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Psyching Up For a December Whole 30 Graduates


Jim4884

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I did start with a scale number. I got weighed at my Dr's office a few weeks ago and felt puffier so I wanted to confirm that and also have a frame of reference for later. I was up two pounds since that visit and I am due back next week for a follow-up so I wanted to know where I stood. I already feel less puffy and it's only Day 4 so, hopefully, by Tuesday I'll weigh a little less than I did at the last visit. It will be on Day 10, 1/3 of the way there. I was thinking this morning about how I'm going to navigate Thanksgiving at our friends' house and I think I might eat something before we go. If I'm not starving, I'll be less tempted and I figure I'll be able to eat turkey and the two sides I make, at the very least. NomNom has a cherry cranberry sauce that looks pretty delicious so I might give that a try if I can remember to get a bag of frozen cherries this afternoon. 

My car is full of STUFF that I'm bringing to donate this afternoon. My husband and I didn't carpool today and he left before I did so it was a great opportunity to get a couple of things out of the house that he won't notice and load up the bags and boxes that were already packed up. Tomorrow we'll ride together and drop off a whole bunch of stuff, new and gently used, for Operation Stand Down. I'm hoping that getting everything out of the house that's ready to go will open up the opportunity (and space) to go through some more things over the long weekend. I think we're going to do an Ebay photoshoot, too and maybe be able to make a few bucks on stuff we need to get rid of anyway like three crystal decanters that my mother gave me as a wedding present the first time (30 years ago!). I had a very successful run at the used bookstore nearby and wound up with a $30 credit. I sold a bunch of cookbooks that I never really used and now never will and, in exchange, I got space for books I do use, another of the Earthsea books (score!), Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

I'm back on track with my morning routine and am feeling good. My husband asked me if I had done my stretching this morning and when I told him that I had, he said, "That's good." He's pushing to join Gold's Gym, thinking that on the days that we ride together, we can go there after work instead of stopping for a cocktail like we do once a week or so. I really hate the whole gym atmosphere so I think I'm going to encourage him to join but I'm going to pass. I already pay monthly for the Katie Bowman videos and I don't want to double that amount by paying for a gym that I don't really want to attend. Except for the sauna. I love saunas. I also love steam rooms but they do a number on my hair (very long and curly turns into a frizzy, matted up mess) so I generally opt for the sauna instead.

I've let that bushel of kale languish in the fridge so tonight is cook-the-kale night. It was so fresh that it's still fine but getting it blanched is the first step towards creamed kale and I don't want to leave everything for the last minute. Grilled salmon, cherry tomatoes and roasted eggplant with chermoula is lunch and we'll probably wind up with the chili verde pork for dinner again. I steamed some cauli to have with it last night and that was good combo. I'm trying to do a bit of goal setting for my 4-day weekend but want to pace myself so I don't wind up exhausted and frazzled. Saturday is going to be a wash-out weather-wise but we'll have the last Formula 1 race to entertain us. 

Your husband and mine must've learned kitty feeding at the same place. I got a second bowl to make it easier to use a clean one then wash the cruddy one but he still uses the crusted up bowl most of the time! I haven't worried about it making them sick because of what they do/eat outside but it's just gross. If it makes you feel any better, when I was researching raw cat food, I read that the transit time for food in a cat's digestive tract is very short so organisms that would make us sick don't really have the time to make them sick even if it's an organism that is pathogenic like Salmonella. 

 

 

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I love your approach to Thanksgiving by eating first...if pressed to give a pro-tip/s to any W30 newbie, that would have to be in the top 3, wouldn't it? Be prepared, yes indeed, especially on National-Over eat Day! It's so bad-ass to do a W30 not just in December, but during Thanksgiving. High FIVE. I'm thinking about that preparedness for my train trip, too, packing something so that when I arrive in SF I start off not famished and not subject to whatever happens to be available near the station and at my cousin's house (as for what is up at my cousin's house I have *absolutely* no idea, or at their friends' home for Txgvg dinner). In my case, I think I'll pack some turkey club romaine wraps, as i seem to have gotten the parchment wrap down pretty well, and have to use up the bacon, which I insisted hubs save for me. I hope you can find frz cherries as that does sound delicious!

Wow, you are really making a lot of room at your house, aren't you? Good job! Such a lot of letting go - are you feeling a great mental clarity or relief that goes with it? I realize the process is ongoing, but it must be something to look at the space that is re-created, and the possibilities it makes, or even just s p a c e  (that "leave room for thought" idea keeps returning!). And making some money, too! I've never posted anything on eBay before...that must help to let it go in stages, and say goodbye. You are stealth, making your executive decisions to let go when hubby is not looking - I approve! My husband has not even noticed the missing blanket - I think as long as I keep our bedding nice and warm he never will, that would be funny. Funny that you mentioned letting go of cookbooks...I am going to do that, too. More room on the bookcases is much needed!

Holly, we turned it around! Both of us are back in a good morning routine - WHEW! Doesn't it feel great? I saved a MovNat IG post yesterday that lists hanging as one of the best things you can do for your shoulders, and I thought of you. I'm so glad you are taking care of you - you are showing the way, and it's such a good influence on me.  I don't have shoulder issues, but when I neglect as I have, or in times of stress, I do notice a lot of tension in the upper back and shoulders and neck, and I might go to the play area behind our library one of these days to spend some time hanging and monkeying around to see how it feels, and whether I wish to maybe get something hang-y like that at our house. It might be a great addition to the yoga and self massage I do for tension, and overall joint health.  If your husband joins the gym and you pass, will you just not commute together on those days, or how will you spend the time? Oh yes, I love saunas, too! Heavenly. I love to alternate hot cold, hot cold, with the help of a sauna, what good medicine. I might look for an opportunity like that when I'm in the city.

To prepare myself for getting up at 330 tomorrow, I have been getting up early every day this week...5:00 on M and T, and today 4 am. It wasn't really that hard. Hello Tiger Blood. I am finishing laundry now, and have a little packing to do, and I'll come straight home from work and go right to bed tonight. I'm packing really light for a feeling of freedom, and where there are empty spots in my agenda I'm just leaving things open. It rained all night, and I can tell we need more gutter repair. As I type, clouds are parting and I can see snow in the low elevations! Not quite at our elevation, but so close in nearby mountains as to satisfy! Ahhhh. Hubs will use the fireplace for the first time without me and I am sad to miss that, but otherwise, not sad at all to leave, and super excited. 

The women at work like the idea of joining together in "Best Habits December", and it broke up a little landslide for one of them, who was also leading the other one down a danish-lined path, so the ladder was especially grateful for what felt like a rescue. That was not my intention, as my intention is pretty self-interested, but I'm happy we are in agreement...hubs and I will treat everyone to lunch today from our gourmet sandwich place for Thxgvg -- I'll have a compliant salad. And bring my own ranch. Hey, what do you think of my idea: I'm thinking of cutting the ranch-mayo with a low fat or non fat Greek yogurt to see if that helps with my possibly (probably!) problematic fat ratio on my plate...also, I added tarragon to the ranch, and blended it with immersion blender, and that is darned tasty.

