It’s so nice to just putter around the house with no clear agenda, to pet fuzzy purring blobs of warm kitty fur, to wrap up in a blanket and take a snooze without feeling pressed for time, to stroll out to the mailbox and feel the wind in my face. It’s so nice to just BE. 🥰

I promise I’ll try not to obsess over food the way I did last break. I felt starved at the time and probably was to an extent. This cycle wasn’t nearly so hard on my appetite, although I did have a few rough days when nothing really sounded appealing. Still, I seem to have bounced back faster and I didn’t lose much, if any, weight. I hope to pack on a few pounds before going back to the hospital because I’m guessing that the next cycle, which will basically be a repeat of the first, will be a lot harder on me and my appetite will all but disappear.

I actually indulged in a fast food lunch today courtesy of Freddie’s, a hamburger chain located mostly in the South and Midwest. I had a California-style cheeseburger with fries and probably the thickest vanilla shake I’ve ever had. Freddie’s fries are amazing. Crispy, thin-cut, and absolutely delicious. When Rory makes fries for Movie Night he cuts them thin, blanches them in boiling water with vinegar, and then finishes them in the fryer. They’re incredible and the best fries I’ve ever had, but Freddie’s are a close second.

What did I just say about not obsessing over food? Oops…

So, Leyna came home wanting to make cookies for her Theater group. One of the batches was to be meringues. She got out our old stand mixer, separated the egg whites, added the cream of tartar and turned on the machine. The unit’s motor let out an uncharacteristic growl, the beater feebly twitched a few times, then nothing. Our 40-year-old Kitchenaid finally decided to pack it in and at the worst possible moment. We ended up hand-whipping the meringue batter and then, just as we thought we had triumphed, the delicate cookies began to scorch after only a few minutes in the oven (they usually take 2 hours or more to completely dry). Ugh… all that labor, not to mention all those eggs, completely shot to hell. Leyna’s trying to re-group now with batches of sugar and chocolate chip cookies but she’s very disappointed and I can’t say I blame her. Now we have to track down someone in the area who can repair an old appliance because I DON’T want to spend $300+ on a new Kitchenaid mixer!

We’ll probably be up late trying to finish off some of the cookie batches. Glad I took a nap earlier today!