Whole30 :: Day 11

Kitchen 2.0.  

We like rearranging furniture and have done so numerous times in this apartment.  But, the kitchen, with its limited space, three windows and a pantry (in the right far corner not in the picture), has remained as is for seven years.  This has been a teeny thorn in my side and I have spent considerable energy trying to figure out a way we could make a change.

Since we had to empty and move the old fridge out, Cap pounced on the opportunity (while cleaning, he's rock solid, that one) to re-envision the space.  We love how shifting the fridge opens up the space and invites the natural flight to flood in.  (The breakfast bar will slide in and out of its spot as needed.)

I am feeling inspired to do another declutter/reorg of the kitchen.  I may even finally put up some curtains or shades.  I would so love to put a table in there, but there just isn't the space.

For now, I am breathing easy and am very tired.  This morning was a flurry of farmer's market with Kelly followed by chatting with iced coffees followed by clearing out the fridge and freezer and toting bags and bags over to Danielle's basement fridge followed by feeding the kids as the delivery guys arrived.  I ate somewhere in there, but a little too late.  I was a jittery time bomb by the time the fridge was being carried up and had to hide away for some introvert time.

A few asides:

• so great to have friends who bear witness.  Kelly noticed that I have dropped some bulk.  on the advice/directive of the book, I have not weighed myself.  it is notoriously difficult for me to truly see how I appear, so I appreciated the feedback.

• I am thinking of getting a serious haircut but am wondering if my much thinned head of hair will make a good cut too challenging.

• been turned onto a delectable online clothing store.

• love this photo from a 1970 Jet magazine.

• appreciated this piece.  deeply.  considering it.

• this recipe for Primal Thai Beef caught my eye.  bet it would be good with pork or chicken or turkey, too.

• sad but important essay.

Peace and love.

47 = prime

 +

 =

These are the zucchini rolls Tiina made.  They are stuffed with artichoke hearts, garlic and a nut...I think almond.  For my the first course of my birthday, I paired a couple of cold zucchini rolls with a dollop of leftover basil aioli made with homemade olive oil mayo.  Yum.  Leftover deviled eggs chasers were involved.

I thought a walk in the woods would happen today, but the snow and sleet and threats of sickness may just do those plans in.  The call for cozy is so strong that I am going to cancel my probably-was-going-to-happen birthday session with Vinny this evening (seeing him tomorrow anyway).

Reading, catching up on my Sunday night shows...chilling (oh, the pun of it all) without guilt is sounding really good right now.

47 is a prime number and I am looking forward to what this primal year brings me.  I also look forward to digging a bit deeper to bring about more prime for myself.

Peace.

Out and about

Feast or famine.  I was out for over five hours today.  Post office for holiday stamps, leisurely lunch with Donna and lots of holiday shopping.  It was good.  Enervating but not exhausting.  I was frequently parched, which is very unusual for me.

Some shots from the outside world...

The top two are from the library's physical plant.  Details I have not noticed in the over six years I have been (heavily) patronizing the building.  It's so interesting when/why/how that happens.

I had a most unusual craving for hot chocolate this week.  Today, I went for it.  SO sweet.  By the time I drank half, it was no longer enjoyable because what was left was the more concentrated stuff.  I asked for a top off of milk and got it.  Nice and hot, too.

This time out on my own was much needed introvert time...which, for me, is possible to have outside and even in the company of a very good friend.  I've been doing some reflecting, some catching up on American Horror Story : : Asylum and some settling down/grounding.

Peace and love.

Soup's on

Onion, celery, carrot, ginger, garlic, olive oil, bay leaf, vegetable bouillon, water, and the last of the fresh turkey stock (gelatinous gold).  Not for the first time, I wish my blog had aroma-vision.  I'd call this scent Nourish.

The kids are grumpy.  We may go see Wreck-It Ralph.  (Not because they're grumpy, but because they've been wanting to see it and we finally have a free block of time.)

What I really want to do is stay in my pajamas and read all day.  The introvert instinct is strong today.

Peace and soup.

Grateful

I realized this morning that 2 1/2 weeks with no kid respite is just a bit too long, for me.  Next time I will plan to embed chunks of time to/for myself.

Last night was a nadir.  I was chowing on pomegranate chocolate chip coconut ice cream (that Sag had picked out to make a milkshake with) while watching Gene Simmons Family Jewels at 11pm.  I'd been in a bad mood all day.  I've been putting the new pickles from the farmer's market to the comfort eating test (finished a quart and free pint bought Saturday tonight) and last night I finally turned to ice cream.

Then, I stayed up till nearly 3am.

Today has been quite fine, despite all that.

After yet another whatever's-in-the-fridge-or-pantry meal, I called the faraway health food store and they are kindly holding two bags of Gem's favorite spice cake mix for us till later this week.  This meant our errands today stayed quite local.

• the post office for some international stamps

• the hardware store to get what turned out to be a super expensive special size battery for our new car flashlight

• the ATM to withdraw cash from the savings account to cover us till pay day (le sigh)

• the bookstore where I sneakily picked up some birthday books for Gem, got some details about tomorrow night's Bloggess event, and plucked some Father's Day/get well/sympathy cards

• the library where this was waiting for me

• my fave cafe where we picked up local eggs, honey and the Irish breakfast tea I fell in love with last Fall

• the supermarket where we bought the bare minimum for today and tomorrow's needs

(I love living in this town...at every stop of our errands we were recognized and treated warmly.)