About the cat dishes - your input about pathogens is very reassuring to me. Not just looking ahead with the kittens in mind, but looking back at Spooky. I feel exonerated for any sloppy habits we may have had with her bowl. Thank you.

Going with the feeling of molting/re-newing myself/re-creating myself in the last two weeks I was inspired to take extra care of me...when yesterday during my errands I got some fringe cut around my face (my hair is long-ish too, and wavy, all one length), and color, and then a little tinted moisturizer to even out my complexion. Did I mention that I have let go of hospice massage in recent months? I might go back to it one day, but I need to take care of me, and I feel like I've outgrown the massage, and even hospice world...this feels healthy. And with that I have also let my nails grow out, and I think they are longer right now than they have ever been in my life (that is not very long, mind you, just long for me LOL). I might not keep them this way, but I'm feeling a little more lady-like than usual, and it's kind of fun. It's always been my habit to re-invent myself every so often, but this is the first time since menopause and I'm finding it life-giving.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Enjoy your party and your time off, and all the letting go and nesting!

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Plan, plan, plan! It's what we do when we're on track and focused. Those wraps sound perfect for traveling. I need to give them another go and this time actually wrap them up so they're not so messy. Tarragon in the ranch sounds great; I'll try it with my next batch. I've never had much luck subbing yogurt but that's just a personal thing. It brings a sourness that I'm not crazy about but I haven't tried it in ages so maybe my taste (and yogurt choices) have changed so I'll have to try that as well- in about 25 days. I decided to try something new and started a log for this W30. Littleg chimed in and expressed concern that I wasn't including enough fat. She doesn't know me very well! I struck out on cherries but did find the fresh horseradish (for a different project;)) that I've been looking for for weeks. I'm worried that it's past its prime but I kept my receipt and will return it if it's bad when I cut it open. 

Your post gave me a giant boost! I needed some affirmation and your positive thoughts helped a bunch- refocused and feeling Tiger Blood-ish instead of thinking about what I was missing. I was feeling a bit deprived yesterday afternoon and, of course, all of my husband's suggestions for dinner and for the long weekend involved non-complaint things. He wasn't doing it on purpose but has to keep reminding himself that I'm W30-ing. He did mention how cool it was that I was doing this over Thanksgiving since it would halt the overindulgence that IS this time of year. I almost bailed on my mobility session this morning but I didn't and I'm proud of myself for sucking it up and doing it anyway. It feels great to work on getting back on track. I really want to make staying on track the norm and deviating from it less so. I'm working on it and it helps that he's starting to want to work out more. If he joins the gym, he'll have to go on the days that we don't ride together or when we have to take separate cars for other reasons. He works from home two days/week anyway so he could still make it work if he wants to. 

You mentioned a while back that you were cutting back on hospice and massage but I didn't realize that you let it go completely. Your self-care and lady-like things sound spot-on. As I've been sorting through my closet, I've been thinking long and hard about what I want to keep and how I want to look. This is the first time I've worn casual clothes to work and I'm realizing that a pair of pants and a T-shirt just doesn't really cut it for me. I've been feeling dowdy. Last Friday I added a little jacket to what I was wearing and it was warm enough to wear my red Softstar ballerinas with the zebra heels so I felt put together in a way that felt like me but not in a trendy, consumerish way. I celebrated by ordering myself a pair of grey jeans that will fit into the vision of myself that's starting to emerge in my brain and I picked out a new pair of glasses. I'm sad to say good-by to my purple glasses but I've had them forever and it's time to part. My new ones are blue and really cool looking. I hadn't realized that my prescription was 5 years old and that was the second one I put in those frames so I've probably had them for about 8 years! Can't wait until they're ready!

I guess, in a way, I'm lucky. I have no idea when I started menopause. My uterus and a 1-lb fibroid were removed about 25 years ago and I've never really had any symptoms but I'm there by default because of my age. I forget what the age cut-off is but after 50? maybe? It's just assumed. OK. 

1 hour ago, LadyLisbette said:

molting/re-newing myself/re-creating myself

Many things to be thankful for, yes? Enjoy SF!

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Happy Day After National Overeating Day!

I ate, I survived and I had a great time! My plan to eat ahead of time was a flop; I was too busy cooking to make it happen but I managed to push M1&2 back a few hours so I wasn't ravenous when we got to the party. Holy Cow! There was a TON of food but almost nothing I could eat except turkey and brisket until some lovely soul brought some brussels sprouts! I made the sweet potato-stuffed oranges and topped them with a fancy Italian meringue instead of those dreadful marshmallows but I forgot to leave it off of one of them so I didn't even get one. My husband said they were awesome, though! Nomnom's cran-cherry sauce was very good but not cherry-y. I added a little orange peel to it and that was nice but I wanted to be able taste the cherries. I also brain-farted and forgot to get the apple juice to sweeten it but my husband sacrificed the apples I got for him and I ran them through the juicer (the one I'm about to sell! :o) so I'm going to make it again but will probably use 2 parts cherries:1 part cranberries. The creamed kale was a little bit of an adventure, too. I was only going to make my compliant version with coconut milk but my husband was helping me cook and asked what was in it :( Doh! Busted! So I had to make a second one w cream. At first I was disappointed that the coconut milk version tasted like coconut but by the time it sat for a bit then got transported to the party, you couldn't taste it at all. I topped it with toasted pine nuts and was really happy with it. I only have one little serving of it leftover. I had two small servings of everything, was very satisfied and wasn't even very tempted by all of the pies. I was, however, slightly tempted when offered a taste of a really nice, really expensive red wine. I was sipping on a concoction that I brought that had ginger in it so I used that as an excuse to pass- no sense wasting very good wine when I've blown up my palate with ginger. I was exaggerating but it worked. If I had just declined, I would have gotten some push back by one person and I didn't want to go there. It was easier to use an excuse. I noticed a couple of people drinking LaCroix; I wish I liked them but I don't. I did, however, like it mixed with a shrub (fruit & vinegar-based fermented beverage) that I had at the biodynamic conference. I think I'll work on that for our Christmas gathering.

I'm not sure what I'm going to be up to for the next couple days and I'm plenty tired from yesterday. I managed >10K steps and most of it was in the kitchen with a million trips down to the basement (AKA as my butler's pantry). I think I have my husband convinced to walk the rails-to-trails with me today even though it's overcast and chilly. It's not raining or freezing so yay! The only thing I HAVE to do today is either put my turkey in brine or put it in the sous vide thing. Other than that, I want to take it a little easy.

I hope your trip is being wonderful and can't wait to hear about it. One of the many things I'm grateful for is your friendship so, blessings on you, my friend! Until later.

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Greetings from San Francisco! Your finessing of the wine on account of a gingered palate is genius, one for the W30 record! Ill have to look at your cranberry recipe when time allows as it is really sounding good...so, you found some frozen cherries, then? I'm glad you had such a good time, and the program goes on - victory!!

