Rick, I've been saying for years that I need a wife! In our office we joke about hiring one and splitting her up. We would each get her for a day. I can't complain too much. My husband always does the grocery shopping with me and often he does it by himself. He does laundry too! But he's taken. It's great that you appreciate the wife that plans those meals, cooks them and discusses tasks with the laundry fairy! Enjoy the day, Stephanie

Stephanie, I am lucky, I have a wife. I highly recommend everyone (including you woman) get a wife. She does all of the meal planning and preperation. I kind of like the laundry fairy also. Have a great day, Rick

What a great analogy, Rick! I do love my wood heat, but you're right in that it takes planning. We usually buy our wood in the summer and my manly husband splits and stacks it. I know that once that project is complete, I feel so good about the fact that we will be warm when winter arrives. Similarly, planning is key to my success with food. I definitely get into trouble when I don't plan. I write out our dinner menus before I grocery shop each week. This helps me make sure our meals are balanced between protein, veggies and the occasional starch. I also plan breakfasts and lunches for the work week. If I don't, it can and does get ugly! This time of year is difficult for sure. I made cookies with my nieces this weekend and I can't wait to give them away as gifts so they will not tempt me anymore. I had about three too many pieces of biscotti! Stay warm! Hugs, Stephanie

Stephanie Smiles is my inspiration for today's post. She commented on burning wood for her heat source. I also have had wood heat for many years. It keeps you warm and there is nothing like it. Anyway, how does this relate to our journey? When you burn wood you need to plan ahead. You need to gather the firewood and store it out of the weather. You need kindling and some sort of fire starter. It also is important that you make a wise choice of the type of wood you have gathered to achieve the results you want. If you primarily gather soft woods you will have a hot fire, but it won't last too long. If you use a more dense wood the fire may not burn as hot but it will keep going longer. Sometimes we also burn wood because it has a pleasant distinctive smell such as incense cedar. It just smells good while creating a hot short lasting fire. In our weight loss journey we have to plan our meals and snacks so that we are prepared when it comes time to feed our bodies. We need to think about what we want out of the food choices we make. If we are just looking for a quick snack and choose an item high in carbohydrates we need to realize that it may make us feel good for a little while, but it isn't going to stick with us and keep us satisfied for very long. A better choice is a more dense protein. It makes us feel fuller and it feeds are bodies for a longer period of time. We also have to be careful for those foods that smell so enticing especially this time of the year. We must evaluate if this is a special treat we are allowing ourselves or are we falling into a habit of bad eating that we really don't want? Each of us has to decide if we just want to have a lot of little hot fires ore are we going to make the right choice and feed our bodies properly for the long haul? Life is great, Rick

1. Where are you going/staying for the holidays? We are leaving the Friday before Christmas to go see DH's family in Cincinnati. Then on Christmas Eve, coming back to Western KY to spend Christmas with my family. Then, the day after Christmas, DH & the dog will go back to Cincinnati as he has the whole week between Christmas and New Years off, so I'll be all by myself until New Years. I love having time to myself, but I'm sure I'll get lonely! 2. What special person will you see during the holidays? Everyone that I never get to see. I swear I saw my family more when we lived in Cincinnati than I do now that I only live 45 minutes away from them. DH's sister from Boston will be home for the holidays, so he'll get to spend a lot of time with her and her family. 3. What special gift will you be giving during the holidays? I'm doing a lot of handmade presents this year. I've started a new hobby of stamping, and I hate trying to find something that I think someone will like just for the sake of giving a present. So, this time my gifts will come from the heart. I'm converted all of my parents home videos to DVD, so I know they will like those. I'm making a scrapbook for DH's parents. I hope they will like that, but who knows. DH is going to help me and hopefully do all of the journaling so maybe that will make it more special. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!