Eileen Fisher organic cotton blend jeans | I’m wearing size 4
Entireworld organic cotton tee (gift from EW) | medium
Birkenstock Arizona sandals (secondhand via slowre)
I love mornings. I especially love Monday mornings. I feel lost most weekends; not doing well without a routine.
Monday through Friday I get up when my husband’s alarm goes off around 6:15, or earlier if I’m awake. I take Dagny for a short walk, feed her, and start emptying the dishwasher (EVERY F’ing DAY. Why??) while I prepare my hot water with lemon. I take my probiotic.
She eats, and then I give her her CBD treat, which she takes delicately in her mouth and runs over to the back door with. She’s got a routine too – she eats most of her food, then she takes her treat outside, plays with it a second, eats it, and then wants to come back inside to finish her breakfast…
I go outside and drink my hot water with lemon, enjoying just being outside for a minute before it gets too hot to breathe.
Sometimes I walk around and pull weeds, water things, feed the birds, other times I sit and watch the clouds. I haven’t been meditating regularly for a long time, nor do I use the foam roller regularly. I want to, but I don’t feel like I have time. Of course I have time, I just haven’t been making those things a priority. I’m working on getting back to them, but first, I’m trying to get used to having a schedule, and keeping to-do/want lists.
I go back inside and prepare my coffee, finish emptying the dishwasher, then go around and open up the blinds in the bedroom, check the plants for water, etc. By 7:30 I’m always upstairs at my desk with a chickpea blondie (guys, I love these so much, they make a great breakfast with an apple or blueberries) and my coffee – I’ve been making them for months and do not go a day without eating one. I took some with me to the beach, and I always take some when I travel.
When I sit down at my desk I open my computer and look first at Brain Pickings. After I’m finished reading the latest article I turn on my local NPR station and work on my to-do/want list for the day, get to email, etc., then I still eventually look at Shopbop, but at least it’s not first thing anymore 🙂
I’m really proud of myself that I’ve been able to shift my consciousness away from consuming material goods first thing in the morning to consuming ideas. That was a big step for me, honestly. If you remember, I mentioned that for about ten years I would sit with my coffee and browse Shopbop’s new arrivals each day (I am a partner of Shopbop and ear some credit each month to spend there…).
Now, I enjoy taking longer to get “to work” and writing my to-do list and “want” list everyday, which includes things I want to do and buy – both long term and short term, to remind myself what I want to spend my money on and what I DON’T. For example, I’ve written my want list for about a week and here are some of the things that have been on my list :
- TRAVEL – I want to visit family twice in September
- Tilley hemp sun hat
- Hot pink Sabahs
- Platinum hair 🙂
- Read more non-fiction
- Listen more (podcasts/music)
- Pedicure
- Simple gold necklace
- teeth whitening/straightening
After a few days the Tilley hat and Sabahs fell off because I don’t want to allocate money to those things right now, nor do I need either of those things ATM. The necklace will probably fall off in a few days too. I may add those things back eventually, and maybe not.
I’ve found it very helpful to write these things down every day, because if I choose to keep an item on the list, that is re-affirming that it is something I value, and then again if I choose to remove something, it is because it has lost appeal (or I have decided to let it go) and there is no need to continue to give it energy.
Notice there is not ONE item of “clothing” on my want list.
Now, I have not historically been great at keeping to lists, to-do or otherwise; it’s too much discipline for me and feels constraining. Which is interesting, because I THRIVE by limiting what I eat, and keeping to a strict exercise routine. I just have a hard time doing that with clothing/shoes/accessory purchases. I am starting to feel a shift though. You’re never too old to change, are you? 🙂
Happy Monday!!
Hi Grechen – always great to read the habits of disciplined people like you – it’s inspiring and I aspire to that kind of structure! I clicked on the blondies recipes and can’t wait to try it. FYI, for anyone else who clicks on that specific link, the author does not specify the oven temperature. I dug around her site and found it’s 350 degrees.
oh, i should make a couple more notes about the blondies:
bake on 350, but i always need to bake them for longer than 30 minutes, usually between 35-40 minutes.
i use a “regular” brownie sized pan i think, it’s ceramic by le crueset, and i get 24 smaller blondies out of it and what i do is divide them into four sections, freeze three – separately – and leave one to eat during the week. i refrigerate them because they only last 2-3 days on the counter. refrigerated they last the full 6 days…then i take the ones from the freezer out to eat for the next three weeks 🙂
I’m working from home today (trying not to pass along the cold my son passed along to me) and rocking a similar jeans/white t outfit as well!
I love the “want” list! I think I may need to try that.
