Blog Feed Problems and a Funny Story

What a nightmare!

Ugh, I spent most of the day working on what should have been an easy switch--moving my blog feed from Google's feedburner to follow.it. If you missed the announcement I posted the last couple of days, Google is shutting down their email subscriptions in feedburner, which affects everyone who receives my blog post updates via email.

I've been reading about different alternatives and I decided to go with follow.it; now, however, I'm rethinking that. I'll try not to bore you with the details, but right now I'm just waiting on customer support at follow.it to upload my list of current subscribers. If you have under 100 subscribers you can upload them yourself (which is easy), but if you have more than that, you have to email them and they will do it for you (after you submit proof via a screenshot of feedburner).

As of right now, it's been six hours without any further communication from them after I submitted the screenshot but the subscriber list still isn't uploaded to my account. So, for those of you that subscribe via email, I have no idea if you will get an email notification of this post tonight or not. I really hope that you don't get an email from BOTH feedburner and follow.it. I don't want to be spammy! As soon as I can confirm that my subscriber list is uploaded to follow.it, I'll delete the feed at feedburner.

Anyway, that's just a very long-winded way of saying that I have no idea what's going on with the switch right now. The reason I was procrastinating this for the last few months is for this very reason: I knew it wouldn't go smoothly.

(There was a time several years ago that I tried to switch from Blogger to Wordpress and good LORD, I was a sobbing mess and ready to throw my computer through a wall that day. I decided I'll just stay on Blogger because it's free, I am used to it, and I really don't want to deal with switching over.)

I didn't even prepare a post today because I was hoping for a "test post" after I made the switch. So I'll just share a funny thing that happened today.

I was washing dishes when Jerry woke up today, and he poured a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I told him he should add some Cocoa Krispies in there, too, because the combination is really good! He added the Cocoa Krispies, poured in the milk, and then I heard him say, "Ohhh, this sounds just like my childhood". (I had my back to him because of washing the dishes.)

I half-turned to see what he was talking about and he had his ear next to the bowl of cereal. He said that the sound of Rice Krispies reminds him of being a kid. He said, "Here, listen to it" and held his bowl up to my ear. My hands were soapy and wet, so I was still facing the sink, but I paused to listen (i.e. humor his nostalgia).

Jerry was watching my reaction to listening to the Rice Krispies (yes, I realize it's not a very exciting thing to watch for a reaction, but hey--whatever floats his boat!). While Jerry was looking at my face and he didn't realize that he was tipping the (very full) bowl of cereal and milk sideways. He dumped half a bowl of cereal and milk down the back of my shirt and in my hair while I stood there!

I just froze for a minute. Then I realized what had just happened--my husband had literally poured a bowl full milk down my back--and I burst out laughing. I was standing at the sink wheezing from laughter while Jerry breathed with relief before laughing (I guess when your wife is bipolar, you don't know what to expect when you pour milk down the back of her shirt! Haha)

All day, every time I think about it I start laughing again. You have to picture him holding a bowl full of milk up next to my head (with an eager, nostalgic smile on his face) and then tipping the bowl and dumping the milk down my back--it was very different than accidentally dribbling or spilling milk and splashing me. If someone was just watching it out of context, they certainly would have thought it was on purpose.

Okay, well, I hope to get this issue with the blog feed sorted tonight, but if not, I'll just have to deal with it tomorrow! (Edit 7/9/21 at 12:00 ET: It *should* be working now, but I guess I won't know until the feed updates--I think tomorrow? Anyway, you should only get one email, from follow.it. Fingers crossed that it actually works!

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A Few (Recent) Weight Loss Comparison Photos

It's been six weeks since I started the DietBet and finally started losing some of this extra weight, so I took some comparison photos today. I'm down over 17 pounds! My "before" photos from six weeks ago are terribly embarrassing--at the time, I never planned to show them. (They were my official weigh in photos for DietBet.) So I've been debating all day whether or not to post them.

I hoped that I could find a different "before" photo to use, but I avoided the camera like the plague for the past year and I was only able to find TWO. And they aren't the greatest pictures to use for comparison purposes (bulky winter coats), but I'll share them anyway.

Remember when I bought two winter coats in February? I took full-length photos in the mirror, so I decided to try them on again today and see if they feel any different. I was actually really surprised! I haven't seen much of a difference in the mirror since losing this weight so I wasn't expecting the coats to feel any looser, but they definitely did.

I tried to recreate each photo the best I could. (It's really crazy how much the pictures of me in the corduroy coat look alike--at first, I thought they were the same photo! But the socks give it away. And when I look closely, I do notice the coat isn't stretched as tight in the waist and across the chest.)

