TWTW - the one with the fam

Thursday We're starting Thursday because I do what I want. It was another hellfire work day. Painted my nails (Essie payback's a witch), got a pedicure (OPI red), and my dad and Carol arrived with my recovering from surgery brother and picked up Boyar's for lunch so I had an excellent turkey club. Dad also did some trim painting up in the house. We ordered Mario's pizza and wings for dinner and Aubrey and the kids arrived just before 6. After dinner we took a nice walk on the beach and they got sea glass and we saw all kinds of marine life. 

Friday was beautiful and we spent a few hours on the beach enjoying it. We spent the afternoon at home where baby Stephen fell asleep in the dog bed. I made deconstructed chicken parm, pasta, and salad. Stephen III stayed home with his mom and dad and Dad, Carol, Lola, and I went to the boardwalk. It was freaking freezing by the time we were on our way home, requiring sweatshirt purchase for Lola. 

Saturday I slept in and woke up to donuts from Drip N Scoop and another beauty of a day. I did some clean up in the apartment, MFD fixed the outdoor shower leak, and There was a playground trip no one was super into, followed by a restful beach afternoon. We had apps for dinner and tried fried pickles from Boyar's which got a thumbs up from everyone. We did the boardwalk with Stephen III and Aubrey this time and met one of the bird handlers on the way home. 

Sunday A little overcast but we did a walk on the beach while my Dad cleaned up. And yes, you have seen glimpses but my brother does have a full and glorious mullet. 

They took off a little after 12 and MFD started outdoor cleanup which was still going close to 9 pm while I went to Sherwin Williams 4203984 times and painted the porch door inside (SW 6675 Afternoon, same color as the kitchen walls) and out (street facing is SW 6766 Mariner) and the inside of the main house door (also SW 6766 Mariner). Aubrey also painted the frame of the powder room mirror using the front door color (SW6606 Coral Reef). I also made rice and chicken olive things for dinner, hard boiled eggs for the week, finished a book, and packed stuff up to be taken back to Philly in between door coats.

Another nice family weekend, more chill than most with both Stephens feeling poorly but we'll take it as it's always nice to be together. 

There is a primary in PA tomorrow - local politics impact your life tremendously. Please make a point to get out and vote!

Making meatless Mondays a thing

There are a lot of people who, even if they see the benefits of going vegan, simply are not going to live a meatless lifestyle. If you can’t be without your bacon, then there’s no shade for you. However, there are big benefits to taking even one day a week to go meatless in your household. Here are some reasons why that might be a good idea and how to make it a little easier.

Picture - CC0 License

It cuts down on processed foods

One of the unhealthiest and most widespread eating habits is the reliance on processed foods. The closer we get to a whole foods diet, the better. The additives and preservatives in processed foods can be legitimately dangerous to your health, including increasing the risk of cancer.

It stops you from wasting food

A well-organized pantry is something we should all try to keep in our home. Aside from making food prep easier, if you make sure that you use everything that you have, you prevent household waste from building up. Most food waste is the fruits and veg we don’t get around to eating during the week. Having a meatless day means you have more of an opportunity to use up all the stuff that would spoil otherwise.

You can boost the nutritional value of your meals

Meat does have some essential nutrients, including easy ways of eating protein, iron, and amino acids. However, without it, we can also make sure that we’re getting more nutrients, minerals, and fiber in the food that we eat. This broccoli cauliflower salad recipe at thesaltedpepper.com is a prime example of a meal that both nutritionally dense, thanks to all of the cruciferous greens, yet also relatively low in calories. Even if you don’t go entirely vegan, most of us can agree we need more greens in our diet.

We eat too much red meat for our heart 

It’s not just about eating more of what’s good for us, either. It’s also about cutting on our meat consumption because eating meat every day is not good for you. As Healthline.com shows, foods with animal fats contribute in no small way to cardiovascular diseases, reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health conditions. The meat-based diet does have big risks and most people eat too much meat for the good of their heart.

It’s good for the environment

We are not the only ones who benefit from cutting down our fuel consumption. The mass production and consumption of meat is one of the biggest causes of climate change, due to both the greenhouse gasses produced by animal farms and the sheer amount of fossil fuels used to transport meat from one place to the next. You might not feel like you’re likely to make much of an impact in this alone, but you’re not alone, as more and more people are reducing their meat intake with the environment in mind.

Ethically, environmentally, and in terms of our own health, there are plenty of good reasons to cut down on the meat that we eat. One day a week is achievable for anyone.

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This post was written with the Life According to Steph audience in mind

Thursday Thoughts - back fill

Photos from last week - I skipped Thursday Thoughts on 5/13 so this is a backfill for me (as in I am writing it on 5/17 and setting the publish date to 5/13, not written before or on 5/13) and if you enjoy it too, even better. I will blog forever if only to store my paint colors somewhere accessible LOL. 

Shore doors got painted. Main house is SW 6606 Coral Reef and apartment door is SW 6564 Red Clover - this is one of the deeper pinky purple colors I see in hydrangeas at the shore and it is exactly what I wanted.  

Some other pics from the week...

-I remember when I didn't want to move desks in the office because the monitors "knew" my set up. Now I literally pop up a monitor wherever at the shore now that I'm reacclimating to working in my apartment since the summer season is coming. 

-It was a rough beginning of last week so wonton and laying were required. 

