Share Your Day

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  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,227 Member
    Spent the holiday back where I used to live with family. Had a wonderful time. Thanksgiving dinner was not great. The restaurant we normally go to for their buffet really changed things up and not for the better. So that sucked. But it was nice spending time with my family.

    Got home yesterday and spent today getting some stuff done for my next trip. Just a few days before I leave for Disney! Really looking forward to the food there!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    Hey @nsk1951 .... project is on pause due to time constraints but... it is joining the chocolate brownie made with strange ingredients quest! Most successful I think (tastewise) used japanese purple yams (and yogurt)!!! LEAST successful brownie I think had pumpkin though I think the zucchini one was the worst and one of the very few that I've outright turfed! :blush: The pumpkin came out nice enough and, tbh, without the cooking I did use to mix in pumpkin and greek yogurt and a bit of chocolate and sucralose as a "desert" at times... so it is not as if pumpkin never hit the menu. Nah if the calorie count goes up... then it fails a major point. I mean for me the idea is to entertain while cutting down the calories!
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Gym this morning. Did some extra penitent weight reps.
    I made a double batch of biscochito cookie dough and popped it in the freezer for baking in a few weeks. Biscochitos are a delicious New Mexican cookie made with lard. Dusted with cinnamon sugar. And no you can’t substitute the lard because it won’t be the same!! Made up and froze the almond spritz cookie dough yesterday. Just waiting for a day under 75 degrees to crank up the oven. I’ll be giving most away so they don’t tempt me.

    Athijade - I’ve also been disappointed in favorite restaurants lately. I expected price increases but the poor quality and lack of decent service is surprising. Menus have shrunk. Some places won’t substitute anything- like more green veggies rather than mashed potatoes.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    I find that a lot of things are excusable including price increases though I question the level of some of the ones I see. But things like not giving you what you want/ask for/expect on top? Much less so. And reason enough FOR ME to drop/substitute with other available options.

    TBH same applies to 30% default tip options. Which I am starting to implement.

    TBH #2: Yes, during lockdowns without price increases it did make sense to me for tips to increase as people were struggling with reduced custom and correspondingly income. At this stage we have increased prices (which automatically means higher tips).

    And just as a perspective 18% from 15% is a 20% tip increase/inflation. 15% to 20% tip increase is 33.33% inflation.

    Not 6% or 8% or even 10%. On top of the natural increase because of the increase in price.

    This doesn't even count the fact that my local subway now defaults to 20% tip and inquiries seem to indicate that the workers are not exactly seeing most of it. Or the many additional places that are putting out tip jars.

    And to see how fast these things embed, as I am writing this I am considering that I would consider myself chintzy if I didn't hit the 20% button.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,227 Member
    On the struggle bus this morning for sure. I just have no drive when it comes to doing anything but preparing for this trip. Having trouble focusing on what I am supposed to be doing. Plus, I am tired today. No clue why. Been sleeping well. But I would love to go back to bed at the moment.

    Still have some packing to do and I have to get a table that I brought from Indiana out of the back of the car. The amount of clothes I packed is insane. I will be gone 10 days! Just super excited to get back to my happy place and to forget all about the rest of the world for a bit.

    Don't expect to hear much from me while I am gone.I will be too busy having fun, riding rides, and eating all the awesome food. Especially the seasonal offerings!
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,291 Member
    Over the past couple of days I have worked on creating door decoration for the Christmas season. I didn't want to buy a wreath or anything else and simply use stuff I had on hand; which meant I had to find a way to hang it/them over the door without needing to buy an over-the-door hook.

    Were I still in my own home, I would simply hang those same wreaths I've had for years on the two sides of the outside door, stick a whole bunch of juniper and cedar branches into the urns set on each side of the front door and decorate them. I left all that stuff behind when I moved to my apartment ... and there is no outside door to decorate. And I do want to decorate ... it cheers me up whenever I enter and exit ... Thus my new creation.