This coat is much more comfortable to move around in now. I accidentally wound up with three different sizes of it, haha! (Here is that story.) So hopefully by the time I need it again, I'll move a size down. (The pic on the left is from February; on the right is from today.)

The orange one is super loose now. As much as I love it, I hope it'll be too big to wear next winter! Now that I know I can find one on Poshmark, I just may do that if needed. (Again, the left is February, right is today.)

Most of the weight that I have gained has gone to my midsection and my face (it's the most noticeable there, anyway). I was really hoping to see a big difference in my face, but just don't see it yet. I'll always have round cheeks (Jerry and I like to joke that I just have a "jolly" looking face!) but I'm hoping that it'll thin out again as I lose more. But here is a picture from January versus today:

I'm just not ready to post my DietBet photos. I really wish I'd at least tried to take a decent photo! (I look like I rolled out of bed after having the flu.) I never thought I'd do anything else with them, so I didn't really care what they looked like at the time.

Anyway, I know these aren't the greatest comparison photos, but hopefully in another month or so I can take some more and see a bigger difference. It's definitely nice to have my clothes feeling looser, though!

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Transformation Tuesday - The One With the Chick and the Duck

First, I just want to post this announcement again, in case you missed it yesterday...

I've been putting this off until the last minute, because I have a feeling it's going to cause all sorts of problems with my blog, but if you receive my blog posts via email (and want to continue doing so) this is important.

Google is getting rid of feeds for Blogger--which means I have to switch to using something else to reach email subscribers. I think I'm going to use mailchimp, but I may use follow.it--I haven't decided for sure yet. Regardless, I am *hoping* it will be a seamless transition... meaning you will continue to get a daily email with my blog post link. It'll likely look different and may have a different sender name, but it will still be the post link.

I'm going to make the change on Thursday (unless Google shuts down its system sooner). So, if by Friday morning you haven't received an email, please let me know so I can investigate (first check your spam folder, just in case). I am not good with this kind of stuff, so hopefully I can make it work! The biggest downside to using Blogger as a blogging platform is that you can't get support; there is no customer service to call.

Fingers crossed!

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Sadly, I don't have any transformation emails for this week... please send some! I love this series and I know lots of other people do, too. I may have to cut it back to once a month or every other week, but I'd like to keep doing it.

To submit a transformation, just send me an email with a before picture and an after picture (of any transformation you'd like--cleaning a closet, painting a room, flipping furniture, a hair cut, an upcycled article of clothing, etc. Get creative! (And always remember to take a "before" photo--even if you don't plan to show it to anyone, you'll be glad to have it!)  Along with the photos, include your name and a description of the transformation. Send them to: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com.

Since I don't have any to post this week, I just put together a side-by-side of Chick and Duck. I took some cute photos of them when they were on top of the refrigerator (they like to watch birds through the skylight, haha) and I thought this one would be a good comparison photo. I cannot believe how much (or how fast) they've grown! I am SO GLAD we adopted them. (Chick is on the left and Duck is on the right)

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Couch to 5K : Week 6 Recap (and an important announcement)

First, the important announcement... I've been putting this off until the last minute, because I have a feeling it's going to cause all sorts of problems with my blog, but if you receive my blog posts via email (and want to continue doing so) this is important.

Google is getting rid of feeds for Blogger--which means I have to switch to using something else to reach email subscribers. I think I'm going to use mailchimp, but I may use follow.it--I haven't decided for sure yet. Regardless, I am *hoping* it will be a seamless transition... meaning you will continue to get a daily email with my blog post link. It'll likely look different and may have a different sender name, but it will still be the post link.

I'm going to make the change on Thursday (unless Google shuts down its system sooner). So, if by Friday morning you haven't received an email, please let me know so I can investigate (first check your spam folder, just in case). I am not good with this kind of stuff, so hopefully I can make it work! The biggest downside to using Blogger as a blogging platform is that you can't get support; there is no customer service to call.

Fingers crossed!

Now, on to the Couch to 5K : Week 6 Recap.

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Week 6 was a big adjustment--and kind of exciting! I actually had two rather exciting runs this week.

Week 6, Day 1:

This one wasn't really anything special, considering the previous run was 2 miles without walk breaks. This workout was: run 0.5 mi, walk 0.25 mi, run 0.75 mi, walk 0.25 mi, run 0.5 mi. I did this on the treadmill.

Interestingly, the running felt so much longer than Saturday's 2-miler! I think it was because I was expecting it to feel super easy in comparison, and when it didn't, it dragged on. But I finished, and was glad that there was only one workout with intervals left to go in the Couch to 5K plan.

As you know by now, I focus mostly on my heart rate to see if my fitness is improving. My average heart rate for the running intervals was 141, 149, and 150, respectively. I was happy about that! Getting closer to Zone 2, my MAF rate (still a long way to go, though).