I had a good Thanksgiving, too, and like you, no regrets. I got up a little earlier than planned and felt very tired but glad I did bc I needed a little extra time to navigate the unfamiliar train station in the dark. It was a very crowded train! So I sat in the bistro car and had a great train journey! Would do it again. I had a nice long talk with fellow passenger. Like you with morning meal plans going awry, I did not make time to make my turkey club wraps, so I was hungry on the train. Train fare options are not W30 as you can imagine so I exercised my food freedom with an egg sandwich with sausage and American cheese, a little over-microwaved, and tried to be thankful for it, with coffee and half and half, with no adverse reaction, which I am truly thankful for.

My connection (train to bussing across the bay) was smooth, and my checked bag was not lost, and it was a beautiful entry back to familiar, beloved cityscape! Aaahh.  My cousin and his 8 year old son picked me up and after hanging at their house for awhile we, all 5, went to Friendsgiving across town, very enjoyable table of 10 and kids table of 4. The hosts are gluten free! So the stuffing was gluten-free deliciousness and the pecan pie, too, had a very crunchy gluten free crust, delicious. So the meal itself was closer to compliant than I expected, and delicious. When we arrived around 330 I was very hungry but also pleasantly distracted by all the newness and company etc, but I enjoyed some beautiful fine cheese (Toto, we're back in civilization!!). I enjoyed some beautiful wine, a sampling of dessert, but I could have done way worse, and I did not over eat, so my respect is intact! A highlight came after dinner when the host heard me mention learning to enjoy rye. He is a connoisseur and gave a tasting and taught me a lot! So generous, and really fun. Then their huge black cat sat on my lap and purred until it was time to leave. 

I hope you find your balance of movement and rest today, and all your needed days off! I'm minding my water intake, and plan to do a lot of city walking today. More soon!

Love and gratitude to you as well, sweet one...I'll try to send pics

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It sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving, complete with a black cat! 

Day 9 arrived with Tiger Blood! Feeling great and much less puffy. Wish my sleep was a little better but I'm working on it. My movement yesterday was a little lacking but I was tired and was happy to do some quiet things. I had lots of grandiose ideas about what I wanted to accomplish with four days in a row off of work. Hahaha! I'm taking it in stride, though and enjoying the time as well as things I have gotten done rather than beating myself up for not getting all the things done. I stalled out on getting rid of stuff but I'm not quitting! I just won't finish within the 30 days but I'm going to get it done. Yesterday I parted ways with five (!!) binders full of recipes that I had amassed over the years and really never used. Now I have room for all of my notebooks that I use to document what I'm doing when I'm tweaking on recipes. 

So, I've discovered that shrubs (AKA drinking vinegar now-a-days) are typically made with a butt-load of sugar so I'm working on infused vinegars instead. I've been wanting to make fire cider but had a hard time finding fresh horseradish root. I finally found some and got it infusing yesterday. It will be ready in a month and I'll add some honey to it to ameliorate the vinegar & hot spices but I'll be finished with my W30 by then. For now, I macerated the cherries left from my cranberry sauce with some ACV and used it to flavor some soda water yesterday and I really liked it. My husband wanted to go out and watch feetsball so I ate ahead of time so I wouldn't be tempted by bar food and I brought my cherry concoction and it made me so happy to have something fun to drink! I researched some other infused beverages this morning and ordered a few ingredients so I'll have some festive drinks for our Christmas party. I'm doing a bare bones cook-up today and roasting part of that turkey for dinner so we'll have some leftovers. It's beautiful outside but I'll probably wind up in front of a football game (again <_<) but all is good. 

Yesterday was a day of rain and more rain but I finally got my husband to take that walk/hike with me on Friday and we had a really nice time. He, of course, was walking too fast and complaining that his hip was hurting at the same time but I sucked it up and kept up with him. I knew I could outlast him and he would slow down as he tired but he called it at 3 miles. It was fun and I'm hoping it will be an icebreaker so I can get him out more often.

I always try to give myself a present when I start & finish a W30 round so I got a pair of Correcttoes since they were on sale to celebrate starting. I think I'm going to make an appointment for some highlights in my hair to celebrate my finish. I've been wanting to try a technique called balayage but am always a chicken when it comes to doing something to my hair. I'm feeling like it looks a bit drab right now so I think that will perk it up a bit and camouflage some gray without being high-maintenance. New glasses, new hair and new habits to start the new year!

 

 

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Today I pay my penance for all the fun adventuring - I have been so. tired. all day! It was worth it, though...this will be a quick one to say hi, and congrats at DAY 12 is it? Woo hoo!!

Yay for treating yourself to the Correctoes and also, perhaps (go for it!!!)  the balayage. I've been thinking about getting balayage, too, one of these days, so  you'll have to give me a full report. That sounds fun, and you deserve it! Are you still feeling great? I'll bet you are, and moreso.

I got home last night around 8pm, and it was so good to see my husband and the kitties. It's subtle but I could tell the girls had grown in the 4 days. THEN, in the middle of the night I had both of them up in my neck, face, jaw and head, and like Squeaky with you, I got my face washed. And my earlobes. Then I got my little hoop earrings pulled at, and it all just tickled me in every way. I knew it was costing me dearly with sleep, but it was so fun and irresistible I indulged it for a while until Hubs protested, and that broke up the party. They are little terrors, I'll say, but now I can't imagine our lives without them. I can see they have bonded with both of us and it makes me really happy. Their personalities are so different, too, it is wonderful to get to know them and watch them grow. How is Squeaky?

I am back on program today, adlibbing, but compliant. Hubs is teasing me that I am made of coleslaw and I have no defense. Bison is thawing for chili tomorrow, and I think I'll make a batch of my "security blanket" chicken apple sliders, and I have lots of broccoli on hand...I'll shop on Wednesday, and who knows what else I'll come up with.

More soon!!

 

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Today is Day 11 so I'm over 1/3 of the way there and definitely feeling slimmer. My sleep hasn't been very good, though, and that's disappointing. My new glasses will have a blue light filter in them so I'm hoping that might help but I won't have them for at least another week. I had whisker tickling and face washing in the middle of the night, too. It doesn't help my sleep but I like knowing he's inside and safe. Did I mention that we got a set of steps for him to be able to get his arthritic rear end in bed? He was really struggling and clawing his way up. It took a couple of tries to find an acceptable set of steps but he uses them all the time now. He sits on my night table and waits for me to get in bed most nights. Crazy cat! That's great that they're bonding with you both. Maybelle never did totally settle down after her traumatic start in life and was always on high alert. It got better over the years but we were always sad that she never got out of panic mode; a heavy footstep was all it took to send her flying up the stairs to her safe place in the attic. So glad your girls are adjusting so well!

I've been having thoughts of chili, too! I like to use chuck roast for my chili and I'm not sure I have a big enough piece to make it a worthwhile endeavor so I need to inventory. I have turkey everywhere right now! Since I didn't need it for Thanksgiving Day, I waited until Sunday to deal with it. I roasted one breast and both thighs, froze one breast and experimented with sous vide on the legs and wings. The experiment was a raging success and now I have a bunch of deliciously juicy dark meat all for me! I roasted the carcass and put it plus all of the drippings from the roasting pan on a long simmer to make stock. My husband worked from home yesterday so it cooked all day and is so delicious I couldn't resist having a cupful when I got home. Squeaky gets his share, too. I pulled some of the little bits of meat out of the pot and minced it up with the gizzard, heart and skin so I'll be able to give him some of that for a few days. No waste here! 

