This Post Is Not Sponsored By The Lemon Council. I Don't Even Know If There Is A Lemon Council, But Would The Person In Charge Be The Lemon Head? I'll Be Here All Night. Remember To Tip Your Waitresses! Thank you!

Just wanted to pass on a few helpful bits of minutiae today.  Our subject is lemons.  Oh, how I love this fruit!  A bowl of lemons is quite literally, a bowl of possibility.  Let's get started.

First, lemons are an awesome decor element.  Their punchy yellow color brightens a room and can fit into any kitchen decor style from modern to vintage.  Always have a bowl of lemons on your counter somewhere - they look good and are incredibly useful.

They have great health benefits.  I've been drinking about 24 ounces of lemon water first thing every morning for almost a year now and it's really made a difference in my overall well-being.  Here is an article about the morning lemon water practice.  I started slowly with a slice of lemon dropped into my water glass for flavor and general refreshing attractiveness.  Then I moved into using the juice of half a lemon and shortly after that just started squeezing the whole darn thing into my water.  I've read lemon juice is very good for your liver - nice if you like wine, which isn't so good for your liver.  But there are also benefits to your skin and overall hydration that make you look and feel a lot better.  Give it a try.  After a while, you won't believe you ever went without a giant glass of lemon water at least once a day.

Also, lemons are wonderful to use when cooking.  I like to shove half a lemon (and a head of garlic and a bunch of herbs) inside a chicken when I roast it (adds awesome flavor) or I'll slice several lemons really thin and roast them with chicken pieces and parts (plus Kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes) - this makes for some amazing melty, tart lemon strips to enjoy with your meal.  And a squeeze of lemon will help neutralize any food you may have accidentally over-salted - an issue for me as I, 1) love salty food, 2) don't measure when I cook and 3) am sometimes distracted by talking and sipping wine.  So they're nice to have on hand as back-up when you're cranking out some vittles.

They can make your house smell great.  It's that time of year again to crank up a little "Pot of Goodness."  This fragrance technique will bring you joy - your house will smell fabulous and anyone who enters it will feel happier.  Make this today.  Put the peel of half a lemon, a whole orange (or two clementines), a tablespoon or so of whole cloves, and a few cinnamon sticks into a saucepan and fill with water.  Set it on the back burner of your stove over low heat and enjoy the amazing smell.  You can keep this going anytime you're home, just put a lid on the pot when you're not heating it and make sure the water level doesn't get too low.  Every few days toss the old mixture into the trash and make a fresh batch.  So lovely.

And finally, you can make a lemon crab.  The kids and I learned how to do this when they were little.  It's just weird and still makes us laugh.  Here's a link.

I'm wearing this today.

Very excited about these moto pants I found on sale at Anthro.  The grey t-shirt and creamy blazer are part of the mix because of their wonderful neutrality.  The pants are the stars here.  And the t-shirt and blazer understand that - at least the t-shirt does.  The blazer is just being patient.  Am I the only one concerned that my clothes are talking to me?

It's Meatless Monday and I have nothing on the menu because our lovely neighbors are bringing us dinner tonight.  I'm so excited!!!

gratitude:  my drive to Pueblo on Saturday with Eliza, a whole day yesterday with just the family, not having to cook tonight, the bluest sky

thanks and love.