Week 6, Day 2: 

This one was exciting--because I did it outside. I've been using the treadmill for pretty much every run in the past month, but the weather was really nice on Saturday, so I decided to do it outside. 

The workout was: run 1 mi, walk 0.25 mi, run 1 mi

I was very curious what my pace was going to be. When I used a measuring wheel on my treadmill (to finally test the accuracy), it determined that when the treadmill reads 1.000 mile, I've actually run 1.059; which is a speed of 5.3 mph and not 5.0 mph)--but I always just go by what distance the treadmill says, just in case. I don't want to unknowingly cut my runs short. Anyway, I always set my treadmill to 5.0 mph, which translates to a 12:00/mile pace (if it was accurate).

Running outside was HARD. It felt much harder than on the treadmill (which has always been the case for me). I noticed that I was going faster than 12:00/mile, so I tried to slow my pace to as close to 12:00 as I could get (I was hoping to run the same as what the treadmill reads at that effort level) but my "natural" pace just stayed in the 11:00's.

Anyway, my first mile split was actually 11:01! I was shocked. Back in my heyday, an 11:00/mile pace seemed really slow, but now that I'm a beginner again, I was pretty excited. That's something I really enjoy about starting over--the milestones (no pun intended) start fresh and I am proud of myself for the new distances. Running two miles at the end of Week 5 felt like a big deal; likewise, running an 11:01 mile outside was exciting.

I walked the quarter mile, the whole time working on catching my breath, and then started running again. It felt so hard! But I made it home, and that mile split was 11:44. I was SO HOT and dripping sweat when I got home--but it felt good!

My average heart rate for the running segments was 151 and 158. Quite a bit higher than my previous run! The running segments were longer this time, however, and I did this one outside. Not a great comparison.

Week 6, Day 3:

No more intervals! From here on out, I'll just be running without walk breaks. This final workout of Week 6 was simply to run 2.25 miles. I chose the treadmill rather than face the humidity outside. Also, I got hooked into a new book (I've been reading a lot lately!) so I wanted to read while on the treadmill.

If I'm going to be running on the treadmill regularly, I'd really like my Garmin to reflect a somewhat accurate pace. It always shows that I'm running much slower than I actually am; it also shows that I walk much faster. Now that I'm not doing intervals, I figured I could wear my foot pod and mess with the calibration until it reads close to what the treadmill says.

During this run, I just kept changing the calibration, bumping it up and down to find a number that gives me a reading close to the treadmill's. By the end of the run, I found it to be pretty close at a calibration of 91.10%. I'll see how it goes during my next run.

Messing with that made the time fly by--I felt like the run was over with SO quickly, which is great! (I'm pretty sure my heart rate was higher because of my playing with the watch rather than focusing on my breathing and a relaxed "easy" jog). I felt amazing, albeit exhausted, when I was done. I really do miss the way I feel after running.

I sat down in front of the fan to cool off and Duck was all over the treadmill (the picture at the top of the post). I don't know why, but he and Chick both love to climb the thing!

Well, Week 6 was a great success--and I'm starting to feel like a "real" runner again ;)  Week 7's workouts are all simply to run 2.5 miles.

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BOOK REVIEW: 'Something in the Water' by Catherine Steadman (no spoilers!)

For 2021, I committed to participating in a read-athon with a 'Friends' theme (the TV show). You can read more about it on this post. Each month, there is a different theme (based on a quote/situation from Friends) for choosing a book to read. July's theme is: 

"The One With the Jellyfish" - Read a book set on the beach.

Choosing my own themed books is tough, because I have no idea how to begin searching for a book that is set on the beach. When I googled different phrases, they all came back with "beach reads" for summer. When I think of beach reads, I think of light-hearted romance/drama, and I'm just not a fan of that.

In my searches, I found something that sounded like it was set on a beach and it was a mystery/suspense book (more appealing to me). I chose 'Something in the Water' by Catherine Steadman (affiliate link).

Here is the publisher's description:

If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you?

 Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water...

 Could the life of your dreams be the stuff of nightmares?

 Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events... 

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?

Wonder no longer. Catherine Steadman’s enthralling voice shines throughout this spellbinding debut novel. With piercing insight and fascinating twists, Something in the Water challenges the reader to confront the hopes we desperately cling to, the ideals we’re tempted to abandon, and the perfect lies we tell ourselves. 

It didn't sound like a show-stopper, but it seemed to fit the book theme and I like mystery/suspense books in general.

I stopped reading book reviews before reading a book that may interest me, because I find that the reviews sway my opinion--I'd rather read the book and then read reviews afterward to see what others thought. In this case, I wish I'd read the Amazon reviews first, because I never would have chosen this book!

