Back off, Baklava!

Phew. What a day. Nonstop activity. This is the first time I could even think about sitting down and writing a post. Not only am I trying to pack up my house and get ready for Christmas, but today I found out my office is being painted next week, so I needed to clean up my desk and surrounding area. While I printed copies (I've got to print 120 Sunday bulletins for our 10:40 a.m. service, then another 350 copies of our Candlelight Service for that evening. And each bulletin takes 2-4 pieces of paper. So that's a lotta' copyin'!) I cleaned, reorganized, threw out or stuck stuff in storage. It fit right in with my manic moving mode at home, so it was easy to accomplish.

Then I had to grab Mabel out of school and take her to two appointments! At the ear nose and throat doctor we had to wait almost an hour and a half to be seen (grrr), then we get the news that her tonsils and adenoids are so big that they should be removed. Ugh. We then rush to the orthodontist, who was going to start her palate expander/braces process, to tell him the bad news. He decides we should wait until after the surgery to start.

After that I rush home, help cook supper, clean up and do dishes, do laundry, pack boxes and put them in car, dip daughter in bathtub and then throw her in bed. I took Hubby's work clothes out of the dryer, hung them up, and finally plopping down in front of the computer.

The good part about this hectic pace is that I don't have a lot of time to eat. Even though I had my moments of WANTS (especially the homemade baklava Hubby's coworker made for him), I just didn't have time to fulfill it. And I'm bound and determined to abstain from the holiday madness until Saturday. The last few nights I've started brushing my teeth with Mabel at 8 p.m., which effectively shuts down the cake hole for the night and keeps me from any late night cheating. I may not be able to control myself from Dec. 23-25, but by golly I'm going to stick to my guns until then!

I sent an email Christmas card to my friend in Idaho, which included a picture of me, Hubby and Mabel at my friend's wedding in DC. I used to work with this woman in West Virginia and don't get to see her often, although she did make it to my wedding. My friend's response was:

"You are so skinny! I'm not kidding. You look great. Keep doing whatever it is you're doing."

What's so validating about this email is that my friend is naturally thin and very active: she's a cycler, kayaker, and while she's in Idaho she pretty much skis every day. Plus, she worked with me when I was firmly entrenched in the 300s, so she knows from whence I came. I'm tempted to print her email out and frame it!

Another major victory? Went to the store yesterday looking for a casual Christmas shirt to wear over the holiday. Something pretty, but not overly glitzy or glamorous. I found a lightweight sweater I adored, but they didn't have any XL (16/18). I looked at the L (12/14), eyed it up and took a chance that it would fit. I got it home, and it fits perfectly! I have a handful of 12/14s now, but each time it gives me a dopamine thrill that helps me overcome temptation when faced with the equally dreaded and adored baklava.

Cripes! It's nine o'clock! Gotta' go set my timer for "Medium" and go to bed. Hmmm, "medium" -- it sure would be nice to one day buy medium-sized clothes!