Hi Friends!
Happy Tuesday though I am writing this on Monday evening. This week I am “celebrating” the five year anniversary of giving up alcohol! January 10th 2019 was the day to be precise – appropriate since this is Dry January. I have given up alcohol before, several times, for a year or even two years, for various reasons, but this time I did it for health reasons. We all know that it is a toxin, but it is a delicious toxin that we like to enjoy, perhaps in the same way as some people enjoy cigarettes or even coffee – whatever your drug of choice might be. I’m not judging anyone – you do you – I have to do me and IMO it wasn’t doing my body any favours. My thinking on it was that if my health was less than perfect then I didn’t need to be adding to the problem, so I stopped drinking alcohol. I didn’t know if it would stick or if I would change my mind or whatever, but I guess it did stick since it has now been five years. The first thing I noticed was that anytime I felt stressed or worried, my mind was telling me to have a glass of wine. Now that I don’t drink, when I am stressed now, my brain tells me to have some sugar, interesting isn’t it? I resist that urge to cope with stress in that way, and eventually that urge goes away. I don’t like the idea that a substance can have any control over my body whatever it might be – wine, caffeine, sugar, cheese. The hardest of those things to give up so far has been sugar or perhaps it was cheese, but the cheese cravings are long gone, the sugar on the other hand…
It was my sister’s birthday at the weekend, no one was drinking because they were joining in with Dry January, and they were pleased that they had gone 5 days without alcohol… and then I told them about my five year anniversary lol They were horrified to say the least.
Today’s Art . . .
Today’s art is the birthday card I made for my sister. It’s another infinity card, this time I did it only with stamping directly on the card and not multiple layers like the last one. Doing it this way takes a bit of working out to make sure everything is where you want it to be and the right way up when it opens lol
It was a bit of a bad idea though as she didn’t know how to open it and nearly ripped it! If you are wondering what is inside that silver wrapped box…
There is a book, some Neal’s Yard Remedies products and sitting on the top is a giant mug (first ticket to Tea) with ingredients to make a microwave mug cake. I figured since it was her birthday she would need a cake. (Ignore the solar lights sitting on the table, they were not part of the gift). And neither were the kitties!
Elizabeth commented last week about what I feed them as their coats were shining, it’s this food from James Wellbeloved – Turkey Hairball – it has a much higher percentage of protein and fat than most of the other dry foods. The previous food they were on, which was a prescription Royal Canin food, had its main ingredient as maize! Cats shouldn’t be eating maize (corn) or living on carbs, they need protein, so I switched to this food and it has been very helpful to keep their digestive problems under control. Hypoallergenic cat food for pets with sensitivities. No added artificial flavours, colours, or antioxidants. Adult cat food with a single source animal protein recipe excludes common allergens beef, pork, soya, eggs, dairy & wheat ,includes natural prebiotics for a healthy digestion
Ingredients:
Turkey meal* (27.5%), white rice* (14.5%), turkey fat* (13.9%), brown rice* (12.3%), pea fibre* (6%), potato protein, turkey gravy (3.9%), tomato pomace* (2.5%), whole linseed*, veg stock dried, potassium chloride, chicory extract* (0.25%), fish oil*, calcium carbonate, carrot*, sodium chloride, cranberry extract* (0.05%), yucca extract* (0.02%). *Natural ingredients.
Currently Reading . . .
My current read/listen is this one by EA Copen, and it’s the first book in a spin-off series to the Lazarus Codex I read at the end of last year. I like this character because he’s a foul-mouthed, wise-cracking, chain-smoking Australian wizard and the books have a lot of humour in them. I’m listening to the audiobook so I get all the accents.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
TOTAL for 2024
5 book so far
January Books so far – 5
1. E.A. Copen – Dark Revel – Lazarus Codex #8 
2. E.A. Copen – Dark Horse – Lazarus Codex #9
3. E.A. Copen – Casting Shadow – Lazarus Codex #10
4. E.A. Copen – Lost Soul – Lazarus Codex #11
5. E.A. Copen – Until Death – Lazarus Codex #12
(re-reads if any are in bold)
Currently Crocheting . . .
I finished the 1000m ball of yarn since last week, but I feel like what I am making needs to be bigger, so I ordered a second ball! This was not the plan as I am trying to get rid of my stash, not buy more yarn but it couldn’t be helped – it’s due to arrive on Tuesday morning! I have also been obsessing over a crocheted blanket that uses this lovely Wool of the Andes yarn but I would have to order from the US and I refuse to pay import fees so I have been looking for an alternative.
T Stands For . . .
My giant coffee mug full of decaf coffee (yes I also bought one of these for me but I won’t be making the mug cake) and scrambled tofu on toast with HP brown sauce and beetroot chutney. I don’t often want a savoury breakfast but when I do, I usually make this. It’s vegan and since this is Veganuary, here’s a link to some handy one-pot vegan recipes. The one-pot spaghetti is particularly good (I swap kale for spinach though!) Or perhaps you might like the budget meals (if you think vegan is expensive that is). Veganuary is a 31 day challenge to go vegan in January. I already am so I’m not joining the challenge lol. I do have another anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks!
Let me know what you think in the comments. As always, thanks for reading and Happy T Day!
