sweet tooth overload

Farm Report: 2.14.20

- Mel

Happy New Year (I think I’ve only had ONE post so far in 2020?!) and welcome to the 2020 Farm Report that coincidentally intersects with 2020 Valentine’s Day.

succotash
Groundhog Phil deemed the spring to cometh. And while the Iowa fields got a little shook up and shivered this week with a -30 wind chill, I believe we are ready to defrost. Hellllllo 40-degree temperatures! In all seriousness though, it’s time to start shopping for your tomato seeds. Here’s a handy search to find your estimated frost cycle for your own zip code.

bleeding heart(land)
I ordered a very special heart cake for my husband for Valentine’s Day from Sugar Freak Show and… just OMG it was not only incredibly detailed and quite a feat of sugar engineering, but was a super fun experience. The cake itself was delicious, natch. Also, I can eat “styrofoam” fondant for days and days.

Bleeding heart sugar freak show cake Des Moines
Even the plastic, label, and styrofoam tray were edible!

midwest shenanigans
How about that caucus? Maybe at one point I will write about my full experience. In brief, it was actually a really exciting thing to be a part of (my first Iowa caucus!). I hope that it’s a tradition that remains despite all the WTF that occurred as a result.

Weekly Therapy: run for yourself… but also run for all the chocolate.

- Mel

the week:
Holy recovery! All things considered, I didn’t feel too bad this week for running 10 freaking miles. My hip was really bothering me the day after the race, so I’ve been foam rolling all week and stretching between customers at work. I would also really, really like to get a short 2-mile-ish run in before the end of the week to “stretch” everything out.

weekend:
Race weekend is finally here! There will be all the hot chocolate with ALL THE MARSHMALLOWS.

seven things, seven days:
1. New gluten-free bakery in Columbus? CHECK. Gimme all of your Oatmeal Creme Pies!
2. Basically, I will be in a sugar coma until Wednesday.
3. Did I tell you that I signed up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon? Yep. DOING IT.
4. MY MASTER BATHROOM IS ALMOST DONE. Up next: master bedroom walk-in closet. What.
5. Have any advice for how to manage extreme hunger during long runs? I seem to be an anomaly, whereas other runners don’t think about food for ALL THE MILES.
6. The age-old question: Can Money Buy Happiness? Well… kinda. But you’re probably doing it wrong. {via The Wall Street Journal}
7. The Psychology of the Supermarket. Don’t shop hungry, Phil. {via Bon Appetit}

March 30: a lesson in emotional eating

- Mel

No sweets. NO SWEETS FOR 30 DAYS. I knew this would be a difficult month, but really didn’t anticipate HOW HARD keeping desserts away from my pie hole would be. It was a long, cold month.

Within the first week of giving up sweets, I had a four-day headache.

Then I had a tooth pulled and continuously craved ice cream during the healing process.

St. Patrick’s Day and my anniversary happened… this was my first “cheat” day: an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, which, naturally, included a dessert table, a bananas foster table AND a make-your-own ice cream table. The ice cream felt so wonderful on my gums that I almost tossed the entire month-long challenge in the garbage right then-and-there.

I was determined to finish strong, however; intsead using my “free” day at the end of the month (originally planned for Easter) to make up for the one-day lapse.

Each day for the last week of the month, the breakroom at my part-time job was filled with cookies and doughnuts and candy.

Then I had a death in the family and was surrounded by sugary gifts from friends and neighbors. Sigh.

Basically, after giving up sweets for 16 days straight, on the 17th day I fell to my sugar cravings because of a flaw in the emotional eating segment of my psyche. I pressed restart for another few days, then succumbed again. I didn’t just stumble, I GONE TRIPPED AND BROKE MY WILLPOWER. All of it.

And then on the 31st day, at the sight of my first period in several months, I celebrated my failure with a crushed Samoas cookie vanilla sundae. Because that’s what 30-something females do: we eat away our PMS and feelings.

What you missed:
Read more about my 30-day challenges for 2013.
January: no alcohol!
February: it’s wake-up time!

Weekend Therapy: a new coat of paint

- Mel

the week:
Painting. Every morning at 7am… but the end result is incredible. I can’t wait to share before and after photos.

weekend:
Meh. Working all weekend. And putting my house back together.

seven things, seven days:
1. Speaking of paint and color: Where Men See White, Women See Ecru {from Smithsonian Mag}
2. Finally became an REI member (no clue why I waited so long)
3. Daylight Savings ends this weekend… FML.
4. Torturing myself beyond reprieve, I purchased TWO boxes of Girl Scouts cookies (Samoas, natch) that I cannot eat until Easter Sunday (at least I smart about that latter part).
5. Found a box of Stonewall Kitchen’s apple cider doughnuts mix at my local supermarket too. SO GOOD. (check out their website for other delicious and all natural baking mixes)
6. Too cute: This little girl is doing a Science project on the “Garfield Syndrome.” If you have a tabby cat, you should help her out!
7. From the bloggess: Xanax makes me a better mom…