LadyLisbette

Do you do one braid or two? I think braids are so pretty. Mostly I wear them when I hike, but am about to do some experimenting. Do you wear / have you ever worn French braids? I'd like to learn that soon so I can show my stripes in different ways to help get me through the awkward 2 years of gray grow-out I am looking at. It's interesting to me about your inclination towards looking in the mirror with expectation of seeing change. That feels really understandable to me, though I can't find words or rationale for it. I think it might be a deeply intuitive thing, and though I can't relate precisely to your current challenge, something in me says, "yes, that makes sense." Transformation has to be happening, and you are feeling it, so sensitively. The curiosity of it is a sign of Heart chi, and that encourages me with a measure of joy!
Did you have your bath? How did it feel? How is your fever and cough today? How is your hubby? Yesterday I forgot my phone at home, but today I will bring it, and look forward to your news. My new epsom salt bath gel is eucalyptus/spearmint, on second look. I took my bath last night but was too distracted and mentally hectic to really relax and follow my breath, although I did feel more relaxed afterwards, so that is something, and I'll take it, gladly.
Today is our 5th wedding anniversary! I'm not sure if we will celebrate tonight or tomorrow when we have more time, and our 1.5 day of weekend...I made lemon garlic chicken last night that can be re-heated tonight, or we might treat ourselves to take out from the steak house in town that is offering specials for take out. It's been controversial up there because they advertised on FB and people came from up to an hour away, and only 20% of them tipped, causing a lot of hurt and FB drama. Playing it by ear like everything else these days.
Love and hugs to you!

I heard this twice yesterday so I figured it was my message from the universe so i thought I'd share it with you. I'm glad I listened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5NPN3NF0rM
Soulshine The Allman Brothers Band   When you can't find the light
That got you through the cloudy days
When the stars ain't shinin' bright
You feel like you've lost you're way
When the candlelight of home
Burns so very far away
Well, you got to let your soul shine
Just like my daddy used to say
He used to say soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey, now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometimes
You gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day
I grew up thinkin' I had it made
Gonna make it on my own
Life can take the strongest man
Make him feel so alone
Now sometimes I feel a cold wind
Blowin' through my achin' bones
I think back to what my daddy said
He said "boy, in this darkness before the dawn"
Let your soul shine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Yeah, now people don't mind
We all get this way sometimes
You've got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day
Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness
Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul
A woman too, God knows, she can feel like this
And when your world seems cold, you got to let your spirit take control
Let your soul shine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Lord now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometimes
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day
Oh, it's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Yeah, now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometimes
You've got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day   Songwriters: Warren Haynes

A pillow on the night stand sounds very wise, I will have to try that. They made it again last night, all the way through to dawn, and then out they went. By then I was awake and got up shortly afterwards. This afternoon at a little antique mall I found the wing back chair of my dreams for next to the tub, and managed to get it inside by myself without the cats escaping. Hazel has had a taste of outside, and is showing great curiosity, so this is something we are being very careful about. Anyway, the chair is grand and comfortable, and burnt orange. It was reupholstered in the 70s and still in mint condition. I'm very pleased.
Your Christmas sounds wonderful, including the hike, and your husband's awareness of food! Our porky menu was good, too, and everything turned out well - I guess the mashed potatoes felt most like a treat as I hardly ever make them, and we both enjoyed it. No leftover potatoes for me, though. I'm back on game today. I had a cauliflower crust pizza with no cheese and loads of vegetables and chicken. Then a mediterranean salad with chicken kabobs and a tahini dressing, and I will fast the rest of the day. Tomorrow, I will roast the pork loins, and freeze some of it, along with half of the ham that also went to the freezer. (Yes! Freezer to the rescue LOL) There are lots of green things to eat, and so I won't have to cook much or shop for...  a week or so.
After my Xmas post I did get outside and do a ton of raking and sweeping. I had laid down a few layers of cardboard on one of the garden beds months ago, before the rains came and I discovered that it is perfect now (bendable like lasagna!) to lay out across the other beds, and easily tears in the shape I want. This was very encouraging. There are 5 beds that are flat and will be easy to sheet mulch in this way, and the leaves I raked up will mostly (I think) cover them. Huh, I thought I saw a black cat out of the corner of my eye...must have been Spooky!!!! I'll hire a local team to come in and help us make sense of our wacky sprinkler system that has so far been a HUGE headache. I might even get some winter planting done this year, and then wait until next fall to do the rest of the gardens. But getting out there gave me great momentum, and a mood boost. If I do some planting, I have from now and April to get the sprinklers sorted out, because even the natives will need a little water, and for sure those coastal redwoods do, also, and the pomegranate tree which really didn't get enough water and hardly produced any fruit. It's been a year, so now we know what we are dealing with! 
We really enjoyed the Ken Burns Jazz documentary! Yay! The interviews and photographs are amazing...of course, Ken Burns style.  Are you watching it from the beginning? Do you think you'll watch the whole thing? It took us several months of weekend viewing to get through all of it, and I think it is worth watching again. Recently the NYT ran a list of the top 50 (?) movies available on Netflix right now and we took note of some we want to see. 
Since it's post Xmas, and  I'm in early-to-bed/early-to-rise mode right now, no more messing around. I'm aiming to get out hiking tomorrow morning. Back to best practices! There's no elevator where we're hiking next year, so I'd better be ready.
How's your foot? Are you getting your mobility and stretching for your shoulder?

