What I’ve Been Up to Lately

I’m just getting over a stomach flu from last week. I just wanted to share that. I also got a therapeutic (painful) massage recently to alleviate the spasm in my lower back. But I swear I’ve been up to more than just sleeping and shopping at Madewell.

So here they are in no particular order.

I made a set of mini apple and mini berry pies last week. Baking a whole pie feels like a much bigger hassle than whipping these guys. Basically within an hour I’m eating pie and ice cream. Having this one with Starbuck’s iced coffee. I was giving the brand a try. I prefer Illy’s more bitter taste for quick cold coffee.

I bought some essential oils from muji because they restocked their yuzu. Their yuzu is alright. The yuzu Anna sent me was a million times better but I can deal. Plus the other two scents I got from Muji are really great.

I learned that ivy is another plant that you can propagate and grew in just water. So I clipped a few vines from the shared fence with the neighbor and started growing some in my existing topiary jars. Now I have devil’s ivy with lavender and english ivy.

I found the “Harmony Aroma” body washes from Bathclin. These are really nice and different. The soap is creamy and creates a thick lather. The fragrances have a woodsy, herb note to them, even the rose version.

I also bought Lee magazine. It’s a casual, natural lifestyle magazine for women in their late 20’s to mid 30’s. It includes casual looks for the office, at home, out on dates, or out with young kids. I thought it might be too family oriented but it’s actually pretty balanced between family, working, single, etc. The home section is fantastic with simple aesthetics and recipes. The makeup and clothing is great too. Not too high-end but not overtly trendy and cheap.

I got to have some real German food for the first time in ages as well as remind myself how potent kirschwasser is.

Lastly I’ve started yoga. Though I feel “yoga” is a loaded word full of expectations of health, juice cleanses, studio visits, and kale chips. I didn’t start that yoga lifestyle. I just started Yin Yoga for my back and legs. Yin yoga focuses on stretching the skeletal muscles. There are fewer and easier positions. And I’ve kept doing it because I’m feeling the results. My back and legs are far less tight. I was having troubles walking recently from my calf muscles being so tight even after massages and muscle relaxers.

I do the stretches about every other night usually after a hot bath or right before bed. You keep the positions longer than in traditional yoga. So even though I didn’t get into it for the “peace of mind” you are sort of forced to relax and almost meditate as you keep some positions for 3~5 minutes.