopher’s been begging to make cut-out cookies for days. It’s something that Shannon did with him when he was younger. And though Eddie somehow manages to pull it off and fit it into the schedule every year, the cookies have yet to come out of the oven edible.

When Buck arrives at the house, he’s carrying an armload of groceries. “What’ve you got there?” Eddie asks as he follows him into the kitchen.

“Stuff for cookies,” Buck says as he begins to unload the bags.

“And when did you plan on making these cookies?” Eddie asks dumbly.

“Now?” Eddie opens his mouth to argue before he clamps it shut. Maybe with Buck here to help they won’t come out of the oven smoking and charred. Chris will be able to experience a new tradition of actually eating the Christmas cookies that they bake together.

“Yeah, that’s perfect, Carla will be dropping him off in about twenty minutes from school.”

“Is there a recipe that you usually use?”

“Uh…” Eddie walks into the kitchen and begins rummaging around in a drawer before he pulls out the recipe, which is a cut out from the back of a prepackaged box mix. He holds it out to Buck.

“Where did you get this?” Buck laughs, his brow raised in disbelief. “Eddie, seriously, what the hell is this?”

Eddie groans and crosses his arms over his chest defensively. “It’s the recipe.”

“It calls for prepackaged mix, Eddie. Do you mean to tell me you’ve never made Christmas cookies from scratch?”

“In case you haven’t realized this yet, cooking isn’t my strength.”

“This isn’t cooking, it’s baking.” Eddie rolls his eyes as Buck lays out all of the ingredients on the table, and then pulls out a recipe card. “I brought the cut-out cookie recipe that Maddie and I used to make with my grandma when we were kids.” He sets out a couple of rolling pins and Christmas cookie cutters on the table.

“If you want my help, you’re gonna have to tell me what I need to do,” Eddie says, glancing at the clock to see exactly how long he’s obligated to be Buck’s helper before Christopher arrives home from school.

Buck starts making the dough and then splits it up into three sections. He asks Eddie to help him flour the table, which is perplexing to Eddie because he’s never quite known how to keep the dough from sticking. They get to work and knead the dough before rolling it out, just in time for Christopher to come crutching into the house.

“Bucky!” Christopher exclaims as soon as Carla drops him off. “I have to show you what Snowflake did.” Before Buck has the chance to say anything, Christopher’s crutches continue to click against the floor. He comes back out carrying the jar that holds the elf.

“Man, it’s pretty clever of your elf to climb into a jar so you can carry him around and not ruin his magic. Do you think he’d want to sit with us at the table while we make cookies?” Buck asks with a chuckle.

“Snowflake loves cookies!”

So Buck helps Christopher and Eddie make edible Christmas cookies for the first time ever. And when Christopher discovers Snowflake the next morning amidst a plate of half-eaten cookies, he howls with laughter.

___________________________________

Each day closer to Christmas they get, Eddie realizes that’s one less day of Snowflake being the talk of the house. And another day closer to things going back to normal, limiting Buck’s visits to a few times per week, an acceptable number of times for a friend.

Eddie’s not prepared for the wave of sadness that overwhelms him, thinking about Buck’s nightly visits to their home ending. That may be part of why he doesn’t mention to Buck that on Christmas Eve there’s no job to be done; Snowflake will be heading back to the North Pole until next year.

Eddie spends the majority of the day with Pepa, Abuela, and Chris. Christopher is anxiously waiting for the rest of the evening to wind down, waiting for Santa, and he’s already in his pajamas when Buck arrives.

“Hey buddy, are you ready for the big guy to come tonight?” He asks with a grin.

“Yeah! I can’t wait, Buck.” Christopher settles further into Eddie’s side, patting the couch next to him, a silent request for Buck to sit beside him. “I hope he brings me everything I wanted this year. Do you think he’ll bring you everything you want?”

Buck’s gaze lingers on Eddie before his eyes shift back to Christopher. He nods and sits next to the boy on the couch. “Yeah, yeah I think I’ll get everything I asked for this year. What are you guys watching?”

“Elf,” Eddie answers with a laugh, grabbing the bowl of popcorn and holding it out to Buck. “Our little Christmas Eve tradition.”

“I love Elf,” Buck says before he begins rambling endlessly about his favorite parts of the movie, how he loves when Buddy decorates the entire store and makes the New York City skyline out of Legos. It isn’t much later that the credits are rolling and Christopher muffles a yawn behind.

“I think it’s about time for ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, and then we’d better get you tucked in, huh?” Eddie glances at the clock and realizes it’s past his usual bedtime, aware that it’s going to be a long night for Eddie. He reads the story and once Christopher’s teeth are brushed, they set out milk and cookies for Santa. They tuck Christopher into bed and Eddie hopes that it won’t be long until he’s fast asleep.

“Can I get you anything?” Eddie asks Buck once they’re downstairs. “A beer? Or if you’re hungry Abuela sent us home with enough food to feed an army today.”

“Normally I’d be all over that, but I just got finished with dinner at Maddie’s. I’ll take a beer, though.”

They settle on the couch next to each other with beers in hand. Eddie’s never really understood how silence can be anything but awkward, however at this moment with Buck, it’s anything but. It’s quiet, calm, and comforting. He wishes that he could freeze this moment in time, relish in the peacefulness that surrounds them.

“So, I guess it’s time to get Snowflake situated, huh?”

Eddie cringes slightly. “It completely slipped my mind when we talked earlier, but Snowflake is off to the North Pole tonight. He doesn’t need to be moved.”

“Oh, I’m sorry man. I disturbed your Christmas Eve for nothing.”

“You didn’t disturb anything, Buck. You’re always welcome here.” Eddie pauses, looking at Buck closely. He still appears to be hesitating, like he’s thinking about leaving because he intruded on family time. Truthfully, when Eddie thinks of family time more often than not, he thinks of Buck. So Eddie says, “We want you here. I want you here.”

“You do?” Buck sets down his empty beer bottle, resting his hand on the couch in the space between them. Eddie doesn’t miss the way that Buck turns towards him just a bit, eyes lingering on the space between them, finally looking up.

Eddie’s hand covers Buck’s, gently rubbing his thumb against the skin there. “I do.” He swallows hard, “I was wondering if you might want to stay over? Have some milk and cookies, put some presents out… be here when Chris wakes up tomorrow.”

