Saturday, August 16, 2014

Taking Stock // August

Making: a lot of meat and veggies, because I started the Whole30 program on the tenth! Recap to follow.

Cooking: Not cooking. Part of the rationale for trying a paleo diet now was my disinterest in any food preparation beyond roasting a piece of meat, throwing a frozen bag of mixed veggies in the microwave, reaching into a bag of baby carrots, and cutting up strawberries. Luke raved about this week's slow cooker meal: chicken thighs + sliced poblanos + $1.78 jar of salsa verde + 5 hours. That, I can handle.

Drinking: water water water. It's a bazillion degrees here.

Reading: I read It Starts With Food and decided to do the Whole30 month; I listened to Blood, Bones, and Butter and next up is Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. (The SA digital library is so great - thousands of free e-books, audiobooks, magazines, indie movies).

Wanting: A certain someone to start operating on human time.

Looking: forward to returning to work. So I can nap. I KID, I KID. In seriousness, it will be nice to return to making my little version of widgets and have the satisfaction of finishing something.

Wishing: we lived near family.

Enjoying: ActivTrax at the YMCA - customized strength workouts are generated (below) after a fitness test, weight/height/BMR calculation, and fitness goal discussion with a trainer.


After the workout you enter the weight and reps online and your next workout is generated. This is so fantastic - whenever I lifted weights I avoided the intimidating machines and never went near the dumbbells. No longer! A short instructional video and description is also available for every workout.

Liking: these camo Land's End skinny jeans (you'd think I'd be sick of camo). Perhaps a goal weight treat (along with these clogs).

Wondering: how many times will I look up the words shibboleth and internecine before I remember their meanings?

Loving: how Clementine will hold my hand and walk beside me [and wave buh-bye! to all the gym-goers as we exit].

Hoping: hope is one thing, making things happen is another. Here's to action!

Marveling: at how Josie changes daily and Clementine weekly

Needing: to redeem the Massage Envy gift certificate my sister sent me, my neck/back/shoulders ache.

Smelling: the Williams-Sonoma home scent simmering on the stove [sliced lemon, splash of vanilla, rosemary sprig]

Wearing:



Following: the Ferguson, MO imbroglio warily. Can't we just wait for the conclusion of the investigation... before making conclusions?

Noticing: how very much stronger my right arm is after picking up and holding a bebe for 18 months on that side.

Knowing: I'm married to the hardest working man in America. I don't deserve him but I love him a whole bunch.

Thinking: About Martha Beck's answer [Oprah magazine, September 2014]



Bookmarking: Whole30 free downloads

Giggling: about this meme. IS IT 7 PM YET?! [also, any Pennsatucky fans out there? She's my favorite].

via

Feeling: Optimism and contentment that quickly gives way to stress and anxiety when I think about 1) why do I have to go the grocery store every 2-3 days - why can't I be more organized? Why do raspberries get moldy so fast? 2) how I'd like to read work-related literature 60 minutes each day and that never happens 3) what is all that stuff on my bedroom bookshelves/in the linen closet and when will I have 30 minutes to sort it out? 4) why have I never written the letters I meant to write? 5) why didn't I do [x] differently; I should have handled [y] better (and this is going back years, years worth of dredged-up shoulda wouldas, becoming heavier and more inscrutable and more embarrassing the more time passes) 6) of all the things I would be good at if I had started 5 years ago and really good at after 10 years of practice and 7) to ∞ ...

And then I think of my two healthy babies and dear and loving husband and the biggest annoyance of moment - moldy raspberries - and it's all very good, the clutter and the forgotten to-do's and things said and unsaid and things done and undone, because without messiness and chagrin there would be no humility and room to say, tomorrow I will find those 30 minutes and straighten it out, the shelves and my worry.

3 comments:

  1. Love Pennsatucky. Just got camo leggings from Carter's for the girls, so thinking I might also need the Lands End pair. Though I'm nowhere near goal weight - 11 months in - so I need a goal. Read a great blog this weekend about wearing 'perspectacles' (http://momastery.com/blog/) - which I need to reread after crying some big tears about not having a mom on my birthday - moldy raspberries indeed. AAaaand I already told you about the West Wing. I think that's it!

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  2. This was a great update. I love hearing your thoughts about many different things. I'm interested to see how the Whole30 challenge goes for you! Well - said about the Ferguson situation. I keep thinking about how Josie and Clementine will have grown and changed so much by the time I see them! Oh, one question - as far as enjoying all of the great selections from your library, which formats do you use? Physical book 50% Audio book 25% E-book 25? -Susie

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    1. Sus, I used to only check out physical books but now that I have a tablet and little time for running errands, I'm switching to e-books. The library has subscriptions to fantastic magazines - The Atlanic, Martha Stewart Living - for free! But checking out mostly audiobooks for the time being, because I need to be hands-free!

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