I won't even write much about it--I really can't without spoiling it, and I don't like to write spoilers. But here are a few likes and dislikes:

Likes:

It was a "what would you do?"-type scenario and I like books that make you stop and think about stuff like that. This one was easy for me, though--I would never have made the choice the couple in the book did because it would skyrocket my anxiety for the rest of my life, haha.

I really liked the way the prologue was written. The protagonist is digging a grave for her husband and she describes it with very vivid detail, almost poetic. The description is written as if she is a friend talking to you. After reading the prologue, I was excited to read the book--I hoped the rest of it would be written in that "voice". Unfortunately, it was not. Here is a paragraph from the prologue that I thought was interesting enough to highlight:

Just to put this into perspective for you, this hole, my two-hour hole, is: 3 ft x 2 ft x 6 ft, which is 36 cubic feet of soil, which is 1 cubic meter of soil, which is 1.5 tons of soil. And that—that—is the weight of a hatchback car or a fully grown beluga whale or the average hippopotamus. I have moved the equivalent of that up and slightly to the left of where it was before. And this grave is only three feet deep.

I'm not sure whether this is a "like" or "dislike", but I'll put it in the "like" category. I noticed that there are a lot of tidbits in the book that you *think* are pieces of the bigger puzzle, but they end up being nothing at all. I'm very good at reading between the lines in suspense books, so I pick up on clues easily. And while I guessed early on what the "big surprise" in this book was, there were things that I thought would come into play later and they did not. So that was cool--it kept me wondering when I was going to read about it again. (After reading reviews, I see that a lot of people thought of this as bad editing--the author was all over the place and didn't plan things out, which meant there were things in the book that were pointless. So, we just see it in a different light, I guess!)

Dislikes:

I wasn't really sure what the main point of the book was. I can understand reading it to see what happens next, but there wasn't really a mystery to it. I'm used to reading books with a whodunnit plot or at least a burning question that makes you want to race through the book to find the answer. I think with this book, I was just waiting to find out if the couple would be found out.

The protagonist is SO hung up on her husband! I love my husband dearly, which I'm sure comes through on my blog, but he is not my end-all be-all. My world does not revolve around him. It seemed like this woman let her husband's wants and needs dictate her whole life and I was annoyed with her pretty quickly.

I was hoping that the what the couple found in the water was something unique or exciting--but it was exactly what you probably imagine that it is.

I found myself really struggling to get through this. I felt like it took forever to get to the point! I had to really push myself to read. (I actually started it in June because I wanted something to read and figured I'd get a head start on July's book). My mind wandered while reading because I just wasn't interested. After I got through about 60% of the book, it finally picked up the pace and and captured my attention.

I can't really think of much else to say--the book was one of those forgettable reads. You know the ones where you read them and then promptly forget the whole thing? I like the books that stick with you--the ones that make some sort of impact.

So, I won't do a giveaway for this book because I really didn't like it. However, I completely forgot to draw a name for the book giveaway last month. (I need to set a reminder when I do giveaways.) The winner of a copy of 'One of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus is... Rhonda W!

Rhonda, I've sent you an email... if you still want a Kindle copy of the book, it's yours! :)

Unrelated to this book, I recently read a book that was AMAZING. I actually gave it five stars on Goodreads, and there are very few books that I've given five stars--it even went on my Top 10 favorites list! I could not put the book down from the moment I started reading it. Anyway, I will write a review of that soon, and I'll do a giveaway for that one!

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Hermit Cookies

This recipe caught my eye because of a little story that was submitted with it. I have no idea how accurate it is--I was going to fact check, but then I realized I don't really want to know! I like that this was passed along in the heritage recipe book, and I like to believe that it's true. It's likely the story that was told with the recipe as it was handed down.

This recipe was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society by Barbara Metzger, who received it from her mother, Loretta Bondy. Loretta was born in 1907 and passed away in 1968. In Rockwood (the tiny town I grew up in) everybody knew everybody. And as I've been doing this heritage recipe collection, I've learned that pretty much everybody was related in some way to everybody, as well, haha. I know the names Bondy and Metzger very well.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Loretta, considering she passed away long before I was born. However, this is what was written with her recipe for hermit cookies:

Hermit cookies originated in Cape Cod in the days of clipper ships, when spices were imported from the Indies. Women would bake them, packed with fruits and nuts for the ships' crews, and they were packed away in canisters and sea chests.

I almost didn't make these because I'm not a big fan of raisins (and there is a relatively large amount of raisins in them). However, I liked the story behind them and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them.

