Today: Turn a few pages.

After a hectic week, I was looking forward to sleeping in a bit (7 maybe?) yesterday, but unfortunately we found ourselves scrambling to get to the vet as soon as it opened.  Our little monster was having stomach… issues (I promise to spare you the details), so we rushed to the vet just as soon as they opened.  This is where we discovered our dog is stressed out.

I believe getting “snipped” would be cause for stress.  I’m feeling a bit frazzled myself, and I closed out the week with no missing parts and no sign of the flu (Nick is feeling much better, by the way.  Thanks!).  So I suppose Clark is entitled to his stress-induced colitis.  Sorry, I think I just broke my earlier promise.  After a week of little sleep and lots of worry, I am happy to be enjoying a lazy, laaaazy Sunday.  It started with a little jaunt to Home Despot (just a few more moving boxes for tomorrow’s long awaited office move, a major source of annoyance this week), and Target (cake mix for Thanksgiving!), and a bit of laundry and cleaning.  With almost everything in order, I plopped down with a stack of magazines and a cup of tea and have barely budged since.

Nothing beats a good book, but when my pea brain is a bit scattered, I love nothing more than the pick-up, put down, read what you want of a magazine.  SJP as Carrie Bradshaw said, “When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I bought Vogue instead of dinner. I found it fed me more.”  And Madonna wrote a whole song about the magazine… or was that about actually voguing?  Either way,  I don’t have any Vogues in my stack today (because Carrie ate all of them).  Nothing fashionable.  Just a few Shapes and Body + Souls.  Here’s what I absorbed this morning.

From Body and Soul/November issue:

• Cinnamon can help lower cholesterol levels and regular blood sugar.  The cinnamon we use in the US is usually actually cassia, a relative of Ceylon (actual cinnamon).  Both come from the bark of tropical evergreens typically found in Asia.  Speaking of cinnamon, I still haven’t gotten around to baking that apple crisp.

• Want to boost your immunity and up your defenses against a cold or the flu?  Brew a pot of Immunity Tea.  On page 49, the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of astragalus, 1 tablespoon of dried ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of dried lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of lemon balm.  Simmer the first three ingredients in a covered quart of water for twenty minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the lemon balm; re-cover and steep for another 20 minutes, discard the herbs.  Add honey, if you please.   Tea will keep in the fridge for a day and can be re-heated.
• From page 79, raw or lightly cooked garlic appears to have antiviral and antibacterial properties and are thought to boost immunity.  Gnaw on some garlic while your Immunity Tea is brewing.
• And from the last page, “See physical fitness as a practice, not a goal.”

From Real Simple/December issue:

• From page 136, fight free radicals (sources include irritants, pollution, smoke, UVA/UVB rays and cell processes like metabolism) with these 10 foods: unpeeled apples, pomegranates, dark chocolate, dried plums, red wine, artichokes, pecans, blueberries, strawberries and spinach.
• According to the Money Guide on page 223, the Twelve Days of Christmas in 2009 would cost $21,080.10.  The lords-a-leapin’ alone would cost you $4,413.61.  I’ll take the french hens for $30; seems like a bargain.
• I love the Sesame letterpress coasters from Cursive New York, featured on page 308’s Discounts & Deals.  Click here to buy, enter REAL SIMPLE at checkout to receive the readers’ discount.

From Shape Magazine/November issue:

• Once I get through this little pile of mags, and finish the three books I’m in the middle of reading, I will surely be looking for my next read.  Shape recommends www.bookseer.com, a website that will offer recommended reads, based on books and authors you favor.  I just entered a few books and the site recommended Good Evening, Mrs. Craven.  I’m intrigued.
• Three pages worth of sneakers, including two pairs of trainers I might consider for Zumba and other dance/cardio classes (running shoes just don’t cut it).
• From the back page, 5 simple “stay-fit strategies,” which include cooking your own meals (and controlling both ingredients and portion sizes), having fitness DVDs on hand for those days you could’ve/should’ve/would’ve hit the gym, avoid temptation by bring your own healthy snacks to work, exercise in the morning (how many times have we heard that.. and then hit snooze?), and make time to meditate.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Catch up with Kristine (unless she’s on her way to Hawaii already, which I think she might be.  Aloha, friend!)
• Get moderately organized for the week
• Re-watch a few of the segments from CBS’ Sunday Morning (I especially loved the ones about cooking teacher Wilma Stephenson and Julia Child’s book editor, Judith Jones and pleasures of cooking for one.)

How do you unwind and become less prickly?  And what are you currently reading?