A while ago, when my friendship with Keekes was still just a spring bud peeking out of the awakening earth (ok, enough of that), I found out that her husband had taken to calling me "Hot Tub Sarah," since there are always a lot of Sarah's around, and we just happen to have a hot tub at our house. I actually like it. I think it's kind of catchy.
Unfortunately, we never really use our hot tub. We never really even go around to the side of the house where it sits, cold and silent, yearning to give warmth and comfort to some grateful companions (seriously, what is my deal today). That is, until last night.
After working for five hours, and then working on a school assignment for another eight hours straight as soon as I got home, I was in desperate need of something. Something to calm my frazzled brain and make me less of a bear to be around. And then I remembered: Hot Tub!
It was lovely. It was lulling. It was everything I hoped it would be. With my glass of wine and box of wheat thins, I slowly returned from a crazed grad student to a normal human being. With so much left to do before the end of the semester, I have a lot more hot tubbing in my future.
Cheers,
Sarah
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
This never would have happened if I was still 10 years old.
I injured myself. Like, really injured myself. Playing kickball. And it's not like I did it during an epic showdown of stealing home and sliding into the catcher. It was the first play of the game. I was in right field. When the player "at bat" kicked the ball, I started to run forward to cover the throw to first base. And on my very first step, it felt like both quads had been ripped off the bone. When I was a kid, I did not have to slowly warm up and stretch for an hour before engaging in any physical activity. I just went out and started playing. When did my muscles begin to petrify, making my legs into useless, inflexible stumps?
As I've gotten older, I've noticed that there are a lot of walls I'm hitting. One day, all of a sudden, I woke up and my face was too busted looking to go out of the house without makeup. One day, out of blue, I went from being able to pull productive all-nighters to becoming completely incompetent after 11 o'clock. And now this!
If I was still ten years old, I would be fluid and carefree. I would be able to roll out of bed, climb on my bike, ride down a hill, smash into a tree, get right back up and do it again. I would not have bags under my eyes, or need to medicate and pack myself in ice after a simple game of kickball.
But I also would not have boobs, or be able to drink alcohol. So I've got that going for me.
Cheers,
Sarah
As I've gotten older, I've noticed that there are a lot of walls I'm hitting. One day, all of a sudden, I woke up and my face was too busted looking to go out of the house without makeup. One day, out of blue, I went from being able to pull productive all-nighters to becoming completely incompetent after 11 o'clock. And now this!
If I was still ten years old, I would be fluid and carefree. I would be able to roll out of bed, climb on my bike, ride down a hill, smash into a tree, get right back up and do it again. I would not have bags under my eyes, or need to medicate and pack myself in ice after a simple game of kickball.
But I also would not have boobs, or be able to drink alcohol. So I've got that going for me.
Cheers,
Sarah
Friday, March 25, 2011
Hot Diggity Chow Chow!
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| copyright: Carolina Sauce Co. |
Here's one that sounds very similar to the kind I have. And the makers even donate part of their proceeds from every jar to another fun new discovery of mine: Operation Sauce Drop. They send tasty sauces -- and chow chow -- to servicemen and women overseas. Awesome!
Have you moved to a new place and fallen in love with one of their regional treats?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Kitchen Mishmash
I love cookbooks. I mean, I really love all books. But I find well-designed, well-photographed, easy-to-follow cookbooks totally irresistible. And that's why I have a large collection of them currently overflowing the cabinet space above our microwave. But do I actually use them? Not really.
That I finally realize this is not going to make me stop buying lovely cookbooks. It's just a fresh observation and I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar passionate/passive relationship to theirs. Every now and then I will pull them all out, read through them, and dog-ear the pages of the really yummy looking recipes I'd like to try. But unless I'm having a dinner party (which unfortunately is not very often) those dog-eared pages will remain stuffed together in the cabinet, unused. My daily dinner routine is to thaw some kind of meat, and then...do something with it. And try to make it somewhat healthy and include several food groups. I pull things out of the fridge and pantry and then just kind of throw stuff together. Sometimes the results are a tolerable "meh" or a dubious "hmmmmm." But others, like tonight, are actually quite tasty. I like exercising my creativity and resourcefulness--I can throw together a mean Leftover Surprise! But surely my culinary skills would improve if I actually followed directions?
