not a lot

Hey blog folks -- just checking in to remind all y'all that I'm still around! Not a lot going on in my house these days, but that's ok. Have been cooking (lasagna last weekend, pad Thai last night -- both major repeats, but for good reasons!) and working, and blowing my nose a lot. ;) Allergies AND a cold at the same time? Ugh. I'm planning on spending my day in today, listening to the bluegrass show on Jazz 88, running down the laptop battery, reading magazines, and watching movies. I might bake something later, but what, I'm just not sure yet!

One more week of work before I enjoy a week off! I'm looking forward to taking a little trip and spending some more chill time at home. Wahoo for vacations!

speeding up, and slowing down

Hey blog friends . . . life continues to pick up speed on my end, as I race to the finish line we'll call "THE MOVE!" (I just went over and signed my new lease today -- wahoo!) Expect the blog to slow down for the time being . . . I'll still be reading yours, but won't have much to say on my end. :)

(How much can one really talk about sandwiches and salads and leftovers, anyway?)

~ Cath

stress = nesting?

I was reading some article in the Oprah magazine this afternoon, and there was a bit about how men and women handle stress differently. Men release cortisol and testosterone, which are the "fight or flight" hormones, and women do, too -- but we also release another hormone, (I forget the name, and I'm too lazy to look it up -- sorry!) which they call the "nesting" hormone. The article said something like, "men respond 'fight, or flight!' while women respond, 'fight or flight - but is everyone wearing a warm sweater?'"

This is too true, isn't it? The article went on to explain that women often respond to stress by cleaning, re-decorating, cooking, shopping/stocking up on essentials, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've managed stress with a baking project! And I remember listening to one of my friends this summer who, after breaking up with her boyfriend, gut-cleaned her entire apartment top to bottom, went through all of her stuff and made a big purge to the Goodwill, and re-arranged her furniture.

It's been another stressful weekend for me. I respond with pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

Mmmmmmmmmm! Unfortunately, stress also zaps my appetite, so if you happen within 100 yards of my apartment, please stop up for a cinnamon roll! :)

I also gut-cleaned the kitchen this afternoon, and ran a TON of errands today. I'm pooped! If I find myself with a burst of energy later this afternoon, I might make something awesome for dinner . . . if not, it's leftovers, all the way!

In unrelated stuff, I saw a bit about Joe Wirtheim in Martha Stewart Living . . . and can I just say, I want one of EVERYTHING in his Etsy shop? Please? Especially the "Eat Real Food" poster?

so far, so good . . .

I accomplished my goals last night! I fit in 20 minutes of yoga after I got home, and managed to be in bed by 10:10 PM. (Close enough, right?) I won't have time for yoga tonight or tomorrow night, but I can still keep working on those earlier bedtimes. :)

What have you been focusing on lately?

priorities

I've hinted around this here on my blog this past month or so, but I'll catch you up if you haven't been reading between the lines lately -- I have become one stressed person since I've started my new job. There are multiple factors involved in this increased stress, some of which I have control over and some of which I don't, some of which I can write about here and some of which I can't.

Do you know what I can write about, though? My priorities. And I've noticed that in all of this stress, I've mucked up my priorities and haven't been taking very good care of myself. Sure, we've still been eating healthy over here, and I'm still getting plenty of exercise, but do you know what I've been missing? SLEEP. And yoga. And general down-time at home. I'm glad I've held on to the healthy eating and exercise, but I NEED to get myself to bed earlier, we need to de-crazy our weeks, and I need to try and do a little yoga, at least a few times per week.

So, here are my goals for tonight, in light of my need to realign my priorities:

Goal #1: 20 minutes of yoga as soon as I get home from work tonight
Goal #2: I must physically be IN BED at 10 pm, lights out at 10:30

Wish me luck! And please harass me later if I don't get these two things done!