Yesterday I needed some time to myself.  I also desperately needed some time in the kitchen and thankfully I was able to combine both of those things.

We have a lot going on here at the HQ and it’s all stuff that, for one reason or another,  I can’t talk about just yet.

But it has us going and going and going with a lot of doing thrown in for good measure.  We have been so busy and so focused on all these events that it quickly became overwhelming to me.  There have been a few days where I told Scott I just needed to crash out because I needed a break. Enter in my couch and PS3 because on those days, that’s exactly what we did (Borderlands anyone? Anyone?).

I tend to shut down when things get overwhelming to me.  I get quiet and sort of fall into myself.  I also get cranky quickly over minor things.  I realized that I was doing this and decided I needed to do something about it.

Yesterday was that day.

Because we have been busy, I haven’t really had much time to cook.  Oh I’ve made us meals and heated up leftovers from the freezer, but I hadn’t spent any significant amount of time in the kitchen for weeks.

This puts me on edge and makes me feel off-balance.  Kitchen time, much like reading before bed, is “my time”.  It’s my down time.  It helps me regroup, get grounded, and refocus.

Yesterday I spent hours in the kitchen.

I prepped and washed a lot of the produce I got at the store the night before.  I made salsa and slaw for our taco dinner we were going to have later that night.

I made veggies for Rocks and I made pork stock.  Then once all that was done, I made us some lunch.

Scott did the dishes and I dried and put them away.  I got the stock set and cooling and I finally sat down for the first time.

It felt oh so good.

I worked with my hands and created things.  Some people craft or knit, I cook.  Working with food and using your hands to create something that will nourish you is a pretty amazing feeling.

Knowing that you can show love and support with a little salsa and some tacos is pretty powerful.

The satisfaction of eating a great meal is grounding.

Regrouping with a tasty beer at the end of the day with your very best friend is perfection.

I’m still feeling very overwhelmed and we still have a crazy amount of things going on, but I feel much better.  Hopefully stuff will get accomplished this week and some things will settle into place a little more.