I'm so excited for you! It sounds like it was meant to be; just the way it should be. Have a wonderful birthday XO

Crazy, crazy day and I just have a second. I wasn't sure when you were heading to MJF and wanted to wish you happy travels and wonderful music. I'll have to dig it out but, somewhere I have a great quote from Tim O'Brien about the power of art. Gotta fly! 
Be safe and enjoy!

Hi Holly! Much better today. I hope you, too, are feeling renewed from a yucky spell. I like Clarissa Pinkola Estes, the Jungian psychologist and author. She writes about life/death/life cycles, and that really speaks to me. I hope you're back in a Life renewal now....It is a new week, and we are turning a new page, so to speak. Hello, belly of January.
I regret that I can't find the original recipe I used online for the shea butter face cream, darn! It might be bookmarked in the old laptop. It was 5 (or 7?) parts shea butter, one part olive oil in a double boiler, melted very gently. (I love olive oil but I have also used fractionated coconut oil, as I mentioned before.) Let it cool, then stir in the EOs. For mature skin, it was recommended to use carrot seed and fennel seed EO which I bought, but didn't care for. So since then I've been adlibbing. I stopped measuring and started winging it with ratios, and have come to want to make it less oily, so next time (which will be soon) I will add, after the cooling, some cold-pressed aloe vera gel. I learned that when I didn't wait for it to cool enough, it came out a little bit grainy. Next time I will set the timer for 30 minutes and make myself wait. What EOs are you dreaming of for your lotion?
I'm excited to try your recipes for laundry and dishwasher soaps. I've just saved and printed them - thanks so much! As for citric acid, I've been looking for some in order to make bath bombs. Someone recently gave me a dreamy looking purple and blue bathbomb, and I really liked the texture in the water, but felt grossed out by purple bath water. Hot baths are part of my extra (but not extra, essential!!) self care lately. How could I forget how much I love a luxurious bath. And, the new place has a beautiful porcelain bathtub (stand alone clawfoot) that I can't wait to enjoy. I bought some classic pectin at the grocery, which has citric acid, but also dextrose and of course the pectin, but I see that I can get pure citric acid at Vitacost, and I am due to get coconut aminos, too and the aloe vera gel, so that will be this week. Is that where you get your citric acid? I don't see any harm in trying the grocery pectin as an experiment, and then I will have a comparison!
I love it that your PT spoke honestly about your shoulder as an injury, that is so awesome. One time I mentioned to my teacher than an older friend, who I visited during her dialysis treatments, had kidneys that were "shot". She corrected me that her kidneys were not shot, they were tired. Such a difference, I am grateful for these lessons. Must resist the temptation to degrade the body and self with such harshness. I'm still learning, and should watch it with my self talk.
Yesterday I made a big pot of chicken curry, but just winging it, not really using a recipe, and used what I had on hand for veg: broccoli, bell peppers, celery, carrots. I used both the Thai red chili paste I had on hand, but just a little as hubs doesn't like it too hot, and then also garam masala. It was pretty good, but a little soupy. I flt a little fearful of the coconut milk, so I thinned it out with chicken broth, and before the veg cooked down, it seemed like it needed more liquid, so I got a little happy with the broth... after it cooled, I separated some of the broth for the freezer for next time. I also made the curry burgers, and that was delicious. At the moment I have a tray of brussels and yams in the oven roasting, so I'm set for several days. This is the new normal! I can't do it all in one day...
Have a sweet day!

