I hope you all had a lovely week- a lovely holiday week, if you're in the US. I'm going to do a semi-modified recap, since it wasn't a normal week here. Let's get started on that, shall we?
MONDAY
Not a bad day for pain; I had a sharp grinding sensation mid-afternoon, but yoga seemed to help with that.
Early in the morning, I stripped my daughter's bed and started the laundry. I emptied the dishwasher and refilled it, took out the trash and recycling, and then it was errand time. We drove to Menard's, where it took us a little bit to find a dryer vent cleaning kit (now to figure out how to use it!), then went across the street to the Dollar Store, where we bought blank stickers (for my son for school), a cup for my daughter, Kosher salt, and a basket to organize things in in the bathroom. Back home, I switched the laundry, tossed my daughter in the bathtub, and then sat there and went through some folders of old papers and craft patterns I'd grabbed off my craft shelf. In there was a Thanksgiving menu my son had made in Boy Scouts when he was about 6.
I don't even think he liked green beans at the time.
I did find some knitting and sewing patterns and such that may be of use, so that was nice.
After the bath, I brought my son's laundry downstairs (PEEEEYEW!), threw that in the wash, then restarted the dryer. I did my basement chores of scooping the litterbox and refilling the Air Washer, then tossed some pinto beans into the Instant Pot. I switched the laundry when the dryer was done, then put my daughter's bed back together, just in time for naptime! While she slept, I restarted the dryer and did dinner prep (rice bowls with taco-spiced zucchini/onion/garlic/peppers, pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, and steamed sweet potatoes), then cleaned up the kitchen and did a 26 minute yoga video and a 10 minute ab/core video.
After the bath, I brought my son's laundry downstairs (PEEEEYEW!), threw that in the wash, then restarted the dryer. I did my basement chores of scooping the litterbox and refilling the Air Washer, then tossed some pinto beans into the Instant Pot. I switched the laundry when the dryer was done, then put my daughter's bed back together, just in time for naptime! While she slept, I restarted the dryer and did dinner prep (rice bowls with taco-spiced zucchini/onion/garlic/peppers, pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, and steamed sweet potatoes), then cleaned up the kitchen and did a 26 minute yoga video and a 10 minute ab/core video.
Yoga with the cat, who thinks she's helping. This is not the closest she got!
I switched the laundry and looked through more craft books with my daughter, weeding out a ton that I no longer find useful, so those will go to the thrift store. We picked up my son and then headed to the library, where my daughter played and I read Piano For Dummies. My husband joined us off the train, and after dinner, I put the leftovers away, cleaned up the kitchen, and brought the laundry upstairs. I took the garbage and recycling to the road (I just realized I'm going to have to do that tonight too! That's going to be interesting, with all the snow...), did my PT exercises, and watched two episodes of Supernatural with my husband before bed.
TUESDAY
Not a bad day pain-wise.
We drove my husband to the train early in the morning. At home, I stripped our bed and threw the bedding in the washer. I folded and put away two loads of my son's laundry (if I don't do it, it just sits there and gets mixed with the dirty stuff, and then I end up needing to rewash clean stuff). I made a batch of homemade Febreeze and sprayed down my son's room (stinky teenagers! I did leave the door closed most of the day, so the cats wouldn't be bothered by the spray). I switched the laundry, swept the living room and kitchen, and then it was time to take my daughter to school.
After dropping her off, I stopped by my doctor's office for bloodwork (my doctor had put the order in last week and there was no appointment needed, they do it on a walk-in basis), then ran to Aldi and grabbed the last few things we needed for Thanksgiving and a few extras, since I wasn't grocery shopping this week. Then I ran to Mariano's, where I picked up last week's Free Friday Download (a bottle of seasoning for grilling, although I'll use it for other stuff) and a marked-down loaf of olive focaccia bread, which I enjoyed for breakfast throughout the week.
