easing into the week
good morning, monday. i think that rather than starting off with a harrying traffic-filled journey into lab, i might begin this work week from the comforts of my apartment. i have plenty to do and will save an hour of commuting time, which i can use to do actual work.
home office
saving gasoline, the earth, and my sanity all at once . . . i definitely do not do this often, but sometimes on days where i am supposed to be in lab AND at duke for part of the day, i think i need to remember that i’m going to work to GET THINGS DONE — not just to fill up space or look busy. if i can be more productive in front of my computer on certain occasions, i am not going to feel bad about remaining there for a morning every so often.
especially since it will be impossible once there is a baby in our midst 🙂
hexapuff
my [awesome] sister came over yesterday and we started setting up the nursery! don’t get too excited — this mostly just involved the annoying part where we moved josh’s desk OUT [where it belongs] and assembled our guest futon/breastfeeding couch.
right now, i am not at all focused on decor — i just want to get the room to be functional! i think that josh and i have both realized that it’s not going to be easy to keep the baby stuff contained neatly in our 2-bedroom apartment, but we’re still going to put in a valiant effort.
i have no photos of our progress, but check out my sister’s latest knitting project! these are called hexapuffs:
apparently, this pattern is all the rage in the knitting community. i just like the cute little colorful hexagons!
busy but worth it . . .
we followed our apartment rearrangement and cleanup with a marathon trip to target and whole foods for guest essentials [and food for the week]. i think i spent the entire day on my feet, but it was worth it! we are now equipped for guests [my parents are visiting this weekend], and i’m ready for another week.
we celebrated with a quick dinner in front of the grammy awards:
beef / veg / rice bowl loosely based on a recipe from this month’s clean eating mag
here’s my version of the recipe for anyone that needs a super-easy but nutritious dinner option:
makes about 4 servings
the essentials
~1 lb ground beef [we used local grass-fed]
green bell pepper, diced
frozen peas
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
frozen brown rice
the flavorings
~1T worcestershire sauce
generous dousing of cumin
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
accompaniments
plain yogurt
blue corn tortilla chips
the instructions
brown beef in large skillet [i added a bit of safflower oil at CE‘s suggestion to keep things from sticking]. once cooked through, add green peppers, tomatoes, peas, and worcestershire, and let it simmer for a while [ie, for about one grammy performance]. add spices and rice; cook for a few more minutes while wondering how anyone can still tolerate chris brown. serve with accompaniments in a bowl and enjoy on the couch!
prenatal BONUS: an iron boost from the ground beef and vitamin-C-containing tomatoes [helps with absorption].
a sad loss
finally, i had to finish with a shout-out to 1987-era whitney. i totally had this tape — although i have to admit my copy was dubbed from one at the library. still sounded great, though! i had it on heavy rotation with tiffany, madonna, janet jackson, and belinda carlisle.
we will miss you!
No Comments