I've been a bit tired and not moving as much as I would like so I need to work on that. Still. Follow-up doctor appointment today - am I going to look at the scale? Probably ^_^

 

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The middle of the night WTFW has a sort of narcotic effect on me, and because it interrupts sleep, it is a dangerous narcotic LOL. Thanks for giving it a name - oh, you are like your dad, with good naming! I'll be interested to learn if the blue filter in the new glasses has a noticeable impact. If you're pulling out all the stops of, say, the known dos and don'ts of good sleep, what is on your radar, if anything, that you can do differently? Oh, so Squeaky's steps are working? I remember when you vetoed the unacceptable old foot stool from the garage and ordered the new one. So sweet that he is using it and also waits for you on the nightstand. Gush. Fiver just sprung off my lap like a mountain lion off a boulder...just a few short weeks ago they would have been too small for any such athletic feats. We think they have doubled in size from 8 weeks to (almost) 12. 

Your Turkey Times sound so good! I hope to create some abundance around here very soon with some intermittent mini-cook-ups. I thought I would come home early today to make chili, but it was a busy one at work, and I couldn't tear myself away, so tomorrow it will have to be. I too had a follow-up doctor visit today, and I will share, but you first.

I did a TON of hiking on my trip - on hiking trails north of SF, and also city hiking on my own - enough that my calves were sore and my knees a little tight from all the stair climbing. One of the charming features of SF for a walking person, is that there are hidden staircases to get over really steep neighborhoods, and I trekked one of my favorite ones. On my free day just for myself, I did everything I set out to do. I walked a ton, on an empty stomach, and got a Chinese massage (just okay but still I'm glad I did it), walked a bunch more, had a good meal (don't ask, a real pleasure meal...ok but don't tell anyone, fettucini carbonara and a big ass salad that held me ALL DAY LOL...) walked more, raining all the way, and caught Jo Jo Rabbit (loved it!!!) (NO treats, no nothing) and then walked some more, and made a pilgrimage to my favorite cafe in the Italian neighborhood that is BEAT holy land where Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg, Gary Snyder and the like all met up. All my heroes. I had a cappuccino and wrote in my journal, and chatted a little bit with the students next to me. Then I finished with a little shopping spree in Chinatown, and walked home, nicely tired. So hiking-wise, I finished week 2 of my training in good form....and now tomorrow is Wednesday and I am due to GET BACK on the stick!!!! It may or may not be raining...but I can feel myself needing to get back to it, so you are my witness...this week will not be lost.

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All of your walking/hiking SF sounds amazing! It's so great that you got to revisit favorite places. Like NY, even thinking about going to SF is overwhelming to me. There's so much to see and do, where do you even start? Like the fettucini alfredo I made a couple of months ago, it was delicious and worth it and not-to-be-repeated anytime soon! But sooo delicious;)

Dr. visit was good. I DID look at the scale but it was in kilos so I was safe right up until the nurse did the math and blurted it out! I've lost 5 lbs so that was good to know even though I was guessing it was about that just from how I felt. My blood pressure has been borderline for ages; it went down some then they lowered the threshold and I'm borderline again (at home I'm under the cut-off but in the office I'm just above). She was good with continuing lifestyle mods and suggested I see either an allergist or ENT about my nighttime congestion. I opted for allergist first so that ball is rolling now. Sleep quality is my biggest issue so I hope we can make some kind of progress. I was so tired last night and wonderfully, snuggly sleepy when I went to bed until my husband came home, came straight to bed and couldn't sleep. When he can't sleep, nobody sleeps :( I think I would have had a really good night sleep if he hadn't kept me awake for over an hour.:angry:

Next week is going to be a bit of a challenge. My husband's birthday is Tuesday and we're going to see a tribute show for Tony Joe White that should be amazing judging from the musicians that are participating but the venue has terrible food even if I'm not W30-ing. There's BBQ place nearby that we like so I asked them about sugar, soy, etc and found out their brisket is compliant but, other than that, plain baked potato is the only other thing I can eat and that doesn't excite me a whole lot. The next night we're going to the Country Music Hall of Fame to see the First Ladies of Bluegrass (musicians that we're really familiar with that were the first women to win artist of the year for their particular instruments- banjo, bass, guitar, fiddle, mandolin). At least that show has reserved seating so we don't have to be there when the doors open to get good seats like we do at the other venue. I need to make a plan and I'm drawing a blank but, hopefully, I'll come up with something that is celebratory but I can also make compliant. 

I did some good stretching and strength this morning but I'm really struggling to move more during the day. It's a work in progress!

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On the subject of sleep, i've been thinking that it's hard enough to share the bed with my husband and both of us sleep well, let alone add a couple of kittens to the mix...we delighted in their company last night for a while, then surrendered, and had to lock them out. We were both sad to do it, but we will try to find time for snuggles with them and are not willing to let it bug our sleep! Wah. Meanwhile, I sympathize with you when you say, 

12 hours ago, hollysmokes said:

When he can't sleep, nobody sleeps :(

We're pretty good about going to our separate beds when it's really bad, and since we upgraded to a King size bed it is better, and we have more nights together. FOr my part, since I realized that eggs are the issue and not coffee, I've been back "on" with it, and enjoying it, but I have to be careful to stop before noon in order to avoid compensating later with a sleep aid...I just know better...and yet, if coffee is my only vice, I tend to indulge...

Hey, congrats on that weight loss! Yay! You are on a path of discovery with that congestion...I know you'll keep me posted on what you learn! Today is your lucky day - LUCKY 13! I keep meaning to peek in on your log to learn more and will do that soon...

Tomorrow I'm hosting a breakfast meeting with a good friend, and I'm making turkey apple sausage patties, Nom Nom's warm brussels sprout slaw with citrus Asian dressing which I love but haven't made in a long time, and maybe sweet potato mash if I have time, and for my friend, some toasted olive bread, which I turned her onto, and that she loves...I will abstain from the bread. I guess I'm jonesing to make a late, Thanksgiving-ish meal, since I didn't do any of that this year!  I also picked up some simple biscotti, and some organic raspberries and dark chocolate for a treat, and look forward to having her over. She just lost a best friend to cancer, and unfortunately this friend also just got a cancer diagnosis: breast cancer on both sides. :blink: I am challenged, and humbled because my experience with this kind of illness is 99% with strangers with whom I can pretty easily go to a universal place, and hold space for them, and be present, unwavered. It is SO MUCH harder with a loved one, and I am feeling all of my attachments and worries and fear, grief, etc...so I am psyching myself to just be present, and keep my mouth shut and let her do the talking because the first time I saw her since I got her news (this will be the second time) I noticed I turned into motormouth...it was weird, I observed it, and it was like I couldn't control it. So tomorrow I will SHUT UP. We'll see how that goes. Just love her so.

