Taking Stock

Went quiet this week. Nothing wrong, quite a bit of good actually...we're healthy, Hubs hasn't lit up in over a week (!!!), we're visiting SC family next weekend...just lots going on in the ole brainpan. When you're looking ahead to a move with a VERY mediocre credit score, it brings up quite a bit of worry. I can't just sit back and rely on prayer that everything's going to work out OK...because I've done that too many times already and had the move fall through on us. We're older now, and smarter, and we have a nest egg (hopefully), and it still may not be enough. But you can be damn sure I'm going to exhaust every alternative before I'll think about us staying in Florida any longer than December.

Brazenly stealing from Ashley's Friday format this week, because it just feels right. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? More importantly, there are things I discovered online that bear notice, and that I want to remember.

Stuff that caught my eye this week...

• Got reacquainted with Habit and it's SUCH a nice respite...has me wanting to dig out the camera. And since there are a TON of guests who contribute to Habit, there's more new blogs to check out!

• This step-by-step almond butter recipe that is so timely...I'm switching over from peanut to almond, but the price for the over-the-counter stuff makes me want to burst out crying in the store...

• Ashley's been gifting us with recipes to celebrate and promote her new book, A Year of Pies. Her Lattice Top Triple Berry and her Peaches & Cream Crumble Top are both making appearances in my kitchen...as soon as I can find decent fruit. Thank the gods it's payday!!!

• Furthering my quest to make food from scratch, found what looks like a simple recipe for corn tortillas (like I need an excuse for another kitchen implement...brainstorming a tortilla press using stuff around the house this weekend...maybe the Corningware electric frying pan?).

I inherited a serious pile of Corningware blue flowers ceramics when Mom downsized homes; they're awesome...it's OK to be jealous...

• Tucking into the latest issue of Mother Earth News and can't wait to have the space and vegetables to need this article.

• An extremist's viewpoint, but still an excellent reminder of how even my beloved Chipotle has its flaws, and how far I still have to go to get off processed food...

• As if I wasn't drooling over Asheville enough, I found out this place exists. Thanks again, Ash!

This harvest time has me thinkingthinkingthinking...about how I'd like to be pulling things out of the ground, out of pots, canning and freezing...I can't enjoy eating out lately, because it's a lazy stop-gap for us, when I'm learning to make better at home. Learning to recognize how my body feels after a salad vs. say, the proverbial pint of Haagen Daz. Plus, I read stories that the media puts out there about how food prices will go up thanks to the drought conditions the farmers have endured this year, and it brings home hard, how very much I don't want to have to rely on others for my food. There's a lot of facets to that soapbox...that's a post for next week maybe.

I've plateaued this week on the weight loss, because I'm not watching portions, and I was dealing with another complex ovarian cyst, I think, so I had to take it easy for a week. But my time at the Y is already changing my body for the better, and that feeling just slops over to everywhere else in your life when you let it. The energy, the kindness toward yourself...I may be stressing over how the frick the move is going to happen, but I'm in a really good place right now.

Image from here.