“You’re sure I’m not going to be-”

Eddie shakes his head. “You won’t. I-” he stops for a moment, searching for the words. Expressing how he feels to people has never been his strength, and with Buck they’ve been friends for so long, he doesn’t really know how to tell him that what he wants now is more than friendship.

“When we were at the station before you got Chris the Elf on the Shelf… I said that I wasn’t going to do it because I didn’t have anyone. That I’m in all of this alone. Hen has Karen, and Bobby has Athena. And— I was wrong, Ev. Because… I have you. And I’m not sure how I was blind to that before. This Christmas has been special and memorable because you’ve shared it with us. You went to breakfast with Santa, you baked cookies — edible cookies. You planned out this entire Elf on the Shelf thing…I’m just sorry that I never told you that you’re what’s made this Christmas perfect until now.”

“Eddie, I… thank you,” Buck says before a nervous laugh rattles out of his chest.

Eddie takes a steadying breath, turning Buck’s hand between his and slotting their fingers together. “If this isn’t okay-” Eddie rushes to say, unsure eyes settling on Buck’s.

Buck’s lips turn upward slightly and the smile reaches his eyes. Eddie feels hopefulness settle in him. “It’s more than okay.”

“Okay,” Eddie rasps out a breath, his other hand moving to cradle the curve of Buck’s jaw. Buck meets him halfway, tilting his head slightly. Eddie’s lips gently brush against Buck’s, as if checking that he’s really okay with this. He feels Buck’s fingers on the back of his neck, drawing him closer. He releases Buck’s fingers, both hands cradling Buck’s face now as Eddie deepens the kiss. The kiss is slow and tender… and, life-changing.

Eddie pulls back slightly, pressing his forehead to Buck’s. When he does, Buck’s eyes are bright as they glisten in the soft white glow from the Christmas tree lights.

Buck leans forward and places a quick peck against Eddie’s lips. “Merry Christmas, Eddie.”

“Merry Christmas, Buck.” Eddie says as he stands, holding a hand out to Buck. “The night is young, we still have a lot of work ahead of us.” Eddie walks to Christopher’s room, checking that he’s asleep and closes the door behind him before he turns back to Buck.

“Good thing we have cookies,” Buck grins, taking a bite out of one of the cookies on the plate they’d left out earlier.

“Yeah, edible cookies,” Eddie laughs and places a final tender kiss against Buck’s lips. “And new traditions.”

Who would have thought that he’d have Snowflake the elf to thank for bringing his and Buck’s feelings to the light? For the first time in more years than he’d like to admit, he has someone to share Christmas Eve with long after Christopher’s been tucked into bed.

#firstkiss #firstkissweek2020 #buddiefirstkiss #evan buckley #eddie diaz #christmas feels #fanfic #my writing #buddie

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daybreak-academy-fanfic · 4 years

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Daybreak Academy: Chapter 76

Rain, Tea, And Chirithy

Summary: In which Strelitzia and Anora have tea on a rainy day, and Anora vents her frustrations through Chirithy. Word Count: 1,381 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

The students woke up to rain that October morning, and many of them were upset that it was not going to let up until the next day. It was boring, dreary, and after classes everyone felt miserable. This was why, not long after dinner time, Strelitzia started to brew some tea. She pleasantly hummed to herself as the rain beat down on her window. As the kettle was warming, she went over to her Chirithy -placed ever so kindly on her dresser- and picked it up.

“It's the perfect weather for a tea party, Chirithy.” she happily told the toy. Strelitzia gently used her hand to brush off some of the dust that collected on the toy, and started to walk over to her table. It took a little bit of careful manipulation so the toy could sit up properly at the table. The young woman admired her handiwork with a grin. She placed her hands on her hips as she turned to Chirithy.

“Now to invite our guests.” she proudly declared.

Too bad that pride immediately diminished the moment she knocked on Anora's door. The wait for Anora to open her door was the worst part. Usually it didn't take Anora this long to open her door…

When the younger Vulpes student opened her door, she looked at Strelitzia with a weary expression. Seeing Anora nearly made Strelitzia's heart stop. It wasn't because she looked any more adorable than usual, it was because something felt… off. Like she had been screaming or crying before then. Suddenly, Strelitzia felt like she had interrupted something important and was now stepping on something she shouldn't.

“I… I wanted to invite you to tea.” she quietly told the younger. “Tea and muffins on a rainy day like this always makes me feel better. So I thought, maybe you'd like to…?”

Anora only stared at Strelitzia -for a quick moment, she brushed one of her eyes with her wrist- before giving a small nod. Strelitzia offered a gentle smile in return.

“Bring Chirithy with you.” she added. Anora nodded in agreement before slowly slinking back into her room. Strelitzia waited for a moment, debating if she should wait to see if Anora would come or not. But she shook her head and went back to her room to wait. It was a good thing too- the tea kettle was whistling.

Anora shyly entered Strelitzia's room as the older was pouring the tea into the teacups. The older didn't even register that the younger hand arrived until Anora was arranging her Chirithy at an empty spot.

“Oh, Anora!” she remarked when she noticed her. “You don't like anything in your tea, do you?”

The younger of the two shook her head, taking a seat at the table without a word. A small hum escaped Strelitzia's lips- should she say something to Anora? Something just didn't feel right. Once Strelitzia had prepared the tea, and given Anora and herself a banana-nut muffin, she took another look at Anora. At that moment, Strelitzia had an idea, and she reached over to her Chirithy to manipulate its head.

“She's been waiting all week to invite you over!” Strelitzia made her Chirithy say in a high pitched voice. She then quickly tried to shush the doll.

“Chirithy!” she admonished, “I told you not to tell!”

Anora looked up at Strelitzia; a small raise of her eyebrow indicating that she had no idea what the older was doing. Strelitzia was just glad for some sign of life. She decided to go on with her little ventriloquist act- if only to see if Anora would continue to respond to it.

“Gosh, you should have seen the way she cleaned her up room just for you!” Strelitzia made her Chirithy say. “She took out all the flowers that are common allergens, she took a whole two hours selecting tea she'd think you'd like. And the muffins! They had to be freshly baked! 'Just buy them from the store in those little prepackaged thingies' I told her. But 'no!' she says, 'they have to be warm for a raining day like today!'”

That got a small smile from Anora. But still, something wasn't right. The corners of Strelitzia's mouth twitched before she couldn't take it anymore.

