back on track
November 06, 2017

I decided over the weekend that I've been just a wee bit out of control, and vowed to start on Monday with a fresh outlook and get back to my good habits routine. 20 minute walks morning and noon, no snacking, no sweets, and weighing in regularly to keep me motivated.

It's necessary, for several reasons: because it helps with my mood, because it helps with my energy levels, and BECAUSE I'M GETTING FATTER AGAIN.

Well...that last part isn't strictly true--I weighed myself this morning and--inexplicably--I am holding steady at 281. But that can't last indefinitely, and I need to get back in the saddle before it becomes an issue.

And that said, I did enjoy my weekend to the fullest, baking (and eating) chocolate chip cookies, having candy, eating out (had absolutely fantastic Sauerbraten, red cabbage, potato dumplings, and root vegetable puree at Michael's on the Lake in Kansasville), and going three whole days without taking a walk.

And planning the holiday baking. I've been working on my lists, deciding which old favorites I'm making this year, and coming up with the new additions I want to try. I asked Spouse what his special request was for this year, and he didn't have anything new, but he did request a repeat of the almond crescents I did a couple of years ago, so I'll do those again. And I found some dried cranberry-blueberry-cherry blend at Aldi, which I'm thinking of using in a cookie with oatmeal and white chocolate chips-- probably those will be the "special--for Cuzz only" cookies for this year. Other than those, the ony other new things will be the newly perfected sugar cookie recipe, and I'm considering a sweet potato-maple quick bread that looks really tempting. I might swap that out for the date-nut bread, if I'm feeling the crunch.

I made more additions to the stockpile this weekend; we went to F&F on Saturday and I picked up my pecans for the fruitcakes, ground almonds for the almond crescents, and virginia peanuts for the nut clusters. They always have a good supply of baking nuts and at great prices. The peanuts were $1.99/lb, so I got three bags; I may make peanut brittle in addition to the clusters. Spouse scored a pound of cashews for munching, as well.

Aldi is going to be a big help, I think. They have good quality chocolate chips, baking chocolate, nuts, sweetened condensed milk, and almond bark. And great prices. Takes some of the cost burden off of my annual baking and candy-making binge.

On the topic of expenses: One fact we are finally facing is this--Spouse desperately needs a new bed. His old one is almost 14 years old, was cheap to begin with, and is just shot to hell. He needs it new from the ground up, and I think I've manages to get him to change over to just a frame & headboard, instead of a complete bedstead.

We popped into Bob's furniture on Sunday to see what they had, and Spouse found a setup he really likes. He had some sticker shock when he realized it is going to be about a grand for even a mid-price bed, but I reminded him that he really needs to invest in his own health and well- being, and that's what good-quality beds are going for these days. He flirted with getting the whole bed, because it has under-bed storage, but I reminded him of why he wanted to get away from that kind of set up (Heavy, cumbersome, hard to make, hard to get in and out of, takes up so much room in a tiny bedroom).

There are a few other places we want to check before he makes a final decision, so we will keep looking. But I really want him to get something good, and soon.