Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Sugar Free....

Dear Diary,

Today is day three of our no sugar month.  The first day wasn't so bad because Lolly, Babs and CG were all home so we were in it together and I was constantly supervised.  When everyone is gone and I only have my unending list of chores to keep me company it gets a little harder. 

I'm happy to report I haven't screamed incoherently at anyone due to my sugar detoxing.  So far.  And I have gained .8 pounds so things are going as expected. 

I might be feeling a tad cranky.  And a little snarky.  Because, as good as a pear is, it's just got nothing on the chocolate that I really need right now. 

It's going to get better, right? 

Sigh......

Yours Truly,
Lady of Perpetual Sugar Detox 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

May The Force Be With You 
This Valentine's Day

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Recipe Swap Wednesday-Sugar Cookies

I'm about to share with you the recipe for the best sugar cookies you will ever eat.  They are amazing.  And slightly addicting.  They're perfect for Valentine's Day or any other holiday requiring sugar cookies.  I usually make them for Earth Day.  Because I am a hippie that celebrates Earth Day!  But whatever reason you have for making these cookies, you will be happy you did.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour, plus flour for rolling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream eggs, sour cream, baking soda and vanilla together.  Mix in sugar and butter. Then add baking powder, salt and flour.
Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and put those rarely used cookie cutters to good use.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, depending on cookie size.
Once they are cooled, frost and enjoy!  And consider giving some away (this recipe makes A LOT!) so you don't enjoy them too much.  They also freeze well (un-frosted) for later use.

Not the best picture, but definitely the best sugar cookies!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Confessions of a Sugar Addict

Growing up I was one of those kids....ya know, the weird kids who didn't really have much of a sweet tooth. I would give my leftover Halloween candy away just before Christmas, my Christmas candy away around Valentine's Day, my Valentine's Day candy at Easter, and so on and so forth.  A neighbor friend greatly benefited from my lack of sweet tooth.  Don't get me wrong....I did like some kinds of candy, but I was a little picky about it.  I liked chocolate.  And I liked it dark.  I would eat milk chocolate, but my life long love is for dark chocolate.  Don't even talk to me about white chocolate.  It's not chocolate.

I maintained this habit (and coincidentally my weight....couldn't possibly be connected, right?!) all through college.  After I was married I did notice that I tended to eat more sugar than I used to but it wasn't that bad.  It was something I could totally give up easily.  All those articles about sugar being addictive were for people who were really addicted sugar.  Which was totally not me.

Oh how the sugar buzzed have fallen.

A couple months ago, I decided I was going to go sugar free to see if it would help me feel better.  I didn't have a certain time frame in mind but I figured it would help me transition to sugar just being an occasional treat instead of a frequent "need".  My sugar fast lasted two and a half days.  And those two and a half days were hard.  Very hard.  I noticed that after a meal I would just crave something sweet.  I was shocked....had I really gotten into the habit of having sugar after every meal?!  Probably not, but I had gotten into the habit of having sugar entirely too often.

I know people who eat A LOT of sugar.  I don't eat a large amount, just small amounts throughout the day.  Which end up equally way too much.  It's funny how these bad habit creep up on you when you don't notice.  And how easily we use those bad habits to cope with the stress of life.  We all have our way of not-coping with life and sugar had become my best frenemy.

My original sugar free time was just before the holidays and I figured that I would be doomed to try to go sugar free again during the holidays.  The good news was that just a couple of days worth of sugar free did help decrease my cravings so my sugar dependency did go down somewhat.  After the holidays I wanted to do it again but was a little...hesitant.  It's a big challenge to tackle alone.  Especially with a house full of candy!  It's everywhere.  And I don't buy 99%.  It just manages to come to our house by the best of intentions of others.

After school started again in January, Babs started talking about some kids in her class that were doing a sugar free challenge.  I must admit that I found it a little surprising since she is only in first grade.  But I figure it was a healthy challenge and would be great for the kids.  And the $100 reward for completing it wouldn't hurt either.  Turns out there were six or seven kids doing it.  She talked about it almost every day.  And then I did it.....

I said, "Why don't we do a sugar free challenge as a family?".   

Lolly (my nine year old) was all for it!  She's never had much of a sweet tooth so it's an easier commitment for her to make.  Babs (my six and three quarter year old) was a little less enthusiastic.  She's my "eat my weight in sugar" child and this would be more of a sacrifice.  But we talked and negotiated and discussed and we all decided to go for it and picked a start date, time frame, reward and everything.

Start Date: February 17, 2014
End Date: March 16, 2014
Reward: Going to a restaurant for dinner AND ordering dessert (oh, the irony)

And then we told CG.

And he is humoring us and going along with it.  And let me tell you....he is thrilled!!!  (typed in sarcasm font)  I think it's safe to say that this sugar free challenge is going to be hardest for the grown ups.  With the kids I just put away their candy and treats and keep them distracted.  Unfortunately, since I'm putting away the treats that also means I can sneak back into the treats.

This is going to take epic will power.  Too bad I won't have chocolate to get me through it.  


Friday, February 7, 2014

An Afternoon in the Flower Patch

Last spring my Lolly girl and I got to have a girls day together at the Flower Patch.  We got to see where all the magic happens and take a tour of the facility.  The freezers are cold but the flowers are beautiful.




After the tour, we got to try our hands at making our own beautiful wrist corsages.  Lolly really got into it and even made one for her little sister.




At the end of this awesome event, the lovely people of the Flower Patch gave each of the bloggers a plant (I killed mine, somehow...I was so bummed) and two gift cards....one to keep and one to share.  And I thought to myself, "Self, I need to find the perfect moment to share this gift card".  

That perfect moment....is now.  

It's almost Valentine's Day and now is the perfect time for beautiful custom flowers from the Flower Patch. And a $25 gift card is going to make it so much sweeter. And to make sure you get your gift card in time, we're going to make this giveaway super fast!  A flash giveaway, if you will.  

The giveaway starts...NOW.  And goes until Saturday February 8, 2014 at Midnight.  I'll choose a winner and they have 24 hours to respond to my email before I choose another winner.  If you're feeling particularly confident, then go ahead and email me your address.  Sending it out into the Universe and all....

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and cross your fingers!    




a Rafflecopter giveaway



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