We closed. It's ours. We have keys. We ate dinner there tonight, and are plotting our move schedule. Yay!

@Elizabeth33 I'm writing my reply to you in our reintro thread, I hope you don't mind! ... It's a long and winding road, isn't it? Every time we devote ourselves to W30 ways, whether we are on program, or riding our own bikes, crashing into the weeds, or hanging in there during an illness or stressful time, we learn more about ourselves, and about what works for us, and what doesn't, at that time. Not eating optimally has caused me fatigue in the past, too (as in, just yesterday)....it might sound cliche, but one day at a time. An off day doesn't have to be an off week. You can do this, we are here for you!
@kirbz thank you for the kind words, and I want to hold up a mirror to you, and thank you, too! As for mishaps, I had one yesterday. Yesterday was oh-so rough - WHEW - but I got through it and learned what NOT to do....dI had a long day Friday, which included a great food shopping trip, and I will share some of my finds, too. But, on Saturday morning I was just so tired, and like a teenager, I did not want to get up out of bed. This is not like me. So instead of eating breakfast (see where this is going?) I figured I could pack my meal and multi-task eating and working, since it would probably be slow, and anyway, I didn't give myself any other choice. It was slamming busy. By the time I ate a meal, it had been (I did the math today) 19 hours since I had eaten. Jeez Louise. I experienced hangry and a deep down panic and frustration in my body until, waiting for our food at the restaurant, I actually felt sick. It took a long time for my belly's fullness signal to reach the brain. I used that moment, since my tummy has been okay, to reintro corn, and had the corn toritllas with the chicken fajitas.
One serving of corn in a day is not a proper reintro, I know, but I did get results: some sinus congestion/mucus, and wind. Energy-wise, I was totally fried, emotionally depleted, and never perked up. = ( I had to start over today, and I feel better.
I will wait awhile and do a proper reintro of corn or rice at each meal for a day. Looking ahead, I feel ready for it!
@hollysmokes I was looking at the cheese on the beans that I didn't eat, and I am thinking that I'll do a separate reintro for cheese. I don't think cheese will take my into the ditch, but I am curious about how it makes me feel! I think you mentioned you were doing that, and I'm going to follow suit...it makes sense. I don't feel tempted to eat cheese, but one day I WILL, and I will need to know if it is worth it.
Speaking of beans, I scored some yummy looking compliant red pepper hummus at Costco. Yippee! Something to go with the bag of snap peas. So that will be the next reintro, maybe in a few days.
Holly, your mother's Moroccan chicken is very intriguing to me, and I would love the recipe if you are willing to share! There's something so special about a family recipe. Also, I am going to make MJ's better butter....glancing at the spices gives me that crazy, giddy feeling that I am going to love it, and must have.
About dates and raisins, and pretty much any dried fruit, if I'm hungry and otherwise vulnerable to the dragon, is potentially a food without brakes. (this is also why I have to stay away from trail mix for now, although it might have a place in my food freedom moving forward) Dates are the king of the dried fruits for me, though. At this moment, my best self-knowledge is that if I occasionally use them in cooking while I am satisfied/not hungry, I will be okay. Ooh, sour cherries, sound so, so good ...and I swear, one day, I don't know when, I am going to try making kombucha! Maybe this will be the year...in the new place...
I would love any links/tips you can share about tooth powder, laundry and dish soap, even the deodorant although that might further down the list for me. As for lotion making, I am ALL for it! In the 90s I used a recipe from a middle school teacher friend who did a lotion lab with her students, isn't that awesome? It involved using a glass blender, tea, coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax, and of course essential oils. I never got the emulsification quite right, and these days, I know there are way better DIY recipes out there, and lots of them. I'd love to know what you're up to. As for me, I have been making a face cream that I love with shea butter and olive oil (or fractionated coconut oil). I don't whip it, so it's more like a balm, and it is soothing and healing to any skin that is dry or irritated as well as feeling silky on my face. I've never used anything at any price point that I like more, my face has never been softer. In fact, I think you encouraged me on this subject last spring when I was about to run out of the one my friend sent from England, and I couldn't afford to buy it online! I've been making my own, and having so much fun with oil combinations. The latest is lemongrass and sage. Mmmm. When I'm willing to splurge on Absolute Rose I will make rose and frankincense. Aphrodite herself comes to mind with that one.
So glad your hang bar is making a difference already! Also, thank you for the Lady Shanny quotation...that is, again, urging me to get outside and move, and remember that I am not just a part of nature, but I am nature...and I need to get out and move my body. Yesterday's crisis and this quotation and your hang bar all point in that direction! .... oh and back to an older post, yes, my brother makes pizza crust! Good memory! (a future reintro might be pizza with no cheese, an old idea of a health food) ... what has become of your broccoli?
@kirbz I've been thinking about your paleo desserts.  FWIW, I think paleo desserts are a way more healthful alternative to the non-paleo fare. For me, paleo is the way to go. I am sure that Melissa Hartwig has said it much better than I am about to, but we can all explore the cultural inclination to project value based judgments on food (and then on ourselves, too) being bad/good, right/wrong. Going to the trouble of the structured elimination period and reintros, we can learn to look at it as, "what works for me vs. what doesn't work for me". I say this to encourage you not to set yourself up for seeing yourself as bad if you enjoy a paleo sweet treat and wobble off road more than you wanted to. That might not happen to you. But if it does, it doesn't mean that you are bad, you are the Mother Nature's Mighty Kirbz no matter what.
 