Once home, we lunched, I made some tea and then we played Carcassonne.  Sag was under the weather again, but the game seemed to cheer him up.  With the recent expansion set we got, the games are now close to two hours long!

Finally, the game ended and it was on to homework and reading for the kids while I made dinner.

After dinner, the kids were showered, the tea basket was decluttered, and the kitchen was cleaned.  Now the kids are watching a birthday gift which arrived in the mail today (thank you, Auntie Barbra :-) and we are all sipping herbal tea with honey.

And so, a pretty productive day draws to an end.  Not without its share of moans/groans and shrieks/eeks from each of us, but relatively mellow.

Here is a song we've been digging lately.  Peace and love.

Heeding the call

Hm.

I am not feeling overwhelmed, but...I am something that is not content and tranquil.  And it has to do with what I perceive as "a lot" going on and, I suppose, not enough down time.

I have been making efforts to get "out" more with the kids, to present them with opportunities for new activities...

I have worked hard to ensure they have time to play with friends who have gone back to school and whose schedules are now quite tight...

I have signed myself up for new activities...

There has been renewed focus on the more structured academic side of my homeschooling, what I am making in the kitchen, and the big declutter/reorg 2011...

Yes.  There has been a lot going on.  And, for this introvert, things are starting to feel a bit uncomfy.  I need more quiet than I am getting.  I need some solitude.

I did spend some time in the kitchen today, which is as close to a meditative state as I can get, I think.  I made roasted nuts and for the first time, cilantro chimichurri.  Since Cap is leaving for Sacramento this week, I decided to choose cilantro over dill at our CSA pick-up.  I was excited to use the bunch to make something lovely and green.

I used pecans, pistachios and almonds for the nuts.  I was surprised at how much salt it took to get these tasty in a salty way.  I also added chili powder.  What inspired me about this recipe was the use of pistachios.  I fell in love with pistachios (and dates) when I lived in Sacramento.  Both were grown locally and there's just something so scrumptious about foods that are super fresh.  I never think of pistachios as being available shelled until I saw this recipe.  I was happy to include them...love the hints of green they give to the dish.

Wow.  I'll be making chimichurri again.  This is so up my alley!  I kept it very simple today and did not use the vinegar, lime juice or red pepper flakes.  I love the color and the concentrated flavor.  And I love making condiments that are so easy and pair with favorite foods.  Tonight it was steak, tomorrow morning it will be scrambled eggs.

Dinner was delicious.  (The kids loved the steak, did not try the chimichurri.)

At the last minute, the kids and I decided to head over to Daniel's school for their back-to-school night.  He is in Drums of Thunder this year and they were scheduled to perform.  Well, they saved the best for last, so we ended up sitting through the whole event.  It turned out to be quite the opportunity for the kids to get a glimpse of aspects of "school": the pledge of allegiance complete with boy scout color guard, a principal who seemed to be funny (they didn't "get" most of his humor, but could see that he was getting laughs from the adults), droning PTA announcements, teachers being recognized, parents being recognized, a power point of student performance on last year's standardized tests...they saw one of their baseball coaches and said "hi" which was nice.

The best part was, of course, seeing Daniel perform.  But, it was wonderful to see a singing group and a dance group, too.  This elementary school (3rd, 4th and 5th grades) has a strong arts program and it showed.

So busy, busy, busy, yes.  Tired, that too (and my lower back really hurts tonight!)  But, it's all good in the end.  Take a listen to Drums of Thunder.  These are 4th and 5th graders from two years ago.  (Daniel will likely not play a Nets game because of the NBA lock out, but he'll be playing the Giants game this weekend and Montclaur State's homecoming game at the end of the month.)

I was moved to tears watching him and his drum corps mates up on stage tonight.  So proud.

Considering

this.

Practiced 1-8 of the Dragon's Way Qigong series this morning.  For the first time in...a long time.  I realize that my response to energy work is nimble.  I begin yawning almost immediately.  Things start to move inside me quickly.  Today, I coughed up some phlegm, too.  Pretty phlegm, not gross.  Clear little pearls.  (Apologies if this is too TMI for you.)

I have movement and cleansing on the brain.  I have considered buying a piece of home exercise equipment before, but the cons have historically stacked up against the idea.  Not so much right now.  This one seems compact enough to store in a corner of the living room if I let go of a piece of truly non-functional (sentimental...and somewhat aesthetically pleasing) furniture from my childhood.  The cost is doable, especially if compared to membership at the Y.

The biggest pros are:

• I am more fully recognizing and embracing my desire to even exercise.

• I could use this tool in front of the tv.

• This tool fits my homebody/introverted personality.

• Recognizing that having a tool like this at home will not lessen the amount of time I spend outdoors taking walks.  This doesn't subtract from the sum, it adds to it.  (Well, of course it will subtract some dollars from the bank account, but in terms of the exercise I am already getting, which is close to zero, there's no going in the "less" direction.)

• Walks outdoors can continue to be meandering and leisurely, cutting down on my itchy skin-frictiony issues.  Also, an indoor, at home tool cuts out all the meddling middling "men": weather, childcare, scheduling, the occasional anxiety about being out alone.

• Cap now uses one of these at the Y so this may get used by more than one person.

Hope things are moving for you.  Peace and love.