Food Triggers

LOL! I wanted to post the picture of me jumping over the fire at the finish line of the Warrior Dash, but since we are talking about food triggers I guess this one is more appropriate. I was in my car a few days ago and we were headed into town. All of the sudden I got the urge to eat a drive thru breakfast bisquit. Just out of the blue. Where did that come from??? I had just eaten breakfast before I left the house. I wasn't even hungry. I can't even remember where I was headed now (old age) but at the time I remember thinking this is a food trigger. It comes up on you when you are headed out to do something you would normally associate with eating. I guess if you were stressed or not thinking or tired or whatever else, you might just pull in and numb the darn trigger. But it got me thinking. How many times a day do we get these epic mental flatulations? How many times do we simply ignore them or stop them in their tracks and how many times do we just give in? I suppose this would be one of those times when a little baggie of celery just won't cut it so redirecting wouldn't help.

Like the other night. Steve was a little cabin feverish so I suggested we go to Ingle's the grocery store around the corner from us. We needed a few items and it was late, but hey it would be fun. While we were in there, Steve said, "I need something snacky." So I said, "Sweet or Savory." Hoping it would be savory and we could indulge together cause that's what I was craving! Dorian suggested we get a pizza - Hello we shot that one down quick. Then Steve expressed that he could eat a whole package of Oreos and get him out of the store quick. Isaac, my ever thoughtful offspring said, "You know, we have all that frozen fruit at home, and we are buying some Greek yogurt, we could make something with that at home." Brilliant, my little star of the evening!!! What would we do without him:) I quickly checked out and got Steve home before he could do any damage to the cookie aisle.

After I got home from Fitness Ridge my mind was so programed to only eat what I knew I could have. As I have been home and around more foods, it is harder to stay away from things that tempt me. But, I have made a discovery. I now know when I'm being tempted and I know the kinds of things that tempt me. Big Cheez Its...can I get an amen? I know they swear it's the same recipe as those dried up scrawny sized ones, but I think not! So much big cheese flavor I can't help myself, so I have vowed to stay away. Cheese in general. If I believed in reincarnation it would be impossible for me to have been anything other than a rat in a previous life. Sauces, OK, Chef helped me with this one. Substitution and moderation right. I've done good with this one since sauce is one of those things that life is worth living for (especially the green chili sauce!) Sour cream - always buying the Light one now. And steak??? You bet ya! I love a juicy steak. I would do without meat for a week to get one. So that's pretty much it except for a little chocolate hit about once a month. That's also not so bad. At least I know what to stay away from when I go shopping. I try to stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store. Veggies, fruits, meats, and dairy skipping the processed middle of the store. Nothing in the boxes that only appear to be food but are really some form of food wanna be.

Now for the food triggers. They come on when I am out running errands, because the old me would throw in a drive thru with my shopping. When we are going on a picnic. I prefer BoJangle's chicken to sandwiches, but that just make you feel like garbage. When we go to the movies the popcorn smell KILLS me. I try to remember to pop some at home and stuff it in a big purse. Come on, you know you've done it;)

What are your triggers? We all have different ones. Get out a piece of paper and write them down. Know when to expect them and be ready. I'm finding there are hidden ones that keep popping up from time to time. I am doing battle with these guys because it matters. I didn't bust my butt to lose all this weight for nothing. I want to continue doing well and feeding my family well and exercising. Eat less - Move more! And keep the finger off the trigger;)

Apron Strings

There's just something about sewing that gets your creative juices flowing. I just made a kilt for my husband and it lead me to pull out other items that needed to be repaired or tweaked or remade. I'm a sucker for fabric and I've even been known to buy clothing at Goodwill just because the fabric is wonderful. I buy wool sweaters there too and bring them home to felt them in the washer and dryer. It's exciting to see what you're going to get. No sweater is alike in the way it felts. Sometimes you luck up and get a wonderfully tight beautiful weave, and sometimes it's just so-so. Steve sometimes wonders what will become of all my sewing projects. I have a collection of finished masterpieces...in my mind. One day there will be time for hours of cutting and sewing and altering. But for now I have to tackle the little projects. Like aprons.

I have become interested in creating aprons here lately. I find myself out in the yard with a dozen or so chicken and duck eggs or a handful of peppers or tomatoes in desparate need of a big pocket. I also tend to have wet hands and need a towel to wipe them dry, usually using my shorts...ugh!

Aprons lost their charm during the liberation of feminist movement. They were seen as a uniform of the socially opressed and utterly downcast woman who was destined to live out her life stuck in neutral on the homefront. I mean really, what could be more exciting than new found freedoms out there 'over the rainbow?' So the delicate apron was cast aside like a 70's bra burning and trampled under foot as women stampeded out to the work place in search of new found freedom.

I have been around long enough to see the apron come full circle. Freedom we got, empowerment we felt, but time marched on and a longing set in that women didn't expect. A longing for home and family. A longing for making their castle a beautiful place of rest and relaxation. Longing to nurture, to love, to be loved, and to grow up the children that God placed in our protection. I've have lived it all. I haved worked my way through school, and college, twice. I have had a promising career. I have created a stay at home business, homeschooled my kids for 7 years, changed diapers, driven the carpool, continued to grow as an artist, and the list goes on and on.

As empowered as I have felt in the workforce, nothing compares to keeping the home fires burning. Nothing is as fulfilling as putting nurishing meals on the table for my family and being there for them when they need me. I can't point to a single time in my life that I have been more excited about than right now. As I teach my children to read, write, reason, think on their own, and do math I have the satisfaction that I was the one who did that. As we raise our own meat, vegetables, and fruits it makes me see how great a responsibility this really is. As I care for our farm animals and grow them up from babies I love seeing the characters they become. So, here I am in the new millinium and I don my apron with pride. I even have an apron that belonged to my grandmother. It has hand smocking at the top and I wonder to what era in time that belongs. Who was president? What was the cost of gas? Was she pregnant? Did she string beans in it? Did she smock it herself or was it a gift from a crafty friend?

We also have a favorite apron in our family. When Steve and I were newly married we stopped on the way home from college one night for dinner. The place was Rocky Bobocky's Pizza in Atlanta. It was packed and we had to park around back. When we came out there was an apron laying in the mud by my door. Being poor, we were always on the lookout for roadside treasures. It took 7 washings to get all the mud out, but it is the most comfortable apron we have. It is white linen and worn to a wonderful softness. It's only fault: there isn't a pocket! Perhaps another project lies in it's destiny.

These days aprons are coming back with a vengence. They are frilly, classy, dressy, cozy, plain, for men, designer, and good enough to wear out on the town, not that I would;) I even saw some in a magazine that looked like cocktail dresses!

Aprons: on the rise, even in Urban settings, or so I hear. Long live the apron, and womanhood, and the need for big pockets. Long live those women who are still exploring the work place, and those who have found their way home. Long live choices that we didn't always have.