I'm so glad that I did--they are AMAZING. Jerry and both kids loved these as well--and when all four of us like a recipe, you can be reassured that it's great. You don't even notice that the raisins are in there, really; the recipe calls for "halved raisins", so I cut them up. I think that helped to get rid of the texture I don't like but the flavor is perfect. So, even if you don't like raisins, give these a try--you might be very surprised! (Jerry and the kids don't like raisins, either, but they said the same as me--you don't really notice them in the cookies.)

As usual, I will write out the recipe exactly as it was written in the heritage book, and I made it without any modifications or substitutions. See my notes after the recipe for any clarifications. The printer-friendly version is rewritten with my notes included.

Here is the printer-friendly version!

Hermit Cookies

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 c. cold coffee
1-3/4 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. each: soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
1-1/4 c. halved raisins
1/2 c. broken nuts

Mix thoroughly the shortening, sugar and egg. Stir in coffee. Sift together flour, soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir in raisins and nuts. Chill dough. Preheat oven to 400 F. Drop dough by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet, 2-inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until a light touch with finger leaves almost no imprint. Makes 3 dozen.

My Notes:

I thought the cold coffee was unique! I drink cold coffee every day, so it was convenient to reserve 1/4 cup. (I couldn't taste it in the cookies, but I imagine it added a little something.)

I already said that I don't like raisins, but I ALSO am not a fan of nutmeg. I was so very tempted to leave it out (no one would know!) but I just couldn't do that. I wanted to try the recipe exactly as written. I loved these cookies! I really don't think they would be as good without the nutmeg.

For the nuts, I used pecans (I always have them on hand in the freezer for my dad's pecan pies!).

Cutting 1-1/4 cups of raisins in half would have taken forever, so I just piled them on a cutting board and ran my knife through them a couple of times (along with the pecans).

I didn't run into any problems when preparing the dough. I let it chill for about 90 minutes before scooping the dough onto the cookie sheets. This was the texture before adding the nuts and raisins:

And then scooped onto a cookie sheet:

I used a small spring-loaded scoop and to my shock, I got 42 cookies out of the batch. (I say "shock" because whenever I make cookies and the recipe says how many it makes, you might as well cut that number into fourths and that's how many I get out of it. I wanted to see if I could get three dozen from this recipe, as specified, so I used a small scoop. The cookies are very small, but that's probably because I'm used to making cookies so much bigger.

I used dark non-stick cookie sheets and it took about 10 minutes to bake perfectly. I did the "finger test" mentioned in the recipe--"a light touch of a finger leaves almost no imprint". After 8 minutes, they were still too soft. Two minutes later, they were perfect. And one unfortunate batch stayed in 12 minutes, which made the bottoms really dark.

Even though there is no ginger in these, my family said they taste like ginger snaps. The spices taste is the same. And the texture is the perfect combination of soft and chewy, light but dense (not sure how that worked out, but it somehow did). I will definitely make these in the fall--they taste like I imagine how fall would taste, haha.

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Friday Night Photos

Ahh, Friday! This has been a very long week. There is something about Friday night that makes me want to put on my pajamas early, make a good snack, and watch a couple of cheesy scary movies. Not sure I'll actually do that, but it sounds good!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the camera roll this week...

Poor Joey. He has a hotspot on his back (right by his shoulder blade) and it wouldn't heal because he kept using his hind leg to scratch it. He can't reach it with his mouth, so a "cone of shame" wouldn't help. I had to get creative with a way to keep him from scratching it, and this is what I came up with--haha! I took a men's t-shirt and altered it a bit with scissors to fit Joey. Now, if he tries scratching, he can't hurt his hotspot. (It's working well! The spot is finally healing.)

Jerry took this photo when he got home from work at 6:30 AM. Big Mama was patiently waiting for someone to put nuts in the squirrel lunchbox. (I have to take the nuts out every night because raccoons get into them if I leave them in there.)

Eli ordered a new fishing rod and it came in a very long box. The cats were immediately drawn to it, of course! Duck was the only one who crawled through the whole tunnel, though.

Speaking of Duck... I have to explain his routine. So, I've already mentioned that Duck is my baby, and I treat him as such. He's a total mama's boy. He likes to sleep on the couch in my bedroom, and I somehow got into this routine of spreading a blanket out on the couch cushions and placing the little folding table over over it (so he could sleep on the couch but under the table--a little hideout). Every night, he'd come into my room and I'd "make his bed"--then he'd crawl under the table and sleep there all night.

Last week, we had a LOUD thunderstorm--I've literally never heard thunder that loud before. All five pets came running into my bedroom. Duck is terrified of anything that moves or makes noise (he's the very definition of "scaredy cat"). I made his bed for him, but he was still scared. So, I made a fort (see photo) by draping the blanket over the couch and little table--that way, he could still sleep in his little nook, but now it's a fort.