“Anora?” Strelitzia quietly said, “Is something wrong?”

Anora didn't move for awhile. Her eyes avoided Strelitzia's worried gaze before they fell onto her Chirithy. The younger of the two flinched for a second -deciding whether or not to move- before she reached for Chirithy.

Using the same high pitched voice from before, Anora made the stuffed creature say, “She's mad at Ephemer. Like, super mad at Ephemer! You don't want to know what happened Strelitzia- you just don't.”

Strelitzia blinked in surprise.

“What happened?” she wondered out loud without meaning to.

Anora looked at her Chirithy, and in turn, she made it look at her as well. She gave it a small nod, then made the toy turn to Strelitzia.

“It all started yesterday, when the two were celebrating their two month anniversary.”

“Yeah?”

“It all started out fine- Anora bought them bento boxes and he found a way to get her into his room. Not for funny business, honest! After they ate and talked for a bit, Ephemer said something that confused Anora. He said 'I don't know if I can make you happy anymore.' Let me tell you Strelitzia, poor Anora's heart almost stopped right then and there!”

“I can imagine...” the older student murmured. “It's one heck of a conversation starter.”

“You bet it was! Poor Anora- she asked him what he meant, and then he just shut down on her! He didn't explain, he didn't even so much as look at her. Ephemer caught himself not long after and said it wasn't anything. But today! He hasn't talked to her at all today! She's wanted to talk to him all day, and he hasn't answered her texts or walked in the other direction when she saw him. And all because he can't take her to new places for their dates? It's so… silly!”

“That just means that he really loves you. He wanted everything to be perfect-”

“She doesn't want him to be perfect!” Anora's Chirithy declared. “She just… She just wants him to be there for her. That's… that's not too hard to ask for… Is it?”

Anora looked over at Strelitzia. Her eyes well blurred over with tears, and a single tear streak ran down the side of her face. “Is it?” she once more asked in a broken voice. Strelitzia didn't waste any time getting up from her seat to go over to Anora. She did hesitate in placing a small hand on her back.

“Have… Have you told anyone else about this?” the older questioned.

Anora's Chirithy shook its head. “Just me.” it sadly replied.

Strelitzia recoiled, casting her own Chirithy a wary side glance. Sure, she would say things to the toy for some catharsis every now and again. But the big stuff -like having someone she loved ignore her- she always tried to talk to Lauriam about. Did Anora really have no one older to look up to on campus? Or at least some sympathetic ear to rant to when time came? Did Skuld not count? Anyone from Pyra's study group?

“You don't have anyone else to talk to?” Strelitzia found herself asking. “Not an older friend, or… or someone that isn't Ephemer? Some times Ava will listen to students when they have something on their mind.”

“All she has in her cousin.” Anora made her Chirithy said. “But Kieran has a job. And a fiance. And… and he's just so far away...”

Strelitzia shrunk a little, suddenly feeling out of place. This wasn't her department.

“Do you want me to get Lauriam?” she suggested. “We can meet in the cafeteria or something. It might be a bit late, but he'll drop everything if you need...”

Anora shook her head. “This is between me and Ephemer.” she decided. When she looked up at Strelitzia, her eyes were red and threatening to release more tears. But there was a smile on the corner of her lips. “He can't avoid me forever. I've got the spare key to his dorm.”

#daybreak academy #chapter 76 #kingdom hearts fanfiction #Strelitzia #Anora #Chirithy #Season 2

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averagezerowaster · 5 years

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How I Do Groceries on a Budget: Zero Waste/Vegan

There is a stereotype that eating vegan (and zero waste really) is super expensive. I would like to preface this post by saying I am broke af and don’t like spending money.

To start, I see what I have left in the fridge and pantry. Then I use the Flipp app to see what is on sale and that way I can price match at the store to save some $. I make a meal plan and a grocery list based on what is on sale that week.

I shop at Bulk Barn for all my dried goods, nut butters, tea and a few other things. Before I leave in the morning, I load up a tote bag with the jars I will need and add in a couple extra just in case. The trunk of my car is a breeding ground for tote bags so I am never without. I also keep a spare on in my bag for emergencies. ps: I suggest signing up for Bulk Barn’s emails because they send out better ones that way then checking their site.

Then I go to a regular grocery store to buy my produce. The produce usually goes directly in the tote, not in a produce bag. But if I get things like loose mushrooms or a bunch of tomatoes, I will use one of my mesh produce bags. I also will sometimes buy buns or bagels from the bulk bins and put them in my own cloth bag. During the summer, I am privileged to live in a place with an abundance of fresh produce, so I will only buy what I can find at farmer’s markets or grow in my own garden.

Other places I go occasionally: There is a bakery nearby that makes the best damn sourdough bread I have ever had and I will go in occasionally with my own bag and get a loaf. Sometimes I will bake my own bread if I have time. When I go into the city, I will stop into the zero waste grocery store and get specialty things like tofu, miso paste, vinegar, oil, dish soap, tamari, etc. I will freeze some of the tofu and other items to make them last until my next trip.

I save money and stay on budget by shopping what is on sale, purchasing only what I need that week, limiting the amount of expensive specialty items, and avoiding prepackaged, ready made food, and cooking/baking from scratch. It will start to become expensive if you are purchasing things like vegan meats, sauces, icecream, desserts. I save a TONNE of money by cooking large batches from scratch and freezing them.

I don't buy things that come in plastic which means I don't eat things like rice noodles, tofu (unless I get it from the zero waste store), seaweed wraps, produce wrapped in plastic, etc. It’s a sacrifice I am willing to make for the planet.

I know that not everyone has time or the resources to shop like this, but I wanted to share my own personal experience to hopefully inspire others. I always say do what you can with what you’ve got. as long as you’re trying your best to learn and be more sustainable! Let me know in the comments if you have specific questions.

#average zero waster #zero waste #zero waste lifestyle #groceries #food #shopping #low impact #fruit #vegan #vegan food #vegan on a budget #broke af #low budget #budgetfriendly #sustainable #climate change #plastic sucks

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spookyboywhump · 5 years

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ohhh i really need these soft asks in my life tonight, so sorry if this is a too much you can pick and choose but: 🍄 and 🍂 for Calum, 🍁 for Jason, 🌿 and 🥀 for Wren, 🌻 for Zander, and because whumpers are even more horrifying when they can be soft, 🌾 for Cain (not that anyone would really love him seeing how he is, but theoretically haha), and 🌳 for Alastair please :)

This got long because I wanted to answer!! All of them!! So I hope these are good!