And then it was back to school to pick my daughter up! We ran to Costco afterwards (yikes, the crowds!!!), where we bought an enormous sack of carrots (which I'll probably share with my mother), dishwasher soap, garlic, and Parmesan. At home, we put everything away, I switched the laundry, and started a batch of chickpeas in the Instant Pot. During naptime, I did a 40 minute yin yoga video, dozed on the couch for about 15 minutes, then did a faster-paced 26 minute ashtanga-inspired worked (almost too fast!). I started a batch of taco-spiced lentils in the Instant Pot, then put those and the chickpeas away when the lentils were done. I restarted the dryer, made a batch of pizza dough, cleaned up the kitchen, and realized that the answer to the question, "Why the heck am I so tired???" was that because of the bloodwork, I hadn't had any coffee yet today! I sat down in my chair with a lovely mug of coffee then. :)
And then it was back to school to pick my daughter up! We ran to Costco afterwards (yikes, the crowds!!!), where we bought an enormous sack of carrots (which I'll probably share with my mother), dishwasher soap, garlic, and Parmesan. At home, we put everything away, I switched the laundry, and started a batch of chickpeas in the Instant Pot. During naptime, I did a 40 minute yin yoga video, dozed on the couch for about 15 minutes, then did a faster-paced 26 minute ashtanga-inspired worked (almost too fast!). I started a batch of taco-spiced lentils in the Instant Pot, then put those and the chickpeas away when the lentils were done. I restarted the dryer, made a batch of pizza dough, cleaned up the kitchen, and realized that the answer to the question, "Why the heck am I so tired???" was that because of the bloodwork, I hadn't had any coffee yet today! I sat down in my chair with a lovely mug of coffee then. :)
I made and cooked the pizza, then picked up my husband. After eating dinner, I ran to Kohl's. My mother and aunt had given me their Kohl's cash, $70 worth!!! I have a Kohl's right down the road; they don't have one anywhere near them, so I end up inheriting the Kohl's cash they're not able to use- my mother had mailed it to me. After about an hour and a half of browsing and trying things on, I ended up with two really nice pair of sweatpants/workout pants (I needed soft pants; wearing jeans isn't terribly comfortable for me anymore), a pair of yoga pants, a bra that actually fits, a pair of short, and a necklace. And I still had about $1.83 left! The cashier was impressed. :)
Husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed.
WEDNESDAY
Our cooking day, as my daughter called it. I had some nasty pain in the morning while sitting, which isn't normal, across my lower back and right hip. I had some tingling in my left foot while standing but not sitting, and the pain in my SI joint increased throughout the day.
The entire morning was dedicated to cooking the things I'd be bringing with to Thanksgiving dinner. Since I'm vegetarian, I need to have a main dish to bring with me, and this year I decided to forego the Tofurky (which I actually do enjoy very much) and went with a lentil shepherd's pie- I added some mushrooms to the lentils, which gives it a lovely flavor. I also prepared a layered taco dip, with taco-flavored hummus, taco-spiced lentils, salsa, Greek yogurt, cheese, and tomatoes. It was delicious and we're still eating it! And I made a batch of cheese potatoes- I think every family has some version of this. It's so unhealthy, yet so delicious, and holiday time is the only time I ever eat it, so I can't feel *too* terrible about myself for that, right???
I ran the dishwasher, switched the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, restarted the laundry, swept the floor, and did a 33 minute yoga video. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and then it was time to pick my husband up, early. He and my daughter played and I ended up dozing off in the chair for a bit. ;) I showered early and iced my back a good portion of the evening. I picked up my son, cast on a hat for my daughter, and watched two episodes of Supernatural with my husband before bed.
THURSDAY
Thanksgiving! We loaded up the car and drove to my mom's about an hour away, annoying my husband by playing Christmas music the whole time. Hurray for the holidays! :D
THURSDAY
Thanksgiving! We loaded up the car and drove to my mom's about an hour away, annoying my husband by playing Christmas music the whole time. Hurray for the holidays! :D
Thanksgiving is my mom's big day; she always hosts and goes all out.
This wasn't even all of the food!
Needless to say, we all ate ourselves silly. I knit my daughter's hat while I was there and mostly finished it; I had thought it would've taken longer, but it was quick (it'll be part of a set for her for Christmas, so I'll make a separate post about it). We stopped by my dad's afterwards to visit with him and his wife. I drove home- I was the only one awake in the car!- and the pain was so bad for me at that point that I had tears in my eyes when we got home. Driving doesn't necessarily make me hurt, but if I'm already hurting, it definitely makes it worse. We watched two episodes of Supernatural before going to bed.
FRIDAY
A lazy kind of day where the pain wasn't too bad, probably because I wasn't doing much! The only place I went was in the morning, when my daughter and I ran to Walgreens. I cleaned my daughter's room, finished her hat, and cast on a pair of leg warmers. I also took a REALLY awesome nap during the afternoon, which felt really, really good.
SATURDAY
We ran to Menard's in the morning. My husband needed a few things (and brought home a few extra things!), and I stealthilly grabbed a toy that my daughter had been eyeing when we were there on Monday, a toy beauty kit. It's something she'll actually play with, so I don't mind bring that into the house (it's the cluttery stuff that I *know* she won't play with that I'm against!). We had another lazy day around the house, where I knit like crazy. We put up our Christmas tree later on in the day.