I did it for him again the next night and he loved it! Jerry was off work the next night and he knew that I make Duck's bed for him every night. He made it the way he'd seen me do it for so long--spreading the blanket out on the couch cushions and putting the table over it--while Duck sat on the arm of the couch, watching him. When Jerry was done, he turned to walk away. Duck looked at Jerry, then at his bed, and then back at Jerry, like, "Where's my fort?" Hahaha, so Jerry made the fort and Duck went inside to sleep. Now he wants a fort every night!

I was going to order another fitted sheet from Brooklinen (ever since I tried their percale sheets, I'm obsessed--and I only have one fitted percale sheet, so when I wash the bedding, I have to wait for it to be done washing/drying. It would be nice to be able to swap it out with a second sheet when washing bedding.)

Anyway, I had an idea while looking at the sheets: I have a brand new top sheet that came in my set, so I figured I could try turning it into a fitted sheet. (We use a duvet cover over a comforter, so we don't use a top sheet.) I took it out to the garage after carefully measuring the sheet on my bed. I haven't done the sewing yet, but hopefully it'll work out!

This picture is from about a month ago, but I missed it somehow. This is from when Jerry and I were getting rid of the starling nest under the roof. (He also took down that satellite that's been up there for nearly 20 years--we'd tried satellite TV and only lasted two days before going back to cable.) I don't even remember taking this picture, but I like it!

Eli has been fishing a lot lately and he had a friend come over today. They took out the fishing kayaks that we got the boys for Christmas and went fishing across the street. I can't believe how grown up he is! (He's on the right, his friend is on the left.)

Can you believe these are the KITTENS? They're enormous now. I love how photogenic they are against an orange background.

This is definitely my kind of squirrel--finding a place to lie down in the shade and eat, haha.

I saw these while grocery shopping at Kroger and I had to buy some! They are Skittles that are all colored gray (in honor of Pride Month--"Only one rainbow matters during Pride"). Whenever my family eats Skittles (which is pretty much only after Halloween when the kids' candy is running low) we talk about whether they actually have different flavors or if they are all flavored the same (and we just think they are flavored differently because of the colors). I think that they have different flavors! But I thought this would be a fun thing to try--the Skittles are all gray, so we won't know which is which. (And even when we eat them, we won't know for sure! But we can at least try to notice a difference.)

I finally have apples growing on my apple tree--I've gotten about 3-5 each year for the past few years, but right now I have a couple dozen! (Not to be confused with my Asian pear tree--sadly, it still doesn't produce fruit. I need a second tree to cross-pollinate and that's just something I'm procrastinating.)

Anyway, I was admiring my apples from the living room window, when I saw one of the squirrels go pick an apple from my tree! She grabbed it and ran all the way up the utility pole with it in her mouth and then she sat and ate it. I thought she looked so cute! The next morning, I found an apple core on the front porch, hahaha.

The ultimate showdown: Duckling versus Estelle. They sat like this for a solid four minutes. Estelle was the first to turn away, which surprised me!

And finally, this is the table that I found on Facebook Marketplace (which, coincidentally, was listed by my cousin). I wanted a table for the garage that we could use to play board games, and this one looked perfect because of the little cabinet and shelf underneath. Now I just need to find some high-top stools.

Have a great weekend! xo

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Procrastination

I am a procrastinator. I really wish that I wasn't, but I always put things off until I'm under so much pressure to get it done that I have no choice but to just DO IT.

And it's ridiculous, really. Procrastinating causes a lot of stress--and as someone who is a stress eater, well, the two just don't mix. I've noticed over the years that I tend to do much better with weight loss when I'm not generally stressed out. There is a sense of peace and calm that makes it easy to focus on myself (the diet and exercise).

When I am feeling stressed, I want to just get out of my mind for a little while... and that's where stress eating comes in. When I'm eating, I'm not thinking about all of the stuff I have to do. The eating is a way of procrastinating the real stuff.

So, I want to start working on the chronic stressors in my life. And by "chronic", I mean the things that are always nagging at me but I push them to the back of my mind. The little things! Stuff that really shouldn't be a big deal, but it festers.

To list a few examples: Fixing a squeaky door hinge, dusting the ceiling fan, hemming a pair of jeans, calling to make an appointment, RSVP'ing for a party, etc.

These are things that aren't a huge deal and shouldn't be "stressful" in and of themselves, but they are always there in the back of your mind--whenever you sit down in the living room, you happen to notice the fan needs dusting, so you make a mental note to do it later. Each time you drink something cold, your tooth really bothers you, so you make a mental note to call the dentist for an appointment... later. And "later" just keeps getting pushed back.

The reason I bring all this up is because I really want to work on these little nagging stressors. (Well, not those ones I just listed, because I made those up, but the ones in my life.) And MY biggest chronic stressor? Email.