I had a great morning, doing the things that most people do on the weekends, stripping the bed, laundry, housework, cooking, and of course playing with the cats. And drinking lots of coffee. The chili is delicious with sweet potatoes, black beans, and for fun some garbanzos which looks weird but tastes good. I love the bright flavor and color of the kashmiri chili powder and I got it just right for my mild palate'd husband - it's not TOO hot. That makes him cranky when it's too hot. The patties will be a triple batch, so that should hold me for awhile...we also have shrimp patties on the horizon soon, and some pollock burgers.

Oh, my follow up was to go over labs as my LDL cholesterol is high for the first time, but also pretty much cancelled out by good cholesterol. My thyroid is also a little high, and so we will do labs again in three months to see if it is steadily going higher. I read that raw cruciferous vegetables can spike TSH, do you know anything about that? While we're at it, we will also be looking for food allergies. The high TSH had me a little worried, but I don't have any symptoms except that it's hard to lose weight, even when I'm really, really trying...of course my efforts there just began in earnest two or three weeks ago so I'll just monitor. I do feel really motivated right now, training for our big hike, and also to see if I can get my LDL down, even though it's not concerning. Having labs on the horizon in three months is also something to shoot for, in the shorter term than the August hike...and that will bring me to about the Vernal Equinox or a little sooner, so I'm going to make that work for me. So far so good! I'm feeling less puffy, and less inflamed, but it's too soon for clothes to fit better - I hope to be there soon.

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I've read that about cruciferous vegetables as well but have never followed up on it. A quick look brought up this: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/cruciferous-vegetables#iodine-thyroid-function which has a nice explanation and I also saw an Mayo article that said it would take very high consumption for it to be a problem but they didn't define "high consumption". I should have questioned her more but I found it curious that my eye doctor asked me if I ate a lot of kale. I told her that I eat green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables at least once a day and almost always more than that. She said she could tell by the health of my eyes; they were very clear. I hate to generalize, but as a laboratory professional, many physicians are sorely lacking the knowledge to order and interpret labs. They aren't taught it in medical school and have to just pick it up along the way- hardly a good approach. Thyroid function testing is one of those areas that if often not done properly. It's probably more information than you want, but take a look at "Stop The Thyroid Madness" if you want more information about it. There are other tests that should be ordered along with a TSH for it to truly be a useful diagnostic tool.

Your "weekend" is where you find it! I rotated through working weekends (usually every other, or every 3rd) for most of my career and, even though I missed out on some events, it was usually nice to have the time off during the week to get things done because you avoid the crowds.

You're breakfast sounds lovely. I get the motormouth thing. For me, it's filling a void and trying to do "something" to help. When my dad was dying I channeled it into cooking for everybody and cleaning the kitchen. There wasn't anything I could do for him at that stage so I filled the void by doing for the people I love that were there. Aside from my dad, and his disease progressed so quickly (and from afar), I also have had no experience with terminal illnesses in people that are close to me. It can be hard enough to face the consequences of it at work and I don't even know the patients who have so generously consented to allow me to preserve their cells for research "for the good of mankind".

 

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Good morning @LadyLisbette! Are you familiar with Sara Ballantyne? She must've been reading our thread; I had this article in my email this morning: https://www.thepaleomom.com/goitrogens-cruciferous-vegetables-thyroid-disease/. I find her research to be impartial, thorough and like that she includes a bibliography so you can read her reference material for yourself if you want to.

I'm on the downhill side of my W30 now: Day 16! Unfortunately, I managed to hurt myself last night WATCHING A MOVIE! I did something to my foot, I guess, as a result of the funky way I was sitting on the sofa. I got up to go to bed and almost couldn't walk. It hurt A LOT so I got out of bed around midnight so I wouldn't keep my husband awake and took some ibuprofen, iced and elevated it and slathered it with an anti-inflammatory gel I had in the medicine cabinet. It's swollen but better this morning. I was going to go to an urgent care but decided that since it was better, I'd keep doing what I was doing and go see ortho tomorrow if I need to. I was so proud of myself for getting my 10K steps in yesterday even though all I wanted to do was take a nap (and I never nap- I'm terrible at it). I walked our driveway and up around the house to make a little loop and played with the medicine ball on each lap. Then...drumroll, please...I took a nice long tub soak with some amazing bath salts, guitar music, a glass of elderberry kombucha and the fourth Earthsea book- heaven. Squeaky got comfy on the bathmat next to me and kept me company the whole time, too. Then I hurt myself siting on the sofa. Doh!

I had the privilege of not leaving the house yesterday and that was great! I puttered around and did a little of this and that. We had picked up some produce and chicken pieces parts on the way home Friday so I'm set for a small cook-up today after we go watch the Saint's game. I spent a big hunk of yesterday morning trying to come up with an appetizer and a couple of vegetable side dishes for our Christmas party. Our hostess sent out a list of what people were bringing and, except for the prime rib, I can't eat ANY OF ITI!!! :( I don't want to duplicate what someone else is bringing (green salad, sweet potatoes) and I want something appropriately festive. This is the first time I've had a major holiday event during a W30 and it's being more difficult that I thought. I had a major pout-fest and seriously questioned why I was doing this when I saw the menu but I got over it after a couple of hours and decided to view it as a challenge to get creative. Now create, damnit!!

Time to get moving, or hobbling, as the case may be. Plan, plan, plan so I'm eating before we go to watch the ball game. Have a marvelous day!

 

 

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Your poor foot! That's such a bummer! Please still be proud of yourself for all the awesome movement you got in. I am proud of you. And that pampered evening is so awesome - I love it! I used to love reading in the bathtub with a candle on each back corner of the tub...and don't tell anyone but it USED to be the only time I allowed myself to enjoy a bit of marijuana. That was enjoyable. Until one time I got so into my book (Cannery Row, I recall), wearing pigtails on each side, I leaned over, and singed my hair, reacted, and promptly singed the other side. I had to cut my hair, and boy did I feel stupid! In the 13 years that have passed, I can count on one hand the number of times I have smoked since then (vaping is out of the question...plus I'm just not into it, high enough at my normal). Now that I have a clawfoot tub I have been noodling on how to rig up a good reading light, and you are inspiring me! The whole scene gives me a huge smile, the LeGuin, the salt soak, the kombucha, the kitty by your side. Aaaahhh. And now you know what not to do with your feet...I feel your psychological anguish, and keep visualizing all the tiny bones and connective tissue in the feet. Heal, heal, heal, and patience, friend, it will get better! 

I can't wait to read the Ballantyne article you sent - no, I am not familiar with her. I am procrastinating going to work to clean the store, but I will read it soon, and I thank you for the other material you pointed me towards on the subject of thyroid and labs. I haven't looked into a local-ish functional medicine practitioner yet, but I would like to do that in order to have greater trust in the way the labs are looked at.