I seem to come up with more goals for self-improvement every day, but perhaps I'll add yet another one to the list: make at least one meal from an actual recipe per week. I'm sure The Hubs will be glad :)
Bon Appétit,
Sarah
p.s. Here is the kitchen mishmash we had tonight: Greek-Inspired Tilapia. It certainly sounds fancy-pants, doesn't it? I covered the fish filets with some olive oil, lemon juice, red onion and green olives (both finely diced). Salt and pepper, of course. Oh, and I also drizzled on some of the chili-pepper oil we make and always have on hand. Then I baked them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (the last minute under the broiler to make sure the top looked nice and golden). Meanwhile, I made a potato hash on the stovetop: potatoes diced like home fries and sauteed with onion and garlic, and then cut-up asparagus tossed in during the last 5 minutes or so. Not bad for something conjured up out of thin air, if I do say so myself.
p.p.s. I do always use recipes when I'm baking. Because I am just not that good, and the margin of error is too high. But I don't bake very often (see above remark about trying to eat healthy).
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| There's more where this came from. |
That I finally realize this is not going to make me stop buying lovely cookbooks. It's just a fresh observation and I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar passionate/passive relationship to theirs. Every now and then I will pull them all out, read through them, and dog-ear the pages of the really yummy looking recipes I'd like to try. But unless I'm having a dinner party (which unfortunately is not very often) those dog-eared pages will remain stuffed together in the cabinet, unused. My daily dinner routine is to thaw some kind of meat, and then...do something with it. And try to make it somewhat healthy and include several food groups. I pull things out of the fridge and pantry and then just kind of throw stuff together. Sometimes the results are a tolerable "meh" or a dubious "hmmmmm." But others, like tonight, are actually quite tasty. I like exercising my creativity and resourcefulness--I can throw together a mean Leftover Surprise! But surely my culinary skills would improve if I actually followed directions?
I seem to come up with more goals for self-improvement every day, but perhaps I'll add yet another one to the list: make at least one meal from an actual recipe per week. I'm sure The Hubs will be glad :)
Bon Appétit,
Sarah
p.s. Here is the kitchen mishmash we had tonight: Greek-Inspired Tilapia. It certainly sounds fancy-pants, doesn't it? I covered the fish filets with some olive oil, lemon juice, red onion and green olives (both finely diced). Salt and pepper, of course. Oh, and I also drizzled on some of the chili-pepper oil we make and always have on hand. Then I baked them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (the last minute under the broiler to make sure the top looked nice and golden). Meanwhile, I made a potato hash on the stovetop: potatoes diced like home fries and sauteed with onion and garlic, and then cut-up asparagus tossed in during the last 5 minutes or so. Not bad for something conjured up out of thin air, if I do say so myself.
p.p.s. I do always use recipes when I'm baking. Because I am just not that good, and the margin of error is too high. But I don't bake very often (see above remark about trying to eat healthy).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Before & After
Posting some photos of a few rectified Loose Ends in an attempt to keep myself motivated:
It's really amazing--and ridiculous--how long I've put off some of these projects, when most of them take only a couple minutes to finish. Next up: finish my taxes (more on this later) and organize my office, which is unfortunately not a simple a two-minute job!
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| Half torn off sticker on cabinet for two months... gone in two minutes with a little Goo Gone and a paper towel. |
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| I have been meaning to paint and put knobs on this once-ugly 70s side table for about five years. The cute knobs are from World Market -- one of my very favorite stores! |
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| The mountain of boxes was from wedding gifts, which started rolling in around September 2010. We put the blow-up mattress out there in November 2010 when we had family in town for our wedding. Then the sun room became a full-blown toss-it-in-there-close-the-door-and-forget-about-it room, until I finally cleared it out last month. And it took all of ten minutes to load up all the boxes and take them to the recycle bin down the street. |
It's really amazing--and ridiculous--how long I've put off some of these projects, when most of them take only a couple minutes to finish. Next up: finish my taxes (more on this later) and organize my office, which is unfortunately not a simple a two-minute job!
Monday, March 14, 2011
My Boney Butt, And Other Things
March is my roll-over Loose Ends Month since--as is typical of my behavior and the primary reason I needed a Loose Ends Month in the first place--I procrastinated until the end of last month to start conquering all of my tasks. But, I'm still on a roll and have been quite productive lately. There are a few things I still haven't addressed (our taxes being the most pressing) but this month I have: gotten my hair cut, made doctor appointments, took the safety warning stickers off the bathroom cabinet, finished my DIY project, cleaned out the sun room, threw out some leftovers that had been lurking in the back of the refrigerator for months, rearranged and cleaned up the guest room, mowed the lawn, and got my bike tuned up (one of my Groupons!). And that is where my boney butt comes in.