    Side one is a green 'pine' garland wrapped around a metal clothes hanger that is shaped to encircle the door knocker on the face of the door. It has a stand of tiny glass beads chain with some bells on them loosely wrapped around the pine garland, a spray decoration at the top to cover the wrapped hook, a huge Christmas themed ribbon at the neck of the hook and a few flat Christmas ornaments strung here and there. I think it came out beautiful.

    The other side is a wire card holder that will hang on an angle and it has flat Christmas ornaments hanging off the bars to hold the cards. There is also a string of those beads with bells. As cards arrive they will add to the door decor, and anytime the door is opened I will here jingly bells that will remind me of one of my favorite Christmas songs.

    Both of these door decorations will be attached to a couple of stands of thin green ribbon that will hang over the door and attach them to one another. No door hooks needed ... however I do have to find one or two flat topped thumbtacks ... or hope that packing tape will do the job of holding those door decorations in place. This morning I will go through the stuff in the storage room and hope to find what I need.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Do send photos Nsk! We might get some decor inspiration.

    We’re working on cutting down the holiday decorations but hubby is loathe to part with anything sentimental - to him.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    Wow! You guys are... shaming me! I reminded dad today that his new "conquests" will be expecting Christmas cards and small gifts for Christmas :lol: For myself I will start looking soon for the Christmas colored party hat I was using as a substitute tree on the kitchen table--which I think was taken down after a year and a half in July or so! ROFLOL Maybe get a hat for dad's place too?!?!?!?! :smiley:
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    edited November 2022
    Hey dad’s ladies might appreciate these although I know you’re a pseudo-grinch at heart.
    For us crafty folk this is an easy project that takes little time or effort. All you need are some good free standing pine cones, miniature pompoms and a glue gun.
    If the pinecone is wonky you can clip off errant pieces. You can do green or white paint if you like. I keep mine simple - cone and pompoms, no paint, no bases. You can use glue but it takes longer,

    wq9dalhve1ao.jpeg
    wammk9w4tqmx.jpeg
  • I need to get the tree out and do the decorating. Yesterday I slept a lot of the day. I suspect it was the recent excitement catching up with me.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Rest up Alexandra- there’s a whole month of fun to go 🤩
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    Do tell, Alexandra!

    Wow - I love those pine trees, Yooly! They are so elegant. (well - they could be :) )
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,291 Member
    Here are my creations .. front of door
    bkg52867c5a0.jpg

    inside of door
    l6lfmanco5as.jpg

    The front of door ended up off center and I didn't realize it until too late ... getting back up a step stool's 3rd step is not something I wanted to repeat so I left it. Maybe I'll rehang it one day or maybe the friendly maintenance man would do it for me without a work order ... or maybe it'll stay off centered over the door knocker as it currently is. At any rate, I like them. I used old ornaments and the one on the inside is a card hanger.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    Very cute NSK!
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Good work on the door NSK! I love crafty people. You’ve kept your cherished ornaments and managed to use them in a new way. 👍
  • bobsburgersfan
    bobsburgersfan Posts: 6,273 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I find that a lot of things are excusable including price increases though I question the level of some of the ones I see. But things like not giving you what you want/ask for/expect on top? Much less so. And reason enough FOR ME to drop/substitute with other available options.

    TBH same applies to 30% default tip options. Which I am starting to implement.

    TBH #2: Yes, during lockdowns without price increases it did make sense to me for tips to increase as people were struggling with reduced custom and correspondingly income. At this stage we have increased prices (which automatically means higher tips).

    And just as a perspective 18% from 15% is a 20% tip increase/inflation. 15% to 20% tip increase is 33.33% inflation.

    Not 6% or 8% or even 10%. On top of the natural increase because of the increase in price.

    This doesn't even count the fact that my local subway now defaults to 20% tip and inquiries seem to indicate that the workers are not exactly seeing most of it. Or the many additional places that are putting out tip jars.