Regarding routines: it’s funny what becomes non-negotiable and what struggles to become non-negotiable. More that a decade ago I realized if I’m going to exercise daily it has to be first thing in the morning or it’s not going to happen. So now I get up at 5 AM Mondays through Fridays so I can exercise. No exceptions. Things like the lemon water and body brushing will come and go depending on the season, my mood, and if I remembered to buy lemons.
Thanks! I copied the recipe too – was hoping it would use chickpea flour as I have some (I made indian chickpea flour dumplings) I want to find new ways to use. Ah well.
i’m not sure how chickpea flour would work? unless you wet it? maybe that would do it…
the chickpeas being “wet” is sort of part of the glue that binds the whole thing.
let us know if you try it though!
Would use chickpea flour instead of almond flour, then still use the canned chickpeas 😉 Though I probably have some almond flour too – maybe I could start with a mix. They’re both pretty heavy “flours”…..
ugh. yes. remembering to buy lemons…
i’m reading the power of habit right now – i’m only just at the beginning, but maybe that will have some insight into why certain things seem to stick and others don’t? it can’t be ALL a matter of “priority”…
oh, yes! that might work….
Grechen– The recipe looks amazing. Thanks for sharing. I’m always on the lookout for new healthy things to try (especially things that travel well). Since straighter and whiter teeth are on your list, I wanted to let you know that I’ve had Invisalign since February and have been thrilled with them. I had TMJ and it was causing problems with headaches so wanted to see if this would help (I also like the way my teeth look). I’m almost done and am really happy with the results. I also really like oil pulling for teeth whitening. Hope you have a great week, Beth
thanks beth! i was thinking about invisalign too, and want to look into it. it’s really strange, but i think since i broke my jaw, my teeth are moving “closer” together, which probably makes sense in terms of what happened? i don’t know – i need to ask the dentist about it i guess…but i’ve become very self-conscious of my teeth/mouth lately.
oh, and a note on traveling with the blondies, i always take a package that is frozen with me in a reusable container, so it lasts longer 😉
They took a few days to get used to but I’ve been really happy with them! Definitely worth a consultation with someone who does a lot of them.
I’ve been meaning to try the Blondies since the last time you posted about them! I think I actually have everything I need right now, so maybe I’ll do it the next cool/not-so-humid day. Can’t bring myself to turn on the oven when it’s hot. I wish I could get out of my “coffee first” habit in the morning. But I drink organic sencha and a variety of tisanes the rest of the day, and I worry that if I start pushing my coffee later into the morning it will disrupt the rest of my better beverage habits.
I’m in awe of how short your list is! I definitely have a running to-do list and a want list; they sort of blend together, because half of it is house furnishing/remodelling/landscaping/maintenance. I just don’t know how to get the list short enough to not feel overwhelming. The “clothes” portion for me is never very large and I’m generally pretty satisfied with my wardrobe and how it functions (ditto make-up/personal care products); it’s the decor and garden stuff that feels not-so-manageable. I’ve been in the same space for two years and feel only incrementally closer to having a “complete” home. I have already put a couple hundred dollars into furnishing one porch this summer (not including the cost of sanding and refinishing it), but I have another that is completely unfurnished; I don’t really want to drop another big chunk of cash right now, but I *do* want to be able to use that porch, especially when I think about how part of the reason I bought this particular house was to have lots of usable outdoor space, and it’s prime porch season right now. Part of it the challenge is that house decisions are shared with DH, and thus get made much more slowly…
I recently saw this recipe for chocolate chip cookies with chickpea flour and would love to try them! They might be an idea for using up yours.
https://thenewbaguette.com/2018/04/25/chickpea-chocolate-chip-cookies/
ACK!!!! totally trying those!!!!! it’s taking everything i have to not go and buy chocolate chips to do it!!
Do you follow the measurements in the recipe exactly? I just made these and guessed on the baking temp and the batter seemed really dry and gummed up my blender a bit
Yes I do follow the measurements exactly but I usually bake for longer than 30 minutes. I also use a food processor because I don’t have a good blender…
It could depend on the consistency of your almond butter? I’ve definitely had them come out dry when I use refrigerated almond butter.
Oh good thought! I used the almond butter made in the bulk section- definitely drier than the jarred stuff. Thank you 🙂
Ooh, thank you! (I will note the dumplings I’m tomato curry sauce were lovely and quite healthy 😉 Now I’m distracted by sweets 🙂
So I have not been without these chickpea blondies since seeing them on your blog. I’m OBSESSED! My obsession dampened a little when I calculated the nutritional content (holy cow chickpeas are caloric) but that just means I’m not eating the whole pan in 2 days 😛 Just wanted to drop a note to thank you for sharing the recipe and to say I LOVE your style. Wish I had the disposable income to buy all your outfits, but as it stands I’ll be saving up for a few pieces (am really hoping Elizabeth Suzann releases a version of their wool cocoon jacket this fall!). Thanks Gretchen 🙂