updates from the jury.

Just a couple of quick things I wanted to pass along:

I'm on jury duty (on call for the next TWO weeks!), so life is a little topsy-turvy ... but it's almost like the reprieve from work came right when i needed it. as the woman sitting next to me today said ... nothing is an accident. how i've always believed that, truly!

perhaps inspired by my homeschool mama blog friends, i was at the libary tonight in the children's section -- might i add, we have a really beautiful branch of the city library in our part of town, you know how sometimes modern libraries lose their old stateliness and elegance and that certain ... je ne sais quoi that makes you just want to get absolutely lost in various literary worlds? well, our library (housed in a small old stone building, yay), has painted its lobby a pale pink. the ceilings are lofty, and are bordered with the names of the "greats" writers. the children's section is cozy with colorful murals painted on the walls. the downstairs is not so pretty, but the small size of the library somewhat forgives its modern brashness. ANYway ... (sorry i LOVE libraries, remember their mystery from childhood, before they started ruining them with "updates?") ....

anyWAY, i was in the children's section getting books on japan for the girl i tutor, and something must have begun to inspire me. i went over and grabbed a couple of DVDs (Like Water for Chocolate and Life is Beautiful), then went downstairs to halfheartedly search for more Japan books. On the way back toward upstairs, i stopped at a small area of shelves where various fairy tales are kept -- and the Arabian Nights kept glinting at me from under several spines. Finally, I grabbed one inmpulsively. Now, it's my goal to make it through the Nights, out loud, savoring their language -- at least one a night. I'm excited. I know nothing about them, other than the name bandied about here and there from time to time. I'm looking forward to just ... savoring. To doing something for myself that so many of us, at night, winding down, just *forget* we can so easily do!

The other thing I wanted to mention is that because my schedule's getting weird this week, I'm not wanting to (can't actually) make up any kind of menu/cooking plan. so i'm getting by on the pizza and bread i baked over the weekend, and .... snacky stuff, like tonight's green apple slices with PB for dinner ; ) i love veggies, but tend not to eat them enough unless they're filling up a recipe. so lately (and i think heather from beauty that moves has mentioned doing this for her daughter), i've been chopping up some raw veggies and pairing them with some sort of healthy "dip", then arranging them into platter form. They're fun to eat that way, and so the veggies go down and yay, mission accomplished. i was so proud of my platter tonight: raw broccoli and cucumber slices, and Ruffles potato chips (a once monthly indulgence, thank you very much), with two "dips": leftover hummus which i whipped new again in the blender, adding cumin and ginger powder; and a blend of Vegenaise/plain soy yogurt/dill. YUM. let me say, it feels like you are gorging at a party. but it's mainly very very healthy (and i don't just eat an entire bag of chips). you SEE what you are eating ... which i believe really does help you to feel full faster. I'm going to do this more often, maybe chop a bunch of raw veggies up a few days in advance of a few snacking sessions, and ... there you have it, easy snack, easy meal.

Oh! Also for some reason lately, I've been craving a soda-like beverage (I never ever drink or buy soda for obvious health concerns) ... so I've been enjoying both martinelli's sparkling organic apple cider, and tonight I had some lime-flavored Perrier water leftover from the canceled candle party, so i mixed that up with some lime juice. YUM. Both drinks are fun and fancy in a wine glass ... and more conducive to sipping (though I've been guzzling my monthly cravings away, lol).

i learned, from an internet search, that the homeopathic "tablets" (they actually look like dippin dots ice cream, and come in a lip gloss type stick) i took to relieve my "lumpy" sore throat was (drum roll) GOLDENSEAL!! it was just sold under its scientific name, hydrastis canadesis, i think. i'm too lazy to go look. anyway, you're supposed to take five tablets three times a day, just let them dissolve in your mouth (no food or drinks 10 min before or after you take them) until symptoms disappear -- well, mine disappeared completely (having suffered in PAIN from postnasal drip for a WEEK) after 15 tablets! i'm very, very impressed and recommend to anyone suffering from too much mucous making their throat swell (i'm talking down IN the throat, not at the back which you can see) and be very, very painful. unfortunately, my throat has been aggravated again by another allergen and by talking so much at child care (loudly, they were wild) and tutoring ... so i'll just go ahead and take more of it. really, friends, try this. it works wonders, especially paired with Yogi Throat Coat Tea (as many cups a day as you can drink).

Just wanted to share those few things with you before i forgot them. Remember if you haven't yet, you can leave a comment on my post from yesterday to win my used copy of Eat, Pray, Love! Comments close tomorrow night, when I get home from yoga probably ; )

peace,

karen

p.s. i would've taken a picture of my veggie/chip platter, but i was too hungry and my camera battery is dead.