    And to see how fast these things embed, as I am writing this I am considering that I would consider myself chintzy if I didn't hit the 20% button.

    Oh, I could rant about tipping for ages! 1) I struggle with tipping as a percentage of meal cost. It's probably the most logical or easiest way to account for the overall work a server does, but in my mind there's an unfairness there. This also trains servers to give lower quality service to people who order smaller meals and don't buy drinks. 2) Most people argue that a server should get their same % regardless of the quality of service. I disagree. People who do a better job and make more effort deserve better tips. 3) I absolutely hate that tipping is now expected just for food preparation (like at coffee shops or online food orders that I pick up myself).

    (Despite all of my ranting, I do usually tip 20% at a sit-down restaurant, even for very average service, and have done so for quite a few years.)

    I haven't yet seen or heard about 30% becoming a thing. I'm not ready...
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,291 Member
    It's still on my mind ... this past Monday's volunteering activity I participated in. Not the activity itself, so much, as one little aspect of it. One that reminded me of why I am active on MyFittnessPal.

    It was very cold in the space we had the activity in. Someone forgot to turn on the heat. Eventually, someone else mentioned that there were a lot of hand crocheted or knit lap blankets and shawls in one of the storage rooms that we could borrow to throw on top of our clothes. Several of us headed there to look over the stock and perhaps choose one. Only one of us came away with a shawl. And that was not me. None of them seemed to fit. The woman that did get one was half my size.

    I had forgotten how big my body is. Even at 60 pounds weight loss that has been well maintained ... I am still a very much plus size woman.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Oh Nsk, I can so relate to this. Being a plus sized woman - even after losing 100+ lbs. I can now shop in regular sizes but still at the upper end.

    Most of my life I was the biggest woman in the room. When I was cold I couldn’t even fit into my husbands jacket. I feared spindly chairs. Airline seats and seatbelts! Bus seats! I would panic if my luggage didn’t show up promptly when traveling. Where would I go in a small town or foreign country for 2x-3x clothes? And hospital gowns at the clinic that wouldn’t close up. MRI machines too small for me. Restaurant booths that are too narrow. A lifetime of cringe worthy moments that no longer trouble me.

    Recently a friend offered her sweater at a restaurant when I was cold. I demurred but she insisted. I was sure I would never fit into her size L sweater and would be embarrassed. But shockingly it fit with room to spare.

    I’m still working through my body dysmorphia.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    edited December 2022
    It is a terrible thing. I was enjoying being more "normal" sized - but even when I'm relatively thin I'm "big" - 5'9" broad shoulders... so add some extra weight and 2x it is in a blink. I have to find my way half way back to where I was. I've looked at a few pictures recently and I realize that maybe I was thinner than I was comfortable at? Which sounds odd, but maybe real? And I was determined that I had another 20lbs to go. I think that is probably had something to do with this rebound craziness.
    Now I'm significantly bigger than I'm comfortable at. Have no idea how much I weigh.
    Somewhere inbetween will be my new goal. I like the sound of 185 lbs. I'll see how that goes. Currently I am at the cannot stop eating stage. Acting completely like an addict. Doesn't matter what it is. I'll eat it. No sense of fullness/hunger. :(

    I just went and hunted up a picture of me at my lowest weight - 167 pounds - just over a year ago, pre-shoulder surgery. I really don't think I needed to lose another 20 pounds. Hmm. Wish I was there now. But even then - I was "bigger" than many and often felt painfully aware of that to the point that I may as well have been 300 lbs again. Body Dysmorphia is very complicated.

    tdz5nx9zn2lo.jpg
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,751 Member
    Look at those legs! Wow!
    But I am coming to the same conclusion as you Laurie. I’ve been trying to reach a goal out of personal stubbornness rather than enjoy where I am. Perhaps HERE and NOW is good enough and I should be celebrating that. If I can lose more- fine.

    I think the constant struggle to lose even more is causing me to gain weight. So far it’s controlled but for how long?