I've been off-line due to a 32-hour power outage...and, a bit further down the mountain range from @kirbz, it has been very, very, cold here, too!
Hi everyone! Happy New Year!
I love me a December W30! This time around I added plated fat in the form of delicious olives nearly every day, and that is something I want to continue. I'm now keeping back-up jars in the pantry. I learned a couple of new recipes, like roasting duck, a creamy mustard chicken, and breakfast eggroll bowls. Otherwise, I find that during W30 (this is my 3d) I tend to stay close to familiar favorites, that aren't time consuming like new recipes (at least for me) and then play with new recipes in between. So now I'll start looking for some new culinary adventures!
Like Holly, I haven't stepped on a scale in a long time, and it seems I've let go of the number on the scale. At the end of 30 days, I know that inflammation is reduced from feeling slimmer, my clothes fitting better, not needing allergy meds (not since my first round April 2017), and feeling better in my joints, which is a real treasure, that last part. Like @Jim4884 my joints tell me immediately when I am too far astray from optimal ways.
I enjoyed a sip of single malt scotch last night at midnight. Today i will review formal re-intros, and figure out the next steps. I'll have to also take another look at all the vitamins I stopped taking while W30ing, and make some decisions. Soy and dairy are present in some...also I'm having mixed feelings about fish oil re sustainability vs. the great health benefit of taking them. Meanwhile, I feel confident going into the new year, and so grateful for our supportive community here!
Some things I am ready to let go of:
chips (no exceptions)
hard candy (no exceptions)
More to come.
Cheers, all!
 

Can I just comment here that not everyone follows the timeline so if you're NOT experiencing the listed 'symptoms' you're not necessarily doing it wrong - also sometimes the expectation actually brings it on, which isn't always the best thing

Comparison is the thief of joy - enjoy your OWN journey!!