Weekend Snapshots and the Warty Pumpkin

This was one of those weekends that I know I'm going to relish in the upcoming months. Fall typically hits our family at fever pitch with activities, marching band competitions for my son, and accelerates right into Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn't have a single thing on my calendar through the weekend and into Monday. Heaven! 

I went to Costco on Friday. I try and avoid going on Saturday or Sunday if I can. Sometimes that's unavoidable, but I was able to swing in quickly and do some of our bulk shopping. Of course, all their Christmas lights and candy and gifts are out in full swing. There was even a completely decorated Christmas tree. 😒

But! I did see this:

Wouldn't these three be wonderful to cuddle
on Christmas morning. Maybe not...

Obviously, I immediately texted my best friend and asked her if it was bad that I totally wanted to buy large Star Wars action figure dolls for myself. She gave me permission to buy them…but I didn't. #starwarsnerd

My BFF and I did end up having a text exchange which led to a phone conversation about supporting each other through making healthier food choices. It was just what I needed. It feels so good to not be struggling alone! My poor eating habits feel like my dirty little secret. Today is day three of no sugar. I spent most of Saturday working on meal prep for the week. It makes a huge difference when I have healthy food on hand to reach for instead of losing my mind over a package of cookies. There is an expression that we use in 12-Step meetings which applies to this situation perfectly, "One is too many and a thousand is never enough." There have been times that I have wanted to reach for sweets...but if there are only two or three cookies, I won't even bother. It's not enough. Crazy talk, right??

Here are some mini breakfast (or lunch if I'm so inclined) quiches made from yellow squash zoodles, eggs, and leftover chicken sausage. I baked them in the oven and sprinkled a scant amount of cheese just a few minutes before I pulled them out:

Anything in a cupcake liner = winning

I have a huge sweet tooth. One of the keys to setting myself up for success is having a dessert that I can enjoy. If I feel for a second like I am being deprived, then it's all over. Staying on top of my blood sugar and ahead of my cravings is one of the things that has worked the best in establishing healthy eating habits. I have a recipe for almond bread that is typically made in a loaf pan, but I prefer them in muffin cups. I modified the recipe by adding a date rolled in unsweetened coconut. My teenagers like to call this recipe my 'prison bread'. We have clearly watched too much OITNB. 

These satisfy a sweet tooth. Also, see caption above.

It's hard to tell from this photo -- or maybe it's not -- that the planters in our front yard are old drumheads. My husband dug up our lawn several months ago and created a drought-resistant garden out of old up-cycled drum kits. The garden has really starting to filling out as the plants have begun maturing, and our yard has become a mecca for pollinators: bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, including evening marauders (what did that funny meme with the crazy names for animals call raccoons...trash pandas??) . It is the most unique garden I have ever seen, and we're thrilled with the results! Three cheers for Mr. Doll 🌱

Drums and plumeria

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. It's not that I go for super scary stuff -- or maybe I do, just a little -- but I love decorating the house and the change of season into cooler weather. Sadly, we will be out of town on Halloween and I won't get to pass out candy. I decided it was pointless to decorate the yard for all those trick-or-treaters we won't be passing candy out to...so I picked out this warty gourd as my consolation prize for missing All Hallows' eve.

My pumpkin has a STD

The last picture is obviously one I didn't take, but a failed gif of Maya Rudolph that I tried to insert into my last blog post. I'm including it in my Weekend Snapshots post because she is that awesome.

Hi Maya!

Thank you to Erin at Her Heartland Soul for hosting a link up. Do you carve pumpkins? When was the last time you visited a pumpkin patch?