-New office chair Aubrey passed along to me! Over a year into WFH and I'm grooving

-My old boy at a Dog Beach trip

-Ben smashed the patriarchy pen so we can only surmise he would also smash the patriarchy

-Gus and Ben in the yard. No Bruce this week but we still have him LOL

What to do when you're stuck inside

Whether you're stuck inside on a series of rainy days or due to quarantine, you need something to do. I don't think I've ever said I'm bored in my life. As I've aged, I've watched less and less TV/movies and will typically do almost anything aside from that so while we all know watching is an option, let's pretend we've run through the ol' Netflix queue in its entirety and find something else to do. I can always recommend purging and organizing what's left or cleaning, but I can only do those things for so long. And of course there's gardening, but we're just getting into that season. Let's go with three that can be done every day of the year to start. 

Reading

Hello, have you met me? Of course the first thing I'm going to suggest is that you take up reading. Think of it as a more active and imaginative version of watching Netflix and other streaming services or TV channels. It’s like watching TV in your head, but you have to imagine it. There's no one telling you exactly how it has to be or how you should see it. Your imagination takes over and it’s fantastic. 

I am firm in the belief that many people dislike reading because they have not yet found the books they want to read, and I'm firmer in the belief that there are books out there for everyone. It will be easier to get into reading if you hold firm to two things: 1. You can put a book down at any point if you are not enjoying it, whether it's 30 pages in or there are only 30 pages left. 2. Just because everyone else loves it doesn't mean you have to and just because everyone else hates it doesn't mean you should. 

Cooking

Have you ever thought about taking up cooking? It’s a fantastic hobby to have because it means that you can feed yourself and your bank account can have a break from the local takeout. It can also be a lot of fun to learn new recipes such as this ninja foodi baked potato recipe from GrillingMontana.com. It might take a while for you to master cooking, but you have plenty of time and you can always keep trying until you get it right. There is no time limit on how long it takes to get a handle on cooking, and even the most professional chefs still get things wrong sometimes. We bet you even Gordon Ramsay gets things wrong every now and again and he probably curses himself out too. 

Working Out

If you don’t like the sound of either of those and you want to do something a little more active, then working out could be a good choice for you. It’s not true that you need a lot of gym equipment in order to complete an effective workout, and in fact you can do a basic one right in your living room. If you want a visual guide then you can use YouTube (I like Leslie Sansone), join the crew at FuelCycleFit for virtual workouts (or in person outdoor workouts if you're in the Philly area), or if you want to follow an online list of what to do check out something like muscleandfitness.com to have a plan that you may want to follow. Whatever works for you, but this can help you release a lot of the stress that you are holding onto. I like Leslie Sansone on YouTube and a few different strength training routines. I am writing this paragraph to encourage myself to get back to both of those. 

In what ways do you occupy your time and refuel yourself? 

Show Us Your Books May 2021

I notice myself reading less on weekdays and more on weekends. My brain is fried by the end of the work day recently, and I like to just sit outside and read or watch nothing. Just be. Or walk and be. These are the seasons of this life right now. It is also a largely kindle season of life as I have a lot of ARCs I'm working through from Netgalley. And an author interaction season on IG as I went back and forth with four authors this month on their books I posted about. Always enjoyable. 

Please hold some space for Jana and her family. - Jana lost her Grandmom to Covid since the last SUYB. As Jana does, her grandmom loved reading so this one's for her! America will not reach herd immunity to protect our vulnerable population - including seniors, our immune compromised who are unable to get it, and the nation's children - as long as people who have not lived through a global pandemic before this insist they know the way and that way is to not get vaccines because it is their right not to get it. I cannot think of anything more selfish. Get the vaccine. Wear masks as appropriate. Err on the side of caution.

Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup. 

Engrossing Reads

That Summer by Jennifer Weiner - Trigger warnings along the #metoo lines. People are crapping on this in reviews but I was engrossed and liked the storytelling around a very fucking delicate, difficult, and serious subject. Good thoughts to the author and her family as her mom died this weekend after a quick and painful battle with pancreatic cancer and she will be out doing press on this book and what a time. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this book's publication day is today!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave - I loved this. I devoured it in a few hours. I feel comfortable making a blanket pick it up recommendation on this one as only people who like picking books apart as if they are a book critic or expect every read to be a five star read will find more fault than like in this one. I don't recommend a damn thing to either of those types of readers as they are nearly impossible to please. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this book came out 5.4.2021

Hush Little Girl (Detective Josie Quinn #11) by Lisa Reganush Little Girl (Detective Josie Quinn #11) by Lisa Regan - If you've been here for any period of time you know we love a Josie Quinn novel. It is not a solid surety to like the 11th book in a series as much as the first but I can only recall one or two Josies that were eh. I solidly love these. Kindle book, own

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker - Duchess is one of the best characters I've read even though she is young and I typically do not find joy in young characters. She reminds me a bit of Polly in She Rides Shotgun. I didn't want to put this one down. hardcover, own, purchased from Bookshop.org under the auspices of Harriett's

Passed the Time Just Fine

A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery - This was not my typical read, but it wasn't bad. As the category states, it passed the time. I can imagine a lot of people would like to read this on a beach. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this book's publication day is today!

Finding Tessa by Jaime Lynn Hendricks - This is one of those did I just read what I think I read things that has you re-evaluating everything you have read thus far and trying to re-process information. I enjoy that. This kept me invested. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this book's publication day is today!

A Deadly Influence (Abby Mullen Thrillers #1) by Mike Omer - This is a perfect example of what I mentioned up top. It took me forever to read this although I enjoyed it like the other Omer books I've read and will read more of this series. Kindle book, own

Not Worth It

n/a

Did Not Finish

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Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is Tuesday, June 8, 2021. 

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