My lovely friend Katherine and I made muffins today. I’ve been experimenting with wheat-free baking, so I picked up some coconut flour (apparently this is a thing?), which smells like coconut, looks like flour and has lots of fiber and no grains. All that stuff.

We used this recipe but doubled it and added strawberries plus the blueberries, and it turned out really delicious. They have a different texture than normal muffins — there are more eggs, which gives it a quiche-like, dense texture that’s actually really pleasant. Next time I make it, I will probably swap out half the oil with applesauce. I’d also recommend using a bit less honey than the recipe calls for, since the coconut flour is a bit sweeter than regular flour. But regardless, delicious.

Last month, my sister Kristin went to Phoenix for a conference, and at the last minute I decided to buy a ticket and join her for the weekend. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to say yes more often, so I figured this would be a great way to start.

The Grand Canyon

On our first full day there, we did the requisite visit to the Grand Canyon, which I wanted to see mostly because I felt like I should. And wow. I know everyone says this, but it’s true: pictures won’t prepare you for how awesome it is. It was completely worth the eight-hour round-trip drive to see it. The south part of the canyon is the only section open during the winter, and we approached the canyon from several vantage points in that area. At the bottom is a fancy lodge, and you can apparently hike down there, sleep overnight in the lodge and hike back up the next day. This is the newest item on my bucket list.

Montezuma Castle

On our way to the canyon, we came across road signs telling us to visit Montezuma Castle, an 800-year-old cliff dwelling that is six stories high. They closed the inside to tourists in the ’50s, which is too bad, but even the outside was really impressive.

On our way back to Phoenix, we stopped at an awesome, divey BBQ place called the Singing Pig for fantastic pulled pork and “pig balls” (pork meatballs), which were delicious and unfortunately named. Kristin and I put pins in their world map to show where we’re from.

Apache Trail

The following day, we drove the Apache Trail and stopped at the Superstition Mountain Museum for a craft fair at the old-timey Arizona tourist trap. I loved it—and bought a necklace made of dinosaur bone.

Then we continued to drive along the twisty canyon road until we came upon a lake, which was creatively named Canyon Lake.

Finally, we came upon the touristy Old West town of Tortilla Flat, which featured this guy hanging from the general store. Arizona rules.

To see more photos from our Phoenix trip, check out my Flickr set.

I’m apparently insane, and therefore I will be running my first half-marathon next month. My longest race before this was a 10-K in September, so this will be more than double that distance. Because of a combination of injury, the holidays, my sister’s wedding and a bout of the flu/bronchitis, my official training didn’t begin until a few weeks ago, much later than my training plan called for. And so I began preparing for the race in the coldest month of the year.

It’s already getting pretty intense. My run on Sunday was 9 miles, and an hour after I finished, I hobbled to a Super Bowl party in flat shoes and ate everything in sight. This Sunday, I apparently am doing a thing in which I run 10 miles—longer than I’ve ever done and also a ridiculous number to contemplate. People actually run in the double digits? And by people, I mean me?

The great thing about all these long runs has been exploring parts of Central Park I’d usually avoid in the dead of winter. The park is gorgeous this time of year, something I’d never realized, and I sometimes find myself staring at the scenery and forgetting that I’m running. (Not always: other times, I’m painfully aware of each passing mile.)

But it’s been a fun challenge and a really beautiful change of scenery for me. I’m kicking my winter-hibernation instincts and spending hours in the sunny 10-degree weather. I’ve learned the best ways to avoid windburn on your face (Nivea cream and a good neck warmer that you can pull over your nose), how to treat windburn when you don’t know how to avoid it (aloe, aloe, aloe), how to layer so you don’t sweat too much but you stay warm (wicking clothing and  a light jacket is usually sufficient) and how to run on ice (run at a constant pace and don’t shuffle your feet).

It’s amazing how many other runners are outside doing the same thing as me, often wearing much less clothing and smiling much more. It turns out that not everyone hibernates in New York in the winter. Just the sane ones.

OK, so I love Christmas. I’m the kind of person who never complains that stores are playing carols too early. On Thanksgiving, my iPod is already loaded with my Bing Crosby playlist. My presents are purchased a few days later. You get the picture.

But now that I live with two girls and two pets in a small Manhattan apartment, Christmas decorating needs to be a bit more creative. This year, I’m proud to say that despite our tiny living room, we managed to have three trees, along with decorations and a paper garland. Observe.

Tree 1

My first New York City tree, which I bought for an even smaller apartment in 2008.

Tree 2

A previous roommate left this at our current apartment, and I claimed it. We decorated it with lights and chandelier earrings in lieu of ornaments.

Tree 3

This is my latest invention. It’s made of construction paper taped to the wall, along with wooden scrapbooking “ornaments” and a paper chain. The presents were constructed by my roommate Jess.