I am always saying that I'm going to reply to all my emails and once that's done, I'll be really good about replying to new ones right away so that they don't pile up. It just never works out that way. This is usually because I'll read an email and I want to sit down and write a thoughtful reply. So I make a mental note to "do it later"--and not because I'm dreading it! I actually really enjoy reading and replying to emails (if you've ever emailed me, you know that I can get pretty wordy, haha). I just wait until "later" and then before I know it, I'm super far behind. I feel incredibly guilty every time I see my inbox. And there is no need!

I know that all I need to do is dedicate a specific amount of time each day (or even once a week) to email and I can eliminate the stress and guilt. Super simple!

So, I'm going to spend the next couple of hours (right now) replying to email. If you've emailed me and haven't gotten a response, it is NOT because I don't care--it's because I care too much and I don't want to send a quick, "Thanks for your email! Have a good day!" canned reply. I receive some really wonderful, thoughtful emails and I like to write thoughtful responses. So please forgive me--I'm working on it.

You want to know something ironic? I bought a book a last year called 'The More You Do The Better You Feel: How to Overcome Procrastination and Live a Happier Life' by David Parker (affiliate link). And when I saw how long it was, I said I'd "read it later"--hahaha! It's still sitting unread on my Kindle.

I know that I'll feel better if I just take time to do the little things that nag me here and there. Today, I finally went around the house touching up paint (from little nicks and dings with furniture or whatnot). I had to use five different colors of paint, but in total, it only took me about two hours. TWO HOURS and I've been telling myself "I need to do that soon" for TWO YEARS. I feel really good about getting that done. I want to knock some more things off that list and see how much better I feel!

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Things That Helped Me Get Back On Track With Weight Loss

I've been going strong for over five weeks now, finally making some progress in dropping the extra weight I picked up over the last few years. Five weeks isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but considering how many times I've tried to get "back on track" in the last three years, five weeks seems like an eternity.

Something feels different now, too--I don't see myself quitting. I am super determined to be at a healthy, comfortable weight before my 40th birthday in January. I don't feel like every day is a struggle, nor am I counting the days until it's "over" (because it's never over, as we all know). I feel GOOD. I feel like what I'm doing is something I can do indefinitely.

(Excuse the random photo--I literally took this picture right at this moment, because I can't think of any other photo for this post!)

Again, it's only been five weeks, but I feel like I've made enormous strides in that amount of time. I've lost much more than I anticipated--over 16 pounds! Several people have asked me for advice on getting back on track. I wish I had magic words or a concrete plan, but I tried so many times myself and it just didn't click. I think the biggest key is just to keep trying, because eventually it WILL click. I'm sure that's how I managed, throughout the last decade, not to gain back all the weight I lost.

So, while my advice may or may not help, I just thought I'd share a few things that helped ME get back on track...

1) I enlisted a friend to do it with me. My friend Caitlin (who lost 242 pounds!) had a baby last year and she was struggling to lose the baby weight. We've commiserated with each other about our weight struggles throughout the years (she lost the weight around the same time I did) and we were both getting pretty fed up--quite literally--of not just taking action to lose the weight. (Here is a guest post by Caitlin)

When I decided to sign up for the DietBet, I asked Caitlin if she'd like to do it, too. She jumped on board. We've also been doing the Couch to 5K "together" (she lives in Boston, so "together" just means we're doing the same workouts and talking about them).

Somehow, having a friend to check in with and talk to about this stuff has been really helpful. In the beginning, we each texted a photo once a day of a picture of when we were feeling really good--not our "thinnest" pictures, but pictures of when we were feeling happy and confident and comfortable. Looking through the photos was very inspiring--I want to feel that comfortable in my own skin again.

2) I went back to my old go-to snack: grapes. I LOVE grapes and I've been told that I eat way too many of them. I promise you that I do, haha. But you know what? Grapes are a heck of a lot healthier than the other stuff I was/could be eating. I buy pounds of grapes at a time and I weigh out 300 grams (about 200 calories) for a snack.

Having a healthy go-to snack that I really love is super helpful in getting back on track because in the beginning, whenever I just wanted to quit and eat (insert lots of junk food here), I would eat a big bowl of grapes without guilt and not blow all of my calories.

3) I didn't make anything too hard or too complicated. My exercise plan is simply the Couch to 5K plan (which is three days a week, 20-30 minutes or so per workout). I didn't want to get overzealous and take on too much. Maybe I'll add more later, who knows?

As far as my diet, I went back to what works and what has always worked for me--counting calories. This is the only thing I've ever been able to do long term and see through to my goal weight. I don't worry about macros or anything else--just the calories. I'm NOT saying that this is what everybody should do! What I'm saying is that we all know what works best for us, so we should do what we know. What has worked in the past and what is do-able forever.

