Tuesday Tidbits
Happy Tuesday! It's another snowy day here in Santa Fe. We've had a relatively relaxing month! Here are a few updates on life lately...
1. A couple months ago I purchased a new vehicle, a 2019 Chevy Equinox. (I named her Selene, after the Greek Goddess of the moon, on account of her pearl color.) I am so in love with her! It's my first real "grown-up" car. I have been so thankful for the All Wheel Drive feature during this snowy, slippery winter, and I love having a safe vehicle for toting Ady around town. (The only downside is the popularity of white SUVs in Santa Fe... I almost accidentally stole some girl's white Jeep after yoga class... oops.)
2. I'm just about the only person I know who doesn't watch Netflix. I can't say that I feel like I'm missing anything, other than the opportunity to join in every other conversation about new shows. TV isn't really a part of my normal routine. That being said, I love This is Us! The show touches on so many issues from racism and racial identity to weight issues, family dynamics, marriage challenges, fertility struggles, and the still-growing-up that late-30-somethings do, sandwiched between middle-aged parents and young children. I can relate to so many aspects of the story, and it's refreshing to find such a well-written show when there's so much garbage on TV these days.
3. Santa brought me a new baking book for Christmas, The Great Minnesota Cookie Book, featuring recipes from the Star Tribune's holiday cookie contest. I tried two new recipes this month - chai crescents and chocolate toffee. Yum!
4. One of my goals this year is to do yoga at least three times per month. I have practiced yoga on and off for about 15 years now, and I want to start making it a habit and not taking weeks off in a row. My goals are flexibility, balance, centering, building core strength, preventing injury, and developing a greater connection between my physical and mental health. I've been doing a heated vinyasa class lately and I really enjoy it. I feel energized and also humbled by trying new poses and taking risks, and the meditative aspect helps me process and accept things that are out of my control.
5. A few of my coworkers and I started a knitting/crocheting group this winter. We call ourselves "Sheep Thrills," and we have a bag full of bottles of wine that we carry from house to house for our knitting meet-ups ("the sisterhood of the traveling wine"). It has been relaxing and therapeutic to spend time with some of my favorite coworkers outside of work and de-stress from the week over wine and yarn, and I also feel inspired by their expertise and skill with knitting! I crocheted a vest and hat for Ady earlier this winter and I'm working on a scarf now.
6. I recently taught Ady about hot chocolate and now it's one of her favorite things. (I should clarify that it's one of her favorite things to talk about and to make, but she doesn't actually drink very much.) She doesn't let me forget to add the marshmallow!
7. I'm starting off another year of books with a bang! This month I have really enjoyed diving into some new novels, a retelling of a Greek myth, a poetic nature book for my book club, a Pulitzer prize-winner, an old classic, and Michelle Obama's memoir! Here are some of the titles on my list this winter:
The Whale: A Love Story, by Mark Beauregard
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
The Heart's Invisible Furies, by John Boyne
The Children of Jocasta, by Natalie Haynes
When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri
Less, by Andrew Sean Greer
The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
Maid, by Stephanie Land
The Silent Patient, by Sigrid Nunez
1. A couple months ago I purchased a new vehicle, a 2019 Chevy Equinox. (I named her Selene, after the Greek Goddess of the moon, on account of her pearl color.) I am so in love with her! It's my first real "grown-up" car. I have been so thankful for the All Wheel Drive feature during this snowy, slippery winter, and I love having a safe vehicle for toting Ady around town. (The only downside is the popularity of white SUVs in Santa Fe... I almost accidentally stole some girl's white Jeep after yoga class... oops.)
 |
| Selene |
2. I'm just about the only person I know who doesn't watch Netflix. I can't say that I feel like I'm missing anything, other than the opportunity to join in every other conversation about new shows. TV isn't really a part of my normal routine. That being said, I love This is Us! The show touches on so many issues from racism and racial identity to weight issues, family dynamics, marriage challenges, fertility struggles, and the still-growing-up that late-30-somethings do, sandwiched between middle-aged parents and young children. I can relate to so many aspects of the story, and it's refreshing to find such a well-written show when there's so much garbage on TV these days.
3. Santa brought me a new baking book for Christmas, The Great Minnesota Cookie Book, featuring recipes from the Star Tribune's holiday cookie contest. I tried two new recipes this month - chai crescents and chocolate toffee. Yum!
 |
| The Great Minnesota Cookie Book |
 |
| Chai Crescents |
 |
| Chocolate Toffee Cookies |
4. One of my goals this year is to do yoga at least three times per month. I have practiced yoga on and off for about 15 years now, and I want to start making it a habit and not taking weeks off in a row. My goals are flexibility, balance, centering, building core strength, preventing injury, and developing a greater connection between my physical and mental health. I've been doing a heated vinyasa class lately and I really enjoy it. I feel energized and also humbled by trying new poses and taking risks, and the meditative aspect helps me process and accept things that are out of my control.
5. A few of my coworkers and I started a knitting/crocheting group this winter. We call ourselves "Sheep Thrills," and we have a bag full of bottles of wine that we carry from house to house for our knitting meet-ups ("the sisterhood of the traveling wine"). It has been relaxing and therapeutic to spend time with some of my favorite coworkers outside of work and de-stress from the week over wine and yarn, and I also feel inspired by their expertise and skill with knitting! I crocheted a vest and hat for Ady earlier this winter and I'm working on a scarf now.
 |
| Crocheting Ady's vest |
6. I recently taught Ady about hot chocolate and now it's one of her favorite things. (I should clarify that it's one of her favorite things to talk about and to make, but she doesn't actually drink very much.) She doesn't let me forget to add the marshmallow!
 |
| Hot chocolate and a snowflake mallow |
7. I'm starting off another year of books with a bang! This month I have really enjoyed diving into some new novels, a retelling of a Greek myth, a poetic nature book for my book club, a Pulitzer prize-winner, an old classic, and Michelle Obama's memoir! Here are some of the titles on my list this winter:
The Whale: A Love Story, by Mark Beauregard
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
The Heart's Invisible Furies, by John Boyne
The Children of Jocasta, by Natalie Haynes
When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri
Less, by Andrew Sean Greer
The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
Maid, by Stephanie Land
The Silent Patient, by Sigrid Nunez
Comments
Post a Comment