New Year's Eve 2023 — Pinto Beans and Fresh Baked Bread

 Hard to believe tomorrow is January. Today I took Rylee to Mom and Dad's around 10:30, saw Emery and Jack. Jack said, "Aunt Lindsey!" and ran into my arms! It was the best. I cleaned the cat boxes and did the dishes. Baked bread. Watched Full House reruns. Made turkey meatballs and pinto beans. I boiled the dried pinto beans for 5 minutes and let soak for 1 hour, then cooked on high in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. I added a diced onion, pepper, salt, Adobo. Delicious. The bread was 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of oats, 1 packet of quick-acting yeast, 3 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and 1 & 1/4 cups of lukewarm water. I mixed together and emptied onto a greased countertop. Kneaded for 7 minutes and placed back into greased bowl to let rise for 1 hour. Then I shaped the dough as follows: 'Flatten the dough into a 6" x 8" rectangle. Fold the top down to the center (like you were folding a letter), pressing it firmly with the heel of your hand to seal. Pull the upper left and right corners into the center, pressing to seal, repeat until you've create a 9 to 10" log. Tuck the ends under slightly and turn the log over so the seam is on the bottom.' I placed the dough into a greased bread pan, covered, and let rise for 1 & 1/2 hours. Then I brushed the top of the dough with an egg white and water mixture and baked at 350 for 37 minutes. Best bread ever. Rylee went out with her friends for New Year's. She's been texting me and keeping me updated on where she's going. It's hard to let her go. Sixteen. I remember. She's living her best life right now. I just hope she's safe. I'm really proud of myself for taking care of myself today. I even went for a 30 minute walk. That's a big deal for me. I want to make all these changes, but I also don't want to overwhelm myself and give up. One day at a time. One step at a time. I'm gonna go to bed early and TRY to get up early and walk. I want to change my habits. I want to overcome binge eating and I want to focus on healthy habits. I want to be proactive, not reactive. I have an appt on Tuesday with my doctor to discuss potentially starting back on a mood stabilizer. That scares me a little, but, it also scares me knowing that one mood fluctuation can set me back for MONTHS. It's time to make a change. 

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