Calum:

🍄 What are your OCs favourite snacks? Their favourite comfort food which always cheers them up when they’re down? Favourite meal to make? Do they enjoy baking and cooking and are they any good in the kitchen?

Snacks: Calum loves junk food, salty things like potato chips and popcorn are his favorites

Comfort food: anything sugary, his go to is cookie dough ice cream though, it might not fix everything wrong with his life but damn it comes close

Favorite meal/Enjoyment/Skill: the poor guy can’t cook. There isn’t a meal he could make without fucking it up so he tends to stick to prepackaged food and anything that can go in the microwave

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?

Calum can probably count on one hand how many times in his life he’s been hugged, but he sure would love to had one more to that count

As for showing affection, he’s more likely to display affection for people by doing things for them, taking care of them or getting protective over them. He doesn’t exactly have friends or family, but on the off chance he gets a soft spot for a stranger he will do whatever he can to make their life easier

When it comes to receiving affection, he doesn’t exactly know how to handle it. He’s touch starved and he craves affection, but he doesn’t know how to react to it which usually leads to him getting nervous and freezing up, or reaching coldly and putting the other person off

Jason:

🍁 Where does your OC go when they need to have some time to themself? Would they ever have their own “comfort corner” filled with all the things they like? Do they have a favourite spot outside that feels like its theirs and theirs alone?

Jason had a tendency to hide away in his room when he needed some alone time, and while he didn’t have one he would absolutely enjoy a “comfort corner”, he has horrible anxiety and would need something like that when he needs to calm down. He’s not all that much an outside person though, preferring to keep to himself and his own space indoors.

Wren:

🌿 What way does your OC show that they care without using words? What way do others show your OC that they’re cared about without using speech?

Wren likes to show people he cares through doing small favors for them or getting them “just because” gifts to let them know he’s thinking of them.

His friends tend to show they care about him through physical affection, they know he’s touch starved and something as simple as a quick hug or squeezing his hand is usually enough to make him feel loved and cared about

🥀 How would your OC decorate a notebook or journal? What kind of things are written in there? Could you give an example of a nice entry?

Wren would probably decorate the outside with stickers and small doodles, random things he’d draw because he’s bored. He wouldn’t be likely to keep a detailed journal but rather make notes to himself, reminders about work or events coming up, notes on things his friends have said he might want to remember, or keep track of things if he’s feeling overwhelmed

Zander:

🌻 What little things do they notice about people or the world around them that make them happy? What tiny little treasures do they find in the normal every day that makes the world seem a little brighter for them?

Given Zander’s situation, pretty much all he has for himself are the little things.

He’s quick to notice any amount of kindness or mercy from people as he’s almost desperate for it, while the only little treasures he finds are the rare instances of humanity from the people around him.

Someone smiling with actual kindness at him, a concerned person asking if he’s okay, even Cain being careful of a recent injury are all enough to make him smile, some small bit of light in his otherwise bleak existence.

Cain:

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them

I absolutely love the drag for Cain and I absolutely love that you asked this one for him because, while it’s not romantic love, somebody did love Cain at some point and still would to this day were she alive (of course if she were alive he wouldn’t be like this but that aside) so here’s Mrs. Christine Whitaker on Her Son

“Physically Cain takes more after me, however he does have his father’s lovely blue eyes. He was adorable as a child so it makes sense he’d grow into a handsome young man. He had the capability to be so much more than his father made him, as a child he displayed so much compassion and kindness, and even now, very rarely some of that still breaks through. Unfortunately he’s cold hearted, cruel, self centered, and so very /lonely/, I’m afraid he lost his ability to really care for people a long time ago. Were it not for his greed and selfishness, he could’ve fixed the things his father started, but instead he’s… like this. As his mother I love him dearly, but I wish he had turned out differently.”

Alastair:

🌳 What is your OC’s favourite way to relax after a stressful day? Do they have a favourite book to curl up with? A hobby? Or do they have a nice bubble bath and have an early night to bed?

Alastair’s ideal way to relax after a stressful day was sitting by the fire with a good book and Silas on his lap, ready and willing to be bitten at any time, because the vampire can’t even relax without being creepy.

#oc stuff #calum #jason #wren #zander #cain #alastair #my children #my-whumpy-little-heart

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fallingin-like · 5 years

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november 26

a two-man team by @idnis [requested by @foxsoulcourt and @sig66]

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post!

this super cute fic features nicky who is doing his best to raise a kid while simultaneously falling for said kid’s teacher, erik mountain man klose. as one might imagine, this is hilarious and so fun to read

this is such a funny, wonderful, and adorable fic, it was really entertaining to see how nicky reacted to things and all his rambling. erik was such a star, i’m so happy that they were able to meet. i always love your unique writing style, and this time was no different!

parts i enjoyed:

”everyone who knew him two years ago knew there was a dark, dark year where nicky wore the same sweatpants for weeks on end until allison quite literally cut them to pieces while they were still on his body” ohmygoodness, this is so funny! i would have loved to see this, i bet allison was chasing after nicky who was running away yelling ‘but they’re comfortable!!’ and cutting off whatever chunk of sweatpant was closest to her

”they feel almost sacred, these few minutes in the morning where everything is completely silent” yes! i totally understand this

”sometimes nicky pretends he’s living alone, that he’s just like any other 25 year old, but he always feels guilty after” this is kind of heartbreaking. nicky has such a big heart and is a natural caretaker, but i think that he’s so used to this mindset of taking care of other people that he forgets he has to first take care of himself. he’s sacrificed a lot for the people that he loves and i wish he was able to see that he’s doing so much good and it’s okay if he misses the life he could have had. he really didn’t have much time to be a young adult

THE PINEAPPLE SOCKS! that’s so cute!!

the little socks emoji!!!!! such a great detail that you included

ohmygoodness erik and his mountain climbing haha

”hugo merely puts another potato wedge in his mouth” for some reason i really liked this sentence

”it’s like walking through a hobbit village” this is true haha so many tiny things

hhhHH margaret is the worst, like “nicky would like to fake-gently slap her”? well i want to aggressively slap her. people are so rude!! soooo annoying i can’t express it through words

”before nicky can shover her into the cute little coat racks” i love this! haha something about the contrast between nicky trying to skewer someone and the little kids things is really funny to me

