giving thanks

 The big day has come and gone… next on the horizon, bringing the villetta home for the winter. On one hand, it seems we just took the camper to Kirsten's but then again, so much has happened since that it seems like ages ago. Time is funny that way!

Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday was a great success - 23 people gathered around tables groaning with the weight of plates piled high with turkey and all the sides that go with it. Kirsten cooked a turkey ‘on the day’, while we brought what we cooked at home on Thursday so we had heaps of turkey (and some leftovers!). The stuffing balls were a hit. We had mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, other stuffing, Mom brought turnip casserole, Marion brought a broccoli salad, Mathias made cranberry sauce. And then there was a table full of desserts! Mom made a fantastic carrot cake and some brownies, while I made cranberry cake. She also brought a pumpkin pie. There was lots to choose from!

It was lovely meeting new people and wonderful that so many of us were able to gather. 

Last week Carm and I got a COVID booster and today we got jabbed for the flu so we should be good for our cruise which is just in 30 days! Yikes - time to start getting prepared for that!

Overall it's been a good week and there are signs that I'm starting to get some energy back. For two days in a row, I've gotten off the treadmill feeling as good as when I got on, so that's a big improvement! I even managed a few extra exercises this morning ;-)

It's about time! I need to get more active to start burning off the weight that I've gained in the last month! All that hard work over the summer is going to be for naught if I don't get control of my appetite again… I'm sure it's the change in light and weather but I'm starving almost all the time so it's been hard to keep eating healthy… and then there was the cranberry cake which I scarfed down…

I was so gun-ho over the summer with keeping to healthy eating but I've lost focus and determination - I need a mental reset! I need to re dedicate myself to health.

Awesome!

“gathering together” 

“23 people crammed around 18 feet of table”

“cosy on the camper”

headstart

 On Sunday I thought that I was bouncing back to my normal self… yesterday morning proved me wrong… I did the treadmill, but gosh, it was hard and I had to really push myself to get the whole hour done… there were a few times when I thought I'd have to get off to lie down, but by putting one foot in front of the other, I did it. 

Should I have done it? Perhaps not as I hit the wall pretty hard. I have a hard time doing things ‘in halves’ but I MUST get better at that! But I paid for it the rest of the day… I don't know how I managed, but somehow, with a herculean effort powered by tunes blasting on my headphones, I got the stuffing balls made for the weekend… two and a half large loaves of texas toast style bread, seasoning, butter, eggs, onion, celery, and homemade turkey stock came together with Carm's help to make just over 50 balls of Thanksgiving goodness. I've popped them into the freezer - they'll just need to be thawed and warmed in the oven ‘on the day’.

We are expecting 22 people so any headstart is a good one!

The rest of the week is just as busy, so I am PRAYING that yesterday was just a blip. 

But today is better! I managed the full 60 minutes on the treadmill (just over 5km) with a bit of extra energy, and then, again with Carm's help, made a double batch of Vegan Lentil ‘meatloaf’! The vegetarians will have something to eat on Thanksgiving! And I have an extra for the freezer here. As I was putting it together I realized that almost all the ingredients are on the list of foods that bolster our health defences :-) so I will be happy to have some handy for quick suppers :-)  (well, quick on the night of but gosh, I was cooking for over 2 ½ hours!).

later in the day after finding out the lentil loaf is too moist and won't hold together… blah… back into the oven for a bit… Do you ever have times when you'd like to just cease to exist? Not suicidal thoughts, more, if I closed my eyes and checked out it would be a relief… I felt overwhelmed and not up to the task, I could have crawled into bed with the covers over my head, but somehow even that wasn't good enough as I knew my ‘to do’ list would still haunt/taunt me and it's my mind that I wanted to get away from, not my body.

 this too shall pass…

Awesome!

“stuffing balls done”

“a bit of sunshine after a day of grey”

“Carm helping out”

“lentil loaf done”

“full rainbow”

bread balls

 OMG… I don't know how I managed, but somehow, with a herculean effort powered by tunes blasting on my headphones, I got the stuffing balls made for next weekend… two and a half large loaves of texas toast style bread, seasoning, butter, eggs, onion, celery, and homemade turkey stock came together with Carm's help to make just over 50 balls of Thanksgiving goodness. I've popped them into the freezer - they'll just need to be thawed and warmed in the oven ‘on the day’.

I thought yesterday that I was bouncing back to my normal self… this morning I did the treadmill, but gosh, it was hard and I had to really push myself to get the whole hour done… there were a few times when I thought I'd have to get off to lie down, but by putting one foot in front of the other, I did it. 

The rest of the week is just as busy, so I am PRAYING that today is just a blip. 

Awesome!

“stuffing balls done”

“a bit of sunshine after a day of grey”

“Carm 

helping out”