A List to Ensure my Sanity!

 Well, we are nearly to midterm. Like it's next Wednesday...

This school year has both flown by and also dragged on and on and on...which I guess is just typical for 2020. I know I am not alone when I say that I'm putting in way more hours than are in my contract and expending pretty much all of my energy every day, to the point that unless I make a list of things to do when I get home from work, I'm doing nothing. 

And y'all know I'm making a list...because that's what I do. 

In the spirit of listing things and in the spirit of just getting by, I have compiled a list of things that are helping me get by. So let's be done with all this intro nonsense and get into this list.

THINGS THAT ARE KEEPING ME SANE

In no particular order...

Yoga

The Untold Bad Yogi Story + New Challenge! | Bad Yogi

I just finished a yoga course I had purchased way back at New Year time. It was through my favorite virtual yoga instructor, Erin Motz, aka The Bad Yogi. It is called the Perfect Body Yoga Program, and it is an 8 week course of classes and mantras and meditations and a dietary component. I'll be real honest--didn't do much of the dietary stuff. Starting out the school year while also trying to eat only "real foods" was just a bit too much. However, I feel stronger, I feel healthier, and honestly, some days, knowing that I had to get to my mat and spend 30-40 minutes doing a single activity really helped keep my head on straight.

Check out the Bad Yogi website!

Comfort Shows

You know how there are shows that just make you feel good when you watch them? You can pop in at any episode and know exactly what's going on and not have to give it a lot of energy or attention? Those are the kind of shows I'm talking about. And my two favorite comfort shows {side note, I keep typing "comfort shoes," so there's that} are definitely, without a doubt, hands-down, Outlander and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I'm almost through season three of Outlander and just restarted season one of B99. 

Season Four | Brooklyn Nine-Nine Wiki | Fandom     Outlander - Facing the Storm Ahead - YouTube

Ice Cream

Cookies & Cream - Blue Bunny

Way to be a cliche, Kaitlin. But seriously, folks. This Cookies & Cream ice cream from Blue Bunny is like eating an Oreo Blizzard but better. And the entire tub costs about the same as a small Blizzard, so there you go.

Escaping into a Book

The Girl In The Tower - (Winternight Trilogy) By Katherine Arden (Paperback) : Target   500 Miles from You: A Novel - Kindle edition by Colgan, Jenny. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I have not had the time to really read since school started. I spent two weeks reading the same book and hadn't even gotten to page 100 yet. It's bad, friends. But the precious minutes I do get to read are amazing. I just finished The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden, which is the sequel to a book I wrote about earlier called The Bear and the Nightingale. So, so good! And I have a new Jenny Colgan sitting in my pile, which I am beyond excited to start. 

Beverages

The highlights...

Aha! Lime Watermelon sparkling water

Lime + Watermelon Sparkling Water | AHA

Simon Creek Sweet Cherry Wine

It's #WineWednesday! Have you tried our Door County Cherry Wine? Needless to say, a Door County favorite. Simon Creek Cherry wine is… | Cherry wine

Door County Raspberry Almond Coffee

Raspberry Almond Coffee 8 oz. Ground - Door County Coffee & Tea Co.

The Tea Spot Lady Lavender tea

Lavender Earl Grey Tea - Loose Leaf Lady Lavender Black Tea | TEA SPOT – The Tea Spot

It's really a crap shoot what you're going to find in my cup right now...

Crafting

I have started an ambitious project. I'm sure most of you have seen the picture of this sweater-shawl-thing that made the rounds on social media...

Ravelry: Perfect-Pockets Shawl pattern by Sonja Hood

Well, it's definitely crocheted. The pattern is for crocheting. But I'm a knitter, and so I have been challenged to convert this to a knitted sweater-shawl-thing. I have about two feet of length, plus the fringe and the pockets. So it will be done by next fall, guaranteed. But while I'm watching my comfort shows and sitting in my grad school lectures, I need something to do with my hands that doesn't involve shoveling candy corn into my mouth. Because clearly that's the only other option.

I do apologize for not having written in so long, if you're a person who keeps track of that. If you aren't, then you can just ignore that sentence. I'm hoping once we break through the middle of September, things start to calm down a little. Who's to say? 

What is keeping you sane so far this fall? By the way, I'm super excited about fall. Like beyond excited. Like my Halloween decorations are already up. Not just leaves and fall things, but my yoga skeleton and my raven. Yep. It's exciting. 



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