ERIK LOOKS CLIMBABLE NICKYYYY

”nicky swears he can hear joyous goats bleating in the background” LOL this is so funny what in the world

ALL THE MOMS SUDDENLY DROPPING OF THEIR KIDS WHILE WEARING A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MAKEUP (probably) JUST TO SEE MOUNTAIN MAN?? yikes. and also, hilarious!

nooooooo hugo thinking nicky forgot him?? how dare you!

i love that even though nicky is really interested in erik and wants to hang out with him, he prioritizes hugo and gets him out of that overwhelming environment. he’s so thoughtful

”in a way, because this isn’t normally where he finds attractive men, and he usually doesn’t share his crush with 20 middle-aged mothers” this is funny, but also? i don’t know how i feel about all these middle-aged women flirting with this teacher. (just kidding. i know how i feel. and that is bad. it’s kind of creepy of these moms to act like that…..)

it’s neil! and andrew! i am so happy to see that in this au, even after they’ve all grown up, they’re still close to nicky and are there to help him

”’have you made a move on him?’ andrew asks without blinking” sometimes i forget that andrew’s version of flirting is very… blunt haha

”nicky laughs awkwardly while mr. erik just stares at him” IS ERIK ALSO JUST BLANKING BECAUSE HE LIKES NICKY

”but he gets interrupted by the human embodiment of an air horn, loud and full of compressed air” oh my goodness this is the perfect description of margaret haha

”mr. erik looks down at his shirt with what looks like regret” LOL

i think it’s cute that andrew and neil are there, not just to help with taking care of hugo, but to give advice to nicky and help him as he’s freaking out

”the words are sweet, sweet vindication, because mr. erik refused to call margaret by her name” YES! take that, margaret

THE PICTURE HUGO DREW OF HIS FAMILY IS SO CUTE. the part to follow is not as cute, but it’s so great to read. we get to see a different side of nicky, where his concerns are and evidence of how much he’s trying. i love that he brought up the socks thing, it’s such a realistic thing to worry about, but also shows how good hugo is being taken care of

choosing what hugo should call nicky is such a tender moment!! so soft

”aside from a few prepackaged snacks that never see the light of day because nicky only reaches for them in the evening when hugo is already asleep” HAH

”’hugo,’ he says solemnly. ‘cancel all your plans tonight. we’re going to bake’” this is the most nicky thing ever!

oh my goodness, the bake sale. those moms probably spent all that time organizing their table instead of playing with their kids smh

”really? it does kinda look like it only took you half an hour” OH NICKY WHAT A BURN

THE COOKIE CART IS ADORABLE AND SO CREATIVE AND I LOVE IT

UHM MARGARET IS SO TERRIBLE AND AWFUL HOW DARE SHE SAY THAT ABOUT NICKY

bless erik, for being understanding and smart and for trusting that nicky is a good guy.

ohmygoodness erik touches nicky’s hair halsdkfsajf

PRIVATE BIOLOGY LESSONS? ERIK!!

”like it’s black friday and he’s a sephora store” YOUR SIMILES ARE AMAZING AND HILARIOUS

awww the updated family portrait is so cute!

”for a moment, nicky forgets he’s not an owl as he quickly spins his head around” LOLOL

”hugo pulls a face” big mood, hugo

woohoo!! allison has arrived to help nicky win his guy!!!!

ALLISON GOING IN TO SCOPE OUT ERIK WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS NOT GOING TO END WELL

”’which is what nicky, stupidly, says. ‘wow, you look gorgeous.’” NICKY NOOO WHY DID YOU DO THAT

”at that, hugo’s eyes turn big. ‘enchilada night?’” oh this is so precious

erik telling nicky not to cut himself off is wonderful!!! they’re such a good match, i think nicky really needs someone in his life that’s as supportive as erik. as supportive as the twinyards are, they’re more the silent type that shows affection through insults which is… not the type of support nicky needs

A TWO-MAN TEAM THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS THE TITLE OF THE FIC EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW

”if only that was possible, nicky thinks for a bleak, bitter moment, before he knows, knows, that that’s not true” NO NICKY IT IS POSSIBLE. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY

i know this is just like a tiny detail, but ohmygoodness hugo’s pineapple lunchbox sounds really cute. is it shaped like a pineapple (i would want this) or does it just have pineapples on it?

nicky is such a good parent/older person! it’s so nice to hear him asking for ava’s opinion amongst the louder, more outgoing kids

”ava asks in a deep manly voice that isn’t her voice at all” I LOVE THIS SENTENCE LOLOL made me laugh so hard!

wait, who were the parents of hugo? i can’t bear to think that any of the foxes were killed in a car crash

THEY KISS… and yet, there is still miscommunication and everything is back to being terrible

ahh allison and nicky is such a great relationship that i have not seen enough. they have such compatible personalities!

ANOTHER PARENT-TEACHER NIGHT. WE STILL HAVE TIME TO FIX THINGS

”’you don’t need luck when you look like that,’ he says, which is a very much needed confidence boost that nearly makes nicky tear up again” bless andrew, for knowing what nicky needs

everything! is! cleared! up! thank goodness!!!

ohmygoodness of course it’s margaret that discovers them

enchilada time! ahh, love this domestic scene and this part “he said he liked erik first, so he didn’t mind that nicky liked him too” what a kid thing to say!

nicky deserves Good Things and i am glad that he has them in this fic

i really haven’t read any nerik fics before, but i really should if they’re all like this! i loved the seeing everything from nicky’s perspective, he’s so dramatic that it’s always really entertaining to see his side of things. it’s great to see him taking care of hugo, i bet it’s a bit more rewarding but potentially more exhausting than when he was parenting the twinyards, due to the age difference and personality type of hugo, which was more similar to nicky. i think you did an amazing job with the characterization of him, neil, andrew, and allison. i don’t know too much about erik from the books, but i love the way that you wrote him, so caring and sweet and exactly what nicky needs to balance out his self-consciousness and match his humour. this was super fun to read, i’m so glad everything wrapped up so nicely. thank you for writing this!

#a two-man team #aftg fic review #raelle writes

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raeloganthesonic06fangirl · 5 years

Note

Do you headcanon Jack as a bad cook? Because of your drawing of him ruining the sauce?