It's been about two years since I last rode my bike, and the day I picked it up from Cycle Center was a lovely, sunny 75 degrees so I couldn't wait to take it out for a spin. I only rode for a few miles, but oh man! My butt bones are still sore almost a week later. Granted, I'm not in "bicycling condition," but can one's tush ever really become conditioned to balancing on that little wedge? I mean you don't get, like, calluses down there, do you? Please oh please say no.
With campus so close to our house, and the weather so nice this time of year, I'd like to start riding more often. But since I have no rear padding of my own, I will probably have to invest in a gelly seat cushion, or a pair of those ridiculous puffy bottom pants. Or both. This flat-bottomed girl needs so much extra padding that the "junk in my trunk" may start to resemble an episode of Hoarders.
Bottom line (get it...bottom line) I can't go through the rest of the summer with sore pudendal nerves. But I'm not quite ready to sacrifice the amount of dignity necessary to actually put on a pair of these pants. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Happy riding,
Sarah
It's been about two years since I last rode my bike, and the day I picked it up from Cycle Center was a lovely, sunny 75 degrees so I couldn't wait to take it out for a spin. I only rode for a few miles, but oh man! My butt bones are still sore almost a week later. Granted, I'm not in "bicycling condition," but can one's tush ever really become conditioned to balancing on that little wedge? I mean you don't get, like, calluses down there, do you? Please oh please say no.
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| (not my photo) |
With campus so close to our house, and the weather so nice this time of year, I'd like to start riding more often. But since I have no rear padding of my own, I will probably have to invest in a gelly seat cushion, or a pair of those ridiculous puffy bottom pants. Or both. This flat-bottomed girl needs so much extra padding that the "junk in my trunk" may start to resemble an episode of Hoarders.
Bottom line (get it...bottom line) I can't go through the rest of the summer with sore pudendal nerves. But I'm not quite ready to sacrifice the amount of dignity necessary to actually put on a pair of these pants. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Happy riding,
Sarah
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Time Out
Well by now you should all realize that I'm quite the "joiner." Whether it's a fun get-together with friends, a volunteer opportunity, something extra at work, special school events and lectures, etc., I will almost always say "yes!" The upside to this is that I meet a lot of great people, have a lot of fun, learn a lot of new things, and gain some great experience. The downside is that there are only so many hours in a day, and when you say "yes" to everything you can easily end up having something planned for every waking moment. I have not yet learned the art of steadily balancing when to join in and when to politely decline, because it all sounds so interesting and I really would like to do everything. I enjoy having a busy schedule, but sometimes I just have to give myself a Time Out.
This week is Spring Break and, like always, there are so many wonderful opportunities that my "week off" was swiftly becoming even busier than a normal week. It all started last Friday, when I had a morning meeting with my mentor, followed by a Relay For Life team meeting, running errands, and then meeting a friend for dinner and the ballet. Saturday and Sunday were spent running more errands, working on school assignments, getting a haircut, going to a dinner party, and driving to Charleston and back for the Army Wives premier party. Monday I left bright and early for a two-day trip to rural Hampton County with Cocky's Reading Express. We did eight literacy events in those two days, meeting thousands of young students and their parents, waking up super early and driving back and forth all over the state. All of these things were awesome and exhausting in a wonderfully fulfilling way.
Once I got back from the CRE trip Tuesday night, I made a valiant effort to continue being productive, even rearranging and cleaning our guest room as soon as I got home. Then I sat down in front of the computer to check my email, and when I saw the hundreds of new messages needing responses, I hit my limit. My brain had finally crossed over from energizing stimulation to plain old overstimulation, and I just could not make myself sort through everything. It was Time Out time. Wednesday I got up as usual, fed the animals...and then did absolutely nothing for many, many hours. I sat on the couch, watched TV, read magazines, snuggled with my pets, and did not change out of my pajamas until four o'clock in the afternoon. It was delicious.
But then I got dressed, and played with the dogs, and cleaned up the yard, and exercised for an hour and a half, and went back to checking things off my revolving to-do list. Kids never appreciate Time Outs, but as an adult, I have come to realize that the ability to give self Time Outs is an art and a virtue. And a sanity saver. Thanks to my day of unapologetic slothfulness, I am now ready to tackle the rest of the week, which will consist of a lot of school work, and dealing with many more Loose Ends.