Other decorations

Grandpa Apple got a Santa hat.

Old Christmas cards and scrapbook paper went on the wall.

Paper chains hung above the counter.

And ornaments sat on the bookshelves.

And, of course, we added a few pine-scented candles to make it all feel authentic.

My co-worker Doug has a book of short stories coming out in May, and I’ve spent the past month or so working with him to create his author website. This was  the most complicated Web project I’ve taken on, and it was a lot of fun to figure out how to work within CSS and HTML. (We purchased a template, which I modified based on Doug’s needs, so I didn’t build it from scratch. Just to clarify.)

He has really distinctive handwriting, so for the logo, I had him simply write his name in red pen, which I then traced over with a thick marker, scanned and uploaded as a jpeg. The rest of the site is clean and a bit minimalist, and I thought this gave it a funkier vibe.

I also created text-only logos for each of the stories he featured in his writing portfolio, based on the content and tone of the stories themselves.

It’s been fun and quite addictive, and I’m already planning the next site I want to build.

In September, my friend Laura and I climbed part of Mount Rainier. We started off, fittingly, in a place called Paradise. As New York City starts to feel like the Arctic, I can’t stop thinking about how great that day was and how much I can’t wait to go back.

Here are a few decor/food highlights.

Theme

I decided to have an autumn tea party theme for the shower, so I wanted the decorations to look a little like an Alice in Wonderland tea party but less creepy and more rustic. My mom and other family members helped me collect dozens of vintage teacups, which we gave to our guests along with a few bags of fancy Harney & Sons tea (below).

I also had six kinds of teas for people to drink during the party itself, using the teacups we gave them. Next to each bowl of tea bags, I included a small dish of the loose tea for everyone to smell and a card describing the type of tea and the best way to drink it.

Decorated entrance

I hung Christmas lights around the door and tied scraps of vintage fabric to give it the homey feel of an Anthropologie store. I also painted a bunch of pumpkins with light blue latex paint and put a few of them by the door to greet our guests.

1. The decorated entry, 2. Vintage fabric scraps tied to Christmas lights, 3. Vintage fabric scraps tied to Christmas lights, 4. The bride and groom

Fabrics

I used mismatched pieces of vintage fabric for the tablecloths, figuring that the less things went together, the more they would look cohesive. I left the edges raw and ripped the fabric to the size I needed.

I also hung strips of the same fabric from white Christmas lights in the basement, which gave the room a nice glow and a burst of color.

I hung longer strips from the counter where we served our food, which covered the wood paneling below it and made it a little more feminine.

Table decorations

The tables were set with simple autumn-patterned paper plates and plastic utensils. Since we had about 30 people coming, I wanted to keep cleanup as easy as possible. We set the party-favor bags, which included the teacups, on top of the plates.

The centerpiece was a combination of the painted pumpkins I’d made, a faux-leaf garland and some beautiful apple candles, which I’d seen ages ago online and had been wanting to try.

To make the apple candles, dad and Dave drilled holes in each apple and cut the bottom so it would sit flat. We then put tealight candles in each one and arranged them on the tables. I was a bit worried that we’d accidentally burn the house down, but other than one small incident with the tulle gift bags, they were fine.

The candles

The painted pumpkins

Food

My mom and I lucked out and had a lot of help in the food department, especially from my aunts and a few of my sister’s friends. Among the surprise hits I’d made were the pumpkin hummus, which was spicy and weird but oddly delicious, and the baked brie wrapped in phyllo dough. My mom’s apple crisp is always a crowd pleaser as well, as were all the dishes that my family and friends brought, which included homemade rolls, fruit pizzas, a fruit salad that looked like a work of art, macaroni salad and veggies.

1. Baked brie with pear chutney, 2. Regular hummus and pumpkin hummus, 3. Broccoli salad, 4. Fruit pizzas, 5. Roasted cauliflower, potatoes au gratin, macaroni salad, 6. Fruit bowl, 7. Artichoke dip, 8. Therese’s rolls, 9. Veggie tray

S’mores

We also had a s’more station at the fireplace. Among the choices to stuff the s’mores were graham crackers and chocolate wafers, Nutella and peanut butter, marshmallows (of course), six kinds of chocolate and fun-size candy bars.

The party

What can I say? We had a great time.

Years ago, my friend and former editor Carrie started painting. She took to it quickly and found she really loved it. Over the years, her paintings got better, more confident and more distinctive. They started to have a style all her own, with saturated colors and thick palette-knife strokes.

Recently, she quit her job to paint full-time, and I’m so proud of her. Her landscapes are beautiful, and I’m especially drawn to a series of 10×10″ paintings she’s working on (and selling for $100 apiece).

Check out her work on her blog and her website.