My Favorite Photograph

Me. Old enough to walk. And help with hanging the wash outside. I grew up in this house with my parents and future siblings downstairs and grandparents upstairs. What I like most about old photographs, is seeing myself smiling and genuinely happy. I don't remember the happy moments but certainly have deep pockets of remembered hurt and fear. It's comforting to know that this tiny girl was happy in this moment. And the coat and bonnet (with clothespins) are very stylish. I always wore a hat because I had very little hair.

I have just consumed a "normal sized" portion of cereal. The size bowl I would eat when not dieting. I am trying to eat more at breakfast to end the afternoon snacking. I am eating 100 calories items but 2 and 3 of them plus my lunch. I also had two glasses of water before eating anything. This tip was on television last night and I am giving it a "test drive". I usually cannot drink a glass of water. Just won't go down. Soup for lunch?

I have a loaf of chocolate zucchini bread baking. A request from the employees at work. See, this is where the "snacking" problem comes into my day. But I have so much zucchini to get rid of right now. I need to buy another container of unsweetened chocolate.

The mushroom pasta was divine. I used all my chef skills, learned by watching television, and some parsley from my garden. I sauteed. I added the dry mushroom soaking liquid and reduced. I added butter to make the sauce shiny. I added fresh stuff to wake up the flavors. Lemon rind, parsley and lemon juice. Then I added the last of the half and half. I am continuing to try and use what I have stored in the fridge, freezer and cupboards. Oh, and the garden. My timer beeped - the loaf of bread is done.

Just knowing I have to work that fifth day each week, from now till Christmas, is making me tired. It's only six more hours a week but I am still feeling overwhelmed. Looking forward to having 11 weeks off starting on Christmas Eve.

The diet is going okay (a learning process). There are no "results" as yet, but the only "results" I am looking forward to is looser clothing. I have on my LL Bean size medium pajama pants (a measuring tool for weight gain or loss). Not as loose as I like them to be. I am hoping that when I move into long pants and wool socks for work, that the clothes fit comfortably loose.

And, if dreams can come true, that my size 14 wool blazer buttons across the hips this winter. I like wearing it with jeans.

Time to make my lunch, pack Riley's lunchbox and get dressed for work.