Do you give yourself Time Outs? Or have you actually figured out how to have a balanced life so you don't need them? What are some of the best ways you've found to "re-charge" if you can take a whole day, half day, an hour, or only 15 minutes? I'm always up for trying something new! ;)
This week is Spring Break and, like always, there are so many wonderful opportunities that my "week off" was swiftly becoming even busier than a normal week. It all started last Friday, when I had a morning meeting with my mentor, followed by a Relay For Life team meeting, running errands, and then meeting a friend for dinner and the ballet. Saturday and Sunday were spent running more errands, working on school assignments, getting a haircut, going to a dinner party, and driving to Charleston and back for the Army Wives premier party. Monday I left bright and early for a two-day trip to rural Hampton County with Cocky's Reading Express. We did eight literacy events in those two days, meeting thousands of young students and their parents, waking up super early and driving back and forth all over the state. All of these things were awesome and exhausting in a wonderfully fulfilling way.
Once I got back from the CRE trip Tuesday night, I made a valiant effort to continue being productive, even rearranging and cleaning our guest room as soon as I got home. Then I sat down in front of the computer to check my email, and when I saw the hundreds of new messages needing responses, I hit my limit. My brain had finally crossed over from energizing stimulation to plain old overstimulation, and I just could not make myself sort through everything. It was Time Out time. Wednesday I got up as usual, fed the animals...and then did absolutely nothing for many, many hours. I sat on the couch, watched TV, read magazines, snuggled with my pets, and did not change out of my pajamas until four o'clock in the afternoon. It was delicious.
But then I got dressed, and played with the dogs, and cleaned up the yard, and exercised for an hour and a half, and went back to checking things off my revolving to-do list. Kids never appreciate Time Outs, but as an adult, I have come to realize that the ability to give self Time Outs is an art and a virtue. And a sanity saver. Thanks to my day of unapologetic slothfulness, I am now ready to tackle the rest of the week, which will consist of a lot of school work, and dealing with many more Loose Ends.
Do you give yourself Time Outs? Or have you actually figured out how to have a balanced life so you don't need them? What are some of the best ways you've found to "re-charge" if you can take a whole day, half day, an hour, or only 15 minutes? I'm always up for trying something new! ;)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Social Coupon Debate
Due to my new "get 'er done" attitude regarding Loose Ends Month, and taking stock of my to-do list, I've realized that a lot of my loose ends involve scheduling things I purchased from Groupon and Living Social.
I must admit that I'm slightly obsessed with these social coupon sites, and that I've acquired quite a few of them. But The Hubs is somewhat unenthused. He views these like any other coupon, luring me to buy things I don't need and wouldn't otherwise spend money on. And he's partly right. But to me, these deals offer life experiences, not things. Yes, I probably wouldn't get around to doing half of these things--at least not now--if I didn't get a message in my inbox telling me that I can try 15 karate classes for only $20, for example. (Pretty sweet, huh?)
So far these are the things I get to enjoy, thanks to social coupons:
So, I'll add another mantra to go along with Just Say Yes: Don't buy new things. Try new things.
Where do you stand in the social coupon debate? Are they worth it, or a waste? If you're into them, what are some of the cool things you've gotten to do because of their deals?
I must admit that I'm slightly obsessed with these social coupon sites, and that I've acquired quite a few of them. But The Hubs is somewhat unenthused. He views these like any other coupon, luring me to buy things I don't need and wouldn't otherwise spend money on. And he's partly right. But to me, these deals offer life experiences, not things. Yes, I probably wouldn't get around to doing half of these things--at least not now--if I didn't get a message in my inbox telling me that I can try 15 karate classes for only $20, for example. (Pretty sweet, huh?)
So far these are the things I get to enjoy, thanks to social coupons:
- A Painting Class -- while drinking wine :)
- House Cleaning -- not an experience in itself, but this certainly frees me up to experience something else while they're busy cleaning my house!
- Laser Hair Removal -- the gift that keeps on giving
- A Massage -- always a good time
- A Bicycle Tune Up -- so I can hit the trails again
- Boxing Lessons -- watch out, world!
- Tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream -- what's better than supporting the arts with a little cultural stimulation?
So, I'll add another mantra to go along with Just Say Yes: Don't buy new things. Try new things.
Where do you stand in the social coupon debate? Are they worth it, or a waste? If you're into them, what are some of the cool things you've gotten to do because of their deals?
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