Slice of Life #6

I’ve been kind of an emotional wreck over here.

It’s not like anything is actually happening, it’s just that my life and routine has been getting turned sideways and upside down and I just don’t know what to do with myself. I mentioned in my last slice of life that I wasn’t going to be able to post as many recipes for a while. And that has been hard. Aside from all the self-imposed pressure to “keep up” with blogging, I enjoy the creative release from cooking, photographing, and writing. But along with it is the editing, scheduling, and social media upkeep. I can’t really have one without the other, so here I am filling my former creative relaxation time with emotionally taxing activities like visiting my dad in the hospital or nursing home or helping a friend who is having a hard time. I don’t want anyone to think I resent these activities. It is a blessing to spend time with these people, but it is stressful and it comes at the expense of the time I would usually spend recharging. At least the best donuts in town are right down the street from my dad’s nursing home.

All that being said, I’ve been needing to find little ways to recharge without my usual creative outlet. If you’re a blogger I’m sure you know how hard it can be to back away from your blog. I was supposed to bring treats to church on Sunday, which I usually use an excuse to unload blog goodies. I ended up taking a bunch of bananas instead, which is kind of my most shameful nightmare. And the world didn’t end. No one probably even noticed. Someone else brought brownies, so it’s not like the whole congregation went without their morning sugar buzz. I just needed to deal with it.

Instead of baking I find myself wandering from room to room, wondering what to do with myself. I cleaned the windows. I went for a walk. I spent a full day obsessed with the movie Inside Llewyn Davis. I had seen a trailer for it in the movie theater like six months ago and was reminded of it when I saw a clip of it on TV. I sent my husband these trailers and informed him that I was going down the street to rent it and could we please watch it that evening? I then spent the rest of the afternoon learning Fare Thee Well on the guitar. I’m no Marcus Mumford, so it sounded atrocious, but it was a really fun, different way to spend my afternoon.

In the midst of all this “what am I doing, where am I going?” stuff, I finally managed to finish my eBook. It feels like I’ve been working on it forever and so good to get it done. I believe in the message and teaching inside of it wholeheartedly and want to get it into the hands of as many people as possible! It’s full of great information not just for the novice cook, but also for the experienced. If you want to improve your cooking, enter LAUNCH5 to receive it for only $5.

To celebrate the book release Jeron and I went to see The Hobbit 2 in the theater. It was kind of the worst example of a movie I’ve ever seen. The whole time I kept thinking about campy sci-fi movies from the 80s and how this is going to look just like that in 20 years. Then the movie was going along, things were happening, and it was just… over. It felt like a TV show, where they might end something because they’re just going to wrap it up in the first five minutes of the next episode. Except with this you have to wait forever and go to the theater to see how it ends. Lame. Afterwards we had dinner at Buzzard Billy’s, a local restaurant that specializes in Cajun/Creole food. I had the blackened catfish po’boy with sweet potato fries. Wow. So good. We are definitely going to keep that place in mind more often when we eat out.

Have you heard of POPSUGAR? They’ve got their hand in everything from fitness to celebrity news to parenting to entertainment and more. I’m involved on the food side, and they sent me a Must Have Box to try out this month. The Must Have Box is a monthly subscription where you receive hand-selected items in beauty, fashion, home, fitness and food. I couldn’t believe what I found in my box. These were full-sized products of the highest quality. Take a peek here to see what was in my March box (the necklace was my favorite!). The boxes are only $39.95 a month with free shipping but you can use the code MARSELECT to receive $10 off a 3 month subscription (this expires March 31st, so hurry!).

The Walking Dead, holy crap. Last week’s episode was, in my opinion, one of the best ever. Don’t get me wrong, it was sad and stressful and I kept wanting to see all the other characters the whole time, but it was so well written and I probably would have done that to Lizzie about six months ago. This week’s episode was much more emotionally manageable. I felt a little underwhelmed with the big reunion between two characters, and the burning of the picture? I get it, but I think it’s stupid. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the finale next week. What do you think Terminus actually is? I’m super tempted to spoiler myself by googling it or checking with some comic book nerds, but for now I’m guessing it is gonna be something super scary.

Is there any person on earth who can get through an episode of Parenthood without crying? If so I’m going to guess they are a robot. The scene this week with Max was totally heartbreaking. What do you even tell a kid in that situation? He should probably be home schooled. Also, need I go on about Sarah’s love life? Next week they’re bringing back Mark, which just makes me want to punch a writer in the face.

Speaking of homeschool, I think we’ve officially decided to homeschool next year. We’ll just take it year by year (or month by month) and see how it goes. I’ve already started sewing my denim jumper (not). I’m planning to use some of this curriculum and start Lola (who will be five this summer) in first grade in the fall. I just can’t see us enjoying the kindergarten curriculum because she’s way beyond that. Anyone have insight on this? Emotionally I would definitely not put her in a first grade class room, so does it matter for her to be emotionally ready for first grade curriculum at home?

I’m sure you’re dying to know what we’ve been eating:

Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Healthy Mexican Casserole with Corn and Peppers
Pesto Chicken Pizza (minus the chicken)
Fettuccini Alfredo
Baked Ravioli
Veggie Fajitas
Wild Rice Burgers

I will stop rambling, you talk to me instead! What have you been eating? What should I watch now that all my shows are ending? Anything I can binge watch on Netflix gets bonus points!