Kapoosh knife block

I’ve had this knife block on my wish list for a couple of years now and finally got around to buying it for myself earlier this month. I’ve got an assortment of kitchen knives, most of which are from Uzbekistan and won’t fit into any regular knife block so I needed something that could conform to the knives, not the other way around. When I got wind of the Kapoosh brand, I was like, “Perfect!!” The “pin” part can be removed for easy dishwasher-safe cleaning. Bingo! This has freed up so much space in my drawer.

Storm winter boots by Cougar

I found these, admittedly, as a stroke of luck at TJMaxx a few weeks ago. Since we’re in the midst of the polar vortex (and since my previous winter boots were knock-off Uggs that I’ve had for 7 years), I needed some warm, waterproof, winter boots. I don’t think I’ve actually had legit winter boots since I was a kid! I hit it big at a post-Christmas clearance and this was the last pair they had. They are supposed to keep feet warm in down to -22F degrees. I had been wearing them for a month now and can attest that they truly do keep my toes toasty! They are also waterproof (a must when slushing around in the gunk outside) and “skid-proof” (as my sister calls it) so that I don’t slide around on the ice. I’ve had lots of people come up to me and ask me where I got them and I wish I could give them good news, but, as far as I can tell online, they seem to be an out-of-date item that is no longer available unless you can catch them on eBay. (Here’s a link to what they look like.)

National flags made from each country’s traditional food

Oh my gosh, as someone who loves food, travel, and photography, this is so awesome to me!! I’m currently obsessing over India, Lebanon, and Australia! Oh, and obviously I’ll take the U.K. any day. Brilliant idea and pulled off in a true stunner of creativity.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I absolutely loved Jojo Moyes’ other bestseller “Me Before You” and I knew I would love this book as well. Yet I was still blown away. Between this book and “Eleanor & Park”, this year has already given me some of my better reads. (Both of these books earned a 5/5 star rating from me!) The initial plot line is about Sophie Lefevre, the wife of a French artist who is fighting in the war (we’re in 1916) and her town falls into German hands. The portrait her husband (Edouard) painted of her gets the attention of the local Kommandant and leads Sophie down a path of risking absolutely everything, including her life, in hopes of seeing her true love one last time.

Intermixed with that plot line is the story of Liv, a young woman who received the Sophia painting from her husband on their honeymoon (now in present day). The painting has a dark, twisted past though and as the book continues, you start gathering more and more of the story, both the truth from 1916 and the present day conclusions to the history of the painting given what little was documented of it. Truly a beautiful, remarkable story that I loved so so much!