7QT 33: Thunder ice, cabin fever, and curry chicken
It's Friday! This weekend I'm working at the bookstore, my little sister is staying the night, we may be hitting the local ice rink to try and attain our Olympic dreams (because, once again, the only sport that's been on at night is. . . ice-skating - much to Joseph's annoyance).
But before we head to church for stations of the cross, here's the adventures in the Langr household over the past week!
1. Thunder ice is a thing - even the National Weather Service says so
Despite it being February, Kansas City has yet to get a good snow storm. Sure, we've had a couple of inches here and there, but I'm still waiting for a snow-fort-building, hot chocolate kind of day. There's still plenty of winter left, though!
But this week the cracking booms of thunder, flashes of lightning and the sound of ice hitting our windows filled the air. That's right - it was a thunder ice storm. Before this week, I didn't know that such a weather phenomena existed.
If you look outside our window, it looks like there's a little bit of snow on the ground. But it's ice. All ice. Which has made for some interesting ventures out to my car for work this week - I mean, our yard has basically turned into an ice rink. I feel like I'm qualifying for the Olympics ever time I leave the house. On the bright side, I'm sure it's been entertaining for my neighbors to watch.
2. Canceled plans on top of canceled plans
Thanks to the ice-storm that blew in, we've had to cancel so many plans this week, it's been crazy. Our weekly women's small group meeting and Catholic Beer Club are just a few of the events that have scooted around on the calendar thanks to the ice. Which, on one hand, has given me tons of free time to catch up on writing assignments. On the other hand, it's lead to . . .
3. Cabin fever
Before I worked at the bookstore, I worked full time as a freelancer and editor from home. Yes, I changed out my pajamas, but hey, I got to make unlimited coffee and chat with Wilson all day. Because talking to your rabbit turns out to be weird, I had to get in some human contact. So I would go to coffee shops and the library, so I never really got cabin fever from working at home.
But I didn't go into the bookstore Tuesday because of weather, and, since I hate driving in the ice, that meant I was home for almost three days straight. Needless to say, I got a little stir-crazy. I did, however, adventure out on Wednesday because my library books were due and there's no way that I'm breaking my no-fees streak.
In other work from home news, Joseph tipped me off to this article from Life Hacker - which recommends working from the bar instead of coffee shops. I mean, less crowded and you can get a Guinness? Sounds like a win-win to me. I'll be storing that idea away for a rainy (not icy) day.
4. Old fashioned planners
I'm living up to my blog name - I invested in a paper planner for 2018. And by invested, I mean I strolled around HomeGoods and picked up a $4 planner on clearance. It turns I'm a little behind the times in buying a planner for the year, but hey, they still had some choices.
If you want to read more about how the planner is making me more intentional with my time (and helping me get rid of a bad habit of procrastination!) you can check out this article I wrote early this week.
. What's for dinner? Oh, chicken and curry
This year for Lent, Joseph and I have decided to adopt a simple meal plan. I mean, we both love good food, but food takes a lot of prep time in the evenings - especially on the nights we both have to work. So we decided to pick one meal for each meal of the day during Lent, and use the time we're saving to say evening prayer together and read a Lenten devotional from Bishop Barron. Here's what our meal plan looks like:
Breakfast - oatmeal (and coffee of course)
Lunch - sandwiches, fruit, yogurt
Dinner - curry chicken on rice with a vegetable
Don't get me wrong - I really like chicken and curry. And there are so many kinds of curry out there that we get a good range of flavors. But it feels like we've been eating chicken and curry for way longer than a week and half, which has given me a lot of opportunities to thank God for how easy it is for us to get access to food, which is not the case for a lot of people around the world.
Sunday came around last week and we went to Quick Trip after Mass to get food from their rollie cooker and it. was. fantastic. I never thought I'd appreciate rollie food hot-dogs, but I've been proved wrong.
6. This Sunday is donut Sunday
Nothing says "Sundays aren't a day in Lent" like donut Sunday at our parish. I love watching little kids pick their donut and then be told by parents that they're not allowed into the car until they finish that chocolate glazed. Given the mess that I make when I eat, Joseph probably thinks the same thing about me getting back in the car with my hands covered in donut crumbs.
7. Countdown . . . three days!
The Catholic Podcast launches on February 26th, which is right around the corner! Joe Heschmeyer and I are releasing the first three episodes, and we'll be continuing our Lenten series next week. Here's a sneak peek for episode one:
