My Psych Appointment (and a micro project)

One of the the things this year that has been the hardest for me to get used to is the virtual doctors' appointments--"telehealth". Chatting with the doctor via a computer screen instead of face-to-face just feels so impersonal and I feel uncomfortable with it.

Today, I had an appointment with my psychiatrist--via video chat--and it was definitely not ideal. My kids are home because the school is still closed and Jerry was sleeping (after working all night); I didn't want to have a conversation with my psychiatrist where my kids could hear nor did I want to talk loudly enough to wake Jerry. So, I went out to the garage with my computer to do my appointment out there.

It was freezing!! The heater that we installed just isn't big or strong enough to heat the garage, which really sucks. I've used a propane heater a few times--turning it on for about 10 minutes to get the chill out, and then turning it off to save on propane. But it's still cold enough in there that I have to wear two layers of clothes, a hat, and gloves.

Anyway, I explained to my psychiatrist how my depression has been pretty bad lately. He ordered some bloodwork to see the levels of my medication in my blood, and if it's not too high, he may increase my dosage a little to see if that helps. He's also checking a couple of other things--B12, Vitamin D, and something else. 

He also told me that he's closing his practice next month to retire. Ugh! It was SO HARD to find a psychiatrist taking on new patients and even for him, I was on a nine-month waiting list. I have no idea how to go about finding a new one. I'm have another appointment with my psychiatrist in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping he can help me get in to see someone without having to be on a waiting list.

Anyway, I spent the entire day in the garage. After my walk with Joey and my telehealth appointment, I worked on a wood project that my mom had given me the idea for. I'm almost finished with it, so when it's done, I'll post about it. It's pretty creative, and I'm excited to share! 

If you can guess what it is based on this photo of all the wood I had to cut, then I will be seriously impressed ;)

Then, I started making some little blankets for Riley's teeny tiny animal creature things called Lil Woodzeez.

She has a set of them and Becky said that she likes to tuck them in every night but she doesn't have enough blankets for them. I was cracking up when Becky sent me the dimensions--the pillows are 1 inch by 1.25 inches! There are "adult" dolls and "baby" dolls, so I am making blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows for the different sizes.

I hoped I'd get all sorts of them done, and have some good practice with my serger, but after three hours, I only made two simple blankets! It's the damn serger--I don't think I'll ever understand it! I finally gave up and I'm going to use the sewing machine tomorrow morning to make some. I'd at least like to get some sleeping bags done.

Three hours, and THIS is what I accomplished... how sad looking is that?! For what it's worth, I have about a thousand others that wound up in the trash. Tomorrow I'm just going to keep it super simple, like the two (haha!) I actually completed today.

Luke and Riley are coming over tomorrow to spend the night. I'm so excited! I bought a couple of kids' games to play; some shrinky dinks plastic sheets so that the kids can make their handprint ornaments as gifts for their mom and dad for Christmas; and the kids' Christmas presents. Since we're not having a family get together for Christmas this year, I figured I'd just give them their presents early.

I got Luke a popcorn maker like the one I recently posted about--Becky suggested it--and I got Riley one of the sets that goes with her dolls--a treehouse or something. 

True to my word yesterday, I did start a book and I'm about a quarter of the way through it. I'm enjoying it so far!

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Just Pick One!

I think I'm going to forgo writing a post tonight because I really need to read a book! I just haven't been able to get into any books lately (not that I've given it much of a try) and one of my goals for December was to finish a book. Since I'm a slow reader, I really need to get going on it.

I'm excited to start 'The Evening and the Morning', the prequel to 'The Pillars of the Earth' (one of my very favorite books ever!). I even wrote about it recently--how I actually bought it on my Kindle because I didn't want to wait in line to borrow it from the library). I guess I keep waiting for the perfect day to start reading it--nothing else going on, quiet house, no stressors, etc. Hahaha! Yep, I guess I'll start it next year sometime, or hopefully by 2022 ;)

I have a ton of books on my Kindle Paperwhite that I haven't read (I get a free book every month from Amazon First Reads) so I really need to just pick one and read it through to the end.

Before I end this, I have to say, I am SO EXCITED to write my next "What I've Been Reading, Watching, Listening To" post. Today, while I was out for my walk with Joey, I actually exclaimed a few expletives quite loudly when I got to a major twist in the book. I love psychological thrillers, so I'm used to twists, but I did NOT see this one coming! I'll write (a little, so not to spoil it!) about it on my next "What I've Been..." post.

Anyway, I'm going to open up my Kindle now and just pick a damn book already! I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

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Some Hats I've Made Through the Years

This is a very random post, I know! I had another fiasco with a project I'm attempting in the garage--I was so excited about it, and I spent several hours today cutting out all of the pieces of wood I needed. Then I started to piece them together, and realized the measurements weren't adding up.

(My mom measured things for me because the thing I'm trying to copy is at her house. Instead of asking her for certain specs on things I was unsure of, I just did my best guesstimate, which was a bad idea. So, if I decide to try again, I'll have to go measure the things I wasn't clear on.)

So, once again, I'm feeling pretty down about not being able to work on something that makes me feel creative and confident in my DIY skills. I was looking through some pictures of things I've made in the past, and I realized I've made a LOT of hats through the years--both crochet and knit. (I even sewed a couple of soft ones for Mark when he was going through chemo.)

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite hats I've made. I donated most of them, but there are a couple that I saved and I still use!

This is an aviator hat that I made for Luke before he was even born! My brother is a pilot and he and Becky wanted an aviator hat for a photo shoot.

And here it is with Luke wearing it for a newborn photo shoot. How cute is this?!

A baby earflap hat that I designed (I posted the pattern on my blog, which you can find here)

I LOVE this beret and it was so fun to make--trying out new stitches in the round. I was still a fairly new knitter at the time. I wish I could pull off wearing a beret, but it looked terrible on me ;)

This is a black cat hat that I made for a friend's baby. She adores cats and has several, so I thought it would be appropriate for a newborn photo.

A friend of mine showed me a picture in a magazine of a baby hat and asked if I could recreate it, including the ribbon butterfly. I made this one, and it looks identical! I was pretty proud of how it turned out. 

A friend of mine was pregnant with a girl, so I knitted this little kimono top and a cute hat for her.

This is just an ear warmer that I made with a super bulky yarn, and I love how it turned out! I don't have it anymore, unfortunately. I don't know what happened to it! 

When I saw this bearded hat on Ravelry, I just had to make one for Jerry! It's perfect for keeping your face warm and fun for a laugh!

As you know, I LOVE my messy bun. It's my go-to for pretty much every single day. I made this hat to accommodate the messy bun and keep my head warm. Again, I don't know why I got rid of it--I want it back right now when I go for my walks!

This is several views of the same hat. It's reversible (notice that the background on the far left is gray and the buildings are black; and it's the opposite on the right side. It's the cityscape of NYC. This was a new technique to me--called double-knitting--that makes it reversible. I never wore this because I really have no connection to NYC, but it was a fun hat to make.

This was a super cozy ponytail hat that I knitted with a very nice wool blend yarn. The ribbing wraps around and buttons under the ponytail. I thought it was cute, but I didn't wear it much (it was hard to match with anything) so I donated it.

This is an awesome headwrap that I loved making so much I ended up making three of them! It's a technique called entrelac, which was new to me, and I found it fun to work on. It looks best with variegated yarn. My favorite is the one on the top right--I still have it and wear it.

I think this hat is ugly because of my yarn choice, but I really really loved making it because it used a new-to-me-at-the-time technique called short rows. You really have to pay attention to what you're doing when short row knitting because you have to keep count of stitches. I'd love to make this again with a different yarn--something that looks better with this pattern.

Quite possibly my favorite hat ever! I made one of these Shrek hats for both Noah and Eli. Isn't it adorable?!

Finally, my skull hat. I learned that I HATE knitting with a technique called "fair isle"--you knit with multiple colors and carry the yarns along the whole time (hard to describe). I didn't do a great job on this--it was my first try at fair isle--but I love skulls and I did this with a very warm wool. However, I donated it! 

I have lots of other hats I've knitted or crocheted, but a most of them are "live and learn"--hats that just didn't turn out well! The ones I've posted here are my favorites. Since I can't seem to get my groove back with the wood working right now, maybe I'll try knitting one of my favorite hats again. I really want the messy bun hat for my walks!

A few of these patterns were my own designs (or inspired by others) but most of the patterns can be found on Ravelry. It would be hard to link to each one, so here is my project page on Ravelry and you can find the links to the patterns there.

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Friday Night Photos #2

I had fun last week just going through my phone and picking out some random photos that I took and never used in a blog post, so I thought I'd do it again. Maybe it's the alliteration of "Friday Night Photos" that just sounds right, but if I have photos to post, Friday seems like a nice day to do it!

Here are some random pictures that I took...

I found a size 3XL jersey knit maxi dress at Goodwill for super cheap, so I bought it simply to use the fabric. I wanted to make arm warmers--just something simple to wear under my shirt (and coat) when I walk in the mornings. I watched a trillion videos on making thumbholes, but I had another modification I wanted to make and it was a nightmare. That's when I had a tantrum the other day and quit, hahaha. I may try again soon.

These are the boots I bought on Amazon (Amazon affiliate link) for my winter walking. They are waterproof and *supposedly* good for walking on slippery surfaces (according to the reviews). They are SUPER comfy. They were kind of expensive at $80, but because I walk five miles a day, I feel like I've earned them! I just hope that they work out well. I'll find out when we have snow again.

Chick was pretty excited about the shoe box with tissue paper in it. The box was lying on its side and Chick sat inside of it, poking his head out from behind the tissue paper.

And speaking of cats, of course I have to post some pics of them--because I have a million on my phone ;)  Duck always steals the show when it comes to photos--his slick black fur and mesmerizing green eyes are just stunning.

Chick is adorable, too, but it's hard to get pictures of him! I absolutely love the little tufts of grayish hair that stick out from behind his ears. He's got the same green eyes as Duck, but his fur is long and fluffy. His personality is definitely different, too.

And Estelle... she's been SUPER into Jerry lately! I love it. The pets have always gravitated toward Eli and me, and I feel bad. I want them to make Jerry and Noah feel wanted and loved, too.

Well, Estelle has been sleeping with Jerry every day and I take pictures just about every day because she finds different spots to sleep. On top of his back or chest, curled up by his head, or in this photo--tucked in near his legs. (Notice his Friends pajamas!)

(BTW, I don't post much about Phoebe, because she's super shy and kind of sticks to herself. I posted a photo of her yesterday on my lap, though!)

Yesterday, I made fried rice that looked worthy of a photo. We LOVE fried rice! My friend Renee has chickens and she gave us some eggs, so I scrambled some of the eggs for this rice. It was delicious!

I've been pulling out wood scraps, trying to think of something creative I can put together. I had an idea yesterday, so I pulled out a bunch of scraps, but didn't end up doing anything with them. It's so frustrating! My mom gave me a good idea today, so I'm going to see if I can create it and then I'll post about it.

This morning, I got a nice picture of Joey by the lake. There are a few places where I can let him off leash while we walk, and one of them is a small public beach. He desperately wants me to throw rocks in the water for him to chase (it's a stupid obsession of his--he wants me to throw small rocks into the water, where he jumps toward it but then turns around and waits for another. He'd do this ALL DAY LONG if I would continue to throw them.)

Last night, Jerry, the kids, and I had a great movie night! We'd planned it for several days, so we were actually prepared--complete with popcorn, movie theater candy, drinks, etc. I specified NO PHONES or electronics--we all got very comfy in the living room with our snacks and we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (love that movie!). We even popped the popcorn the old fashioned way, like we did when the kids were little. (And how I remember doing it with my little brother when I was little).

Compared to when Noah and Eli were little (this pic was 13 years ago!):

Here is a super cute video of my kids watching the popcorn pop in the same popper when they were little. Noah's little voice melts my heart when he says, "Mama, I like making this kind of popcorn!"

I'll end the post with that :)  Have a great weekend!

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An Update on My Weight Loss and Exercise Efforts

I've been meaning to write this update for a at least a month, but things have been all over the place and I just haven't been sure what to write. Very few things have been going how I had hoped when I started my Cookies Fall Challenges.

First, my exercise... because that's easy to write about.

As I've been sort of mentioning here and there, I've been doing really great with my walk streak. Today was Day 145--I've walked 5+ miles a day for 145 days in a row! And all but a few of them (maybe four?) have been outside.

It's getting harder now that the weather is getting colder. I don't have many winter clothes that fit me (or any clothes at all, really--which I'll write about when I get to my weight). I didn't have a winter coat that fit me, either, but I started wearing one of Jerry's old ones from work. It's definitely too big, but I like that I can wear layers underneath it, there is a lot of pocket room, and it's water resistant). It's rained on several walks I've done, so the water resistance is nice!

Joey has turned into a totally different dog since we started walking. I take him with me every day and he LIVES for it. As soon as I wake up, he's in my face, wagging his tail, excited to go. When we first started walking, we come inside after the walk and he'd plop on the floor, panting, and stay there all day--exhausted.

Now, we get home and he doesn't even want to go in the house. He gets in that play bow position that dogs do, and I play along, so he tears circles around our entire house (outside), runs up and down the dike, and just generally goes nuts with even more energy. I have no idea where it comes from after walking five miles! But I love to see him so happy.

Speaking of which (I know I've written this before so I'll try to keep it brief) he has come to get super excited for the walks because he gets to see his dog friends (and just dogs in general). He knows all the houses where they live and looks excitedly as we walk by.

His "best friend" is Roomba, a black German Shepherd. When she's outside, we stop and I let him play while I chat with Roomba's "mom". When Roomba isn't outside, Joey is constantly straining on the leash toward her house--he wants to see her so badly!

I just bought a poster of yoga poses and stretches, which I plan to start doing after my walks. My chronic pain has gotten really bad and I feel like my muscles are tight all the time. I also get a lot of knots in my shoulders and upper back when I am stressed, and they are super painful. Jerry massages them, but I don't think it's enough. I'd like to go for a deep tissue massage, but sadly, I'm ashamed of my body and I'd be embarrassed. 

Yesterday, I tried using my TENS unit (it's a little device that has electrodes that you place on your skin--it delivers small electrical impulses that kind of tingle (or hurt if turned up too high!). Last night, Phoebs was on my lap while I zapped my shoulders for 20 minutes to help break up the knots and tightness.

Anyway, I hope that the stretching and strength training of the yoga poses will help loosen up my muscles and help relieve the pain. I've never been a fan of yoga, so we'll see ;)

So, exercise has been going well! I'm proud of my walking streak. I have no idea if it's making an impact on my health or body, but it's definitely helped me mentally (as best as it can).

As far as my weight loss goals...

I really wish that I had good things to say about this! When I was doing 75 Hard, I lost 13 pounds. I didn't mind the number so much as I was excited about the change in my body composition. You could see visible changes after just a single week (and no weight loss!). I know that it was from intermittent fasting.

I did great on 75 Hard for the first 34(?) days, and then I learned that I may not have been doing it correctly, and it was a struggle after that. 

My eating plan of choice was intermittent fasting, which was FANTASTIC for me. It helped me so much--not just as far as how much and what I eat, but to keep me from thinking about food all the time. I loved not having to worry about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks... I planned a big dinner and a treat or after-dinner snack (I liked decaf coffee with cream and sugar along with something like zucchini bread). 

I loved loved loved the plan--I was eating on a 20:4 schedule (fasting for 20 hours and then having an eating window of 4 hours). It was hard to get into the habit at first--it took me about four days before I got to the point where I loved it.

One day, I ate outside my window, and then I did it again the next day. And then trying to get back to the schedule was SO HARD. I'm able to wait until 3-4:00 to eat, but then I have such a hard time stopping after four hours. I eat not because I'm hungry, but because the food is there and I use it for stress relief. This year (especially this fall) has been really stressful for so many reasons and it threw off my routine (as you know, I strive for routine). 

So as of right now, I'm not doing well with my diet. I'm not doing terrible, thankfully, but I gained back 8 of the 13 pounds I lost and I've been maintaining this for a couple of months. I would really like to get back to the intermittent fasting, because I felt so much better when I was doing it. Like I said, the first four days are the toughest--so I just have to make up my mind to do it. After that, it literally feels EASY. And I love seeing results so quickly (not the numbers, but feeling my clothes getting looser).

I quit taking a daily photo a while ago, considering I wasn't doing good with weight loss. It just seemed pointless to keep taking photos when I could feel my clothes getting tighter again. I'm wondering if it might help me to continue the photos and then I can see what's NOT working. Who knows, maybe it will just be depressing to see!

Here is a photo I took today. I got dressed out of my yoga pants and sweatshirt for the photo and then I changed right back into them, hahaha. Here, I am wearing my size 10 jeans (which are uncomfortably tight!) and my vanity-sized medium shirt. So I am likely a size 12/large right now. It's been more than 10 years since I was this size and it feels uncomfortable.

I'm NOT planning to "wait until the new year" to try to jump back on the wagon. I'm always trying! It wouldn't matter anyways--it's not like there are going to be holiday parties that are tempting me with food, etc. (I've never been big into holiday parties anyway, but with COVID, I imagine that nobody will be getting together.) Starting now is no different than starting in January.

I wrote a post a few years ago about "My Best Advice for Losing Weight in the New Year". Even though I'm far from my goal weight or just happy weight, I stand by the advice and I definitely need to follow it myself.

So, this is my update! I'm not complaining about how things are going, nor am I being negative about it. It just IS. These are the facts. To end on a positive note, I really am happy with myself for my walking streak--for me, that's a big accomplishment! Now if only I can get my eating on track... :)

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The Hardest Part About Losing Weight (a writing prompt)

This is a post I've had in my drafts folder, and I'm not sure why I never published it. It still holds true today (I wrote it in April 2020). This is a writing prompt...

What was the hardest part about losing the weight? (This is in regards to losing 125 pounds in 2009-2010, although it really applies to every weight loss attempt!). This is a really tough question to answer. It's been about 10 years now! It's all kind of a blur.

A (not so) quick recap of my weight loss:

• My highest (non-pregnant) weight was 253 pounds, which was in 2009.
• I had no idea just how big I looked until I saw photos from the 500 Festival Mini Marathon.
• I vowed I would not be the "fat one" of the group the following year.
• In summer 2009, I tried to teach Noah to ride a two-wheel bicycle. Physically, I couldn't do it. I felt like a terrible mom. I knew I needed to quit screwing around and just lose the weight.
• I knew the Weight Watchers Points system well (from previous attempts), so I decided to do that.
• My sister asked me to do it with her and hold each other accountable.
• I would have quit the first day if my sister wasn't going to be checking in with me. That kept me on track for a couple of weeks.
• I lost a lot the first week (I think 8 pounds) which was motivating to keep going.
• Seeing my weight continue to go down each week pushed me to keep at it.
• I fell into a routine that worked for me.
• I didn't exercise until after I'd lost about 60 pounds. Then I started walking to train for the half-marathon. After the half-marathon, I started running three days a week.
• The weight continued to come off--I stuck to the program 100%, and lost weight every week for a year.
• When I ran the Ragnar Relay Great River in August 2010, I slid off track and had my first gain. I had trouble staying on track after that. I maintained my weight, going up and down by a few pounds until November 2010.
• I fainted and broke my jaw in November, and my jaw was wired shut for six weeks. I could only have liquids, so I drank a ton of smoothies. My weight dropped to 128 for a short period.
• When I was able to eat again, I ate too much after feeling deprived for so long while my jaw healed. 
• From then on, it's been a battle. Lots of ups and downs, which I wrote about here.

Soooo... the hardest part about losing the weight.

I think it changed throughout the 16 months or so that I lost the weight. At first, the hardest part was just starting AND CONTINUING the program (counting Weight Watchers Points). It's so easy to say "Eh, I'll just start over tomorrow." (Something I still do all the time. Including recently.)

At 253 pounds, losing a few pounds didn't make any difference in how I looked or in my clothing or anything. It's really hard to continue to try when you don't see any or feel changes right away. When you're putting in so much effort and making sacrifices to drop the weight.

There were two things that helped me get through this:

1) I didn't make any changes I wasn't willing to do forever. I didn't give up sweets, or eat crazy amounts of vegetables. I wasn't used to eating like that, and I knew (from trying and failing so many times) that I needed to make changes that wouldn't feel like torture. It was simple (not to be confused with easy!): Eat less food. The Points system helped me do that. Likewise, I didn't start exercising until I felt I wanted to.

2) When I got on the scale each week, I wanted to know that I'd done everything I could. I didn't want to say, "Oh, wish I hadn't eaten that!" or "Oh, I wish I'd done this instead!" I wanted to know that no matter what the scale said, I had followed my plan. I felt good about that.

Once I was on a roll, having several months under my belt, it was the streak that kept me going. I knew that if I threw Points to the wind for "just one day" it would break the streak and it would be VERY hard to get back to it.

Overall, I think the hardest part about losing weight was (and still is) just doing my own thing, no matter what anyone else told me. As I was losing the weight, people asked me eagerly what I was doing. They seemed super disappointed when I said I was eating less food. It's like they wanted me to say that I cut out carbs and ate lettuce for lunch and a pound of bacon for dinner and did a secret dance in the woods at midnight every day.

I did my own thing--I counted Points, but I used those Points however I wanted. At first, I was eating all the junk I ate before, just less of it. As I got used to that, I started trying other foods, and gradually my tastebuds started to change. I've never been a super "clean eater" but I'm okay with that. I eat better than I did in 2009 and the decades before that.

Everybody has opinions about what the "best way to lose weight" or the "best way to eat" is, and it's hard to tune all that out and do what is best FOR ME. Whatever that may be could change over time, and it's difficult not to let other people's opinions get in my head about what I "should" be doing.

The truth is, nothing about losing weight was easy. Having to make so many decisions every day to stay on track was mundane and frustrating at times. There were times I wanted to just eat until I was super full--I couldn't even remember the last time I'd felt that way (even though that's an uncomfortable way to feel). I didn't want to break the streak I had going, so I kept that in mind, always.

In the end, I'm SO glad that I stuck with it. All of those hard days were worth it when I started to see changes in my body and my abilities (here is a list of 100 Ways My Life Changed When I Lost 100 Pounds).

Each time I noticed something new, it pushed me to keep going. I loved seeing and feeling the changes! The compliments from others didn't hurt, either ;)

I'm glad that I did this writing prompt today. The timing is perfect. It brought back the good feelings I had while losing weight, and it makes me want to strive for that again. Knowing that it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, and I actually followed though, helps me to see that I can do it again. It will take a few weeks to start a streak, but once I start seeing results, it should push me to keep going.

This post is long enough, so I won't get into how I'm doing now (as of December 2020). I'll save that for a post sometime this month. But here is a quick visual... it's no secret I've gained back a lot of weight over the last couple of years and I'm having a very hard time taking it off! But I'm definitely not back to where I started, even though it feels like it sometimes. 

The first photo is my "before" picture, at my heaviest; the second was almost my thinnest--on my 34th birthday; and the third was from a few days ago.

Here are a ton of posts--helpful, fun, tips, etc--about my weight loss.

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RECIPE: Penne with Italian Cheese and Smoked Sausage

This is a super easy recipe--it's very similar to my homemade macaroni and cheese (I don't think I've ever posted the recipe for that--will have to do it sometime, as it's a huge favorite in our house!)

This is probably not a very good description, but it's a more grown up version of the boxed mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs in it that we used to eat as kids. No? You didn't eat that? Haha, maybe it was just my family!

Here is a printer-friendly version!

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) box of penne (or other similar pasta)
1 Tbsp. extra light olive oil (or any flavorless oil)
1 package (about 15 oz) of smoked sausage (found with kielbasa) - my family prefers the Butterball Turkey Smoked Sausage
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2-1/2 cups milk (I use full fat milk)
8 ounces of Italian blend cheese (I just buy the stuff in a bag that's already a mix)

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water on high for the pasta. Add a large pinch of salt to the water, and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, add the oil and heat over med-high. Slice the smoked sausage at an angle (or straight on, it doesn't matter!) and add it to the pot. Stir the sausage in the oil until it is starting to brown around the edges.

Add the butter to the pot and stir until the butter is melted. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir until you have a uniform thick texture (no clumps of flour). Very slowly, add the milk while stirring constantly (to avoid forming lumps of flour). It'll resemble mashed potatoes and then get thinner and thinner as you add more milk and stir.

Once all the milk is added, wait for it to come to a bubble--you don't want a hard boil, but just enough to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat completely and add the entire bag of cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. You'll have a thick white cheesy sauce with sliced sausage in it.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and mix the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately. Makes about six good-size servings.

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