Lunch with my friend was lovely. I host so infrequently that I made a newbie mistake of taking on too much cooking before she came over....I used turkey instead of chicken for my beloved apple sausages and they were too lean and not enough apple, and I was disappointed...but we had a good time, and I curbed my motormouth, but still managed to find neurotic self-criticism...she is still gathering information from doctors before she decides on treatment/s. So I will have plenty of practice in holding space, and also in being compassionate with myself, I suppose. As for the breakfast itself, remind me not to bring home biscotti anymore...we just finished them this morning, and they are not something that should be in my reach.

Happy Day 16!!! = ) About your Christmas Party, I see your challenge. Would it be such a faux pas to bring an extra dish of a certain category, so that you have something to eat besides the prime rib?  When is the party? Is this separate from the occasion with your Hoedown friends? I'm laughing at myself because I'm thinking "coleslaw!" LOL...not very Christmas-y, I know....

Hubs just found a 2 for 1 deal on a lightweight hammock that weighs 16 oz and compact as a coffee cup. We got two for backpacking! It's never a safe bet to avoid rain in the mountains, but will be fun to take on trips when we can be sure of clear skies, and maybe even here at home in the yard on nice nights.  I've been excited to tell you my great flash of inspiration last night, as I was lounging on the sofa researching a big hoop that I can use to make that Xmas-light peace sign. It dawned on me that I always wanted a weighted hula hoop. Years ago at a small, outdoor concert venue, friends of my brother, who are/were also burlesque dancers (!) brought some weighted hoops, and shared, and I had SO much fun!!! Why have I not thought of this before? So I did 30 minutes of fun research, and ordered myself a 3 lb. 38" blue hula hoop! It was $5 cheaper to order it from the mom-n-pop shop who makes them compared to Amazon, plus 15% off - score! So, 2020 will be the year of the backpack and the hula hoop!!!!! Yay!!! Afterwards I entertained myself watching hula hoop dancing on YouTube, until I nearly fried my brain with anticipation. Like you, we watched a movie, too...The Irishman. That's another story....Hubs has his spin cycle for indoor exercise, and the hoop might be exactly what I need, plus it will be joyful...things are looking up.

Enjoy your ball game, and your planning/dreaming/scheming...I'm off now with my vacuum, and though I hate to leave the house on Sunday, I will get the store the way I want it, and get organized which will make for a better week.

Cheers, Holly! xo

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I ALWAYS make the mistake of trying to do too much, even when I say I'm going to keep it simple. I never learn but I keep trying! I already know that's what I'm going to do for the Christmas party (yep, Hoedown friends). The "guidelines" for the party are to bring something festive that you aren't going to get to eat for your holiday dinner but will miss or something new that you would like to try out before serving it for Christmas or whatever strikes your fancy so it's pretty wide open. I'm limiting myself to not duplicating someone else's offering because I don't want to appear judgy; I just want to have some things that I can eat and fly under the radar at the same time. Since sweet potatoes are already on the menu, I was thinking of doing something with regular potatoes but I'm having a hard time finding anything without dairy. I have a really good au gratin recipe and I might make that using good chicken stock and herbs instead of cream ( maybe topped w bacon crumbles?) or I might try hasselback potato and brush them with herb-infused duck/bacon fat. There is a humongous 1930's restored oven that is the coolest oven ever that we'll be able to use. Her name is Stella.:) I'm also thinking about stuffing 'shrooms with spinach/artichoke dip using cauli mash as the base instead of dairy and I'd like to bring a green vegetable, too since we don't have one yet. I might make the creamed kale (coconut milk version) that I brought for Thanksgiving even though there will be a lot of the same people there. I already have the kale cleaned, cooked and chopped because my husband wanted to bring it for his potluck lunch at work but now he's skipping it. As I type all of this, I realize that I have a plan! Or at least most of one. Cool.

I love my hula hoop but it's not weighted; that sounds like even more fun. I'm not very good at it but it's still fun. We have a friend that is really, really good and it's amazing to watch her. I saw mine leaning against the wall a couple of days ago and thought about how perfect it would be for incorporating more movement. I think I could do it even with my sore foot, which is better but I'm trying to be careful. It seems like there's still something funky going on it there but at least I can walk and am not in excruciating pain any more.

I managed to get a fair amount done, cookup-wise but need to get lunches for Wednesday and Thursday ready to go since we'll have late nights tomorrow and Wednesday nights. I grabbed the Costco-sized pack of chicken thighs because I was running low so if I get those baked off tonight, that will take care of those lunches. I think I'm going to use my mom's standard seasoning for them: s&p, lots of garlic powder and butter (ghee this time). I even made more ghee last night so we could have buffalo wings for dinner. Pork chops for dinner tonight, steaks tomorrow for my husband's birthday, eating out on Wednesday and chuck roast for the rest of the week, assuming we survive TWO nights out in a row!:lol:

Dentist appointment this afternoon then tomorrow we finally get to drop off the car to get the deer damage repaired. We weren't going to get a rental but it's going to take 7-10 days for the repairs so we're getting some little front wheel drive something that can deal with the possible snow/ice we're going to get. Busy, busy...

Cheers to you as well!

 

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Yikes, I know it's too busy when I don't have time to post on our thread! Whew! It's been a very productive week. How's your rental? Sometimes it can be fun to drive a rental, hopefully it's safe in the snow!

My friend has to get a double mastectomy. Wah. And another friend is in her fourth year of breast cancer treatments, and starting a new round of chemo...tarting next week I'll take her to her weekly chemo appointments on my errand day, which, next week is also my mammogram day (our friend who used to take her died a few months ago, and she is hoping the widower will give her his late wife's wigs as she expects to lose her hair, and she is handling it all with humor and style, what a woman!!!!), and we'll get to hang out...she is a love, and I adore her, so this will be good...and also challenging, but I feel good about it. Sigh.

I'e been mostly compliant, and feeling good. Getting the vitamins and supplements back onboard is showing me that the joint supplements do help, as my knees are feeling better. The coleslaw beat goes on, but I'm ready to switch it up, so good thing I'm going shopping today. For someone who doesn't really celebrate Christmas I feel the Christmas crunch. We'll do a staff party a week from today that includes retired staff, a party of 8, and I do gift baskets for most of them, and small gifts for the others, and we have secret Santa in the works, so today is really my last day to shop except for next week when I get my mammogram while my friend is in chemo. So, I'm feeling a little pressure. "To save time, slow down" I can hear my teacher say.

Also, our Muslim friends are coming to visit 12/21-24, staying in a nearby hotel. I think we'll do appetizers here at home, and mostly dine out with them as they will be focused on getting up to see the big trees, and I might accompany them one day, but I am preparing plates of things that will be easy to do ahead, and I'm trying to stay calm. I'd love to put on a dinner for them, but I don't think I can handle it on top of our work hours, and all the Christmas stuff. Eek!

I know the party is on the horizon, and then anniversary, how are your plans shaping up? How's your foot?

The moral of the story of kittens at 3+ months = TROUBLE. Ha ha.

Off again now...hugs and solidarity!!!

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18 hours ago, LadyLisbette said:

The moral of the story of kittens at 3+ months = TROUBLE.