SATURDAY
We ran to Menard's in the morning. My husband needed a few things (and brought home a few extra things!), and I stealthilly grabbed a toy that my daughter had been eyeing when we were there on Monday, a toy beauty kit. It's something she'll actually play with, so I don't mind bring that into the house (it's the cluttery stuff that I *know* she won't play with that I'm against!). We had another lazy day around the house, where I knit like crazy. We put up our Christmas tree later on in the day.
Love these two so much!!!
Finished product!
We ended up moving the tree on top of a (packed full and very heavy) Rubbermaid container and duct-taping it down like we have in past years. It's high up enough that way so that the cats are discouraged from messing with it, and you can see it better from the window like that. :) Afterwards, I helped my son out with piano a little.
SUNDAY
I spent the morning knitting one and a half mittens. :)
I spent the morning knitting one and a half mittens. :)
The highlight of this day was visiting my husband's co-worker for his son's second birthday party. It wasn't easy getting to their place in the heart of the city, but we *finally* made it and had a lovely time. Their apartment has a gorgeous view- I wish I had a better camera to do it justice. I wouldn't want to live on the 12th floor of anything (fear of heights!), but the view is seriously nice.
Blurry, but trust me, it was gorgeous!!!
The snow was just starting as we got home. Half an hour later, the car was COVERED, and it was full-on blizzard conditions before we went to bed. My son's school announced it was closed by just after 9 pm, and it was absolutely the right call. No need to have kids out there on the road, especially those new teenage drivers.
This morning, the view from where I sit looks like this:
I'm not sure what our totals were, but we were predicted to get around a foot and it looks pretty deep out there. I'm going to eat some breakfast and take my daughter on our traditional snow walk- every time it snows big, we go for a walk around the block. We've done this since she learned to walk and we look forward to it every time! And then I'll get to shoveling. My husband indeed had work today, so I'll have to dig the car out in time to be able to pick him up. I'm not looking forward to this; I'm already getting warning signals down my right leg, so we'll see how this goes...
This week is back to the grind! I've got a lot of work to do to get the house back in shape from our long weekend, and Thursday I have my second set of SI injections. We'll see how that goes, if I get any more relief. I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't hurt if I had a full workup from a rheumatologist, in order to rule a few things out. If I get a chance to ask my pain doc about this, I will, but we'll see. Saturday, our town turns on the holiday lights in the park in the center of town, so we're looking forward to attending that. :)
How was your week?
How was your week?
I do hope you get more relief after the second injection. Enjoy your snow.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, thank you!!! :) We're getting ready to head outside right now. Waiting on my daughter to finish up in the bathroom, and then I'll get her dressed and out we go! :)
DeleteYou sure do get it done! I've been a vegetarian for 33 years, but have never tried a tofurky. I'm interested in the lentil shepherd's pie recipe, but the link isn't working. It sounds good.
ReplyDeleteAck, technology! It's working for me right now, but I'll copy and paste here for you in case it's still not coming through on your end. :)
Deletehttps://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-shepherds-pie/#_a5y_p=2833236
FILLING
1 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or green lentils (rinsed and drained)
4 cups vegetable stock (DIYor store-bought)
2 tsp fresh thyme (or sub 1 tsp dried thyme per 2 tsp fresh)
1 10-ounce bag frozen mixed veggies: peas, carrots, green beans, and corn
MASHED POTATOES
3 pounds yukon gold potatoes (thoroughly washed)
3-4 Tbsp vegan butter
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Slice any large potatoes in half, place in a large pot and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil on medium high heat, then generously salt, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until they slide off a knife very easily.
Once cooked, drain, add back to the pot to evaporate any remaining water, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a masher, pastry cutter or large fork to mash until smooth. Add add desired amount of vegan butter (2-4 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), and season with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely cover and set aside.
While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish (or comparable sized dish, such as 9x13 pan. An 8x8 won’t fit it all but close! // as original recipe is written // adjust number or size of dish if altering batch size).
In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) until lightly browned and caramelized - about 5 minutes.
Add a pinch each salt and pepper. Then add lentils, stock, and thyme and stir. Bring to a low boil. Then reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking until lentils are tender (35-40 minutes).
In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the frozen veggies, stir, and cover to meld the flavors together.
OPTIONAL: To thicken the mixture, add 2-3 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) mashed potatoes and stir. Alternatively, scoop out 1/2 of the mixture and whisk in 2 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) cornstarch or arrowroot powder and whisk. Return to the pan and whisk to thicken.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Then transfer to your prepared oven-safe baking dish and carefully top with mashed potatoes. Smooth down with a spoon or fork and season with another crack of pepper and a little sea salt.
Place on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the mashers are lightly browned on top.
Let cool briefly before serving. The longer it sits, the more it will thicken. Let cool completely before covering, and then store in the fridge for up to a few days. Reheats well in the microwave.
Enjoy! My daughter absolutely loved this.