renewed

I have read that being an introvert or an extrovert has nothing to do with how much you like to be with people or enjoy socializing--that by definition, in simplest form, it is about how you renew your energy.

Do you refill your well alone, or with other people?

I am an introvert.

 This last weekend on my own, much as I missed Minou and my boys, was a delight. Moving at my own speed, following my own routines, taking time to sit, reflect, and journal...the quiet house, the lovely spring weather...I was able to break though some mental barriers that had been holding me back from making progress on a project, and I think it had a lot to do with the time to myself.

The circumstances helped too. Minou and the boys were off having an adventure, a happy event, and we were in contact. I connected with sweet friends and neighbors, and my mom, who stopped by.

I worked (on academic projects), cleaned, jogged, cared for the animals, and sat. Sat! I went to bed past midnight, unusual, Saturday night and set a late alarm Sunday, but forgot about the needs of the critters...woke up to let the cats and dogs out (after noisy reminders) around 6 a.m. and once I went outside to let the chickens out, the misty spring morning was so mesmerizing that I forgot about going back to bed.

An oasis of energy renewal. Thankful today.

mitzvah monday

mitzvah (noun): a good deed, a charitable or meritorious act
This week I felt happy about sharing their fresh eggs...

...with friends and neighbors.

Thank you, Ladies.

simple sunday

James really knows how to keep life simple

This week's simple idea...

I wear a uniform to work. Not the military kind, not the fast food kind, not even the health care kind...but a uniform nonetheless. I find it stressful to hunt for clothing in the morning, making sure that it is clean, unwrinkled, matching, and fits my "mood" for the day. Ten or fifteen minutes can easily slip away standing in front of the closet and digging through laundry baskets. I would rather spend that time walking the dog for a few extra minutes, having a second cup of coffee, or reading a chapter of our  book (right now 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) with p'tit minou 2.

Solution? I borrowed an idea from Minou (when he worked in an office). I wear almost exactly the same thing every day. For Minou, it was corduroy pants and white dress shirts and a tie. For me, I wear comfortable non-wrinkling black pants (I have two pairs), black socks and black Dansko clogs.  For tops, I choose from a few sweaters/knit tops/button-downs depending on the season and wish for color...but they all go with black. On casual Fridays, I have a different uniform: jeans, agency t-shirt, and silly striped socks.

However...if I forget to keep up with the laundry, my whole system is thrown into jeopardy! Last week somehow both pairs of black pants were in the wash (not yet washed) at the same time, and I was thus in a tizzy getting out the door and to an early staff meeting. Most of the time, however, wearing a uniform works so well for work and keeps life simple. True, it can be a little boring--but a simple uniform can be altered or dressed up easily with a scarf or earrings, and it saves a lot of time in the mornings!

What do you wear to work? Do you use clothes to express your creativity, or prefer a time saving solution?

solo saturday

Minou and the minous are heading down to San Francisco today for a solo adventure--a required trip to the French Consulate to renew the kids' passports (every 5 years for children). I remember doing this by mail before, but they have a new type of "biometric" passport now for which you must apply in person (I'm actually not sure what this means & am imagining something very high-tech--will they perform a retinal scan?!).

I hope that they will actually enjoy their one day of sightseeing as well. I was recently there for a contraception conference and had a fantastic time riding cable cars, visiting museums, and enjoying city sights (and most of all, visiting with some close friends). I also learned A LOT about birth control and reproductive health--what an incredible experience!

Anyway, they will be staying at the same hotel, the Grant--clean, quiet, central, and reasonably priced. I encouraged them to ride the cablecars, visit Chinatown and the Exploratorium...basically, recreate my trip (minus the contraception part) so that we can compare notes  (I kept thinking "They would LOVE this!" while I was there).

And me? My plan is to catch up on homework and research for my Population Nursing class, and hopefully sprinkle a few seeds in the garden.

Frugal Friday

This week's frugal act was...cooking at home. This does not really represent a change for us, since meals out are a rare and special treat, but I took full advantage of my mid-week day off to prepare food for the family. This is potentially money-saving because with the backbone of meals planned for, we're less likely to make those quick trips to the store for something for dinner and end up with six other purchases.

On Tuesday I made: Vanilla Walnut muffins (with lots of fresh eggs from the Ladies) for after-school high-protein treats, a big kettle of Potato Leek & Kale soup for Minou and I--savory and delicious, and two vegetarian (using veggie ham) Quiche Lorraines, again with our own eggs. I do not have the best success with pie crust (anyone have a good whole wheat recipe?), so the quiche was received with mixed reviews by some, but appreciated by most. I also made sure we have weekly staples on hand--milk, fruit, salad, veggies. This way we can get creative with other supplies in the cupboards without being tempted to resort to more expensive veggie burgers or tofu dogs, our convenience foods.

How about your frugal acts of the week? Please share!

winnowing wednesday

to winnow: [transitive] a) to remove, to get rid of  b) to sift or separate c) to blow on to remove the wheat from the chaff

Sifting and separating for the week: 7 items for 7 days.

1) passed down to me--still haven't read--will borrow from library
2) decorative, but in 3 months we have not drawn still-lifes, and missing the lid
3) useful but have other, more solid bags
4) 1993 was the year I studied in Beijing and used this
5) not sure where this came from...I did used to make quilts
6) passed down to me--watched once--will go to next year's White Elephant gift exchange
7) doesn't fit!

mitzvah monday

mitzvah (noun): a good deed, a charitable or meritorious act

I went to donate blood on Saturday--something that always makes me feel good. My blood type is relatively rare, so I wait to get that call from the blood center requesting it, and then I hurry down there. Did you know that while about 37% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, only about 10% do so?

However...my hemoglobin was just ever so slightly too low to give up a pint of blood, so I went for a nice long run, had several iron-rich meals with vitamin C foods, and am going back today. Fingers crossed.