That's their job! Squeaky has become re-fascinated with toilet paper and last night he totally showed it who was boss! :o

Whew, everything you have going on makes me tired just thinking about it! Good for you deciding that having your friends over for dinner is too much; it's hard to draw that line sometimes (or most of the time, for me). I haven't been as productive this week as I would have liked but I've hung in there with my husband's birthday and back-to-back nights out to see music. Both shows were terrific and were even more special because one was a one-time event and the other was a rare event; the last time the First Ladies of Bluegrass played together was in Telluride in July so it was pretty cool. Trying to do all of that in the middle of the week was a challenge but, even my husband commented on it, we had a plan and carried it out. I even ate out! I contacted the restaurant and found out they cook EVERYTHING in soybean oil plus all of their meats (it's a BBQ place known for whole hog) have sugar in the rub except for their brisket-yay!- and they have a baked potato that I can have if I get them to leave everything off except for the green onions. I brought some ghee and bacon and all was good! The only meal I haven't had to cook myself- what a treat.

The party is looming and I'm bracing for a good bit of push-back because I'm not participating in the wine tasting. Once everybody gets over it, it'll be fine and the most important part is that I'm fine with it. I'm not a big fan of LaCroix sparkling waters but I ordered a case that has one of every flavor so I can experiment with them. When we went to the biodynamic conference, an herbalist gave a talk about fire cider and other drinking vinegars then she mixed them with LaCroix for everyone to taste. It was so good and I have two different vinegars infusing that will be ready for the party. My husband changed his mind about participating in the potluck at work so my ready-to-go kale is gone but I remember seeing some organic frozen kale at the grocery so I might just use that. 

My foot is much better; thanks for asking. I'm feeling really good, too, in spite of being a little sleep deprived. I'm definitely feeling slimmer and my clothes are fitting better. I'm thinking that I'll probably stay pretty strict W30 even after my 30 days are over. So far, my plan is to allow some added sugar and crappy oil so I can eat out occasionally but stay compliant in all other aspects. 

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Breathe! And have fun!

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Happy Birthday to your husband, and glad you have a good time, and thrived with those mid-week/later at night festivities - sounds fun! Live music is so good for the soul, and I admire that you are able to get out and do those things on school nights once in a while. Also, I am behind you all the way with whatever/however you present yourself as not-wine-tasting at the party. Can you take some deep inhales of the wine without being too tempted? I love to smell good wine...and also coffee, even if I'm not drinking it (I certainly am these days) without too much temptation. What is the last day of your W30? I think you started on 11.23, does that bring you to 12/21? When is the Hoedown gathering? And your anniversary is New Years Eve as I recall? What a season - you are rocking it, and kept it up on eating out during the holidays, WOO HOO! Your W30 has inspired me and helped me to stay on my bike this month, too.

Did you have your appt yet with the allergist? Glad your foot is feeling better. I am not hiking lately, but stretching most days of the week a little. That's something, and since my nutrition is pretty sound I'm cutting myself some slack. I'm taking organic whole milk in my coffee, and occasional lemonade in my iced tea, and not-ideal oils in occasional things like the salmon patties I had for breakfast today...but other than that, pretty compliant, and it's been ages since I binged on sugar, so my bike is pretty much on the path, and my self esteem is intact, and after the holidays, i will take it up a notch with my training program.

You have a hula hoop! Waaahhh! Mine arrived yesterday, and it is "resting" on the table for 24 hours before I can use it. I've been listening to fun music in my car (I usually keep it silent to meditate on the drive/rules of the road...it helps me center myself) to psych up for working out/dancing with the hoop. I think the cats will freak out when they see it. 

I'm taking that check-list to heart, especially don't over commit, and schedule solo time! It occured to me that I could make a spaghetti feast mostly ahead of time for our friends, and then the only time commitment would be preparing the house...we'll see....time to plan and commit.

Happy Day (?) 21!!!!!

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Happy Friday the 13th, btw! Yes, Day 21 woohoo. The party is next Saturday and Sunday is Day 30 but that's OK. I really feel like I'm on a roll and it's just one more thing I need to learn how to navigate. My husband tends to want to tell people (in his own interpretation) what I'm doing and I have to remind him that it's nobody's business but mine. People get pushy or defensive or supportive so I tend to tailor my response to questions depending on my audience but greatly prefer to fly under the radar.

:lol: One of the fastest ways to clear cats out of a room is with a hula hoop!! If I touched mine, Maybelle was gone. Of course if I laid down on the floor she was gone, too, unlike Bossman that has to "help" me stretch but he isn't a hula hoop fan either. 

Since I haven't met any of my deductible this year, I put off the allergist until Jan 2. It seemed silly to pay that out of pocket expense at the tail end of the year so I put it off for a week. Have fun with your mammo! I got mine last week. I didn't plan it this way but I've gotten health maintenance stuff, eye doctor and dentist all done in the last couple of weeks. 

I made a double batch of meatloaf muffins last night and am now officially really low on meat and vegetables so the farmers market is definitely on my agenda for tomorrow but, other than that, I hope to not leave the house. I want to get a couple of quick ferments going and I need to bake those chicken thighs since my stash of those is depleted, too. And read! I have a pile of books and I want some quiet time to spend with them. I'm almost finished the 4th Earthsea book and I have a couple of new Wendell Berry fictions that I'm itching to get into. 

I know you'll be working but have a great weekend anyway!

Oh! and, yes, our 20th anniversary is NYE/NYD. Legally it's on NYD but we celebrate NYE, too because we got married at midnight when the year turned 2000.

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Happy Day 22! 22 was my mother's favorite number. I keep looking at 2020 and thinking those are very lucky numbers. It has to be a good year!

Here's to flying under the radar, and making your own decisions about whom to confide in...boy, I get that. It's personal. And even among close friends, it's your call, and your sense of timing, too. So hold your ground, siser.

Ha ha, I was in an upside down yoga pose this morning, and the cats came to help. Last night I was able to take the hoop for its first spin, and it wasn't pretty because a) I was wearing not appropriately tight fitting clothing, and b) I need practice! To my surprise the kittens got up close, very curious. I think the first time they get bonked by a falling hoop that might change, but curiosity is prevailing. I'm pretty tanked up on iced tea. Got home at 4-ish, and just finished working at home at my desk on odd back-burner things. But it's time for Saturday night to begin! I'm going to put on some tight-ish yoga type clothes, pour myself a small rum and diet ginger ale and get the hoop out. Big happy smile!

I picked up a 4 lb bag of chicken thighs and thought of you! I'll thaw them out over-night and make something tomorrow!

How romantic to get married at midnight on NYE, at the turn of a new millenium...I love it! And it's your 20th anniversary! There's that number again...a good omen...20 years going into 2020. Did it go fast? Our 7 years have gone fast....

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13 is my favorite number. When I was little, my grandparents lived overseas and my grandmother brought be a charm bracelet from Thailand. One of the charms was a little key with a tiny tag that had the number thirteen on it. She said it was the key to happiness and that was my lucky number. So it is!

Holy cow it has gone by in the blink of an eye but it also seems like it's been my whole life and everything else before that is so distant. My husband's niece is getting married on 2/20/2020 so we are going to LA for the celebration. It's right outside of New Orleans so we should escape most of the Mardi Gras madness- yep, that's Mardi Gras weekend but it's also our 25th anniversary together so it will be special. It's a big year for us; we both have significant birthdays this year, too.

