Weekending

- A short weekend for me, since I worked yesterday (albeit a short shift) and again tomorrow. I was going to work on cleaning off my couch, but I didn't get anything accomplished on that front today after all.

- Maggie and I went to get coffee (#flatwhitesforlife!) and to put the kitties at Petco (Saturdays are adoption days). I wanted to take all the kitties home with me. Maggie reminded me that the landlords said no cats. Maggie met a cat who adored her. She wanted to take it home. I reminded her we have the same landlord.

- They had guinea pigs for adoption. I held one, it purred, I wanted to take it home (since guinea piggies fall under "acceptable pets"). I'm seriously considering getting one for my next pet when the Z-girls pass.

- I went out for a jog (I'm using C25K again) and, again, forgot how much I hate running. Barely finished, did some yoga afterwards because I hate running.

- Cooked zucchini alfredo and packed breakfasts for this week. Printed out the new rosters. Packed my swim bag and generally geared up for the week ahead.

Weekending

- Last minute sister date with Liz to the movies (Hotel Transylvania 2);  cherry coke (only at the movies!) and extra butter on the popcorn.

- Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! I even defrosted and cleaned the refrigerator. Cleaned the girls' cage. Washed dishes. Put away laundry. My house looks great! (Now to keep it that way...)

-  Maggie, Ruth, Mom and I started another Whole30 on Monday, so Sunday was mostly spent in grocery shopping and food propping. I'd forgotten both how expensive Whole30 can be (especially that first week) and how much planning/prep it takes (although less than the first time we did it - experience helps!). That pretty much explains why it's Wednesday and I'm only just now recapping the weekend - the fog is real. ;)

- I'm wrapping up my second month of teaching the advanced class, and I finally feel comfortable enough with our routine to write it down for my two assisting coaches and declare it official. I'll keep tweaking at it (I'm ALWAYS tweaking at something!) but "We have a plan!" ;)

- Is it just me, or did the last two months just whiz by?! I can't believe it's almost November... feels unreal. A couple of weeks and we'll be into the holiday season. Is it sad that I'm already looking forward to my college coaches returning? I saw this:  https://youtu.be/cX_TrDGY3XQ and immediately texted Connor, challenging him to a contest as soon as he got home. ;)

Weekending

- Making: applesauce (for the triplets) and apple butter (for me); brownies (nailed the perfect recipe finally!); a big batch of quinoa (my first time!); lots and lots of herbal tea.

- Going: everywhere, on Friday (running errands); to the apple farm on Saturday (to buy apples for sauce and butter, and another pumpkin, and some purple mums, for good measure); on a long walk with my dad (4+ miles) to enjoy the fall leaves.

Accomplishing: some notes/thoughts/etc for swim (I sat down Friday night at 10 PM to look something up and finally made myself stop and go to bed at 3 AM); a fall manicure; a good cleaning of the front yard - got all the gardening supplies/pots put away and put out the pumpkins and mums on the front steps.

Thinking about: putting a ramp into the girls' cage so Zinnia can have an easier time getting up and down - her tumor has gotten larger and seems to be throwing off her balance :(; swim stuff (so many things to think about); how gratefulness has become my door into joy lately; building a tiny house (I know exactly what I want and have now for over a year).

- Loving: the cooler weather (snuggle weather!); how much the triplets are singing now (I LOVE it when we all sing together!); getting to coach the advanced class (for something that stressed me out so badly in the past, it's become one of my favorite things); laughing with mags, Liz, and Ruth (we've been doing that a lot lately!)

- Not liking so much: the marsala trend (not feeling it at all); dealing with difficult parents; that Cris has been sick this week, and hasn't felt up to adventuring.

Looking forward to: this week and getting to see Elena, who's subbing for some of my traveling coaches; getting to coach my advanced class AND some new students tomorrow (since their regular coach is traveling); seeing the triplets - I missed them this weekend lol;

Weekending

- Eating: a cold burger and fries (worst restaurant experience I've had in a long, long time); way too much junk food; quinoa and kale salad from Panera Bread (twice this week, I'm addicted).

Listening to: Studio 360; recordings of gregorian chants (perfect for sleepy rainy days); Rod Stewart's Christmas album (because it has such a perfect jazz rhythm that never fails to make me happy ;)).

- Drinking: apple cider, black tea with lemon; white hot chocolate from Starbucks (it was good but sososo sweet and was probably my last one ever); coffee (I added cream and sweet-n-low like I used to cuz I was craving something sweet and I HATED it. Apparently once you start drinking it black there's no going back); Tazo's Pumpkin Chai tea (stole a bag from the care package I was boxing up for Anna); lots of herbal tea.

