Monday 10/30/17

Greetings Magnificent Maintainers

139 today in spite of extra inning munching during World Series. I played Words With Friends during most of it but it was a good game. I stopped drinking wine a few days ago and I think losing the wine calories helped.

BB your party looks great. Hors d'oevres are my favorite food group. Did the mega shopping trip yesterday and managed to stay with mainly healthy stuff - veggies, hummus, grapes, assorted cheeses. That will be my offering anyway and pot roast to make beef barley soup. Anyway, great looking party and costumes BB!

Well Devon you are right about feeling better when house is in order. When I had a real job I used to have a thing about having all my clothes clean on Sunday night even to the point that I would put on a nighthgown early so I could wash everything else. My house in now always messy and it constantly annoys me. But I think its normal to put off details and not a mental disorder. Or its TMSTD syndrome (too much stuff to do). I gaze at a sea of jumbled papers that I cannot seem to organize, excess junk in the living room and kitchen that has to be moved before the party, dirty dishes, laundry and on and on. Makes me tired just to think about it. Need to get over entertainment anxiety and make it fun like BB.

Hey I hear you about planning for shopping lack of endurance. Used to be I could go to one store and then have to come home and lie down. I still hate shopping of most kinds but can physically get through it much better. I did buy yucky Halloween candy yesterday that I would not eat if trapped on a desert island.

Well does everyone have a Halloween plan for dealing with candy and such? I will probably eat a few pieces of good stuff - as I know friends will bring chocolate - but try to stick with the healthier snacks. Should be good weather so we expect crowds of kids.

Shel, OMG gym class and then a butt burning hike! Your DH was right about the Space Needle. A lawyer friend of mine used to say that the purpose of life was to reach your physical potential, not mental. He was a triathlete. You are doing both!

Ok, I am warning you Ms. Mac. Do not eat this post. Time for more coffee. Diane S

I really like hors d'oeuvres, but they are a sticky food group for me. Because I feel like I never get hungry, never get full, so I continue to graze. it's the kind of food that sneaks past my sleeve without adding up!

I definitely have entertaining anxiety too. Partly because I'm a pessimist, and I think no one is ever going ot show up. Plus we had one year where 50-60 people AFFIRMATIVELY RSVP'd (not just no reply--we have TONS of those :( ) and only 25-30 showed up. I hate to be a grumpy host, but when you're expecting 50-60 you go to a lot more work and EXPENSE. And I ended up just sorta holding a grudge on the inconsiderateness of people who didn't come. Now, 3 more parties later, and every time people have been right around the number RSVP'd (although some do beg out or are no-shows, some no-replys fill in for them). Plus I've also come to say "this is the cost of doing business." We like this party most. I have to plan for the number of guests who say they're coming (or nearly that many), so it is what it is. Recognizing that has helped a lot, rather than thinking of it on a per-person cost basis and multiplying by how many rudely didn't come!! I also tell myself that I get to put out all my fun decorations and I am inspired to clean up the house. My house usually comes out better than it started. Well, after a good cleaning (again) the day after the party. I will tell you this year I feel like I'm taking longer to recuperate.

As far as candy. I think I've told y'all how much I love candy. Actually when you said "desert island" my eyes read "DESSERT ISLAND" and I thought "I wanna go THERE!!!" Probably in all honesty it's not a good thing for me to have around ordinarily outside of my small candy dish with chocolates that I only disturb if I really want something sweet. But that being said, I've found my personal truth is that I guess I like the novelty of things, so having it available always takes away some of the allure. Another thing I think that's helped is we now give away full size candy bars. (My husband wanted to be that house lol) I'm less likely to eat a full-sized candy. I'm more non-committal. Like I'll eat 10 mini candy bars which more than equal a whole one. But a whole one? that's too much of an investment ;) We have probably 70 kids or so come by our house. Do you guys have a lot? Supposed to be pretty cold and potentially rainy here tomorrow so maybe fewer. After Halloween we save the extra candy for the movie room. Outta sight outta mind :)

If you think about it, your comment that "having it available always takes away some of the allure" backs up some of what the speaker was saying in the session at OH about stopping binge eating and cravings! I posted a short summary of it yesterday, btw.

BB, this will be our 14th Halloween at our home way the hell out in the country. In all those years we have never had a single trick or treater. In the early years out here we used to buy candy. We haven't done so for at least ten years now.

Don't miss the candy or the trick or treaters at ALL!

:)

Awww but I love seeing the little trick-or-treaters. I especially like the early comers little Woody or Spider Man or princesses. Especially this year. I'll be thinking about what Nugget will dress up as last year (of course she won't be big enough to go to the houses, but I think she'll have to get dressed up!)

(I could do without the later teenagers who seem disgruntled about candy selection or amounts)