4) I still allow for "treats" in my diet--daily, if I want. It worked really well for me in 2009-2010 when I lost 125 pounds, and it still works. Lately, I have been really into homemade desserts or quick breads (usually the stuff I make out of the heritage cookbook). Having a warm slice of carrot bread in the evening with a cup of tea is heavenly.

5) I started cooking more and more frequently. Sometime early last year, or maybe even in 2019, I started to despise cooking. I'm really not even sure why that happened! I used to love to cook but eventually, I just found it to be a chore. My kids got pickier as they got older, so I found I was making the same tired recipes over and over, and I wasn't making foods I love because it was stuff that the kids wouldn't like.

Recently, however, I decided to start making things that interest me--and if the kids don't like it, well, they can have cereal for dinner. I went through the heritage cookbook and used Post-Its to mark recipes that interest me (either to make and share on the blog, or just make because they look good). I marked a LOT of recipes!

Making new recipes has made me feel excited about cooking again. (But not grocery shopping--still hate that.) And new recipes are fun to spend calories on--I find it much more satisfying than always eating the same dishes over and over. I count up the calories in advance and then plan the rest of my food for the day around dinner.

Again, that's just what works for me; it certainly won't work for everyone!

And there you have it. I tried not to be redundant by writing out the same advice I've given several times in the past. Here is a post with a lot of weight loss advice I wrote a few years ago--I still stand by everything I wrote.

While it's "only" been five weeks, I also don't want to downplay the fact that it's been five whole weeks(!). Haha, I am really happy that I've managed to finally get back the drive that kept me going all these years. I have no idea what the future holds as far as returning to my goal weight, but I am feeling very positive about it :)

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Transformation Tuesday #32

Happy Transformation Tuesday! I am thrilled that I have some fun transformations to share today. Please please please keep them coming :)

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Life got in the way this year (we adopted a new dog!) and I really let my community garden plot get away from me. The weeds in the before picture were really out of control! I knew it had to be dealt with and I set aside an evening to work on things. The after picture is what I was able to accomplish after about 2 hrs of continuous solo work. I was satisfied with the transformation and it didn't take as long as I thought it would. I even managed to get some veggies planted!

- Jess

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This is not the most exciting transformation for others, but for us it is SO exciting and well over do. We moved to Australia from the U.S. in 2010 and once we found our own place, we bought a secondhand fridge. It has been with us through 5 houses and 11 years. Well last week, the freezer stopped freezing. So of course this meant it was time to buy a brand new fridge!

- Sarah

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I got this cast iron skillet for $8 at a yard sale. This is the first time I’ve restored one. I think it turned out well!

- Rebecca

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Last year when COVID hit and lockdown started, we decided to redo a few things in our house. I'd hated our kitchen and bathroom since we moved in 4 years before, and our carpet was getting pretty gross after housebreaking 2 puppies (not to mention the mess the kids make!). I don't know what I was thinking, taking before pictures when our house was such a mess, but I did! I cleaned up for the "after" photos!

So what did we do? First we replaced our carpet with rigid vinyl flooring (with 2 little kids and 5 pets this was the best decision ever!). Then we knocked out half a wall between our living/dining room and kitchen, we put a backsplash and new counters in the kitchen, replaced the ceiling fans and light fixtures, and then painted the walls and trim. And then we also completely redid our bathroom - tiled the floor, put up a backsplash, new vanity, painted (twice...), and then also widened, tiled, and refitted the shower.

It took the entire summer (a family member helped us with most of it) and there are still a few fixtures that need to be replaced and some shelving and photos need to go up, but overall it's 100x better than it was before and much more "us".

- Christina

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Jess, I'm amazed at what you were able to do in just a couple of hours. Wow! Pulling weeds is no fun at all--but what a huge difference it made. I hope your veggies grow nicely :)

Sarah, I completely understand how exciting something as simple as a new refrigerator can be. I was ridiculously giddy over a new vacuum cleaner, haha. The new fridge looks fancy! I hope you're enjoying it.

Rebecca, that skillet is one of my most favorite transformations I've seen. I LOVE that you saw the potential in it, that you recognized what a good bargain it was, and I can see you put some serious work into it. Now you have a brand new (to you) good quality cast iron skillet! You make me want to keep my eye out for a skillet to restore, haha.

Christina, holy smokes! Just reading the list of what you transformed is exhausting. You did a lot of the same things I did a few years ago, and believe me--I know how much work that is. It looks fantastic! I'm sure it feels like a brand new house. Enjoy :)

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Thank you so much for sending these transformations! I look forward to seeing new transformations every week--so please, if you have a one that you'd be willing to share, just send a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Don't forget to include your name and a description of the transformation!

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