- Hanging out: with Maggie, Liz, Ruth, Dari, Cris, and my mom for a late dinner; on deck with the coaches (everyone's talking to me this year and I love it! I was lonely last year until people apparently decided that my boss was the scary one lol); the triplets (I don't purposefully set a different pace on the weekends but it seems to happen naturally) and their parents (I have good bosses :)).

Wasting time: watching the tenth season of Bones (love it, as usual); reading the "Awkward Yeti" comic (love it, as usual); snuggling in bed scrolling through Instagram and rereading old emails.

Thinking about: how changing up having the kids practice back kick in an "elevens" position instead of a streamline fixed the overextension (is that the word? Or overreaching?) on their backstroke without any further tinkering; how I really need to reread The Hobbit and then maybe work my way through the Chronicles of Narnia again; my annual fall craft party coming up.

Working on: not much; a new crocheted scarf (I have a problem); adding bits and pieces to the coaching notes I put together at the beginning of the season about each station.

Unexpected blessings: arriving at work to discover the kids were still sleeping (and would be for awhile); finding just enough extra time this weekend to clean the trailer (so I have a lovely apple and pumpkin scented home again!); making a spur of the moment "Target run" with the girls and laughing ourselves silly late at night when we were the only ones there.

Weekending

- We had training for coaches on Saturday, so I took the opportunity to try a new recipe I'd had pinned for awhile: pumpkin snickerdoodles. So so so good!!! I'm not much of a cookie person, but these are definitely in the running for one of the best cookies of my life. I also made a big batch of what was supposed to be a gluten and dairy free version, but ended up being just gluten free after I got distracted and used real butter by accident. They actually held together and tasted ok, which is a first in my gluten free baking history, so yay!

-  Another new recipe I made this weekend: red beans and rice in the crockpot. One of the cheapest meals in the world if you have a stocked pantry cost me almost $30 since I was totally out of beans and almost every spice! ;) I looked at a ton of recipes and in the end combined elements from several, and it turned out beautifully! It was a lovely, fragrant meal to let simmer all day in the crockpot. :)

- And while we're talking about cajun food, here's a happy memory that flooded back to me as I was hunting for cajun seasoning: it was a little over four years ago, one of the last summers I spent in Alabama, and my best friend was dating the man who later became her husband. On one particular day, I had a huge allergic reaction to something (theme of my life) and I was absolutely miserable with a pounding head, running nose, watery eyes, and sneezing that just would not stop. Joe had invited us over to lunch and announced that he was making gumbo, and by the time we got there I was a complete hot mess. We walked in, I apologized for the sneezing, and Joe handed me a bowl of gumbo and a bottle of hot sauce that I'd never seen before. "Try this," he told me, and I poured it on generously and started eating.  Ten minutes later, my sinuses had cleared, I'd stopped sneezing, and I'd decided that my BFF should marry him. ;) (Just kidding - I pretty much knew he was the one for her the first time I saw them together!)

- The triplets traded in their cable for Netflix, and while I'm not a huge fan (to me, screentime is still screentime no matter what's playing, but now it seems like something Is always playing, and it drives me a little nuts) I stumbled across a new show this week that's won me over a little called Sing It On. It follows college acapella groups as they compete to make it in the national competition, and I'm loving the music. (Although, gotta admit, I want to see All-Night Yahtzee go DOWN lol.)

- I say this a lot, I know, but - I AM SO TIRED. :( I tried so hard this fall to balance all the schedules, to say no to projects that would have been fun but would have pushed me into dangerously overloaded, to create breathing room, etc... but I'm thinking I might need more margin than I originally thought. I was venting this week that I was already having trouble finding time to do things like make it to the bank or grocery store, nevermind tackling projects that need my attention. Feeling crappy most of the week definitely didn't help. Not sure yet what I'm going to do about it.

Weekending

- Eating seared tuna from the grill; drinking iced coffee, hot apple cider, a flat white with cinnamon syrup; baking (and eating!) banana bread.

- Wasting time drinking tea and watching shark movies on Maggie's bed; stealing a nap (but of course); watching Doctor Who (season three, the Martha episodes); getting a haircut (just a trim); spending some time snuggling with Zinnia.

- Burning fall candles: "Fresh Apple Orchard," "Crisp Fall Leaves," and "Woodland Sage." Also burning my silver birch candle for a few minutes each night before bed.

- Attacking projects: hanging pictures from this summer (98 of them!); finally buying a can of refrigerant to recharge the a/c in the truck (hopefully last time this year!); cleaning enough to keep the place habitable (though I STILL haven't unearthed my kitchen table); decorating my pumpkin.

-  Writing: an initial training plan for next year (while this year is still fresh in my mind);  a just-because card to Anna; blog posts. ;)