nesting?

maybe i am
i didn't exactly get on my hands and knees scrubbing this weekend, but i did feel awash with a sense of frenetic purposefulness. i wanted things clean! put away! organized! DONE! and while that isn't really all that difference from the status quo, i probably looked like a crazy person flitting around my apartment with a giant bump.

the nursery still isn't 'done' and will never reach apartment therapy levels of cool or martha-approved organization. but i feel sort of like a squirrel getting ready for winter. i actually have a lot of energy [who would have thought?] and want to make the most of my time.

perhaps my dear friend siobhan [who commented yesterday] is right: i've hit nesting mode. except instead of crazy cleaning escapades, i am perfectly happy to let someone help me with that for now [best. decision. ever.]. instead, i just want to tie up every loose end i can think of -- at work and at home. pretty much across the board.

apparently, nesting has also caused me to go a LITTLE crazy with online shopping.

hopefully i won't regret this
saturday i practically bought out amazon, and yesterday i hit bravado, as i'd had several friends recommend their products.


i was thinking about waiting until after my milk was in for sizing purposes, but my own underwire was hurting me all day yesterday and i decided perhaps the matter was somewhat more urgent. plus, what was i going to do in the interim while i waited for these babies to arrive? so i bit the bullet and ordered [get it DONE, right?]. the sizing on the bravado bras is actually pretty lax [ie, a wide range for each size because the bras stretch/mold to you] so i think i was able to make a pretty good educated guess. and if all else fails, there's the return policy . . .

edible nesting
one thing i haven't yet done is to make meals for the freezer -- i really need to get on that! but i have been more interested in cooking and having homey meals . . . at home. on a whim, i bought an issue of eating well mag at the store the other day [nesting = impulse buying for me, apparently]. looking through it this weekend, i was pretty impressed at the number of easy and healthy recipes in the march/april issue.

i ended up planning eating well recipes for the whole week, and last night's choice was their quick chicken cacciatore.


the delicious sauce included mushrooms, onion, roasted peppers, tomatoes, olives, and rosemary
so comforting and perfect for a sunday night -- with plenty of nutrition, too. i would definitely recommend this recipe! i served with one of my latest shortcuts:

seeds of change tigris 7 whole grain blend
these little pouches are rather expensive for what you get [josh and i always finish a whole pouch as a side for one meal] and i wish they were a LITTLE bit less salty. but MAN are they easy!! i guess a real nester would have put a pot of dried grains on the stove to simmer for hours, but i was busy rounding in the AM. need to compromise somewhere . . .

last week's workouts: week 34


a slow start, but then i think the energy burst hit. definitely taking a rest today though!

cuban feast!

so i'm on call
but the weekend really hasn't been a bad one! it hasn't been the easiest call weekend ever [and of COURSE i got paged at 3 am last night . . .], but it's been far from the worst. it's funny - i used to feel like having the pager strapped to my hip meant that i could never relax -- that it would be continuous misery [probably got that idea from residency, when that was often true]. i am still not able to get perfect sleep or stay flawlessly composed at all times, but i think i'm getting closer. probably a good thing since in the future i'll be sure to get paged while breastfeeding/diapering/etc. talk about balance . . .

anyway, the past two days have actually been quite productive. both days, i hit the gym before rounding [getting in a morning workout = important sign to me that the pager hasn't won]. after returning from the hospital around lunchtime, i spent the rest of yesterday checking off a million boxes. taxes are done! final baby items are ordered! and a master-list has been created . . .

making this list just might coax our baby out a little earlier. worth a shot!
today i'm up to my usual sunday shenanigans: menu planning / groceries / recycling / laundry. i'm answering some pages, too. and it's okay. i'm even kind of happy!

[of note, there is a HUGE difference between being on call for 3 nights/2 days and the dreaded 7 day/night stretches. MUCH prefer these shorter stints!]

a night out
when josh and i venture out to dinner on a call night, it's a game of chance: will i get paged just as our entrées arrive and have to take a long phone call out in windy 30-degree weather -- or the women's restroom? sometimes, the answer is sadly . . . yes. but when it doesn't happen, i feel like i got away with something! this was the case last night. i'd say it was even worth the 3 am wakeup, because josh and i had a great time trying out a new cuban restaurant: the lovely gregoria's kitchen.

we had absolutely no plans yesterday evening, but by 7:30 pm we were both hungry. with no food in the house, we made the decision to try a new place, and sort of randomly chose this one. i think we were both expecting sort of a hole-in-the-wall sort of experience, as neither of us knew much about it. josh had mentioned a recent review on carpe durham and we figured it was worth a try, as both of us love cuban cuisine [we seek it out on trips to miami especially!].

as soon as we arrived, we realized we hadn't really gotten that gregoria's is actually quite an upscale fancy place! it was also packed and we had no reservation. however, the maitre d' was super-nice to us [maybe the crutches and giant baby bump helped?] and we were seated within 10 minutes of our arrival.

view of the front -- from their website
you know when a meal starts off on the right foot and you just KNOW it will be good? this is how we felt last night.

i think he's giddy with anticipation
moments after we were seated, our server brought out warm and slightly sweet bread with a chili butter.

addictive and delicious.
filling up on bread at restaurants is a bad move, but this was hard to resist. we moved on to two contrasting starters to share:


refreshing romaine salad with tomatoes, avocado, and lime vinaigrette
decadent maduros stuffed with sweet and piquant ground beef
the beef reminded me of the inside of a chinese pork bun -- which was a good thing [LOVE those].

for dinner, josh ordered ropa vieja -- a standard of his in cuban/latin american restaurants. the words themselves mean 'old clothes' because the beef is stewed to resemble them in texture [but luckily not in flavor]. he RAVED over this. i tried some and liked it, though it was a little salty for my tastes. it was served with hot rice and black beans as well.


i ordered garlic shrimp and was very happy with the dish -- this tasted fresh and flavorful without being overwhelming, and the greens and tomatoes were lovely. underneath was a bed of white rice which soaked up lots of rich broth -- mmm.

los camarones
[of note, for a change i was pretty happy with how these photos turned out in the super-dark restaurant with my little non-flashing point + shoot! not that they're fabulous, but okay considering the conditions. unfortunately, i have no idea what i did right.]

anyway, any triangle locals -- i would DEFINITELY recommend checking out gregoria's for delicious cuban cuisine in a really nice and fun environment. we will no doubt be back! and next time i plan on trying one of their mojitos . . .

the laundry is calling
and i will listen. have a great weekend!

meta

planning the day


yes, making a big master list is on today's list. hey, whatever gets you through, right?

some interesting links
✰ habits and how companies learn your secrets. this reinforces how so many habits truly are ingrained. this article made me think: it's important to pay attention once in a while to see which ones are working for [or against] you!

✰ carl jung's 5 elements of happiness, via the happiness project blog:

1. Good physical and mental health.
2. Good personal and intimate relationships, such as those of marriage, the family, and friendships.
3. The faculty for perceiving beauty in art and nature.
4. Reasonable standards of living and satisfactory work.
5. A philosophic or religious point of view capable of coping successfully with the vicissitudes of life.

can't really argue with those . . .

have a fantastic saturday! i plan to, pager by my side.