Ingredients
as above
I’m not so keen on alcoholic drinks – for me it would mean 3 or 4 drinks a year – usually ciders with crêpes when we’re in France. I have reduced my sugar intake because of the Diabetes but I hope I never have to give up cheese. We reduce our Caffeine by having decaf for 2 of our coffees each day! I love the two guard cats, that mug is a good shape! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
You treated your sister well, Elle. I’m doing Dry January, but I doubt that I will “kill” alcohol forever. I don’t drink very much in the first place, but I do enjoy a glass of wine with dinner sometimes. Good for you to have gone five years without alcohol, that is a real achievement. I looked at the vegan recipes, there are some nice ones. We are not vegan (there are too many peas and lentils which the Geek can’t eat), but we sometimes eat vegan. However, I could never give up on cheese or milk in my coffee. Yes, it’s sad that you can’t get Wool of the Andes in the UK, ordering from another country is always such a pain. I use the bulky yarn of WotA and the color is Masala (since you asked). It knits up real quick and just feels good. Your kitties are so cute – how did you bribe them to pose in such a mannered way? Happy late T day, hugs – Carola
Maybe mug cakes/mugs will be the gift for the little next Christmas. Thanks. Huh, Calli and Quill eat Royal Canin adult mixed with urinary tract. That was recommended by the Vet. They also get wet food, too. I’ll have to go read the ingredients on the bag. Happy T Day
What a wonderful set of kitty book ends! Love them.
Congratulations on giving up alcohol! I can take or leave alcohol, but that sugar. I’m with you. That’s a tough craving to ignore.
Congratulations! Five years! That is quite an achievement. Well done. I’m a social drinker, although it might not seem so because I am always photographed with a glass in my hand. I drink wine when I’m out for a meal and I enjoy an occasional G&T. Over the Christmas period I drank less than normal as i had guests. But we did open a bottle of bubbly on New Year’s Eve.
A few years ago my husband and I did the Daniel Fast for s month in January. It is a vegan diet and it took quite a bit of getting used to, but we learnt new things and generally enjoyed it. I wouldn’t like to become a vegan though. One month was enough.
Giving up sugar would be a problem though. I have a sweet tooth and I hate artificial sweeteners. So I prefer to use honey and maple syrup and a bit of sugar now and then and I avoid buying products at the supermarkets other than raw ingredients. My friend Andy is diabetic and if you look at the labels, practically everything has sugar in it! It’s crazy.
And I would never compromise on good cheese!
I went to the post office this morning and I received your Christmas card! Thank you so much! It is beautiful! I love the embossing on the envelope. Most of my Christmas cards will end up in the recycling, but I always keep home-made ones in a special box for inspiration. Yours will definitely be kept for future years. Thank you so much.
How interesting about the cat food. Of course being predators and meat eaters, they will thrive on proteins.
I love the gifts. The cake in a mug is fun. We did mug cake making on zoom with the grandchildren when we couldn’t visit in person (during Covid) so I have done it a few times.
I have not read any of those books but thanks for the recommendation.
Your crochet looks lovely. It is certainly worth getting more yarn to make the blanket a decent size.
Oh gosh, I have been writing rather a lot,
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
Many congratulations on your 5 year anniversary and wishing your sister a very Happy Birthday! I’m loving the gifts that you got here, the cake in a mug is fabulous ?. Your kitty cats are so good sitting to have their photo taken too and don’t they both look beautiful. Take care and wishing you a very Happy T Tuesday! Hugs, Jo x
Congrats on 5 years sober. I have never cared for alcohol. Not fond of the taste or how dizzy I get when I drink it. About once every three years or so, I drink a stout beer and get loopy after the first glass. All my friends say I’m a very cheap drunk.
Happy birthday to your sister. It’s hard to make a gift for a non-crafty person.
Your cats are blessed. I can tell by my cats poop if they are getting cat food with filler. I don’t think we get that brand in the states.
I think your crocheted blanket will be prettier and you will be happier with the new ball you have ordered. Sometimes less is less.
Nice mug, even if you aren’t using it for it’s intended purpose. Your breakfast looks good. I prefer a savory breakfast when I eat breakfast.
Sorry, Elle. I can’t give up my caffeine or my dairy, so could never go vegan. I applaud you, though. Thanks for sharing your sister’s b’day gift, the kitties diet, your new mug and your breakfast with us for T this Tuesday.
I had intended to send you an e-mail asking if you sent the envelope with the stars, but Carola answered my question for me. I’ll share it next week, dear. And thanks in advance.
Oh! Congrats, but whatever in life… I could never give up cheese!
Love your ktties. And scrambled tofu sounds interesting. I still have a piece sitting there, not knowing what to do with it.So… thank you for the links and have a happy T-Day, hope it´s warmer in your place than here …
A special mug for making a mug cake is an amusing idea. I have made them a few times, but they always seem to rich because one egg in that amount of cake makes it so rich. But delicious. Have a fun new year.
best,mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Congrats on 5 years without a drink. I’m an occasional social drinker (it can be weeks between having a drink), and I can’t say I’ve heard of dry January. But it is a good idea. You really got lucky that the cats posed so nicely around those gifts for your sister. That photo could be an ad for one of those monthly subscription boxes. Maybe one for a pamper yourself service. 🙂 Your crocheting looks beautiful. I’m loving those happy colors you chose. Sounds like the year has started off well. And I hope you have a great T day too. hugs-Erika