Friends Locked vs Open, and Holiday Food Thoughts

Last week I published a short story for LJ Idol and because the members of the group are generally unknown to me, I opened my journals (DW and LJ) so that the other members could read and could comment if they wanted. But having my journals other than friend-locked makes me nervous and uncomfortable. I'm grabbing names from those who commented and adding them to my friends list, and I'll be closing my journal back down again, locking it away from strangers and occasional visitors. If you receive a "friend" request from me and you commented on the story about my mother, accept the request if you want access to my journal after mid-week. 

I prefer to have my journal friends-locked. I'll be 
setting it back to that by mid-week and hopefully 
will have added all commentators on my stories 
to my friends list before then. 

We're entering into November now. For some of my friends, NaNoWriMo has started. I used to participate in that, and had a lovely time with it, but found the timing difficult. So much happens in the latter parts of the year. November brings Thanksgiving, along with finishing up my annual holiday cards. December brings Christmas/Solstice/Hanukkah along with the family pressures, the purchasing impulses, and the year-end deadlines for the shop. All of November and December also bring food challenges. For me, a person who suddenly finds myself a bit more fragile than I'm used to being, it can be a difficult two months. 

Thanksgiving Day is one of the few holidays we have here 
in the USA that revolves almost totally around food. The 
majority of people will roast or at least eat turkey with all 
of the side dishes. Those who don't like turkey will have 
ham or roast beef. Either way, whatever choice of protein, 
it's a holiday celebrated with food as the centerpiece. 
Having no oven will make this year quite challenging 
for me. 

I'm going to find food challenges one of more difficult parts. Mainly because I won't have an oven until early December (best guess). That shoots a nice large bird out of my wheelhouse, at least until Christmas. I'm not used to turkey at Christmas, but that may be what happens. My goal will be to end the year at the same weight I am today, and move into next year still comfortable with my relationship with food and exercise. It shouldn't be much of a problem, as long as I stay aware of the trigger foods that DH considers important. 

Chex Mix is a cascade and trigger food for me. I only have 
it once a year, but when DH makes it, I'm grabbing handfuls 
from the large stock-pot every time I'm passing by. I'm also 
packing lidded containers for breakfast and lunch, and 
quite frankly, I find it my most addictive food. I'm not 
sure if I can ration myself effectively through this treat. 
I'll certainly try my best, though. I don't want to fall 
back into poor food habits because of my love for 
Chex Mix. 

I started the cover embellishments for my holiday cards on Saturday morning. Hopefully I can get some more done today, and have the covers wrapped up no later than Wednesday. I might bring my cutter and the cardstock home with me on Tuesday night and take a couple of hours on Wednesday to work on the next portion. This whole event (as usual) is only conceptual in my mind. I think it will work, therefore I will make it happen - LOL. It's not going to be easy, but it's all coming together in my brain. 

My holiday cards are always a multi-step 
process. This year has more complexity in 
one aspect, less in another. It's always a 
challenge. I started late this year, but I 
think I'll have them sent out on time. My 
personal deadline is always to have them 
in the mail no later than Winter Solstice. 
I'll make that this time too, but it might 
be close. 

Got to run. The pool is calling my name and I have to get moving to make sure I have everything together that I need. Have an excellent day, be kind to others you interact with, and remember to take some time for yourself. All too often we make time for others, pushing our own needs to the bottom of the pile. Remember, you are of equal importance to all others in your life.