In general, I imagine that Jacky’s only pretty good at preparing a few specific types of meals, those being, but not limited to:

Most varieties of cold sandwiches that use deli ingredients and condiments, as well as how to get the most out of the available bread.

Scrambled eggs (sometimes mixed with cheese and/or green onions). Usually starts as an omelet, but quickly becomes the former when flipping doesn't work

Prepackaged meals that require specific heating instructions, such as microwave or minimal oven use. Includes frozen pizza

Al dente noodles

Heating contents from a can

Stove top ramen dressed with egg and basic vegetables and flavored with available tonkatsu and/or furikake

Mac and cheese

This is a little loosely based on my own personal experiences with the kitchen, to be honest, hence why I have this well thought out, lol.

Since I have hand muscles with less than stellar strength due to my disability, it's been a family rule for years that I am not expected to carry a large pot unless it's guaranteed that I can't drop it because my hands have a tendency to let go at random, and there have been some crazy messes in the past. I've gotten sauce on the ceiling because a can of ravioli exploded when I was opening it.

In theory, I do have the skill capacity, as I took Home Ec in middle school (and did fairly well tbh) and I try to be involved in the kitchen to best of my abilities, and I know how to make food, but I'm only exceptional in a few things, and that includes sandwiches and egg based breakfasts.

When it comes to baking, I follow the directions a little too literally and end up with flat cakes. I burned my hand pretty bad once by instinctively grabbing the cookie sheet after it slipped from the other hand, and now I insist on using full oven mitts even if it's ridiculous looking.

Then there was "The Great Brownie Disaster of 2002", which was essentially the most perfect I've baked anything, following a scratch recipe that took two days to prep, but I accidentally melted a nylon spoon in it while making the chocolate sauce and the whole school reeked of burnt plastic for two weeks. The brownies had a nice consistency, but they were like... tainted.

That said, I can imagine Jacky having similar bad luck, and the main joke here is that spaghetti is considered such a basic rudimentary meal to prepare (as you just have to know how to boil water to cook the noodles), and the only real challenge is making your sauce perfectly.

At least the house isn't on fire. 😅

Jacky also, in the AU, has slight muscular weakness from his injury, so that might be how he dropped the pot.

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thestoryofpadfootandprongs-blog · 7 years

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Eleven Tips on Having Your Own Apartment/Living On Your Own.

This list is compiled by me and my next door neighbor Tami, who was once a man named Todd but isn't anymore and is now living her best life like the amazing woman she is. She is 30 and has lived single in an apartment since she was 19, so she has some interesting tips. I've only lived on my own for a little over a year now, since I started college, but believe me. You gather quite a few little nuggets of knowledge in as short a time as 12 months. Anyway, here we go:

Don't buy expensive furniture (like your parents), at least until you buy an actual house. It just gets dinged up and scratched and then you have to scream and there is unnecessary stress. IKEA has perfectly nice shit that doesn't cost a fortune and is quite durable. This counts for plates and cups too.

Buy cleaning supplies/shampoo or soap of any kind regularly and especially right after you sign the lease. Keep up with when you'll need more. A little list on the inside of the cupboard door where you keep the cleaning things is very handy.

Don't be an obsessive little bitch about every bad thing that happens. It's just not worth it. Okay, so, you dropped a lightbulb and there's glass all over the floor. It's not like anyone died. Clean it up. Act like a normal, sane adult. Fake it till you make it.

If you have a pet(s) (I have a cat, Tami has three parakeets that hate each other), keep up with their litter box/cage. It's no good at all to just let it sit and get more and more disgusting as the days go by and you're just sitting on the couch rewatching Stranger Things on Netflix and cookie baking videos on Instagram. You'll thank yourself when you daily scoop the poop, and there's no horrid cat pee stench wafting around the apartment.

Don't pick up the phone, he's only calling cause he's drunk and alone — wait. Sorry. I mean, pay the bills on time. Put incessant reminders on your phone if you're forgetful like me. Tami says have two calendars. One in your room, and one on your refrigerator, and write all the dates you owe money and such down on both. (We also have auto-pay nowadays, where the company takes the money out of your account automatically every month, and this is nice as long as you make sure you always have enough money in your account to ensure you don't get overdrawn.

Make friends with your landlord. Bring him/her/them cookies and shit around the hollydayz. If you learned anything from the college/job application process, it's that to know people and have good relationships is a good, nay, great thing.

Do your laundry on Friday nights. If you live in the city like Tami and I, chances are people are more busy at parties or hanging out with friends than doing their laundry and the laundromat is usually pretty empty. Also, never leave your washing machine or dryer while your clothes are in there. This is a recipe for disaster, and your clothes will either get stolen or dumped on the floor. Also, try to wash your bedsheets every two weeks or more, and have extra pillowcases, especially if you have skin prone to breakouts. Grease and dead skin cells build up super fast on your pillows. Clean pillowcase = clear skin.

Keep your food stocks up too! I know grocery shopping is annoying and how easy it is to get sidetracked by the prepackaged Little Debbie/Hostess dessert isle, but you just gotta. Buy a loaf of bread. While we're here on the lovely subject of food:

Stick to a diet. You'll be amazed how quickly you jump from size 6 to size 12 when you live off cheap spicy Ramen, pizza, and garlic knots. Buy lettuce. Buy tomatoes. Love yourself. Drink water.

Okay, now this one isn't a must, but it's nice. You really should know what foods and things you're allergic to, if any. Go to a doctor and get allergy testing done if you can afford it. You don't want to end up puffed up and dead from suffocation on your living room floor because oh hey, you were allergic to shellfish. Hindsight is 50/50. Tami says, "I didn't find out I was allergic to peanuts until I was passing out in the restaurant. Don't be like me. Get allergy testing."

If you're actively having sex, don't depend on your lover to have condoms/protection. No glove, no love, y'all. Remember that, because it's sound advice. If you're on birth control, you need to get tested for STDs. Keep your test results organized, and go as regularly as your clinic says to. This isn't a laughing matter, and if you can't handle sexual responsibilities, then you shouldn't be having sex.

All right then. That concludes this talk. Good luck adulting, everyone, and don't forget to replace your mascara every three months.

