Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

If you missed it, I had a great IG Chat conversation with my friends Ulli and Stefanie this morning and we talked about motivation and working out (during the pandemic). Ulli posted the recording on her IGTV feed. I’d be curious to hear how you’ve felt about working out during the pandemic. Did your motivation change? Did you work out more or less, or did you completely fall off the bandwagon? I love talking about this stuff and am contemplating writing about it more if you’re interested.

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I bought another houseplant last week. I am a bit obsessed. Trader Joe’s had (small) fiddle leaf figs for $5.99. What a steal. Now I just have to make it grow strong and tall. Wish me luck!

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Speaking of strong and tall, have you heard of self-watering planters? If you are a house plant newbie like me (who has killed a fair share of plants), you might want to look into these. These planters have a water reservoir on the bottom and instead of watering your plants from the top, you just keep the water reservoir filled up and the plant can draw up as much water (through capillary action) as needed. I also have a self-watering planter box outside for my small vegetable garden and it seems to be working exceptionally well because the plants always have access to water from below (especially since we’ve already had temperatures in the 90’s in the last couple of weeks and it can be challenging to keep up with the watering in the summer). 

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Remember how I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, that there might be a possibility that  I’d be returning to the office for some work-related tasks that I can’t do would be difficult to do from home? Yeah, things changed and I won’t be going to the office anytime soon (and I am kinda glad about it). 

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Random fact: my (paternal) grandmother would have turned 100 years old today. Sadly, she died at the very young age of 61, when I was only 6 years old. And even though I didn’t get to grow up having her around, my sister and I spent a lot of time with her when we were little, and I am grateful for all the memories that I still have of her. 

Have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! 

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing

I feel like I should talk about the most recent police shootings and the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed George Floyd last year, but I am honestly out of words, guys. Every time this happens again (and again), I wonder why officers use their weapons and power so recklessly, and every time I come up empty-handed. I just can’t wrap my head around it and I seriously don’t know how we’re going to change as a society. We need gun control so very badly, and people seriously have to reckon with their calls for “freedom and second amendment rights” and their underlying biases that obviously get other people killed on a regular basis. 

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I’ve been making a list of things I want (to allow myself) to do when I am fully vaccinated in a few weeks. Have you thought about these things? (Haven’t we all?) I should probably share my complete list sometime, but I’ll share one thing already: I want to go to Ikea. I haven’t been to any stores (besides Target, the supermarket, and Home Depot) in a year and I really just want to wander the aisles at Ikea.

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Jon and I played Scrabble for the first time in ages last weekend and it’s been so much fun that I downloaded a Scrabble app. This is unusual as I am usually not someone who plays games on their phone. I know this is probably just a phase (and I really don’t need to be spending more time on my phone than I already am), but I’m giving myself a pass on this one right now. It’s a good brain exercise after all. Do you play any games on your phone?

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There’s a possibility that I’ll be going back to the office in a few weeks for some work-related tasks that I can’t do would be difficult to do from home and I feel somewhat peculiar about it. I will probably be fully vaccinated by then and will most likely not even encounter many other people as we’re all still working full-time from home, but I’ve gotten so used to the WFH life that it feels weird having to go back. Does that even make sense to anyone but me? Other people are dying to go back to the office, but I’ve been quite comfortable at home and in no rush to go back. But really, it’s fine. It’s going to be fine. 

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am currently (still) obsessed with apple-cinnamon steel-cut oats for breakfast. How do you like yours? Or what do you have for breakfast these days? Do share!

Have a great weekend! 

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

We got both our stimulus payment and our tax return within the last two weeks and it’s been a nice and welcome cash injection, I must admit.  However, we really don’t need the stimulus like other people and I do hope that people who really needed the help during the pandemic have received it!. Have you gotten your stimulus check yet?

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As I have mentioned (everywhere!), Jon got his first COVID-vaccine shot this week and I couldn’t be more excited. In case you’re curious: he received the vaccine through our medical center at a local vaccine clinic. He got the Pfizer vaccine and had no side effects (other than a bit of a sore arm) from his first shot. I am currently signed up with myturn.ca.gov, California’s vaccination coordination site, waiting for my turn. If you are in California and haven’t gotten your vaccine yet, you should sign up, too. 

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I am currently doing research for a project at work, which means googling (no problem!) and calling (ugh!) companies to ask for specific information. While I don’t mind calling people in general, turns out, cold-calling companies to ask questions (they might not want to answer or don’t know the answers to) is not my strong point. I’d be a horrible sales rep, haha, and I am not even trying to sell anything.

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If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I bought some new plants for our apartment. I feel ridiculous even talking about it, but we didn’t have any plants at all for a long while other than one cactus (that I kept outside) and a succulent on my new work-from-home desk. Our living room gets very little direct sunlight, sadly, so I didn’t really bother buying plants that would just “die” on me.  But of course, there are plenty of plants that thrive in low-light environments and now I want to add more. I already asked on IG for suggestions for any low-light houseplants that are pretty and easy to care for, but if you want to drop any other suggestion in the comments, that would be fantastic, too. Please and thank you :)

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I am so excited to bake my sweet plaited yeast bread again for Easter this weekend. This is pretty much as far as our Easter activities will go. We haven’t dyed any Easter eggs and we didn’t decorate, but who am I to skip traditional yummy food, amirite?!

Have a great Easter weekend! What are your plans?

