Two new things

I actually managed to do two things on my spring break list. I can check off gym and recipes. I know of course that I have to keep going on both of these, they are not a one- time goal, but I’ve now got a good start on them. Now if I could just get that cat print quilt done…

I have two very fit friends that I exercise with and danged if they didn’t talk me into trying something called TRX resistance training. We watched one class before going ourselves and it didn’t seem too bad. The TRX website claims that everyone from athletes to seniors can use it. It looked like you just hung off of straps using your own body weight and indeed this is pretty much what it is. It couldn’t be that bad, right? As it turns out – yes it could. The workout itself was pretty tough for this middle aged biddy bat and my muscles definitely felt things post workout. The same day I could feel it in my thighs and my triceps, the next day the thighs were quite a bit sorer, my stomach muscles chimed in and I found out the I use my triceps muscles when using the rotary cutter. Can you say ow? I certainly can. My friends are now trying to talk me into a ten week course – I’m not sure I could survive that, but we will see. I am glad I at least tried it though.

My husband and I recently signed up for the “farm fresh to you service.” Basically all this means is that x number of times a month local farmers deliver organic fruits and veggies directly to the house. It’s a little more expensive than buying groceries at Safeway but the flavors are far superior. I never cared much for fruits and vegetables growing up though my mother loved them and did everything she could to get us to eat them. Unfortunately her method of cooking most vegetables was boiling – not a lot of flavor involved.

Since I have all these new fruits and vegetables coming to the house I don’t want to waste them so I’ve been scouring the internet for recipes. One of the items in our first shipment was endive, a vegetable I’ve never had before. Luckily I found a great recipe for it : grilled endive with pistachios, dried cherries and feta cheese. It was excellent and now I’m an endive fan. This recipe and a lot more can be found on endive.com

Spring (break) is afoot

We’ve just entered one of my favourite times of the year. All the students have departed the campus for spring break and it is so quiet and peaceful. The weather is perfect and I can now stroll the campus sans fear of being slammed into by a sleep deprived student on a bike. The ability to think and plan has renewed my zeal in trying to get things done. One of my friends must feel the same as she has instituted a clutter club. I’m not that motivated but I do have plans. Therefore, without further ado, I present my list of things I’d like to happen over the next week.

One: While the kiddos are gone attempt to reinstate weight training at the gym. I’m thrilled to say I actually got a head start on this one. I went last Friday and again today. It was glorious not having to share the machines with a bunch of sweaty jock types – just us aging staff this week! I’m even thinking of the hubster go for a walk or two after work this week.

Two: Continue looking for recipes that match a Mediterranean diet vibe. Iowa girl eats sometimes has some great recipes as does Eating Well so I think this should be an easy one to accomplish. We’ve already found and tried three recipes that are keepers. I’m particularly enthused with the Portobello Mushroom sandwich with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. YUM.

Three Try and keep my newly planted garden alive while cutting down on water use. I’m hoping to learn how to use grey water from the washing machine to help accomplish this goal. I don’t want to be a water waster but I do love home grown produce so this one is going to be a work in progress.

Four catch up on my “let’s use up the cat prints” quilt that I’ve been working on since the beginning of Jan. I’ve been plugging away at it but lost ground thanks to covering odd hours at work when my student staff couldn’t come in during finals week.

Wallow in popular culture -In a burst of enthusiasm I went to the library last week and picked up a ton of books. I have just now realized that my best window for actually reading the is this week so – I will read two off the pile before the 31st. I’d also like to catch up on some of my telly programs. Walking dead has been quite the nail biter and I’d like to know who lives/dies gets eaten before the season ends. It would also be nice to try and get a little Downton watched. I haven’t even finished the season premier.