#apartment tips #living on your own #advice #good advice #tips #adult life #live your best life #go with god kids #I got preachy on the last one but but my friend got an std once and yall its not fun

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thisislizheather · 3 years

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March Magic 2021

Above Photo: Cherry Blossoms are in bloom at the University of Washington right now - Photo By Kai Wang

Am I alone in thinking that was the longest March of all time? It truly felt like it would never end. Usually I love my birthday month, but with everything still the way it’s been for the past year, there really didn’t feel like much of a reason to celebrate. Also, Nathan got COVID. It was awful and scary and I was worried about how he’d be, but all is well and he just got his vaccine this past weekend, which is incredible. So a real roller coaster type of month, but thank god it’s over.

Here’s everything that went down last month.

I recapped how my winter list of things to do went.

Forever an optimist, I made a list of spring things that I’d like to do. One of my favourite things to do is get a pedicure on the first day of a season. I don’t get them very often at all, so it’s a nice way to usher in some new weather.

I finished watching Superstore, which is such a great show. I would’ve never watched it on my own, so this is why you have to listen to your best friend’s recommendations sometimes. They know more than you. Also, it was weird as hell to hear the Smashing Pumpkins song Today in one episode. Just seemed like a strange pairing, them and this show. Or any show, really. But I mean they did lend a song to that Apple ad, so I guess the old days of Billy Corgan complaining about everything are over.

I read and reviewed Joan Rivers’ book Enter Talking.

I made my way back to Lilia with Irene to devour their seasonal leek focaccia & green salted butter, which is always heaven on a plate. (Me and focaccia have had a pretty strong love affair going on for some time now. I plan on making it at home soon, but I can’t decide on the flavouring I’ll want to add to it. There are too many possibilities.) We also shared two pastas: the corzetti with pine nuts, marjoram & parmigiano reggiano as well as the sheep’s milk cheese agnolotti with saffron, dried tomato & honey. Always a good meal here. Might benefit from some new pastas, though.

Above Photo: My sweet baby girl, leek focaccia & her green salted butter

Above Photo: Stunning Irene & pasta

Above Photo: I’m very excited for bread

I got my first Moderna shot! I usually have tons of anxiety around needles, but somehow it wasn’t a problem this time (maybe because I had the kindest nurse on the planet). It sounds so simple, but she told me to look away, to take a deep breath and while I was taking that breath she put the needle in and THAT WAS IT. So grateful for that advice. Must remember that for life now. I have my next shot on April 8th! (I did get COVID arm, but it went away in 24 hours so it really wasn’t a big deal.) Also, I’ll definitely ask a medical professional, but if it’s allowed then I’m definitely getting my card laminated for free.

There’s this great, cute new store called Gift Box on Broadway in Astoria. It’s very similar to Lockwood, only better. Lots of cards, gifts, beauty products, candles, that kind of thing.

It’s green garlic season and we must all celebrate! I’ve also decided that I might devote my life to compound butters. Making them, eating them, giving them away as gifts potentially. Maybe this is what’s been missing.

Google image search the vagar faroe islands and let’s go.

I can’t stop putting this Esti vegan feta on everything, it tastes exactly like regular feta only slightly less salty.

Everything from the brand Umbra is gorgeous.

These are officially (and my niece Layla can attest to it) the greatest socks on the planet. Not too tight, not too short or high, and soft as a cloud.

Best kale caesar dressing I’ve had in months. And I love the idea of using breadcrumbs instead of croutons to liven things up a bit.

I made this roasted winter citrus and wow was it hot fruit. It should be a crime to make something look this good, but taste average as hell.

I started using the app Google Keep to organize all of my lists and tasks and I love it. It’s so much better than using Notes.

HOW have I never even HEARD of Shake Shack’s Innovation Kitchen?! AND HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN. It’s moved to the top of my current Must Visit list.

I may or may not have fallen down a rabbit hole of incredible Melissa Clark recipes. Love this woman.

If you live in Englewood, New Jersey, how do you not just LIVE at this bakery? My god. Every item. In my mouth. Now.

And listen, I’m no scientist, but this seems like huge news…?

If you find yourself anxious or unsettled, this video of lasagna being made from scratch is the most soothing thing I’ve come across in months.

Target sells candles?! I’m the last person on earth who learned this. $4 for an actually great mini candle is wild.

Tried a slice of the red velvet cake from Milk Bar and it was unexpectedly good. I don’t usually care about red velvet (because it’s a scam?), but honestly their cakes always find a way to taste amazing.

I made this cajun linguine and it was so lackluster, I hate when a pasta recipe doesn’t work out. It’s so upsetting. Also, cajun seasoning can blow me.

They’re opening a Sonic in Manhattan, which I’ve never been to before, is it worth going?

I know Eataly is for tourists, but once in awhile I like to stop in to peruse. I tried one of their prepackaged foods (the eggplant parmesan) and it was a hard pass. Just no flavouring at all. The only thing that saved the day were their individual little Italian chocolates. Always amazing. I do want to eventually try their dried pasta Afeltra since I’ve heard such good things about it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not ready to watch documentaries about the pandemic yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to. I mean… we’re still IN IT, for christ’s sake. HBO needs to just sit down.

Tell me that you know the song Sea of Love.

You had me at “cheese-oozing focaccia.”

Great piece on diet culture by Julia Turshen.

When I was in Seattle in April a few years ago, I wandered onto the University of Washington’s campus and was blown away by their gorgeous cherry blossoms. They have a livestream of them right now, if you’d like to take a look.

With plastic bags officially banned now, I desperately need a basket bag to take when I go to the farmer’s market. So f-ing lovely. Everyone will think I’m Belle or some shit.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a fresh Jamaican patty in my life, so I’m definitely going here the next time I’m in Mississauga.

I love this chickpea salad, especially after adding basil.

Some of these are actually really great tips.

How on earth have I never heard of the restaurants Dell’anima or Anfora?! They’re both under the Joe Campanale umbrella (of L’Artusi fame)! I’m so excited to go. Just look at those menus.

Speaking of, I can’t go for too long without eating the wagyu steak tartare at L’Artusi. It’s a problem. (It also makes me want to buy a really great finishing olive oil, so I’m looking into that. I’m thinking either Monini or Frantoia.)

Above Photo: Wagyu steak tartare at L’Artusi

One thing I’ve started to do that you should too: buy good butter. I stopped buying margarine many years ago and thought I was a better person for buying regular grocery store butter. But sweetie, you can do more. The butter (specifically European butter) in specialty shops or some bakeries or markets is EONS better than the run-of-the-mill basic grocery butter. And it enhances literally everything that you use it in. Right now, the butter in my fridge is beurre de baratte butter and it’s ridiculously good. Obviously I’m not going to use this butter when I’m baking because I’m not a millionaire, but when I’m making something savory for dinner? Or a compound butter? Or on top of asparagus? On some bread as a snack? It’s unreal.

