Like I said on Monday, I’ve kind of been in hibernation the past two weeks since Snap, Crackle and Pop were away at camp. Since the littlest of my warriors three came home a few days ago, I’ve had to get back into a routine of sorts. No better way to do that than jumping in right in.
My plan for Monday was to get up at 5am, a 30 minute fitness DVD, have a shake and be ready for when V came down at her usual time of 7am. I was way into my June Cleaver routine, with her breakfast laid out, my coffee ready to be poured so she and I could have some quality time before packing it up to go to the gym.
Tickety-tock, the hands went around and around the clock, with no movement from upstairs. 7am. Nothing. 7:30am. Nothing. 8am. Not a sound. Truthfully, I started to worry that she might have gotten sick or fallen out of her bed or something. Typical #momproblems — any other time you would give your right arm for your little yokels to stay in bed. The one time you need them up and out, they’re suddenly Rip Van Winkle. At 8:15, I went up to her room and got in the bed with her. She didn’t even crack her eyes open to see what the disturbance in the force was.
Well, far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth. I went downstairs and had my coffee, sans interruption, and almost forgot that I wasn’t home alone. Almost.
Here a few odds and ends to get you through your Hump Day!
We’re bi-annual Vineyarders who would have graduated to annual status this year, but sadly, we won’t be making the trek up for a variety of reasons. Let’s just blame it on the boot and keep it moving. In the meantime, I torture console myself by looking at the picturesque images Winnetu Resort puts up on social media. Last summer, we drove by the property on our way to Katama Beach and I’ve been IG stalking them ever since. The phrase “I want to go to there” has never been more apropos.
During my “staycation”, I made some appointments to get some “landscaping” done (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) as well as an appointment to get my hair done. I did a no heat challenge back in January and even though that challenge has been over for a while, I still haven’t put any heat on my hair. I made an appointment to get my hair blown out, but as the date drew near, I cancelled it. Why? You know, I really dig my curls and I was afraid if I blew it out, the curl pattern would be all “Bye Felecia”, leaving me with a wonky ‘do when I tried to go back to curly. Plus, the last few times I tried to switch up my hair game (crochet braids, weave [yeah, I did it]), it was not the best look. I need something that’s a temporary style that doesn’t have the potential to harm my hair. Seeing as I can’t master perm rod set, the This Marley Bun might be the trick. And can I say to my naturalistas, if you don’t know Naptural85, do yourself a favor and get on it.
3. Pinch of Yum Arugula Salad with Grapes and Black Pepper Vinaigrette
Along with hitting up the gym, I’m back in the kitchen trying to make healthy food choices. It blows. I really want to have wine and cupcakes. Like a good Cabernet and a moist cupcake with buttercream frosting topped with bacon *drool*. Instead, I’m being a good little bunny and having carrots and hummus. Not quite the same thing, but it’s the Cab and cupcakes that have torn apart the star-crossed lovers that are the button and the buttonhole of my pants, so you gotta do what you gotta do. Last night, I made the bomb dinner — marinated flank steak with arugula salad with grapes and black pepper vinaigrette. I almost broke both my arms — one patting myself on the back and one shoveling the food into my face.
4. Simply Balanced Sparking Water
Seeing as I’ve given up alcohol for the foreeable future (no more drinking my calories), I had to find another flavorful beverage to add to my rotation. This is one of the better sparkling waters that I’ve found.
So, this summer, I started a little herb garden and tried my hand at keeping some perennials (or are they annuals) alive. Success with the former, not so much with the latter, but hey, new skill set. I’ve enjoyed tending my little plots of dirt. I’ve got two kinds of mint, parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary and lavender. Amazingly, I’ve used pretty much all of the herbs. My fresh salsa tastes that much better knowing the cilantro in it came from my own garden. The basil that I needed for the Arugula salad? Came from my garden! That detox water I’ve been drinking? You know where the mint came from? Yuuuuup. I picked my own rosemary for the Epicurious marinade I did earlier in the season. The one thing I haven’t figured out how to use just yet is the lavender. When I put the herbs in the dirt at the beginning of the summer, I thought for sure I’d be sniping those fragile buds and stirring them into cookie batter or muffin mix. I’m not sure I have enough to even garnish a glass of iced tea! Not quite a #greenthumbfail, but I need to read up on the care and keeping of lavender, and then branch out to cooking with it. Still, I love a good recipe, so please share if you’ve got one.