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

Do you ever have a week where time just seemingly disappears? I had high hopes of blogging this week and didn’t find a free pocket of time to sit down and write. And I worked long days, worked out, cooked dinner, and went to bed. Lather, rinse and repeat. There just wasn’t much time for anything else, so I am extra thankful for having today off and that it’s the start of the weekend!

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My sister – an elementary school teacher in Germany – who just went back to in-person teaching a few weeks ago is eligible and scheduled for her first vaccine next week, just a day before our birthday. I am so, so relieved that she’ll be protected soon, and in turn, will be less of a threat to our parents (who are still waiting for their turn to get the vaccine). Germany seems to be just as ‘disorganized’ in getting people vaccinated as it is here, although I am very happy about every single person who’s been able to get it so far. Will you get vaccinated when you are eligible?

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I saw my co-workers this week for the first time since we started working from home a year ago. We met up on campus for lunch (as in, we all brought our own lunch and sat at a minimum of 6 ft apart – which meant, everybody at his/her own table – at an outdoor seating area). It was nice to see each other in person (not over Teams) and catch up, although I have to say that I still feel wary of meeting up with people (even outdoors). Jon and I have been so strict in not seeing people outside our home that it will take some getting used to until we feel completely comfortable again once we’re all vaccinated. Do you feel that way, too?

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Yesterday, I finished up the training class that I told you about two weeks ago (the one that started at 6 am PST) and I am happy to say: it was really awesome. I thought it would be hard to be alert and receptive at 6 am, but the presenters were really, really good and the topics were absolutely engaging. In fact, I wish I would have another week of training in front of me next week. 

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I had leftover zucchini last week and since we’re all about not wasting food in this house, I made a batch of zucchini-cheddar scones. Baking is never a bad idea, amirite?

Have a great weekend!

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

The news out of Texas this week has been devastating. The rare snow storm that hit the state has been brutal. People are without power and water. I can’t wrap my head around what’s happening there. This was totally preventable. It’s been a matter of deregulation and free markets in Texas that has created an electric grid that puts cheap prices over reliable service and leaves people abandoned in situations like this. I will never understand why people don’t get that taxes are supposed to pay for – and upkeep – these kinds of services. This has nothing to do with socialism, it’s called “taking care of your people”. These types of services should never be for profit! Here’s where you can donate to food banks and mutual aid groups in Texas.

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I’ve made my own “cabbage juice” last week. It sounds as exciting as it was, ha! I read that cabbage juice and zinc is very good to balance your gut flora and since I’ve been dealing with a sensitive stomach, I am giving this a go to support gut health. Cabbage juice is easy to make even without a juicer (you just shred it and put it in a jar with water), but then it has to sit and ferment for 3 days before you can drink it. It basically tastes like diluted “sauerkraut juice” (which makes sense, because sauerkraut is fermented cabbage – duh! – everybody knows that, but what you don’t know is that I LOVE sauerkraut, so that is a win-win!) and you have a glass of it once a day for a little gut cleanse.

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I’ll be in two back-to-back workshops (remotely, of course) next week and the first week of March, and of course, they’re on East Coast Time. You’d think that three-hour time difference isn’t so bad when most of your family and friends live in a time zone that is 9 hours ahead, but if the class starts at 9 am EST, that means I have to be up and at the computer and “perceptive” at 6 am PST. Put me on a treadmill or an exercise bike at 6 am any day and my legs will know what to do, but starting a workshop at this hour is a little brutal.

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Target’s Hearth & Hand Collection speaks to my heart and I picked up a couple of stoneware plates and bowls recently to replace some of our old, chipped dishes. Not sure if it’s a smart move to replace single items instead of buying a whole new set, but these were more like spontaneous, retail-therapy purchases and for now they make me really happy. 

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Do you ever disinfect your phone? I’ve gotten into the habit of wiping down and disinfecting my phone more frequently, especially after any outings (like grocery shopping) where I inadvertently end up using the phone in public with my ‘dirty’ hands. I have hand sanitizer in the car that I use every time I get back from the store, but cleaning the phone surfaces is probably also a good idea. (Tip of the day!) 

TGIF! Have a great weekend!

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

I am so happy to report that all packages from the Secret Santa Mug Swap have finally made it to their respective recipients. I did expect a little bit of a delay with the postal service this time around, but I didn’t think that this would drag so far into the new year. If you were one of the participants that had to wait for their package for quite a while, I appreciate your patience and understanding. I’d still love for you to share your Secret Santa Package with everyone. Look out for an email from me shortly! 

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This is random, but if you ever buy pretzels as snacks, pick up Snyder’s Butter Snaps next time. They are so much better than the regular pretzels, IMHO. You’re welcome.

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Our electric kettle, which we had for 10+ years, broke (well, started leaking) and we had to get a new one. I was set on getting a gooseneck kettle (because pour-over coffee ftw!), but most gooseneck kettles are too small (around 32 oz/1L capacity) for our daily use,  and so we went with a glass kettle with temperature control. Did you know, boiling water is too hot for pour-over coffee? The sweet spot is between 195F-205F. 

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Out of curiosity, I started the process of tracking all grocery items that we buy this year (by month, category, and quantity). Tell me I am not crazy (I know I am, but I really want to get a better understanding of our grocery spending).

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Work broke me stressed me out this week. Between computer issues, feeling like I am being micromanaged, and some miscommunication, it’s been quite a week and I am ready for the weekend. How about you?

TGIF!