Right now I have my eye on the prize: a FIVE-day weekend next weekend! Cannot wait! So far, I don't have plans other than the party Saturday night and I don't have a to-do list either but I'm sure that will change. Yesterday I tried to get all grocery shopping done to carry me through Christmas even though I'm sure I've forgotten a thing or two. It took TWO trips to the farmer's market because I was so busy thinking about holiday stuff, I forgot to buy eggs, of all things! I struck up a great conversation with one of the vendors and his wife as I was buying their beautiful daikon radishes and Napa cabbage to make kimchi so that was really fun- now I just have to make it. I managed to get the two ferments started that I wanted to work on and that pretty much kicked my butt for the day! I now have a gallon jar of purple and white daikons fermenting so they should turn a beautiful color and I got a gallon jar of saueruben (spiralized turnips) started that my husband said looked like a bowl full of albino worms- thanks, honey!

I have some ground turkey, leftover pieces of turnip and the last of my gigantic kohlrabi to make my breakfast hash (or casserole- I haven't decided yet) for the week and I picked up a pound of ground lamb to make gyro burgers for lunches. I'd like to take it easy and get some reading time today so I'll see how that goes.

Yoga with kitties and happy hooping!

 

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That's a great story of the number 13...it's amazing how superstitious people can be. I, of course, am not immune and I have my small superstitions, but 13 is not one of them. Lucky it is!  I love your grandmother for that sweet gift! 

Awesome to have so much to celebrate this year! What is it like for you to go back to New Orleans? Do you have a special place you like to stay? I wonder if it's a big of a pilgrimage for you, like me with San Francisco...

Our Saturday night was super fun, and it helped me to have a good Sunday, too. It feels like Sunday again because my husband is taking a stay-cation day. I should go in and help our staff because Monday is the busiest Rx day of the week, but I am putting finishing touches on our staff gift baskets, and the secret Santa, too, to get that behind me and to prepare to give the house a quick vacuuming tomorrow after the vet. The last thing will be mailing my brother and his family's gift...I still need a couple of things and then off they go. Oh, yeah, so amongst the reverie on Saturday night, listening to Christmas music, a bit of spirits, hula hooping...I finally got busy re-arranging the art as I have been wanting to - it's been driving me craaaaazy as you can imagine. Then on Sunday afternoon, when I needed a partner with the ladder and some high place, hubs reluctantly, but heroically helped me out, and I am FINALLY

I'm in a rut with not planning properly...I need to get my act together! No serious transgressions, just the sneaky little ones that inevitably lead me into the weeds. So, cooking tonight!

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Yeah, those sneaky little transgressions were the ones that had me heading further down that slippery slope than I wanted to go. One of Melissa's emails was a reply to someone that was discussing how good her diet was prior to W30 and how surprised she was at her scale and non-scale victories. Melissa gently suggested that perhaps she wasn't as complaint as she thought she was and had let the little things sneak in until, maybe, they weren't so little any more. I need to keep that thought in the front of my mind. I already warned my husband that, although I wan't extending my W30, I was probably just going to relax the added sugar/crappy oil rules but stay otherwise compliant. Last night he wanted to know if we could make ice cream for Christmas. :o Huh? Where did that come from?? 

It sounds like you had a jolly weekend! After all of my running around town Saturday, I had a quiet day at home yesterday and went to bed early. I got a couple of things cooked and did a few chores but had some downtime in between so I didn't work myself to a frazzle. My meals were a bit of a mess and totally not template even though they were compliant. I'm not going to sweat it but am back on template now and even did some stretching this morning to give my foot a test run- results were so-so. It feels ok as long as I don't flex it hard, like deep squatting on the balls of my feet=ouch! 

My husband has two events this week so I get two quiet, non-cooking evenings with the house to myself. I think it'll be the perfect lead-in to my long weekend :) I've slept better than usual the last couple of nights so I hope that trend continues. Leftover meatloaf muffins for dinner tonight so I'll get my gyro burgers made and that will take care of my lunches for the rest of the week. I made a small batch of hot dog chili Saturday and got some Applegate hots dogs so that was a nice change of pace with some kraut, jalapenos, Creole mustard and a side of slaw.

Today is actually my grandmother's birthday! She and my husband had a shared love of chocolate and they used to swap boxes of Godiva's for their birthdays since they were only a few days apart. I still get him some chocolate in memory of her so I'll do that on my way home today. Maybe I'll get him some kind of decadent chocolate ice cream. He'll probably eat it in one sitting so I won't even have a chance to be tempted!

Gotta fly!

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Countdown to your long weekend! That sounds great. Your cooking and ferments all sound colorfully good. Yummm. Gyro burgers...mmmm that is giving me ideas. 

I am taking to heart the conversation about being honest with oneself re compliance. Yep. That will be a good thing to go into the new year with...fine tuning, commitment to planning, and momentum with planning and also movement. When I signed up for W30 I used an old email address, and I should change it so I actually get and read those newsletters. Sounds like it would be a good re-enforcement for me. Customers are bringing the usual Christmas treats, and I am re-gifting everything to our staff who have kids and grandkids and are happy to have them. I will enjoy one treat at our party on Thursday, and that will be a small piece of the rum cake that we look forward to every year from a customer. The rest will go home with staff. That is what we do every year, but I haven't actually tasted it in 2 or 3 years. This time, I want some! I also have my eye on a compliant treat that Michelle Tam emailed today or yesterday - not sure if you are looking at those things. I'll tell you about it another time! (I know you don't do these Paleo treats either, but I'm thinking of food gifts...and it might need to wait until next year, we'll see)

Good that you will have some down time for yourself leading up to the long weekend - that sounds wonderful! Ah, time to be quiet at home.  I'm really enjoying home right now because (I accidentally sent my last post before it was finished, and then neglected to send my addendum - must slow down, Lizbette!!!) ...but we finally got the art hung properly, starting on Saturday night during our party-fest, and then on Sunday morning my husband helped me with the 6 foot ladder and some hard to reach places as he is taller than me...and lo and behold I actually have the place pretty much the way I want it now. Finally, yay!!! While we had the ladder out I also dusted and cleaned all the ceiling fans. Feels good here now. WHAT a difference. Appropriate at the more or less one year anniversary of our moving in.

Took the kitties to the vet this morning for their rabies booster, and they had blood drawn to test for feline leukemia and feline AIDS. They are high risk on account of being born to a feral mama. The vet was candid that if they test positive they wlll only live 3 years. Do you think that's true? Now I'm taking a page out of your book, catastrophizing. It was hard on them, they were hurting and very unhappy, and laid low when we got home. I've just come home to check on them and feed them and they are perked up to my great relief. I am very attached, and I can feel it. They were a litter of two. I wonder if the mama was not too robust, and did she have these diseases? Down the rabbit hole I go...I will wait and see and love them no matter how much time we have.

Happy birthday to your wise grandma, and your hubby, too!

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