I jumped into the deep end this weekend and started Christmas decorating. Since I like to keep it pretty minimal I had everything finished up by Monday afternoon and the boxes back in the garage.
And some of the sparkles vacuumed up.
Roxy, of course, was a giant help. She immediately started taking ornaments out of the bowl on the coffee table and batting them around the house. Then she did donkey kicks off the walls. Then she helped with ribbon. I honestly don’t know how I could have done it without her.
December Fit Challenge
Last year I posted daily with a fit challenge, and I’d like to do something similar this year. Attending group exercise is true enjoyment (and some pain, I admit!). In fact, my darling Cassandra subbed Zumba on Saturday and it was so fun to attend. She had a great turnout.
Do you Zumba? Any choreographed workout is my favorite, but Zumba is quite beyond my skill set. I just throw my hands in the air, try not to throw my back out and enjoy the music.
Anyway, back to the challenge. Holiday plans can mess up the best of exercise intentions. And routines.
So my challenge is to add small, enjoyable activities to fill in any deficits, make up for a bit of extra calorie intake and to try to soak up the beauty of this time of year in the desert.
This week we are blessed with 70⁰ and 80⁰ weather, so I am all about getting outside. Here is my challenge:
- Walk or ride my bike to any gym class I attend
- If I’m not attending a gym class, spend at least 20 minutes walking in the park
What I’m Eating
Now you’ll know why I want extra exercise. Two words. Comfort food. On this week’s menu was Instant Pot Pinto Beans from Love and Lemons paired with cornbread from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
The day I made these two recipes, I also wanted to stock up on ice so I had the ice machine out. And then, what the heck, I made a batch of gluten-free oatmeal cookies while I had the place a mess.
The pinto beans recipe is pretty small, so I tripled it. There were two quarts left over for the freezer and the intention is to turn them into refried beans when I thaw them.
The remainder of the cornbread went into the freezer too.
Wrap Up
It feels nice to have twinkle lights and sparkly doodads out for the holidays. I know by December 25th I’ll be ready to pack it all up. Oh well.
Hanukkah starts this week, so if you celebrate, let me wish you a happy one.
If you are starting to gather with friends and family, I wish you happy times making wonderful memories.
Is your Christmas decorating started?