#CurrentStatus

Hello friends! Happy Monday!

I have some extra time on my hands today (funny how that happens when you aren’t able to run :)), so I’m seizing the opportunity for an updated current things post. I really enjoy writing these.

Current book: Daniel has gotten me into John Grisham recently. I don’t read (or watch) anything violent, so I always do a quick overview of the plot before I start a book to make sure it isn’t anything crazy. We both started with The Firm. Daniel also just finished Gray Mountain and I just finished The Partner. We are about to switch and read the other ones now. We like to discuss the books as we go!

Daniel is also reading The Insanity of God: A Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken and I am also still working on Present over Perfect. It’s a great book, but it’s harder to read quickly. I can blaze my way through fiction much faster non-fiction.

Current music: I am obsessed (I think there’s a separate category for that, but it’s going here anyway) with The Garth Channel on Sirius XM. It is a mix of Garth Brooks songs as well as songs from other artists who inspired and influenced him and it’s amazing.

Current guilty pleasure: I am about to cuddle up on the couch next to this goober and enjoy all the puppy snuggles.

Current drink: I try not to make diet sodas a daily habit, but for some reason when I am sick (or in this care I guess injured is more appropriate), I really crave Sprite. I am currently sipping on a Sprite Zero w/ a Lemon Lime Nuun tablet added in. Lots of lemony-limey goodness.

Just a fair warning: if you mix Nuun with a carbonated beverage, you need to do it over the sink. The combination is a bit “combustible” (I’m sure this isn’t scientifically the correct term, but the point is that it basically makes a little bit of a mess) and you’re going to have some fizz to deal with initially. It’s totally worth it though.

Current food: The food situation is a bit tricky currently. My teeth are still very sore and I am basically sticking with a mushy diet for the time being. I just ate a mashed banana on toast.

Any hard-core Gilmore Girls fans will appreciate this.

LORELAI: Mom, I think somebody already ate that.
EMILY: That is a mashed banana on toast.
LORELAI: OK.
EMILY: I used to make this for you all the time when you were a little girl.
LORELAI: You did?
EMILY: Yes, whenever you got sick I made this.
LORELAI: Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around?

I first got the idea for mashed banana on toast from this show years ago. They actually made it sound horrible, but it sounded good to me. Bananas, good. Beef Bread, good. ICYMI: That was a Friend’s reference (I’m on a roll today). Long story short, my mom and I started doing the banana toast thing and it’s actually pretty good (in my opinion). I actually added applesauce to my concoction today. Gotta let that toast get good and mushy before I can actually chew it (#fatlipproblems)!

P. S. Who is excited about “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?!” One more month!

Current obsession: The Instant Pot is pretty much the best thing ever! It is a multi-cooker, capable of completely taking the place of a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a sauté/browning pan, and a steamer. It cooks meals really fast (using less energy) and preserves the nutrients.

Y’all know that I am not a chef, but this thing is amazing. Here are a few things I have “cooked” in it (all cooked for less than 10 minutes!):

Baked apples (SO GOOD).

Quinoa (for dayzzz).

Daniel has used it more than I have. He’s cooked oatmeal, couscous (per my request, he doesn’t eat that voluntarily), steamed broccoli, bell peppers and lots of grilled chicken.

Current craving: Hot chocolate. Mmm.

Current need: A warm fire! It is nice and cool outside, so I have the porch and all of the windows open. It is chilly inside and of course, I am freezing, but I am determined to enjoy the beautiful weather! The struggle is real.

Current indulgence: I have a hard time with this category every time. I have let the word indulge acquire a negative connotation in my brain. When I think of indulge, I automatically think of lack of self-control or lack of self-discipline, which would be a weakness. I am really trying to shift my perception of this. Indulgence does not mean over-indulgence.

I’ve been taking time in the evenings to slow down (i.e., SIT DOWN) for a few minutes and enjoy the sunset. This might not seem like a big deal, but it has really been a nice change of pace. As I sit, I am immediately reminded of Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Current bane of my existence: Politics.

Current procrastination: I need to go through my closet and put some summer stuff away and get some winter things out of storage, but I’m not really feeling that today. I’ll blame it on my “injuries” instead of my laziness (which is a pretty legit excuse in my opinion).

Current confession: I spent a fair amount of time yesterday watching YouTube videos about how to curl your hair using a flat iron and practicing it. Again, I’ve got too much time on my hands.

So glamorous. LOL!

Current quote: Ernest Hemingway: “We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.”

Current excitement: I just discovered the Garmin Face-It app and I have been experimenting with different watch home screens. It makes me smile!

You know … that time that I ran 26.2 miles, but couldn’t walk one. more. step.

Current mood: Some combination of sleepy, content and grateful.

Tell me something that you are currently loving!