I finally put one of my favorite possessions up in the kitchen this afternoon — a kitchen-themed Vera tea towel calendar from my birth year, 1974. Seems a little bit fitting since I am an Ox and things have come around to my year again! Like most January birthday folks, I’m a tag-along with the calendar year before — I vaguely thought I was a Tiger for most of my life, until I realized that my birthday falls well before Chinese New Year and I actually join Andrew and everyone I went to high school with in Ox-world. Anyway. It is hanging on our little closet door, somewhat crazily (I think I have to rethink the pushpins) and I love seeing it!

It fits nicely with the sunny yellow kitchen in our 1949-1950 house, which is a lucky break, same as our old Los Angeles apartment where I whipped up the first set of tea towel curtains. And it’s facing down yet another set of tea towel curtains, too. I’m nothing if not predictable…

Speaking of vintage calendar tea towels, have you seen Kim’s round-up over at True Up all month? She has spotlighted some gorgeous ones!

And speaking of the kitchen, I’m trying out this cake recipe and hoping it’s good — I couldn’t get the freaking applesauce jar open, after five or six tries, so I had to do some substituting on the fly. We’ll see. It’s a pity it wasn’t one of the cooking exchanges and substitutes Vera helpfully provides. Well, good or not, I’m pouring a glass of wine to go with it. I hope that your Year of the Ox has been a happy one so far!