Speaking of food advice: don’t buy your parmesan at the grocery store either. I’ve never had amazing parmesan from there. It’s always the same, even the expensive stuff. Get your ass to a cheese shop. Enough already, you’re an adult.

I tried a CBD chocolate and just as I thought: it’s a scam. Just like red velvet. It did nothing for nobody.

I bought this tea tree toner on a whim from The Body Shop and I might keep buying it for the rest of time. I use it on my face right when I get out of a hot shower and it’s kept my face feeling incredible lately.

A new coffee shop opened up in my neighbourhood called Coffee Avenue and I can’t recommend it enough. The macadamia milk hot chocolate blew my face off.

I finally ate at Bar Primi in the city and it was spectacular. We had the ricotta crostino with hazelnuts & truffle honey (which is almost like a dessert, it’s so good), the linguine with 4 cloves of garlic & breadcrumbs as well as the penne ragu alla bolognese with ricotta which was the very best. Can’t wait to go again. Loved the atmosphere of the place, too.

The seasonal candle is out at Trader Joe’s and it’s grapefruit, which smells perfect. I’ve finally stopped hoarding their candles and have started burning them. Only took me a year of lockdown to realize I should try to enjoy my life.

Lemon Kit-Kats exist and all is right with the world. Delicious.

I don’t go very often, but I’ll always love The Dutch. Perfect cornbread. Perfect tartare. You can’t go wrong.

Above Photo: Housemade scallion-chipotle cornbread with whipped butter

Above Photo: Wagyu steak tartare, capers, bearnaise aioli

*Note: if it seems like I eat a lot of steak tartare - I do. Good observation. It’s incredible.

Controversial opinion but the Dove chocolate peanut butter eggs are one millions times better than Reese’s peanut butter cups. I couldn’t believe it either.

This leads me to another declaration: Easter candy might be better than Halloween candy. Hear me out. Halloween candy is almost chaotic when you think of the candy options, it’s overwhelming and more often than not, disappointing. Easter candy, however, is usually always new and fresh each season. They’ve got to work harder to get you to notice Easter candy, so infact you’re getting a more well thought out product, which usually tastes better. Anyway, can you tell I’m depressed…?

I went to the new Ulta location in NYC in Herald Square and it’s great, it seems bigger than the UWS one and it’s way more convenient to visit. Must remember. Oh! But speaking of Ulta, remember how last year they had such great birthday gifts? They really dropped the ball this year. They’re trying to give a $5 Mario Badescu facial spray as the March gift?! Are you fucking serious?! That’s the worst. Literally the worst gift of all the months. Fighting every urge in my body to write them a strongly-worded letter about this. Just insanity. I didn’t even go claim it. Keep your damn gift, no spray can calm me down from this.

New love: macadamia milk in my iced coffee in the morning. Just heavenly.

I rewatched Wall-E and what a great movie. For all ages. Too perfect.

Love the song Team by Lorde.

I watched the Woody Allen & Mia Farrow documentary on HBO and it’s obviously a must watch. So many things I didn’t know about that story were shown, this man needs to be stopped.

If you ever get a new phone and you want to transfer over all of your WhatsApp messages to your new phone (and you’ve never backed them up), you can pay $40 and use this site to do it.

The new Super Mario World in Japan looks incredible.

Do not judge me, but I ordered (and returned) a SKIMS bralette. I was swayed by a few photos of women wearing it and wanted to see for myself what it felt like. Verdict: crap. Sure, the material is soft but only because it’s so poorly made and unsupportive. An immediate return. The beautiful colours of the bras are what sells the product, in my opinion. It’s so hard to find well made, beautiful browns and neutrals in undergarments.

Speaking of what’s her name, I also ordered this KKW mini lip liner set that I’m unfortunately in love with. I use it as a lip liner and filler, and each fucking one is gorgeous. I’m going to do a post to show you. You’ll see what I mean.

I came across this wonderful stationary store in Chelsea, City Papery. I could spend hours roaming the aisles in there. Made a mental note to go back to get some really beautiful envelopes (why on earth am I still buying the basic-ass white envelopes at CVS??), such a great store.

I’m proofreading a book right now about the idea of living with intention and I’ll post a link to it as soon as it’s released later this year. It’s honestly one of the best self help things I’ve read in a long time.

I’ve had a Pinterest account forever and I recently organized a lot of the recipes into seasonal categories, which has inspired me to make so many new meals this season. Check it. Also, I haven’t tried these yet, but these spring recipes (below) sound delicious.

Blueberry Ricotta Cake with Lavender Glaze

Banana Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Almond Pudding Cake

Asparagus Quiche with Hash Brown Crust

Apricot Shortbread Bars

Buttermilk Lavender Scones

Carrot Cake Bread with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lavender Mascarpone

I’ve mentioned my filmmaker friend Dusty before (his film Violation was at Sundance this year), well his movie is a Critic’s Pick in the The New York Times this month, which is amazing and so well deserved. Truly could not happen to a better person.

I have eaten approximately five pounds of asparagus since spring began and I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. It’s so fucking good. One grievance: that huge, fat asparagus. Why’s it so big like that?? Unnatural as hell. Give me that thin, beautiful asparagus that’s increasingly so hard to find any day. And to anyone who’s like, “Don’t you hate how it makes your pee smell?” - why you gotta go smell your pee? Be normal, weirdo.

I did Nathan’s podcast and we talked about how it’s been so beneficial to get some intentional offline time each Sunday.

Here were the best tweets of the month.

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m trying so hard to find a way to stream the last three episodes of Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy which has been impossible to find, will definitely go check out Little Island, excited to maybe go to the Kusama exhibit, I’d really like to make the Carbone garlic bread, I want to locate and try milk bread, my brother Robbie told me to mix balsamic vinegar & mayo and put it on a burger so I’ll try that soon, I bought some dried Rao’s pasta so I can’t wait to make it, I’m so excited that movie theatres are opening on the 2nd here (I’ll be fully vaccinated very soon so this is great), and I’m adding a resolution: I’d like to do one new thing on the first of every month (examples: buy stock in something, eat ramen, etc.).

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in February over here.

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