Less Hustle More Coffee

The mornings have been foggy on the way to work. Tis that time of year. And are you ready for the mid-week update? lol.

Can you believe we have booked our Texas trip to go see Little Roo (and his Momma and Daddy of course). Flights are booked. We are still waiting to see if we can stay on the ranch. I hope we can since we are paying for flights and cars. If we have to pay hotel too it starts to get expensive and then we won’t get to out there as often. I think it was around $700 ish for us to both fly out both ways total. The car is going to be way more than that. But we can zip around where we want and need and be able to get to and from airport and ranch. Two hours from Dallas/Ft Worth. So not a cheap trip for not even a full week. But I just despise that 14 hour drive. We split it up but still. It’s the drive back that is the worst. I’m glad we are flying.

And much to my surprise we have scheduled ourselves for a trip to the mountains in East TN and West NC in December. We want to see Family in Maryville if they are home when we come through, and we want to go to Waynesville, NC and Asheville, NC. We have already turned in our PTO’s for the rest of the year and first of 2022 and they are approved. We have not booked hotels yet for East TN but we kinda know where we want to book. We will also be able to see family in East TN, we hope. As our dates our pinned in and penned in as well, lol – if they are busy that week we will have to visit an additional time as that is the week we have selected and are going. It’s also a Christmas shopping trip. We’ve not checked with anyone yet in East TN as this is a new trip that we brewed up – but these are busy crew so we’ll see. George and I will have fun whatever we do as we have a lot of places we want to go and few undiscovered yet as we like to explore. The fact that we have two trips in the works, excites my soul. Thank you, Lord!

Here’s a few things I took to work to help meet my goals. I have made a promise to myself for the next 55 days to have something green and have fruit. So this will help. I needed something a little more natural for my crunch/salt addiction thus the chic peas. While I had pretty much given up potato chips, I still allowed tortilla chips and veggie chips. During the 55 day challenge I’m attempting to cut back on that – unless we have a taco dinner. I’m pretty much eating whatever is fixed including cornbread for dinner but that is ok. Because for the most part I’m embracing the whole food approach – especially when eating on my own where there is more control. Since others are involved with dinner I just have to do the best I can. I’m not turning down corn bread. It’s in!

Mom said at the table she was taught to eat whatever was set in front of her that someone has cooked. However, I doubt she would follow her own advice if George set venison or lamb in front of her. lol. I just smiled and told her I had mixed feelings about her rule on that. If I don’t like something I’m not going to want to eat it. I shouldn’t have to. It’s my body and we GET TO DECIDE what to put in it. Who wants people to throw up if they are detested by something they don’t like? There is no point in feeling forced to eat anything. But there is no need to be ugly if you decide NOT to eat something-You don’t broadcast “yuk” through the household – you have to be discreet. Of course at our table George watches my plate like a hawk. He’s very sensitive to see if I eat it or not. I wish he wouldn’t do that. If I don’t eat something he will question me “was it not good?” or “Did you not like it?” or the one that makes me feel bad “I cook for you and you don’t eat it” and sometimes I have to explain myself when he says “WHY didn’t you like it?” and if he doesn’t like my answer he will give me a hard time about it. I get it that he doesn’t want to cook things people don’t eat so it’s ok from that standpoint if he’s trying to adjust. But aside from that, the last thing I need or want is a hard time over what I eat. I’m not five years old and I’m responsible for my own nutrition now. So I don’t want to be treated or made to feel like five.

All that said, I am trying to do better with the nutrition and I told him I was on this challenge and Mom too, at the risk of being sabotaged (not intentionally) so that they might be mindful of it but they are not on the challenge so I don’t want my eating better to “have to” rub off on them. And there are some things I’ve decided not to give up ever – pizza, burgers, hot dog, tacos, corn bread, and cheese. However, we are having them less and less often. Rare occasions.

Most of the week I’m eating better and making better choices and enjoying it. I’ve truly enjoyed the challenge. It’s only been a little bit of effort to try and hit the check marks.

So I had to give the Skinny Girl dressing away. It had something in it that was a sugar alternative that was not natural – aka artificial sweetener. I hadn’t realized it when I bought it. So I gave it to some one who gave me a yogurt flip to try – which was almost like a dessert – that key lime pie flip. It had 17g of sugar. Technically it was a dessert by definition of the sugar alone, but I tossed it off to being breakfast. But I can’t buy those at the store, that is for sure. Too much sugar. But I had Key Lime Pie for real that same night so that was the Dessert day I guess. I have a shower to go to this week and now I can only have two bites of a cup cake. Oh well. I’ve had my dessert already this week. I forgot about the shower.

When I was talking about being sabotaged. The plan actually suggested that you NOT tell people because if you mess up they give you a hard time of it, especially if they are not on a nutrition plan themselves. They want to rib you over it. “I thought you were on a challenge” ha ha ha and make you feel bad and point out your failures. One of my family members already did that – I think the night of the key lime pie. My answer was I’m not going for perfection, just improvement and I’ve allowed myself a dessert a week. Not that I really owe anyone an explanation. But the plan was right, it does make you feel bad. I thought it would be nice to tell people so they give you support, but honestly, I think they just like to test your will power and tempt you and give evil grins when you fall in the traps. lol. So yeah, maybe it’s best to just keep it to your self (and your blog buds, lol).

This works pretty good for a wrap. The taste is not perfect but it was fresh. That is my thing – trying to find a healthy wrap that is not like cardboard. This did the trick.

I count the BEA Mango as a fruit because of the fruit juices and vitamins it has in it. It’s enough to count! Love using my Southerland water container. I think it’s 25 oz or so. I pour from it to a clear plastic drink cup – the kind they use at wine parties. The cup or glass is important. It helps you drink more.

So the bagged salad is good to munch on all week along as you can make side salads or throw it on top of sandwich meat and make a wrap. I did put olive oil mayo on the wrap. I was ok with that for a little fat and flavor.

I also made a rice and bean salad with a bit of vinegar, honey, olive oil and spices. I have eaten from this the last two days as well. It’s been about two servings that would fit in the dish. Perfect for work!

And I’ve got to find more of this mineral water. I think it must have been at Aldi’s. Kroger and Publix doesn’t have it. It’s so good. Only slightly bubbly and not really many minerals to it but it has a taste I love and also am craving, believe it or not. It helps me get more water down. I only will allow about two of these a week b/c I mean the expense of having one every day is just a bit much. But I’d spring for a couple a week for my efforts.

I had more to blog about but it’s time for me to head to work. I’ll have to share more on Friday. But I am excited to get a few things done. I had an Rx problem to solve as there was a communication issue b/w doc office and pharmacy, so had to go pick up my BP meds Monday. George and I got the flights and car rentals done. I gave him some retirement figures for 401k George needed, ordered some Probiotics and B vitamins, and ordered a Christmas present already. I sought out Christmas wish lists from Cody and Katy. Also have to give some to my Aunt Martha for us that she asked about.

Need to find a bow for the bridal gift, call the police dept for that police report, try to figure out why my iPhone is slow slow and fix that, get mammograms scheduled for me and Mom, get a birthday card in the mail, and finish planning trips and book the hotels, then I can work on videos some. I’ll be working on them anyway for an hour in the morning.

But now it’s works turn to have a piece of me so I better get ready and down the road. What’s on your to do list today? Are you busier now that fall is here?